Ultimate G Diamond Edition
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We’ve had our Kirby Ultimate G Diamond Edition since 2004. My wife bought it before we met, so technically she’s had it since then. We only replace the HEPA bags and belts.
Rainbow and Kirby were always competitors, back in the previous century. Kirby still kicks butt. Nine months ago I had a fire and my Kirby vacuum cleaner burned up, but I bought it brand new in 1997 and it still worked like perfectly. I had to change the hose one time, and a wheel one time, but that was because my kids liked to ride it like a Six Flags attraction. I bought a used one this time. It is a 2006 diamond model. All of the attachments from my old one fit this one. The shampooer does too. It has a powerhead like what you're talking about, but you can also get an attachment called a zip brush that is a powerhead for your hose. That's what I use for my furniture. The suction is still incredible. I've heard people complain about Kirby's being heavy. I don't mind it. It's got drive gears. It literally will propel itself across the floor, so the weight doesn't matter. Unless you're carrying it upstairs. But if you're vacuuming the stairs, It's not that big a deal. You can convert it to a handheld vacuum. I don't expect to need to buy another one in my lifetime, but if I do, I can use their trade-in program, even if it's not working. Or I can just buy another used one. They're absolutely worth the money either way.
🤣☝️ I love my Kirby, but there's tons of attachments. I mean, I guess you don't have to use them. 🤷♀️ It'll last you the rest of your life.
Kirby The absolute best secondhand vacuum you can buy. It will outlive you.
Buy a used Kirby vacuum on FB marketplace. Go for a Heritage 2 or later G series Kirby vacuum and you'll be quite satisfied. With the G series, Sentria, or Avalir models, you can find a lot of attatchments for them. They made the same basic vacuum and attatchemts for 30+ years so they are interchangeable. You can still get parts for all of them. The Heritage 2 and older ones are great vacuums but parts and attatchments for them aren't as easy to find. They're still out there though on ebay a lot. Any vacuum store is more likely to carry parts for the newer ones. These Kirby vacuums are a bit heavy and bulky but they have so many uses and last forever. I have one from the 1950s that still works great! You can't buy a better vacuum for longevity.
Just get a $50 Kirby at the thrift store. My mom would buy those cheap vacuums and they always just vaguely worked then would blow up for the dumbest reason. I got a G series Kirby at Goodwill for $18, a Royal for $20 and a Dyson DC46 cannister vac for $20- so if you look, you can find a nice vacuum for cheap.
Get a used Kirby off marketplace, eBay or Craigslist... Any g series will function nearly identically... It is not a wet vac, dry only... No liquid should go in the tank when using the shampooer
Kirbys are great because they're so easy to fix. Every single part is user-replaceable
My first choice is Kirby. I don't understand others' posts implying they aren't reliable. Mine is 40 years old and probably has another 60 years left. Plastic crap, Dyson and Shark, is just that. Crap. Panasonic commercial vacuums have been a standard for many years.
Lesson I’ve learned in the vacuum space - I’m not going to be happy with the vacuum unless I spend at least $600. I have two 80 lbs dogs, one of which is a golden / pittie mix that sheds year round. Dyson, Shark, Roomba, Dreame, etc can’t keep up. In 2000 I bought a Kirby - and had some buyer’s regret at first, but that vacuum lasted 20 years and still had a much suction power on the day it died as it did on day 1. When the motor finally died in 2000 I recycled the cleaner. Big mistake. Wish I’d just had the motor replaced. I’m now back in the market for a Kirby or similar. I’ll happily pay 5x the cost of a cheap vacuum for one that is a trusty workhorse. The trick with Kirby is not to pay asking price - a good deal on a Kirby starts at about a 50% discount.
Rankings by Use Case
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