Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

A week ago I accquired a rebuilt G4 and today spent the last few hours testing the machine with a Keeler bagless conversion. Whoa! It is fabulous!

I had vacuumed thoroughly for the last three days with the paper bag on the Kirby, and also with my Rainbow D4SE with an E2 P/N. The KIrby sucked up the carpet one notch higher with the conversion than with the bag and held it there while vacuuming, both with the Tech drive engaged and off. The dirt did not swirl in the dust container as I thought it might, but it doesn't matter. The improved dirt pickup is astonishing, on carpet, area rugs, level loop, anything. After 2 hrs of almost continuous operation, the motor was no hotter than if I had been running it with a bag, and dirt was still accumulating in the jar. I emptied it, lightly brushed the filter and continued vacuuming.

The upright pushes a lot smoother  with the conversion as opposed to the bag, but scatter rugs are harder to vacuum, they are sucked up more easily. The hand portable on the steps is more balanced with the Keeler conversion, and the Zippbrush just screams. The bagless conversion really is a quantuum jump in performance. Way to go Jim!

Trebor

Yo Venson,

I have the utmost respect for you and your buying prowness, you are one of the few that can weed thru the B.S. and make an informed decision[spelling]. I agree that a G series kirby are worth 300 to 400, but must be pristine and be backed up by professional service, what good is a machine no matter what brand that has no backup service or competent repair people?

regards

MOLE

Hi MOLE,

It's good you mentioned back-up as it is really important.

By the way, there's a dealer out of Utah on eBay who's put a new spin on his Kirby refurbs. He's offering about 10 "pet version" Ultimate Gs for $400 a pop basic attachment set included. The Zip brush has been replaced with a generic turbo tool and there's also an after-market brushroll with spaced out white bristle that's supposedly designed for pet owners. There's a five-year warranty on the cleaner and very low shipping. Also, there's a pretty comprehensive explanation of the difference in the G series model range.

Venson

mole wrote:

Hello MOLE:

You said it first, I just agreed with you.  You also said that we would see consolidations in the industry.  So far you're right on.  ORECK acquired halo.  TTI Floorcare acquired HOOVER.  And we know there are more to come in the months and years ahead.  Even some not expected right now.

Carmine D.

Trebor wrote:

I got sucked into buying one of Jim keelers conversion kits and I have to say that it's a real piece of crap. The build quality is terrible at best. Also, the airways get progressively smaller from the point where it attaches to the Kirby to the point where it enters the canister. Combine that with a tiny pleated filter that will clog after about 30 minutes of use and you have a Kirby with a bad case of asthma. My conversion did not have an O-Ring seal around the lid and it leaked air badly around the rim. Also there was a square hole in the top of the canister opposite the side where the PVC pipe was inserted that Jim Keeler attempted to seal with a glued on piece of plastic. It fell off before I could even use it for the first time. I had to attempt to re-glue the patch but was unable to get Super Glue to bond with it. I eventually used Duct Tape to cover the hole so that I could at least try this thing out. Overall this conversion isn't worth the money. I should have purchased $80 worth of Kirby bags which would have lasted me about 2 years instead of this piece of junk.