The Kirby is extremely over-priced for what you get.  It only has 109 CFM air flow on low speed (Carpet cleaning) and a small 84.5 CFM when using high speed (hose attachment). The Kirby also does not filter the carbon from the motor cooling exhaust air. I just received these ratings directly from Kirby.  As far a versatility, the Kirby is at the low end. Versatility to me means being able to perform many types of cleaning tasks with high CFM performance and ease of changing between attachments. All the attachments that come with a Kirby are gimicks.  The carpet shampooer in particular is poor and over wets the carpet.  And there's no extraction of the solution you just applied. You have to wait and wait for the carpet to dry. And when you want to use the Kirby as a canister... you have to fight to remove the brush/belt head assembly and then fumble connecting the hose onto the power head. Lets face it... the Kirby is early 1900's technology with an over-inflated price tag.

Hi Charlotte. Boy... don't we like defending our Kirby. Your statements are extremely "overexaggerated" and false. It may do 82 different things for you, but it can't do even one of these things exceptionally well. As far as the "HELPA" filter you discribed, that's news to me. Never heard of it. Kirby claims their micro-magic bag is HEPA rated. The truth is, there is no such thing as a H.E.P.A. vacuum bag.  
 
Everything I previously said is true about the Kirby. It's early 1900's technology that hasn't changed much with the times. The machine is fine if you only do wide open area carpet cleaning, very difficult to maneuver in tighter situations and impossible to get under a bed, not to mention a nightmare if you want to do anything else with the canister setup.  
 
The CFM rating is only 109 for rug cleaning and a low 84.5 CFM for "canister" use. I think most people believe it's powerful because of the noise it produces. I contacted Kirby by Email and was informed these facts. In addition, they told me the motor exhaust is not filtered. This exhaust has carbon brush and fan blow-by particulates being directly released into the air. If you don't believe me, contact the main Kirby office yourself.  
 
And last but not least, your statement about anyone not using a Kirby, has a dirty house, is totally rediculous. I can see Kirby has another one of their followers brainwashed into believing these things. I have a friend that use to sell Kirby's. He told me when they got together for their weekly recruiting meetings, they actually chanted a "Kirby" song. Sounds like a cult or something to me. He promptly left and never returned thinking to himself how crazy can a company get.
 
The fact is, there are many other machines on the market that will outperform the Kirby at a fraction of the cost. It amazes me why people would want to spend so much money on this machine.  
 
I recently surfed E-Bay the other night under vacuums. The number one machine people are getting rid of seems to be Kirby's and then Rainbows. I guess if one has to have a Kirby, they should shop on E-Bay. The selection of even the newest models are great. Prices are around $650.00 or better for the gereration 6 machine.