Kirby Vacuum Cleaners

rustyhead

Can't believe that Kirby are still trading, I remember them about 20 years ago and like the op let them in, also had young kids, I'm now wondering how much they were then. One of my neighbours purchased one,didnt they do a special offer of trading in yours and a hire purchase agreement?

pinkshoes

rustyhead wrote: »

Can't believe that Kirby are still trading, I remember them about 20 years ago and like the op let them in, also had young kids, I'm now wondering how much they were then. One of my neighbours purchased one,didnt they do a special offer of trading in yours and a hire purchase agreement?

The £1500 was trading in my Dyson!!!

I think we were only saved from a heavier sales pitch as they were late for another appointment.

The price seems to vary depending on the value and size of your house though!

I would pay £400 for one, but £1500 is so far off the mark for what they are realistically worth.

I do feel sorry for people who get sucked in to buying one. I suppose distance selling rules would not count as by accepting the complimentary carpet clean you are inviting them to your house. I specifically asked on the phone whether they were trying to sell anything, and was told NO, and was then told it would take about an hour. I was told nothing about having to stand holding a baby for 3 hours whilst watching them vacuum!!

owen_money

Spendless wrote: »

I have a Sebo, bought after good on-line reviews.
I had the first Dyson (DC01) and adored it. I lasted 7 years before 'dying' but we passed it on to a relative who did a bit of a re-furb on it and it had a few more years life.

I then bought my next Dyson (DC07??). This 'died' at less than 2 years old and in its dying throes spat out a ball-bearing. DH who has worked at a bearings supplier for all his adult life, was unimpressed at the poor quality of the bearing and I've never dared risk getting another model.

I *think* I've read that a Miele do well against other vaccuums. Have you tried seeing if the magazine Which has done any studies? You might find something on-line.

Having the first every Dyson you should have kept it, it would be worth a lot now to a collector

teddysmum

I had a Kirby demo, several years ago and after the man left, having shocked me over the price,the house was actually dirtier than before the clean , as the man's assembly work sent out a cloud of dust.


I read, somewhere, that any decent vacuum cleaner will still remove dirt on a second run.

Nomoonatall

Thanks op, I'm going to have lots of free demonstrations to clean my carpet...I hope that 20 will be enough!

I won't buy anything...I just want a clean carpet!

Thistle-down

I've had two Dysons but got tired of the flimsy plastic bits cracking or falling off. When the second one died, I bought a Miele Cat and Dog and have been thrilled with it. It is really well built and cleans better than anything else I have tried. I would not be surprised if it were still working this well in 10 years - our Miele washing machine is at least that old and still works like a dream.

martinthebandit

Quite surprised no one has mentioned Henry yet

pinkshoes

martinthebandit wrote: »

Quite surprised no one has mentioned Henry yet

We DID have a Henry but it was replaced with the Dyson.

The Henry was awful, particularly with pet hair. It took ages to vacuum the floor, then it still looked grubby! The dyson was MUCH better, but just not well built.

My neighbour was telling me her Miele cat and dog is fab, so will look into that one.

I have a Miele washing machine which must be at least 10 years old but works so well.

[Deleted User]

My ex used to work for Kirby and then all the parts were metallic. I remember reading a couple of years ago that plastic parts are now used but they're still the same price!

My ex did manage to sell one, in weeks of working for them. I guess he wasn't the best salesman ever lol.

Once you know how to assemble them and maintain them, you can keep the old metallic parts ones for decades but I didn't like the dust bags on them. Expensive to replace and a bit old fashioned. We did buy a used on on ebay (£250). It wasn't working too well but hadn't been maintained, so we just took it apart and it was soon working again. Unfortunately my ex took it with him when he moved out!

I have a dyson I purchased cheap from an argos outlet on ebay. Its still working and still cleans very effectively. It did need a replacement brush head, but otherwise hasn't had anything go wrong.

LisaPym

We have just replaced our Kirby of 22 years. We paid £1200. We had it serviced for 17 years at an ave of £50 per year = £850. So total £2005.00.
Let's average you clean your carpets once a year - 3 carpets, would be £150 ( at least ) So x 22 = £3300 - even at £100 per year that's £2200.
If you don't clean your carpet regularly then........
I've also used it to vacuum every day for 22 years ( 8030 days - £1.68 per week - in an ave 3 bed house that's 42p per week per room - 6 pence a day) so I'm more than happy.
My relatives had a cleaning firm so I've tried all kinds of vacuums over the years and nothing comes close.
Yes the salesmen are pushy, yes it costs megabucks, yes it's heavy - but it works.
I'd rather use a machine that is efficient so it saves me valuable time.
We have dogs ( and children!!) so need a machine that is effective and reliable - and for me the Kirby is value for money.
Most people want a great car and are prepared to pay for that.
I wanted a great vacuum cleaner so I have more time to spend doing the more exciting things in life and - I like my house to be clean.
A good investment - as long as you save up for it first and don't have to use finance.