Big changes have happened with Kirby ever since the company was recently sold to another. Not only they're selling them online now than just door-to-door but they're also now selling them at retail stores like Costco. Thought anybody would get a kick out of this. Big shout out to Dysonman1 from vacuumland.org of taking this photo.

2

I'm glad the new company decided to move Kirby sales methods into the 21st century.

 

I’m surprised that Kirby choose Costco as a retailer for their vacuums. They can’t possibly command the highly inflated prices at Costco that they received for their door to door sales of Kirby vacuums. Most Costco shoppers are extremely price conscious.

I wonder if the Kirby’s sold at Costco will be of the same quality as in the past?

Eddie

1

  View Full Size

2

2

 

This doesn't surprise me.  In my experience, CostCo shoppers want high end items at really good prices.  Kirby seems like a fit.  I also wonder, if these will be of the same quality as you would get door to door.  Honestly, I didn't realize they still did door to door sales.

6

As much as I like Kirby's the world as I see it has moved away from these big heavy vacuums along with the disappearance of houses and apartments floored with wall to wall carpeting.

 

 

Costco tends not to stick with merchandise that doesn't move.  However, I imagine they'll have plenty of demonstrations to effect sales for a while before giving up if people aren't buying.

1

Can't see the price in the photo and not online.. what is the price?

 

Kirby’s may be heavy BUT will run circles around everything else on the market. There’s no comparison between a direct air and bypass vacuum since direct air vacuums have more airflow and carpet agitation and will literally pull flour through the backing on a carpet or rug. YouTube user VacLab has debunked the airflow vs suction since the high airflow vacuums always pulled a majority of the flour through the carpet backing while the bypass vacuums left a good amount of the flour behind. Couldn’t imagine how much dirt gets passed the carpet backing unless one has a high airflow vacuum like a Kirby or any other direct air vacuum made.

2

Actually there IS a comparison between a bypass and a direct air machine. The Kirby definitely lacks features that most bypass vacuums have today. Suction, filtration, on-board tools, lifetime belt, etc. Things that consumers want to have on a vacuum. Myself included cause I'll admit, the Kirby isn't my favorite machine to use. Good vacuums still but I've used better.

1

2

The feature i like the best are the disposable ane sealed HEPA bags on a kirby! Its like having a new vac just by changing the bag - no other stupid filters to clean like other vacs, and air flow is back to 100%.

 

Those HEPA filters that need changing usually come after the bag and right before the air exits the vacuum. What these will also do is capture carbon dust from the motor.

3

Are you sure? I’ve watched quite a few videos from VacLab on YouTube and out of all the vacuums he has tested, the direct air vacuums always pulled the flour through the carpet backing while the bypass vacuums leave a good majority of the flour behind.

1

Yes, I'm absolutely certain. Kirbys have excellent airflow but they don't have very good suction. You need to have BOTH if you want your carpets very clean, one of the companies like Riccar realized this and their solution was coming with what's called a Tandem Air. Using both a direct air and a bypass motor so you'd have enough airflow and suction plus agitation to get as much dirt out as you possibly can on carpets. Plus you have tools on-board, you have better filtration, you don't ever have to replace the belt, the brushroll automatically shuts off you if you accidentally pick up something like a shoelace, I mean this is in my humble opinion one of the greatest vacuum designs ever invented. That's one of the reasons why I like these better than Kirby. I've used both, I've repaired both, and I even sold both when I was working at a vacuum store.

3

1

Tandem air offers the benefits of both however it adds a lot more complexity, most tandem air vacuums are quite expensive as well. Doesn’t make sense to have something overly complex to get the dirt off of the floor/carpets.

3

I respectively disagree. Kirbys are actually much more complicated to use compare to the tandem air machines, that's one of the reasons why I see a bunch of people selling their Kirbys because they were tired of using them. Especially my grandparents, they bought another vacuum after using their Kirby for about 10 years. And Kirbys aren't cheap either. In fact, people can get sucked into buying a Kirby for alot more than buying a tandem air machine. But that's just from door-to-door. I would've been more than happy to do a YouTube video to back up my statements but I don't need to because someone already did it, he and I both share pretty much the same views on Kirby. Again Kirbys are still good vacuums but they're just not for me.





While I agree with the other post that the Kirby draws less power, I don't agree that they do better than the tandem air machines because I've had different results. I like Royal but similar to Kirby they are loud, they're not as sealed as the tandem air machines, they still use rubber belts that you have to change out, and they don't have any attachments on board. I personally wouldn't use a Royal either except for the Dirt Devil 103 style handvacs, they're the only direct air machines that I can handle with using. Royal just like Kirby, they're unfortunately outdated designs nowadays. Some people like yourself still love using them and I think that's totally fine. But there's a reason why the parent company of Royal quit making the metal uprights, they just don't sell well anymore and I bet that's why Kirbys are being sold at Costco now because they're probably behind financially. There's also a reason why the church my grandparents used to clean for also got rid of Kirbys and went with something more modern like Sebo. Honestly if I did had to buy a new vacuum today, I'd also get something like a Sebo.

1

I grew up in a home with a Kirby vacuum that my Mom bought from a door to door saleswoman in 1955. She paid over $400.00 for it, a Kings Ransom for a vacuum in 1955! It was the only vacuum I used until I left home in 1970. Mom finally replaced it with a Riccar upright in 1987. So she got 32 years of service out of that Kirby.

The Kirby was fine on floors and carpets, but a PITA as far a using attachments for any above floor cleaning like vacuuming upholstery, drapes, blinds, curtains, ect. The one attachment that was very useful was the floor polishing head. We had hardwood floors and used Tree Wax paste wax on the floors, the Indian Sand formula that was kind of a reddish brown color and it concealed and scratches or worn spots. That Kirby polishing head really worked great, but you had better not let go of it while it was on. It would take off and be hard as hell to get ahold of again.

We have wall to wall carpeting and stairs in our home. My husband David does the cleaning and prefers a canister vacuum with a power head. We went through 4 Kenmore canister vacs with motorized power heads. The weak point of these vacuums are the electrical connections for the power nozzle in the handle, they wear out and the replacement parts are very expensive. It cost just a little more to just replace the whole damn vacuum.

After our last Kenmore bit the dust I ordered a Miele Compact with a Turbo Head floor/carpet nozzle. The suction on this little Miele is unbelievable! Plus it has a dial to reduce the suction for vacuuming curtains and drapes. It cleans our off white WW carpet every bit as well as an upright or canister vac with a motorized power head and there are no electrical connections to wear out. Its powerful, lightweight, very maneuverable and filters the dust very effectively. Probably one of the very best vacs we’ve ever owned. And our carpets look great too.

Eddie

3

I use my 1965 Kirby Dual Sanitonic 50 on a daily basis, not that complicated to use. I use the attachments about one a week or so for dusting and such but always use it as a upright to clean the floors.

Btw, Performance Reviews and Vacuum Facts put false information out there and most of the things they say are opinions, not really facts. Again, VacLab has many videos comparing direct air vs bypass vacuums, there’s no comparison between the two since the direct air vacuums just about get everything up from the carpet or rug. As long as you use common sense with a direct air vacuum, they can last awhile and provide years of trouble free service.

 

I think Dual Sanitronics are one of the nicer Kirbys in my humble opinion. I like that they don't have a transmission which is an extra thing that can break on a vacuum. I also like that the nozzle width is much smaller where it can actually clean carpets just slightly better. And I like that they're lighter as well. But even those I still wouldn't use for myself either.

And I still have to respectively disagree with you. If Kirbys were supposed to be the best vacuums on the planet and I'll admit there was one point when I really thought they were. Everybody would still keep their Kirby, Kirby wouldn't even have to sell vacuums at Costco today, and Kirby should've picked EVERYTHING off of not only my carpets but my grandparent's as well. Earlier this year we ripped out some carpets from my grandparent's house and the house always had a Kirby, especially the last 8 years when the Kirby took over the house as the main vacuum after the other vacuum had died. There was a BUNCH of sand, grit, and even cat litter left over from underneath the carpet. It's not even shag carpet. This backs up my one point and Performance Review's video of the Kirby which I don't think you've ever watched, Kirbys would've picked ALL of that up if it had more suction power but it doesn't. This is one of the cons of a direct air machine. Sure it may pick up more finer stuff like flour but even with more airflow, it still cannot pick up heavier dirt off the carpets. Actually there was also a time when we also had some of our carpets ripped out in my house, I vacuumed with a Kirby in my old bedroom where I used to do baking soda tests at with my other vacuums, there was even baking soda left underneath the carpet. And that was when I started having doubts on Kirby after being convinced that they were the best. Vaclab does all his testing at his house, I happened to clean other homes with different style carpeting, floors, and surfaces. So not everything he would conclude would be the same for every home. Also his testing is based on science. Performance Reviews' tests is based on what a consumer would normally do in a home. You're not gonna like to hear this but I actually agree with Performance Reviews more than I would with Vaclab. His points make more sense to me. I may not agree with him on everything but if I needed a opinion on a vacuum, I would honestly turn to him over Vaclab and even Vacuum Wars since I don't really agree with his videos either. At least though I'd rather hear from Vaclab than I would with Vacuum Facts, his videos are definitely more confusing than the others. Last but not least here, I've definitely had others issues with using direct air machines. As I said previously, they're just outdated machines. I'm tired of changing belts, they don't have good enough filtration to help with my allergies, they don't have attachments on-board and I do need to use the hose more often than yourself would, etc. I mean direct air machines are just simply not for everyone. With proper care yes they could last for a bit, in fact I take the best care on all my machines. But I generally find bypass machines to be the more reliable than direct air machines and this is coming from someone like me who was in the vacuum store industry like Performance Reviews.

1

Not the highest scoring vacuum for various reasons however:
CR's Take

The Kirby Avalir 2 is one of the costliest uprights that CR has tested. For that price, you do get impressive cleaning capabilities. It scores the highest of any upright in CR’s tests of carpet and bare-floor cleaning. But it does have two distinct shortcomings: It weighs 23 pounds, contributing to its Fair score for handling (the lowest of all uprights) and it’s one of the noisiest models CR has tested

4

You have to realize that Performance Reviews lives in Colorado where the elevation is higher, I can see direct air vacuums struggling more at higher elevations but since more people live at or a little below sea level, direct air vacuums work fine. I believe Utah is higher elevation as well.

As for belts on direct air vacuums, haven’t had to replace a belt on my 1965 Kirby Dual Sanitonic 50 since I’ve owned it since February. Belts on direct air vacuums usually can last a long time if you don’t set it to the lowest height selection. You are supposed to lower the nozzle one click at a time until you hear if hit the carpet, sometimes you can set it one more click down but usually set it until I hear the brush roll hit the carpet.

This sounds kind of cliché, but to me, Kirby is the Maytag of the vacuum cleaner world since they very rarely update the design and the designs that have been used over the years are usually non-nonsense designs that are easy to repair and just keep going and going.

 

Yes I do live in the Rockies and my area is pretty high up as well but I've also lived out of the region before where I was very close to sea level.

I actually did had to replace belts quite often on my grandparent's Kirby because I've definitely noticed a difference after 1-3 months and I wanted the best performance that I can get out of it. As I said previously, I take the best care of my machines. Heck I even replace the bags almost everytime that I would use it and wash the outer bag in the washing machine. Not because they clog up real fast, but because the bags always stink and I don't like that either. This is one of the reasons why I like central vacs the best because I don't have to smell anything that I would pick up with a portable vacuum including Kirby because all the air is blown out of the house and it is the best for my allergies. And I did always had the Kirby adjusted to the correct height. Ideally if you wanted a belt to last longer, you would take the belt off the motor pully when you're not using it and put it back on when you're vacuuming. I did that as well for a little bit, I quit doing that because not only it was more annoying for me to do but also it still didn't help whenever dirt would get on the belt and wear it out anyways. I like vacuums where the belt is protected from dirt getting inside of there and the Kirby doesn't have that feature. Also regarding the height adjuster, you'd need to have the brushroll spinning at a higher RPM on the carpet if you wanted the best performance. The Kirby loses that brushroll speed once it hits the carpet. There's only one vacuum out there that doesn't do that and it's the Sebo X Series, that's one of the reasons why I like them more than Kirby because it auto adjusts to the correct level on the carpet without losing the speed of the brushroll.

I don't know if you're aware of this before or not but Kirby actually made one of the dumbest decisions a while ago when they changed their bearing supply which causes them to not last as long as they used to. Also, Cleveland Wood no longer makes brushrolls for Kirby and I'm concerned now that Kirby is probably gonna have someone make cheaper brushrolls that are not going to last as long as the wooden brushrolls. Not to mention there was a huge backorder on fans when I had to get new fans for some of my Kirbys just recently. That's another problem with direct air machines is that when the fan breaks, you have to get another fan. Can't tell you how many fans that I had to replace on Kirbys when I was working at a vacuum store. Not just Kirby but also with other direct air machines like Sanitaire or Oreck. I don't worry about this with bypass machines and why I still stand behind that they are generally more reliable than direct air machines. So just like the original Maytag company, I think Kirby is going downhill as well. Actually I think I'm seeing the end of Kirby here real soon. Hate to say it because I loved Kirby growing up and still do today. But Kirbys are still just not for me to use.

1

 

 

I've been into my local restaurants with carpets over the years where they are ALWAYS replacing alot of push sweepers, and they cost about as much as buying a cheap vacuum from departments stores like Walmart or Target. Especially the cordless sweepers. I once worked at a retirement home as a janitorial where I would vacuum with the Windsor Sensor XP15s' in the dining room and I've never had any problems with them. Probably because I know how to use the vacuums correctly and what not to suck up. The people who would clog their machines up probably doesn't know of how to use them. Perhaps it's just better to replace the carpets with barefloors then? That's what some of mine have done.

I've heard from some before who says that metal fans are more problematic than plastic fans on the Kirby Generation Series. Since they're heavier, it would stress the motor even more. I've heard they can break too. And they don't fit on all of their models, I've heard that the G5 and newer ones wouldn't work but does work on the G3 and G4 models. Even with a metal fan on, it still got outcleaned by a bypass machine from this video.









I've used the newer Riccar R25s', I agree that they are nice as well. But I still prefer the older bypass uprights more, I think that was a mistake from them because I find that they do a better job on carpets. Luckily they still do sell the commercial versions under the CleanMax name today, I think I'd buy a CleanMax over a R25. But if I really did had to buy a Riccar, I'd prefer a central vac. I can easily equip it with the Prima's direct air power nozzle if I wanted to. But I find that the EBK360 power nozzle works just as well if not better than the Prima's power nozzle and it isn't even direct air.

1

Warren off-loaded Kirby for only $1.6 Mill. Probably put the $$ into TSLA stock.

Costco is probably just trying out offering these to see how they move. Not all products are winners, it doesn't matter the retailer. They may also be simply liquidating the remaining stock.

It's so easy to find Kirbys on Craigslist and Ebay for as low as $25, sometimes even free.

I find it very hard to believe this company will be around much longer. The private equity company that acquired them is probably looking to create losses for the sake of off-setting gains elsewhere.

What next? Filter Queen available at Sam's Club?

I remember, years ago, probably 1999 going to Sams club and seeing a rather bol Electrolux canister and upright. I think they were asking about $400. I went back 3 weeks later and the display was gone.

1

 

I think Aerus Electrolux has already met it's fate, at least with vacuum cleaners. They no longer make their own uprights and I heard the same went with their canisters. Maybe even all the rest of the floor care products. Thankfully we got companies like ProTeam and Perfect that make copies of Aerus products but for WAY less.

 

When I bought this house in 1997 it came with an old old old Electrolux canister vacuum cleaner. Complete with hose, cord, and floor tools (I think!).

 

I estimate it's at least 50 years old, maybe older. It's all metal except for the handle and of course the hoses, with a cloth filter. Still ran the last time I tried it, but of course I put it away and got some newer vacs - mostly uprights. Still, it's an interesting antique vac.

 

It's got a metal ID plate, with about 20 patent numbers, and addresses in both New York City and San Francisco.

 

I can take some photos and post them here if anyone can determine how old it really is.

 

 

 

Definitely post some pics. I can post them on vacuumland and you will get an answer for sure.

Gary

 

You know those scent beads people are crazy about? The ones they dump into the washer? Well.....take a few of those and suck them up into your Kirby! Fresh as a daisy! I get the ones from Dollar General cheap and only use them for the Kirby...never in the washer!

 

1

When my Mom bought her Kirby in ‘55 there was a little can of deodorizer made by Kirby that came with it. It was the same kind of can that 3-In-One Oil came in. I remember the saleswoman demonstrating how to use it.

On the back of the bag receptacle there was a small screw with a red plastic knob on it, you unscrewed it and placed a few drops of this deodorizer into it and it fell into to the dirt in the bottom of the clean out pan. Then when you next turned on your Kirby the fragrance blew up through the bag and its contents, and the air coming from the bag was scented with the deodorizer.

We only got that one can. After it was gone Mom felt she’d already spent enough money with Kirby. I think she was afraid to have that saleswomen back in the house. No telling what else she’d have talked her into buying, LOL.

As it was she paid the monthly payments by having her hairdresser pad the monthly bill for her services that was sent to my Dad’s law office for payment. Bonnie, her hairdresser gave Mom the difference every month so she could make the Kirby payment and Dad was never the wiser that she’d spent $400.00 on a vacuum.

In 1955 you could by a nice used ‘51 Chevrolet for about $400.00. I never learned about this ruse until I was a teenager and my Dad had been dead for 5 years when she regaled use all of this scheme. It was just like out of an episode of “I Love Lucy”.

Eddie

1

I've tried to deodorize the Kirby in the past, doesn't really last as long as I'd like for it to be. Heck I even bought the Kirby charcoal bags before to see if that would make a difference, it didn't work. I guess it's no wonder why Kirby quit making those bags. Thank goodness I don't have to vacuum that home anymore with the Kirby since my grandparents have passed away and the renters are just using whatever vacuum they brought with them to clean the house. That's why we ripped up some of the carpets out of the house. Luckily I took the Kirby since despite my drawbacks with it, it still holds a special place inside of me. But I will not be using the Kirby to clean my new house, I'm already planning to install in a central vac because that's my favorite type of vacuum to use so the Kirby has been retired now. No more stinky bags as I'm vacuuming.

2

 

Matt one thing to remember about Kirby vacuums in the 50’s and I believe even into the 60’s is that they didn’t have disposable inner paper bags.

All the dust and dirt went straight into the cloth bag where it sat until the bag was emptied. Those huge Kirby cloth bags held a lot of dust and dirt, months worth. So they did have a tendency to pick up a scent of the dirt that was contained in the bag. Thats why Kirby provided a means for getting a deodorizer into the bag.

Eddie

 

2

I am with you Alex, the best single thing I think I ever did to this house was put a central vacuum in back in 84.

My brother Jeff bought it for me as a Christmas present was one of the nicest Christmas presents ever got me the seers Kenmore central vac. Jason put a new upgraded motor in it some years ago other than that it’s required no service haven’t had to buy a bag or anything since 1984.

Every week I’m in these beautiful high-end houses and they bring out these beautiful Miele vacuums and so forth when we’re cleaning out something like the clothes dryer or cleaning the condenser in the refrigerator and half the time the thing stinks of the dog or the cat or something if you’re going to maintain good air quality in your house you don’t need a machine that’s just belching out dust and odors.

A good central vacuum is always fit into the outdoors.

John L

 

Silly question John but do you have any Kirby’s or not in your appliance collection? I watched a video called Wash In Cook In on YouTube awhile back and I saw what I believe was to be a mid to late 80’s Kirby Heritage II/Kirby Heritage II Legend but am not so sure since it’s been a few years since I’ve seen that video.

2

Hi Sean there are lots of Kirby vacuum cleaners around the warehouse in the museum my business partner Jason is a vacuum cleaner Collector repairer etc he probably has just about every model of Kirby.

I just won’t have any portable vacuum in my house if you watch videos of the microscopic particles that fly out of a vacuum cleaner it’ll freak you out, don’t care to be using my lungs for a filtering device for a vacuum Cleaners exhaust.

Like everyone I’m exposed to all kinds of dirt and exhaust pollen etc. etc. while I’m outside working traveling etc. every day when I come home I want an entirely clean home that’s why I have electrostatic air cleaners plus double conventional filters ahead of the air cleaner both at work and at home.

John

 

If you look up videos of Workhorse vacuums on YouTube which are unchanged from Amway’s CMS 1000, these people who run carpet cleaning businesses will literally pull up a trash bag equivalent of dirt out of the carpets and that’s from either not vacuuming often enough or have a vacuum with little to no airflow along with carpet agitation. Believe it or not, airflow is what actually picks the dirt off of the floor and not suction since suction is nothing more than a negative pressure and YouTube user VacLab demonstrates this with a flour under the carpet/rug test and the high airflow vacuums like Kirby’s or old school Hoovers and even Eureka/Sanitaire vacuums pull the flour through the carpet backing since they literally have that much airflow.

 

Matt, bear in mind that every home is different. You probably keep your house very clean while mine and my grandparents' see alot of traffic. Hopefully my new place can stay very clean. Eddie does have a point about letting the dirt sit for a while for more odor to build up, that's another reason why I would change the bags out almost every time that I would use the Kirby. Luckily that's never a problem with a Rainbow or any other water filtration vacuum since the water needs to be dumped out as you're done vacuuming. But they are definitely more annoying for me to maintain which is one of the reasons why I don't use both of my Rainbows.

John, really? I'd love to see pictures of your Kenmore central vac cause I'm crazy about the Kenmores that were built by Whirlpool and later Panasonic. Miele is one of if not the best filtering portable vacuums out there, as long as it gets maintained probably and uses one of the better filters. But they definitely don't trap all the odors even with the charcoal filters on so I agree with you on that. At least though I would take a Miele over a Kirby. I also in the past have used my grandparents' wet dry vac to clean out the dryer and other appliances because the Kirby was just not that powerful enough. And I agree with you about how much dust most portable vacuums would leak out of including Kirby. This video is just one example, Kirby definitely made a mistake discontinuing putting in a filter in the exhaust like what some of the G3 Kirbys had cause I have seen dirt get trapped inside of the motor. Luckily the tandem air machines don't do that.





Regarding the Workhorse vacuum, I actually have one of those. Branded as the ClearTrak when Amway was selling them and later WMJ Refurbishing with some upgrades over the CMS 1000. I also would take one of those over a Kirby. Even though I prefer bagged vacuums, the ClearTrak is definitely a exception to have personally. I like how well built they are, they do a VERY impressive job, and I can easily see the dirt coming into the canister. Something that a bagged vacuum can't do especially Kirby. And because it's a bypass machine, I can easily use the hose without shutting the machine off, I don't have to worry about the fan breaking, and I like that there's a suppressor filter wrapped around the motor to help quiet the machine down and filter out any carbon dust. Not to mention that their customer service is one of if not the best that I've ever encountered before from a vacuum company. I regretted passing up on another ClearTrak or two that I found before at my local thrift store, I would totally buy one again because I just like them so much.

 

Gary,

 

I will see about taking some photos of the old Electrolux cannister vac that came with this house. I did extract it from the hall closet. Now I have to fetch all the attachments from there. Probably won't be able to photograph it all until this weekend. Or maybe next week.

 

Sometime...

1

 

 

I have a Kirby Diamond G series, one of my favorite Kirbys as it has two speeds.  We have mostly wood on the main level, room-sized rug in living room and smaller rugs in other rooms.  The low speed on the Kirby is one of the best features for odd jobs like these.  Although the dog doesn't shed, he brings in lots of dust (severe drought/dustbowl here this year) so there is lots of fine dust, etc. and the Kirby with a filtrete material bag is fine for the small amount of vacuuming it is required for.   I gave mom a Kirby G many years ago and she loves the Tech-Drive; plug it in, back it out of the closet and drive it back in when done.  

 

I have several other vacs *small collection to choose from including a Miele Earth w/powerhead and a Tri-Star canister w/ 10' hose.  Both of these are wonderful cleaners for hard floors, above floor cleaning, etc.  I tossed out all of the Kirby attachments save the hose, most of those tools are silly and/or weak performers.  I found another $49 Diamond G at a Goodwill a few months ago that for some strange reason I was compelled to bring home, but left behind the tools & caddy.  I haven't seen Kirby at Costco, could this be one of the "special event" sales they have periodically like those crappy, overpriced pillows?

 

In the cleaning biz, we use backpack vacuums, straight suction.  Excellent performers in all settings, we had a country club account for 17 years and never a complaint about carpets not being clean.  Larger items, of course, had to be picked up before vacuuming, club staff was pretty good about resetting rooms before leaving them for cleaning crew.  We supplemented the backpack with a variety of uprights, but they saw little use as it took triple the time to clean the same space a backpack could do.   Edges, stairs, hard surface floors and hard to reach areas were always cleaner with the flexibility of the backpack.  ProTeam makes some of the best, but I've had good service from some of the no-name units as well.  It helps being able to work on them myself - most have common problems that are easily repaired, switches, power cord pigtails, etc.  

1

A VENTED, top-fill, Central vacuum with flow-thru 1600 watt motor is the best, no doubt about it because ALL the dust, odors, gases, heat, and bacteria is vented out of the house. Gone. You can't get that from any standard vac.

But, it can be funny what our favorites from the past may be.

I didn't have positive memories of central vacuums and only "rediscovered" them in 2018 and saw how much they've changed since the mid 80s. Now I swear by them.

Yet I have fun, great, numerous memories of 70s/80s canisters from Kenmore, Eureka "canned hams", Hoover Spirits, metal sided Ultralux Electrolux, Canvac from Dirt Devil, even the 60s Airway my aunt had. Oh, and the suitcase vacuum.

But I wouldn't USE any of these today. Nothing wrong with collecting them as cherished memories.

1

I don't think I agree that a thru-flow motor in a central is the best to have honestly. They may be cheaper and quieter yes but I don't think they're as reliable as a bypass motor despite what both Ametek and Domel claims that is not the case. I have a relative who has a central vac with a thru-flow motor and it runs very hot, I don't really like that. I'm thinking about installing my DrainVac Little Giant in my new home but I'm concerned that the heat from the thru-flow motor is going to brittle the plastic even quicker. Might be better to install it in my basement instead of the garage if it is going to be the DrainVac but personally, I'd rather put a power unit out in the garage.

canavac.com/central-vacuum-motors...

 

I used to think the by-pass motor was the best for a dry vacuum too. The by-pass motor has it's very necessary place that is for sure. In things like commercial base units for carpet cleaning businesses and other wet applications like steam cleaners where there is excess humidity or even droplets of water in the suction air.

For dry pick up, it's over kill and at the expense of expense $$, and noise, and suction strength.

The flow-thru may run a bit hotter but it's not going to damage anything. The flow-thru might have a shorter life but they are affordable. I bought a couple of NEW 700+ air watt motors for $40 ea. (incld. shipping). I haven't had to use them. The motor in my Vacumaid SR38 is still as powerful and quiet as ever. $40 is certainly not a big deal and it only takes a few minutes to change one out.

By-pass motors can easily cost $200 new and they don't last forever either.

Look at it this way: there are lots of 30, 40, 50+ year old portable vacuums in the world with flow thru motors and they still work.

I even went the extra mile when I got my Vacumaid in 2018 and made it super sound insulated by: 1. removing the electronics as I already have a separate control unit that won't get exposure to the heat and dust inside the vacuum. 2. caulking and weather stripping any potential leak sources in the motor compartment so all air is vented outside. 3. Using plush carpet scraps wrapped in plastic to "carpet" the inside walls of the motor compartment and then wrap the carpeted walls with chicken wire to be sure the carpet stays in place and doesn't come in contact with the motor.

When my CV is running one can barely hear it running. The main noise comes from the end of the hose or the exhaust pipe outside.

 

There are bypass motors out there that can actually outperform the thru-flow ones. Example the Modern Day M715h with a bypass motor has higher ratings than the Flo-Master F650t with a thru-flow motor, that's one of the reasons why I'm considering buying a bypass central vac over a thru-flow unit. Also cost wise, it would be harder for a thru-flow motor to clean a house that's about like 20,000 square feet. Ideally you'd need to have a power unit that uses dual motors or you'd need to buy another power unit for the other section of the house. I don't know of any power unit that exists out there today using dual thru-flow motors and there's probably a reason for that. Having two thru-flow motors would build up twice the amount of heat which can have a greater chance of ruining the other electrical components and wiring inside, that would sound more problematic and costly over the years for an average consumer to handle cause I know most of them would not feel comfortable replacing a motor out hence they would much rather have a vacuum store deal with it. And personally, I don't want to put in another unit to clean the other section of that big of a house if I were to get one. I'd rather have a unit like the SilentMaster S900r with dual bypass motors for less money than buying two Flo-Master F650ts'. So honestly, I feel it'd be more of a risk having a thru-flow unit in my home. Especially filtration cause that's another downfall with thru-flow motors is that you'd need to have extra protection. If I took the bag out of my DrainVac, bearings would go bad fast and it cannot be serviced like the motors used decades ago. And I can tell you that a replacement motor for my DrainVac is NOT cheap like $40 because it uses a Domel motor that's imported from Germany. As far as noises go, I wouldn't worry too much of having a bypass unit in the garage or basement furnace room cause you're barely going to hear the power unit running as you're vacuuming. Especially when you can have a muffler vented outside with it. The only times that I would totally accept having a thru-flow unit is if I was living in an apartment or a condo. I haven't ruled the thru-flow units out yet but there's a good chance that I'm going to put in a bypass unit. We'll just have to see soon since I'll eventually be gathering quotes from dealers around my area. I know one thing for sure is that I'm not going to buy a used power unit.

 

20,000 s.f.?

Don't let the fun of planning the ideal house get the best of you. I think the largest house I ever planned out was about 8000 s.f.

As one gets older you (hopefully) realize how foolish it is to actually build ridiculous sized structures. Dreaming about it is fun for sure.  There are lots of failed, incomplete houses and buildings out there where someone's ego got the best of them and they ended up dead, bankrupt, or both.  lol.  Just a do search on Youtube for "abandoned house or building".  From Roseanne Barr's failed 25000 s.f. house in IA to failed multi-story buildings in Vegas, it's all there.

 

My SR38 is rated for up to 6000 s.f. but I won't even consider a house over 3500 s.f.  And I won't hire someone to install the pipes, that's part of the fun, for me anyway, is installing the system so it's just "perfect" the way I want it.  But then again I would also do the plumbing, electrical, insulation, rough and finish carpentry, ....

 

As for dual motor or even triple motor CVs, up until about 20 years ago, motor technology wasn't as good.  It was necessary back then to have 2-3 200 Air Watt motors installed in order to get 600 air watts because the highest rated motors made were around 200 air watts.  More recently with the improvements in motor technology, they're getting higher ratings so dual motor models are seldom necessary for dry suction central vacuums.

2

I didn't say I was going to get a 20,000 square foot house, I said "if I were to get one". I'm only building or buying what I think would be perfect enough for me. But definitely for sure I'd like something that's got wide enough areas to store my vacuum cleaner, weapon, and washer/dryer collection at. So the DrainVac Little Giant should have plenty of power to handle whatever size I'd get which certainly won't be about or over 6,000 square feet I can tell you that. But one thing to note, I live in higher altitude and performances are going to drop lower. That's another reason why I'm considering buying a very powerful bypass system like the Modern Day M715h I mentioned earlier. If I get a good deal, I wouldn't mind a dual motor unit like the SilentMaster S900r I also mentioned earlier if I can handle one since I know I shouldn't have too much power in my home.