From: guido@blink.att.com (Guido Bertocci)
Subject: Re: Kerby Vacuum Cleaners Information
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 14:04:52 GMT
Keywords: We are talking about a Kirby not a Dirt Devel

bullock@watson.bms.com (JOAN BULLOCK) writes:

>In article <guido.721925112@sparc-3>, guido@blink.att.com (Guido Bertocci) 
>writes... 
>>Unless you are renting and planning on moving soon a central vac is one
>>heck of a lot more convenient.  Try cleaning cobwebs near the ceiling with
>>a Kirby or a Rainbow.  Try vacuuming under a sofa with a Kirby.  It can
>>be done, but you will spend half your time switching from the power head
>>to the hose and back or trying to lug the damn thing up and down stairs.


>Isn't switching between a power head and attachments (as well as lugging these 
>around along with _all that hose_) a problem for the central vacs too?  

>Please enlighten - I'm central vac ignorant.

You do switch heads with the central vac, but you have to do it far less
frequently and they weigh a lot less.  On ours I primarily use two
attachments.  The first is for carpeting and has a air powered turbine
to drive the beater bar.  I made sure to get a powerful enough vacuum
so that I don't need an electrically driven power head.  The suction
is orders of magnitude higher than a Kirby and the beater head works
great.  With two dogs I can assure you that it cleans dog hair far
better than the Kirby.  All the central vac heads just stick on the 
metal wands.
The Kirby power head is heavy and to remove it requires relieving the
belt tension, and unlocking it.  You also can't reach under sofas or
other similar items.  The turbine head is only a few inches high
and can fold completely flat relative to the metal wands so you can
reach under anything.  While the beater head is intended for carpeting
it will also work on a regular floor.

The second attachment I use is the wide brush for regular floors.  It also
works on carpeting (but not quite as well as the beater bar).  I usually
just stick it in my pocket if I'm using the beater head.
There are other attachments for the central vac but I rarely use them.
For corners I just use the metal wand without any heads.

One reason you don't change heads as often is that they can both
be used in each others place.  The most typical change I make is to
remove all the heads and just use the metal pipe to clean in corners,
window sills, etc.

Dragging a 30ft hose around is easy and after two days you will barely 
notice it.  In many houses you can often do an entire floor without
changing outlets.  Much more convenient than having to find a
new place to plug the Kirby in.

In short:

Central vac ($750-$1200 installed);
1) Vents outside so no problems with dust (eliminates need for Rainbow
   type filtering)

2) One hose and only two attachments to drag around (for most jobs)

3) Can easily reach tall places, great on stairs, curtains, ceilings.

4) Quiet - Motor is in garage so I can vacuum even when the baby is sleeping.
   In fact I tend to clean when the baby is sleeping.  (It is very noisy
   in the garage, but who cares)

Kirby ($750-$1200 depending our your negotiating skills)
1) Stirs up dust
2) Heavy and noisy
3) Have to switch attachments often
   If you are using the carpet beater head you have to also drag
   around a hose, wands, and floor attachments.  Carpet head doesn't
   fit under furniture.  Hose is short so it is very hard to get to
   cobwebs.
4) Cleaning stairs is a pain
5) When bag is half full it really gets heavy and has a tendency to
   tip over backwards.
Advantages
1) Has a headlight for vacuuming at night
2) Has a shampooing attachment that works ok
3) Heavy and noisy enough to satisfy Tim Allen's manliness :-)

I'll be the first to admit that I thought that the Kirby was a great
vacuum when I first got it.  (I was also renting so a central vac
was out of the question).  I have used some the attachments such as
the carpet shampooer, however, I do that so infrequently that renting
a carpet shampooer would be easy.  After putting in a central
vacuum, its hard to imagine ever switching back.  My wife hates
the Kirby and loves the central vac and she is certainly not a gadget
freak.  I bought the Kirby before I got married and her theory is
that it is mostly men who buy Kirby's.  Must be related to the
Tim Allen syndrome. :-)

If I couldn't get a central vac, I would grap Consumer Reports and
buy the top rated vac which last time I looked was probably something
like a Panasonic cannister.  I would take the money I saved by avoiding
the Kirby and hire a cleaning service, a baby sitter, go out
to dinner and have a vacation.
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