ans42's Full Review: Kirby G5 Bagged Upright Vacuum
The Kirby G5 vacuum cleaner is now obsolete, but very little improvements have been made between the G5 and the new Generation Six models except for a replaceable HEPPA filter and some of the attachments. I've owned the Kirby model G5 since 1995. My Mother has a Kirby G3 model she can't do without and won't part with. I never could figure out why she paid so much money for a vacuum cleaner. Well, in the Summer of 1995, I found out why.
Two cute, attractive young ladies arrived at my door one afternoon and asked me to allow them to demonstrate the latest-greatest-up-to-datest top-of-the-line Kirby vacuum cleaner. I couldn't have cared less about vacuum cleaners. They're all the same, right? I had a Dirt Devil vacuum that did the job OK but being a single man, I did care about two attractive ladies standing at my door so I relented to a Kirby demonstration.
I'm a Marine Engineer and I work aboard ships. I'm away from home alot. Whenever I get home every 2-3 months, my house is littered with dead insects, spider webs & cobwebs, and a layer of dust on every horizontal surface. One of the first things I did was break out the Dirt Devil and clean the house. Then start sneezing.
The first thing they asked me to do was get out my vacuum cleaner and clean my carpets. So I broke out the Dirt Devil and vacuumed the living room carpet...twice. Then out came the Kirby G5 and one lady went over my living room carpet while I poured coffee and chatted with the other lady.
After finishing with the Kirby, I did a histrionic triple-take at the amount of dust and lint the Kirby picked up that my Dirt Devil left behind. Then, they tagged-teamed me and switched off. Now the other lady put on the carpet cleaner attachment and I drank coffee and chatted with the other lady while she cleaned my carpet. They switched off again and again as they demonstrated all of the Kirby's capabilities and attachments, which were considerable.
I was impressed. With the Kirby, that is. I have had sinus problems for many years related to allergens and after the Kirby cleaned up the house, the whole house smelled clean. Not just air freshener clean but CLEAN!
I was breathing out of both of my nostrils again. Hey, there's something to this. I bought it on the spot. I know I paid big money for a vacuum cleaner, but the absence of sinus headaches and watering eyes is worth it.
No, I wasn't beguiled by the charms of the two female salespersons and their "Oh please, Mr. Engineer, buy this Kirby and we'll win a free trip to the Caribbean", as they batted their eyes at me. I might be a sucker for a pretty face but I'm not shelling out fourteen hundred bucks so someone ELSE can take a pleasure cruise.
The Kirby G5 is a hefty chunk of a vacuum cleaner. It has that retro-1950's look to it. It is adaptable, very powerful, absolutely dependable, and cleans my house well.
It converts to a cannister vacuum from an upright which makes it good for cleaning stairs and mattresses.
The attachments with the vacuum make it a carpet shampoo/cleaner also. The rotary zipbrush attachment makes cleaning upholstery a breeze since it beats the fabric, knocking loose the dust while simultaneously vacuuming it in. The attachments include wand extensions, various wand ends for every crack and crevice, a carpet shampoo/cleaner, an inflator tip, a turbo-zipbrush, a hardwood floor cleaner, buffer, a sprayer attachment complete with spray bottle & nozzle and, a turbo-sander! Yes, that's right, a sander! By the way-the turbo-sander also can be used as a polisher and a scrubber and...a massager. Yes, you can put a massage pad on the turbo-sander and massage yourself. I'm sorry, but the thought of coming home from work, lugging out the Kirby, putting on the massager attachment, turning on the Kirby and sitting there massaging myself with the Kirby roaring in my ears, and the massager making a sound not unlike an Ingersoll-Rand die grinder is taking stress management a little too far.
(What will they come up with next...a paint sprayer attachment or maybe an air nailer? How about a vacuum powered dish washer attachment!)
I wish the attachment case was designed better instead of as an afterthought. I substituted a nylon tote bag and keep all the attachments in the bag. The attachment case is lying somewhere in my garage.
The owner's book and video demonstration tape keep me from forgetting how to use the Kirby and its' myriad attachments.
Here's the things I like about the Kirby G5:
1. It's well built and of high quality.
2. It's been totally dependable.
3. It's highly adaptable to nearly any cleaning job
around the house.
4. It's appearance is stylish and retro, plus it looks
the way I think a vacuum cleaner should look.
5. It has a propulsion-assist feature that makes it a
breeze to push, even in the most plush carpets.
6. It's very powerful. You won't find that kind of power
on the shelves at K-Mart or Wal-Mart...unless it has a
Volkswagon engine mounted to it.
7. The bags do an excellent job of keeping dust in while
letting fresh, clean air out, reducing airborne
irritants and allergens.
8. It comes with a limited lifetime warranty.
Now here's the things I don't like about the Kirby G5:
1. It's heavy.
2. It needs extra space to store with attachments.
3. It's loud.
4. Changing over to attachments is time consuming and can
be a chore after a while.
5. The bags can be pricey but you can find deals on the
Internet that sell Kirby accessories and parts.
6. The Kirby is the Mercedes-Benz of vacuum cleaners and
their selling prices reflect it. They are a very
expensive piece of equipment to buy, new or used.
And the very worst thing about ANY Kirby, even the G6 models, is:
7. The impeller is located such that anything picked up by
a Kirby passes through the impeller before going into
the bag. You have to make certain that you don't suck
up marbles, coins, nails, large stones, toys or other
large hard objects because they could damage or break
the impeller.
My feelings are mixed over the useful but sometimes quirky attachments.
All in all, my Kirby and I are going to be friends for a very long time.
HOW DOES THIS THING WORK?? This instruction manual ON VHS will take all the guesswork out of learning to use your Kirby home care system!! It offers G...More at eBay
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.