CyndiA's Full Review: Kirby G6 Bagged Upright Vacuum
I am not a sucker for salesmen. Even if they get in (which most don’t), I know how to say “no,” and that’s what I usually do.
While I don’t appreciate the “slick” Kirby sales tactics where they indicate that they are with a home cleaning business and just want to clean one carpet and will win a trip to Mexico and then want to call back to the home office to . . . HUM. I found the little cheat sheet where they just punch in numbers that mean “I got in,” “Pick me up,” and so on. My Kirby man dropped his notes while he was here, so I guess he had to wing it after he went to the next house.
We gave the Kirby man quite a work out here. He came right as I was getting in from work and about the time the neighbor kids congregated. We had baseball and Scouts coming up fast, so we were in a tailspin (as usual). I’m passing out snacks while all this is going down as well as getting tennis shoes on to walk the track during baseball warm-up.
I did have a leg up, since I teach public speaking. A student had given a demonstration on the sales techniques used by Kirby and also covered the basics on the vacuum (but an older model). I knew it was a good machine, but I knew I wasn’t paying list price and that I probably wouldn’t buy at all.
So, the Kirby man is trying to clean the carpet while I have 5 little boys on the couch going OH and AH and I’m sitting on the arm of the couch and the bird is flying around and the cat is trying to hide. The Kirby man is a little scared of the bird, but he is a good sport.
I’m half-listening, until the Kirby man mentions the new attachment to blow out the drains. The drains have always been a problem here. They stop up all the time. I have to use a plunger to try to get them running. I have called a plumber a couple of times, and that costs a lot to unclog the drain. The Kirby man doesn’t know that part about drains caught my ear, but I’m thinking on that.
The Kirby man cleans the carpet and I have gone to get more food for the kids, and he is cleaning the mattress. Oh gosh. I can’t believe he is in Eli’s messy bedroom. Thank goodness it is a pretty new mattress and looks decent, but he is still pulling dust up out of it. That doesn’t surprise me. We have mega dust and red in NC.
He asks if I want to see any other attachment. I tell him I want to see the drain blower. He isn’t sure what I mean. Then I remind him about that. “Oh yes,” he says. “I never tried that.”
We go to the bathroom. The Kirby man is trying to blow that drain, but it is really made to fit the kitchen with the bigger hole. He uses his hands to hold it good and make a seal. Then I notice that the overflow hole is letting air out. So, I have to get in there and hold my hands over that hole. Then it blows out the clog. BINGO! All the little boys are excited now, and we got it done.
I’m still not sold though I do want the drain blower that will vacuum and do all kinds of other things. I tell him I have to be at ball practice in 5 minutes. “What is the best price you can give me if I pay it now on the spot?” He tells me $900, which I know is as low as I can probably get it. So, that is how I came to buy a Kirby.
Though I could get several machines or tools to do various things, this one cleans out clogs, vacuums, shampoos, blows the computer keyboard, dusts and all kinds of things. The downside is that you have to learn to use the machine and make the changes to make it do all these things. The book that comes with the Kirby is good and the video helps a lot. The Kirby man met me back at the house after I dropped Caleb at ball practice to make sure I could do most of the things I needed to. Then, I fall back on the help items at my own speed. He also gave me his phone number if I needed help, but I haven’t.
The Kirby can be used as an upright, which is what I do mostly, but it can also go canister. The canister option is wonderful for the mattress cleaning, steps, and for the car. I was using an upright and then a Dust Buster. Now, I can use one machine for the bigger jobs. I can still use the Dust Buster for little car things.
There are all kinds of attachments. They come in a plastic carry box that can be placed in the closet or hung up on the wall. I just keep mine in the closet right now though I think I may hang it later. I carry it around with the vacuum to make the changes I need or want to.
The main part of the extra system would be the extension poles. These let you get to high, low, and deep places. One section is angled, so you can get on top of high things. There is a surface head that gets close for the hardwood floors or kitchen though you can use the regular system on these (but not as well). There is a duster brush, which is good for curtains and an upholstery nozzle good for the furniture. One note is that you can adjust airflow and reduce the pull for delicate items. I have never figured out what the massage piece would look like, and I think the drain blower may have replaced that. If not, then I massaged the drain. But, it worked.
Yes. It is a great vacuum. It has a system that traps almost all the dust inside rather than blowing it all over the room. Since we have some allergy problems here (but mostly the trees I think), that was a consideration. I would like to pull the deep dirt out and the mites and stuff in the beds. Mostly, my thoughts are “Out of sight, then out of mind,” but if the deep stuff is making us sick, then it’s good to get it.
I wasn’t real keen on paying $900 for a vacuum, and I would not have gone higher. When I consider the quality (metal construction—heavier but much more durable), upright/canister, many options, and that drain blower to boot . . . it’s a good deal. Though it is heavy overall, it is very easy to push as it has a drive train that pulls for you.
When the Kirby man dropped back by to show me how to use the machine, I asked him why he gave me that low price on the spot. He said that his mom was a single mom too, and he knew how that was. He said he wished she could have had one back when he was a kid. My boys and the neighbor kids were excited that I got a nice vacuum. The boys (mine and the spares) even used it for a couple of days (-:
I’m very happy with the Kirby. It does take a little time to learn to use it, but it does so much that it’s worth it. It’s kind of my all purpose machine around here. It stays out of the closet more than in. With a house full of boys and critters, we always have some kind of mess needing attention.
On a side note, the Kirby man also went to my parents house. My two elderly aunts were there. One can't hear. The other is confused. They told my mom that a nice man named Kirby stopped by. They couldn't figure out what he wanted. I told her that it was a vacuum salemen, but we aren't telling the aunts that. The Kirby man sure did have some strange stops around here. He may never come back, but he did sell me a machine that I love.
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If you want a great handheld for spot cleaning, the go with the red Dirt Devil. Review at:
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