Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

My Niece has just taken a job selling Rainbow vacuums door-to-door.  She is currently on a crew and observing, but wants to do a demo for me this Saturday.  She knows that she is coming into a "Kirby Home" and wants to experience a difficult customer.

I have already warned her that in this economy I pitty her trying to sell a niche vacuum with a price tag of $2,800; and with my aging washing machine about to need replaced even if I were interested,  there is no way on God's green earth I will buy from her.

She is fine with that, but wants me to help her out, so I turn to my experts for help.  I saw a Rainbow demo--OK--30 years ago.  What are the new machines like?  I know my Kirby has changed since then, I have a paper bag now.  Do they, Rainbow,  still push the clean air over cleaning abilities?  I just want to know what to expect with the new machine.  I am supposed to be difficult, which I will be, but want to be somewhat prepared.  Her trainer will be with her, and he is going to help her overcome my objections so she can learn to sell.

MOLE--  I need your help

Carmine--Come on man, I don't want to have to give this girl gas money.

Hello Everyone!

Carmine will remember me ( I hope!) from the old and now defunct vacweb forum.

Despite my nearly becoming a Kirby distributor three times, and being the local branch manager for Electrolux the last four years it was an American vacuum company, the vacuum I have owned and used for the last 16 yrs is a Rainbow D4. I have replaced the hose once, the brush roll four times, (every three years) and the belt once a year. The darn thing works. It just works like nothing else I have ever tried. Dog hair, dirt, whatever, it just keeps working. It is most definitely NOT a lazy man or woman's machine. I avoid the separator cleaning issue by having three spares, so I slap a clean one on when I am finished, and place the used one in the top rack of the dishwasher. I have removed many many pounds of dirt from my home. The water is now just cloudy after vacuuming the entire house, and has been for years. Just for oneriness I let aKirby salesman in kept mum about my prior experience and vac knowledge. He called his boss to tell him I was not buying because I had no dirt. That poor kid got reamed (I could hear his boss yelling at him) He old him he was quitting and calling someone to pick him up, and he could get his POS machine himself

Hello Just:

Selling has become more sophisticated than back in the day.  What do you say/do when your dear Niece says to you: Uncle Just,  you know you can save over $1000 a year by forgoing that daily cup of coffee at your favorite haunt each day and brewing it at home! 

Hi Trebor:  Ah the good ole days!  Glad to hear from you and about you.  Be well.

Carmine D.

Well my Niece came over this weekend.  She made a few mistakes, or at least what I would call mistakes in the selling game.  First she was 26 hours late for her appointment.  She was supposed to be here on Saturday at 2:00, she finally arrived on Sunday at 4:00 with boyfriend and baby.  I won't fault the onlookers because she was family.

As for the machine, and I hope I don't insult anyone.  I was very underwhelmed with what Rainbow has become.  I have an very old D2 model that is metal and built like a brick outhouse.  this thing was plastic.  The body was plastic, the tools were plastic, even the seperator is now plastic.  It was quieter than my older Rainbow and like the poster above she couldn't pull any dirt. 

First she did the bright light and scrubbed it across my carpeting--No dust.

Then she had me get my current machine, a Kirby Ultimate G and turn it on.  She shined the bright light on the bag--No dust.

Then she put a black cloth in the hose of the Rainbow and scrubbed around on the carpet--It didn't clog.  She thought she had torn the cloth so she went to change it she hadn't there was just no dirt.  So she scrubbed around on the couch--ditto.  Then she movd out the couch and cleaned behind it--no dirt.  So she put on the powerhead and vacuumed the entire living room paying close attention to make several passes by the door--she got a little fluff all in all about the size of a quarter.

She called her boss and told him she was finished and I wasn't paying $2,596 for this machine even knowing if I gave them 10 of my friends names I would get the Rainmate for free.  Then he offered to take $400 off for my old Rainbow.  No deal

I told my niece that they needed to provide her a little more training on the machine itself and not just the mechanics of the demo, as she had no knowledge of the seperator which is the heart of the machine.  She didn't know about the digital brushless motor, and she didn't know about the post filter.  I was invited to an open house where I could "earn" my own rainbow on Monday--I didn't go.

So you are Aunt Just, not uncle Just?

Carmine D.

No, it's Uncle.

Just wrote:

Thanks Just, it's all too funny except for the $2,596.00 price tag.  I don't think anyone except lottery winners will be buying new Rainbows this year.

Best,

Venson

PS -- Maybe you could pull in some cash from Rainbow by suggesting they let you train the trainees.

Thank you, Just, for proving my point (s)

Proper usage and maintenance of any vacuum is paramount,

Given those two factors, it possible to maintain a home in high state of cleanliness with virtually any vacuum.

Once the dirt is removed, filtration becomes less of an issue.

Venson wrote:

Hi Venson:

The price tag for new RAINBOWS is great for RAINBOW rebuilts and small vacuum cleaner store owners and operators. 

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:
Hi Carmine,

I agree.  However, possible buyers need to be aware of what to look for as far as a clean machine goes.  Have the HEPA on the E series machine removed and eyeball it and the area it attaches to the cleaner at for signs of dirt.  Remove the separator also and check the "spider" and as far beyond as you can see for collected dust or grime. Check the clampps that hold the motor unit onto the water pan for sturdiness.  Have the machine turned on -- no water nescessary for this short test -- and listen for motor sound and any evidence of odd odors.  And even then, you can't realy know much unless you have the machine apart.

My local vac shop seems to focus on some few high-end brands and common "disposables.  Though it does do repairs it does not seem to offer many used vacs of any kind at any one given time.  (Possibly because they may not have much of an understanding of older machines.)  Matter of fact, they had a Kirby G3 that they wanted about 700 bucks for maybe ten years back and it sat and sat in hte window for several years before it disappeared.

In any event, many better, more solid used vacs like Kirby, Royal, all-metal Luxes and so on should prove to be just what the doctor ordered for those looking for something to last a while and I hope I see local shops start carrying more of them.  However, as MOLE mentioned in another post people in general don't have much of an idea of what they're buying -- just what it basically is.

Best,

Venson