Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Is NOT worth the $ cuz it is a terrible cleaner; nowhere near the power of older Kirbys.  I saw a demo of the Sentria & it didn't touch any dirt from the carpets; couldn't even pick up anything.  Then I went over the same area with my Classic Omega & the 30+ yr old Kirby pulled out MILLENIUMS of dirt even thru the floorboard.  Why is the Sentria only 1/1000 as powerful as the pre-G Series Kirbys?  I don't think trading an old Kirby is worth anything; I think customers are fooled when they trade their older, more powerful Kirby for the worthless Sentria.  I've owned that Omega & no dirt can hide from a 30+ yr old Kirby!

The Classic, Omega, Legend, Sanitronic & all older Kirbys have 300+ in. water lift (powerful enough to pull dirt thru the floorboard no matter how thick the floors are)

The new Sentria pulls about 70" (a fraction as powerful as all OLDER kirbys)

hooverman wrote:

You are @#$%ing clueless, I suggest you find another line of work

Mole

mole wrote:

What are the specs on a Sentria? I have never owned an older Kirby but my Sentria pulls the carpet off the floor. It is by far the most powerful vac I've ever owned.

I DO work & own a vacuum repair shop; maybe the Sentria might have a defect?  I think that particular Sentria had a full bag with fine dust.

hooverman wrote:

Where did you get your facts and figures? Every article that I've read says that the Sentria is more powerful (slightly) than the G series. 300" of water, really?? Hmm, did you mean 30"? Read this article.... http://reviews.ebay.com/BEST-KIRBY-MODEL-Is-the-Kirby-Sentria-the-best-model_W0QQugidZ10000000003817326

jhannah wrote:

Thanks for the link jhannah.  Excellent site reviewing the 3 most recent Kirby models.

Carmine D.

The Sentria that was used at my shop (I have a Kirby salesperson come every now/then) wasn't working right; I examined it & it had a broken fan.

hooverman wrote:

That doesn't explain your first post saying that the Kirby Sentria isn't worth the money or the wild claims that the new Kirby's don't clean as well as the older models.

A Sanitaire SC888 is FAR BETTER than a Kirby Sentria; at least Sanitaire has a STEEL brush roll, a VGI or VGII.  The Kirby Sentria is made of metal; the only good thing about this Kirby.

hooverman were you abused as a child by a Kirby Sentria?

   Sentria has the same motor as a G series and is also referred to as a G-8. The changes made to Sentria does not necessarily give it more performance. Sucking rug off the floor means you have set the unit too low. No airflow , no cleaning.

jhannah wrote:

Is there is a decreased air flow with the high filtration bags?

I think you have your numbers incorrect somewhere.   Though the Omega is a fine machine 300 in water lift???  Thirty may be closer, but I don't believe a fan-first machine can generate that kind of lift.  Now Kirby is known for it's tremendous aif flow which is better than most.  Maybe you being a "hooverman" are reading these specs in Chineese numbers.  

There must be some blockage, or other ailment on the part of the Sentrina, as a New Kirby should do as well if not better than the older model.  The stiffer brush roll and faster motor should make up for the lesser pitched fan.

The Kirby Sentria is the has the most powerful SUCTION and AIRFLOW out of ANY Kirby model. Period. This dude's either full of it or he's witnessing a damaged or hindered Kirby at work.

Hertz wrote:

Are you referring to the suction and airflow with or without the bag attached?   I say this because it is plausible that the air flow may be restricted more by the modern HEPA bags.  When the Lux salesman visited my house last year, he did the did the little ball test and was surprised that my Ambassador III model could pick up more $#%* that the newer model with the HEPA filter.  Sometimes there is a tradeoff between filtration and air flow.  Some bags are better than others.    Are the Kirby bags made out of Filtrete type material?

I do believe this is with the bags installed. Here are some interested articles in regards to your questions - http://www.greatvacs.com/Shop/Control/fp/SFV/32823/viewPageName/BestModelOfKirby And more specifically about the filtration and HEPA bags on Kirby's: http://www.greatvacs.com/Shop/Control/fp/SFV/32823/viewPageName/KirbyVacuumCleanerBagsGuide But yes, the Sentria was designed to be MORE powerful to compensate for the more-air-flow-restricting HEPA bags, and even then, it's the most powerful out of all of them - ESPECIALLY THE PRE-G SERIES!!

Will the Sentria beat a Sanitaire SC888?  The Sanitaire has METAL VGII brush roller; while the Kirby has a WOOD brush roller

My thoughts are there's a broken Kirby here.

  Despite the changes made in the Sentria (G-10) the suction has not increased. They do no have 300 Inches of water Lift. Maybe airflow but not thru the hose. The motor has not changed since it came out on G-3.

I took in a Trade-In last week on a Sentria that was used 4 times (TOOOO heavy for the customer) Selling it for $500 if anyone is interested PM me. Lucky

procare wrote:

I do believe the motor has changed consecutively up until the G6, which it has then remained the same through to the Sentria. I say this for this guide here: http://www.greatvacs.com/Shop/Control/fp/SFV/32823/viewPageName/BestModelOfKirby as well as other bits of information I believe I read online.

Hertz, 

      Any  honest repairman will tell you the only difference between Sentria and any other G series is not the suction but trim , bags, electronic switch for attachments and LED circuit board for headlight and brushrolls. The belt for power drive changed in 2005.

The armature and fiield coils, and everything else in the motor is the same. No change in perfornance.  I have worked on and checked all the G series and found no difference in suction.

                                                                                                                                                                                             Procare

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

procare wrote:

Agree with you Procare.  Kirby has always made changes at the margin while keeping the guts the same.  It's how Kirby [and all other door-to-door vacuum products] reduces economies of scale and increases profits year over year with same/steady unit sales.  

Carmine D.

procare wrote:

Read through the link I sent you; the Sentria has more suction and airflow than any previous iteration. Marginally, but it's there.

Seems that KIRBY makes very  small changes that can only be caught by the trained eye. The generation 3 with the transmission was the best move they ever made.

It was a big change at the right time to save the company,

Have you seen the renditions on the NEW kirby.

Hertz,

  I still disagree with what you read. The cleaning performance proclaimed by  GreatVac about Kirby,  is not a  better performing motor which is the same on all Generations but the brushroll. Kirby changed on the G-5 on to Sentria the brushroll . Instead four 6" rows they went to eight  6" rows. The bristles are thinner and stiffer. They give a little better performance than previous brushrolls in cleaning and this is the only change made to enhance performance. According to an old  Kirby Distributor.

procare wrote:

This isn't the case; the airflow is better on the G6-Diamond edition from previous iterations, and the Sentria has even BETTER airflow thus improving performance over even the Diamon edition. If you read through the numbers on that link I sent you, it will show you that the Sentria is slightly more powerful.

Hretz,

  Today I had a Kirby Salesman I know and he brought by his meter he shows people the performance of the motor. In my shop today I had a G-3, a G-6 and my friend brought a Sentria. In testing the three, they all checked the same. The meter is the same meter I was shown by a salesman that demoed at my house when the G-3 came out. I have been servicing and keeping up on Kirby's performance since 1956. I read what was said by  a man that I don't know his repair history. There are people out there that sell used vacuums that have to rely on someone else and hope they are telling the truth. I check with my suppliers and the manufacturers to try and get correct data.

What were the results? Just because they all max'd out doesn't mean the Sentria was still pulling more air in at a greater force than the others.

procare wrote:

procare

You nailed it......once you put a sentria brushroll on any g series....they all perform the same...no diff whatsoever ... thats been my findings also

 in side by side testing and actual use at the shop and at home.....none of us at the shop are  seeing any increase in performance after the br upgrade.

Gotta say your dead on procare.

turtle

Is the new style brush roller available for older pre-G Series Kirbys?  I prefer my old 70s Kirby better than the Sentria (more powerful)

hooverman wrote:

LOL, you're 70's Kirby IS NOT MORE POWERFUL! Get it through your head already!!

i dont like Kirbys; I prefer the Sanitaire SC888, it outcleans ANY Kirby.

when I said I don't like Kirbys, I meant using them cuz they're too beautiful to get scratched/dented.

btw I got TWO Ultimate G Kirbys today (both trash finds, one has a hose only; neither have any other tools; both VG shape & work good)

hooverman wrote:
Ha, hahahahaha.  What's wrong with you man?  Point is, you're acting ridiculous.  You state you prefer you're other Kirby's, then say you don't like them, and now say a Sanitaire will out clean.  That statement is false, at least when it comes to the newer G series Kirby's - G4 (with Sentria brushroll) all the way to the Sentria.  They all will either match or beat the Sanitaire, and my money's on the Kirby's beating it.

hooverman wrote:
Are you serious?!

Haha, I think you might have OCD man, you need to NOT worry about scratching your Kirby; just be careful and all will be well :]

Hertz wrote:

FYI.

The Kirby generation series machines  use different brush rollors, You CAN NOT interchange rollors from a g6 up into a G5 or G4. Nor can you interchange a G5 into a G3 or G4.

\Yes you can turn the bearing caps around and it will fit, Just watch the rotation of the brush rollor, [HINT] it turns backwards.


Many suppose  Kirby repair experts do this and are sabotaging the machines by accident.

I should be charging for this information.............


Venson you still got the G5............

regards

MOLE

mole wrote:

Heck yeah MOLE.  It's not going anywhere.

Venson

mole wrote:
No, you should be doing your research and realize that a Sentria brushroll CAN fit into a G5 and/pr G4!!!  My friend DID IT BUD!  0_o.   All he did was simply switch it around and remove one or two bristle sets and BAM, just like as if it were in a Sentria.

I should be charging for this information.

Never said it does not fit , I said it does run in the right direction. Pay attention............

MOLE

mole wrote:
Ahhh, haha, my bad.  How does this affect the cleaning performance?


Also, is it possible to retro-fit a Sentria head and nozzle onto a G4?

I can't speak in any expert fashion, as I don't know about the Sentrina.  I do, however have an Omega and a UG.    In comparison side by side I would say that the UG will groom the carpet quicker, but the Omega appears to fluff the carpet more, but it does take a slower pass.    I think this is because the nozzle design on the Omega pulls the carpeting up more in the "Tripple Cushion Vibration" action than the UG. 

Another experience is the Omega's brushroll tends to be more gentler on the carpeting.  There is an appearance of less fuzzing than with the UG.  I have a thick plush as well as Berber in the bedrooms.  The Berber especially shows more abuse with the UG. 

These are just my personal observations and as I stated I have no scientific backing. 

Off topic of Kirby, but another observation.  My little Riccar Supralite appears to do much better on surface litter than either Kirby.  My daughter likes to empty the school playground on my carpet.  The Kirbys will kind of plow and push the sand, whereas the Riccar gets right to sucking it up.

Just wrote:

First of all, what's a "UG"?? :P Second of all, not only is the Omega probably less powerful than the Supralite, but the Kirby's have such a strong nozzle suction - INCREDIBLE strong - that they SEAL themselves to the carpet, thus any larger particles like sand or litter will be "snow plowed" by the metal head, but not because of lack of suction, but instead that is the reason. That's a theory for your case, however I'm sure it does apply in other situations.

Hertz wrote:

Well First:  UG  UltimateG

Second:  NO.  The Kirby has a larger fan, and a larger motor.

BUT, you are correct and was my point the nozzle design of the Kirby which seals to the carpet is plowing surface litter, whereas the Riccar floats the carpet and does not plow.    And if one will remember I stated it was an observation, not a theory.

A Kirby is not meant or made to ride on top of pile.  It should be adjusted just enough for suction to lift the carpet up to nozzle while maintaining a constant sound when moved back and forth.  This is after all an old style machine.  Properly set you should expect to see a little bit of motion regarding stuff on the rug that lies directly in front of the machine.  My G5 has never "snow plowed" anything.

Venson

Venson wrote:

Neither had mine until my daughter introduced it to a shoe(s)  full of playground sand. 

I have been pushing a Kirby for neigh on 50 years and have always adjusted it one click beyond when the motor changes tone.  This has always been adequate.  IT was just an observation that it does not handle surface litter i.e. piles of sand like a machine that skims the surface.  HOWEVER, the Riccar is far outclassed in deep cleaning.  The Supralite is more of an Oreck size and design.  I feel it is more of a sweeper than a vacuum.

ETA--The Riccar makes a lot more noise, sounds like it will come apart, when it picks up sand.  The Kirby handles it in stride, just some tinks and pings.

Just wrote:

I seriously think you under judge the Simplicity/Riccar Lightweights. The top of the line has a steel brushroll that is suburb AND has removable brushstrips. The noise is to be expected in that the Kirby has $500 more heavy metal to deaden the sound. These are really 2 different animals and to compare them really depends on the initial perimeters defined by the buyer. I really can't think of many vacuums so diametrically opposed in purpose than a Kirby and a Freedom. LOL