Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

www.goodvac.com has the Kirby pad and cloth meters, single and double for sale, as well as the pads and cloths. Did not see the suction plates or the airflow meters

Actually Jahannan is partly right.  The fans from Tradition to the G series were Lexan.  I did understand that with the G series they started using Kevlar.  I have no proof this is only what I was told.  I would bet Mole could answer this definitively.

There are some that "FrankenKirby" their machines using the older metal fans with steeper 10 blade aluminum on their newer machines claiming that there is better airflow than with the 11 blade Lexan models.  I got in to a discussion with someone on another site over this and was called many bad names, so to this I will claim my ignorance. 

I do, however, feel that the designers know what they are doing when they design a machine and the air-flow and turbulance were taken into account when they designed the fan casing and air outlets as well as the emptors on the G Series machines.

Hi,

I called a local dealer and he says Lexan.  I first rang Kirby's 800 number but no one was prepared to state technical info and instead gave me three numbers of New York Kirby dealers near my zip code.  None of the three reps I talked to knew what material the fan was made of except, per the last -- "I don't know what it is but it's definitely not aluminum." 

Astute!  And people wonder why the big box stores are making out like bandits.  We don't expect them to know anything.

A call all the way to Eaton Town, NJ call was no big deal as I use Skype,for a more definitive answer.  After my directly inquiring if the Kirby fan was aluminum, Lexan or Kevlar, the gentleman I spoke with said that to the best of his knowledege the material the Sentria  fan is made of is Lexan.  Good salesman that he was he did not hesitate to inform me of Lexan's advantage, resilience-wise, oover the "white metal" used to make Kirby fans in past.

Venson

Venson wrote:

Hi Venson:

"White metal" I opine to mean aluminum.  Years ago HOOVER referred to its bases and forks as white metal when they actually were metal [aluminum] and not plastic.  Have not heard that in awhile.  Aluminum is lightweight asa metal and long lasting.  Except as a fan when fan blades are subject to bend and break from what's picked up.   

Carmine D.

Actually Lexan and Kevalar are both correct.  Here is a quote:

The woven form of Lexan is Kevlar, of bullet proof vest and tank armor fame. Lexan is expensive, but you can get narrow strips of it cheap or free at a glass shop. These strips remain when a standard size sheet is cut down for a shatterproof window, leaving a strip too narrow for any window. There are groups which heat and vacuum form Lexan for body armor. I have used 1/8 in. strips as the core of foam swords with good results.

Just wrote:

The information that I got came from GreatVacs.com http://www.greatvacs.com/Shop/Control/fp/SFV/32823/viewPageName/KirbyVacuumModels

So is white metal to aluminum what kevlar is to lexan?  Don't you just love it when the facts meet the truth and it all comes to light! 

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:

OR ...to keep it simple. ...would you like your fan replaced with a metal or plastic one?

turtle