Advice on the Kirby Sentria Home Maintenance System

My sister-in-law has one she loves it and uses it in the house on the vehicles, everything.

My favorite vacuums are Panasonic. We bought one that we could afford almost 14 years ago, and have never had any trouble with it. It's a great, LIGHT vacuum!! You need to go to a specialized store to get them. You can't buy them (to my knowledge) in normal stores/warehouses.

Hi K.,
I bought a Kirby about a year and a half ago. And, yes, we couldn't really afford it. But, it is one of the best purchases I have ever made. Every time I use it, I feel like I got my money's worth. I have not even once feel like I was cheated or got ripped off.
Especially when money is tight, you need to feel like you are getting a value when you part with your hard earned money. The value of my Kirby is a truly clean house every time and I love it.
L. P

I have that same vacuum and was skeptical of whether or not it was worth the money, but i really like it.I think it does everything they claim it does. We have had ours for over a year and still love it. The shampooer part is probably not the best job at cleaning deep stains but does good for a surface cleaning between. Good luck

I have owned mine for a year and I love it! I don't use the attachments as much as I thought I would but mostly that is my laziness. The carpet shampooer is nice to have and the main vaccum picks up everything. It is by far the best vaccum that I have ever owned. My kids track in so much junk that I go through a lot of bags, but hey it is nice to know it is picking that much stuff up!

Being a kirby owner myself I have mixed feelings on them. My MIL gave me her mothers old kirby (it's a Gen 3)when they moved out of state. While I like how it cleans, it's a beast to move around my house and store. It's also a huge pain the pull the head off if you need to use any of the attachments, getting the belt back on right can be tricky sometimes, then you have to go back and and do it all again in reverse. I'm not terribly fond of the fact that it's almost impossible to find bags and replacement parts where I live. I have to get them online. My MIL has in the last year acquired a Dyson, and compared to the Kirby, she much prefers the Dyson. My FIL has COPD, and the bagless HEPA system in the Dyson is wonderful. It's lightweight, easy to empty and small enough to store almost anywhere. I would suggest that if your willing to put out the coin, then buy a Dyson, especially if anyone in your family has allergies.
While you would originally think that Kirby's payment plan is nice, by the time you get it paid for, you'll have paid almost twice what it's worth. Other than the carpet shampoo system (which is recommended that you ONLY use Kirby Low foam shampoo) the Kirby is simply an over priced fancy professional vacuum. There's my 2 cents worth on the Kirby...but in the end it all comes down to what you like and what you can afford vs. what's available.

I have a Kirby vacuum (I can't rememebr the model name) that I bought about 4 years ago and I just love it! It is the best vacuum that I have ever used. It gets high marks from consumer reports too, particularly when it comes to repairs, Kirbys tend to not need as many repairs as other brands. I was disapointed in the carpet shampooing system though, it is really a hassle to use and does not seem to work as well a a "real" carpet shampooer.

I've had my Kirby since 1992 and I still love it. My mom has gone through at least 10 different vacuums in the same span. The one I have is a little heavy and cumbersome for some things like stairs, but it's a great cleaner. You can use the HEPA filter bags on them too. Just remember to take it in to a Kirby dealer to have it cleaned and services every few years.

Kristen,

I had my first Kirby for nearly 10 years and loved it. I even ran it over with my car and it still worked. I just upgraded to the new Sentria this year and it is wonderful. I have a husband with OCD that cleans all the time and he says he wouldn't use any other kind of vaccum. Hope this helps you decide. I knows its an expensive price to pay but if it lasts you for more than 10 years which is what I would expect, it is well worth the money.

I have a Kirby Ultimate G. I DOOOO love it, although I also feel like I got a little suckered into buying it. My husband was in Iraq, I'd just had a baby and WOW! How this thing got rid of dirt and allergens!! I NEED THAT! I probably could have found something else comparable for less, but haven't looked.

All in all, I love my Kirby, have used it SEVERAL times to shampoo my carpets in our house in Denver. The rental we're in now has all hard-wood floors so the attachements work great here.

It's pretty heavy if you have stairs you have to haul it up and down, but it's got a powerful motor. I've had mine for almost 4 years and have never regretted buying it, but like I said, I have to believe there's probably something out there that does the same work for a lesser price.

Oh, yes! And I have taken it outside to vacuum out the cars. Changing the heads and the belts really isn't that confusing if you've been instructed or have a manual. My husband is amazed at how quickly I change from regular vacuum heads, to attachements, to shampooer.