I have been using Kirby vacuums off and on since I was a kid, and have learned to really like the products that they put out. So when we moved at the end of laast year and got rid of our big old Dyson vacuum, I knew I wanted another Kirby. Well, I wish I had just kept the Dyson as it was more reliable than the Kirby Sentria Vacuum that I purchased. The purchase has been a total waste of money, there isn't anything I can really say good about the vacuum. It is noisy, the sucking power isn't what I wanted/expected it to be and the vacuum itself is bulk and hard to manage. I guess if I had to say something good about the vacuum, I would say that it has a pretty decently long cord, and that would be more helpful if the vacuum worked the way that I wanted it to be. As I mentioned before the sound that this vacuum makes is horrendous. It sounds like something is always stuck in the vacuum, and I have checked it multiple times, and there isn't anything stuck in it. So that's a real downer. I'm not super picky about my vacuum sounds, but I would like it to be a little quieter than this one. I am not pleased by this purchase and woould not recommend it to anyone. I don't know if that's because I got a dud, and it's just mine was bad or if they are all that bad. But either way unfortnately I lost some faith in Kirby.

ifish42

Florida

Growing up, my mother was a housekeeper. I heard all of the best ways to keep your house clean and the best products to use. She had a little bissel that she hated. I guess it didn't pick up anything. She always talked about the vacuums her clients wanted her to use. I know rainbow was the worst! But, the homes she loved to clean the most had Kirby's. She loved using Kirby's. With the ease and the power and multiple tools she was able to get in and out of a home quickly. As I am now married and in my own home, I took my first opportunity I had to purchase a Kirby. My mother was right! It is the best! My only problem is the inconvenience of the hose. it is difficult to carry it around the house with the hose hanging off of it. Other than that, I have enjoyed being able to move around the house and vacuum my carpet and my hardwood floors with one piece of equipment. Ease of Maintenance Lifetime maintenance Design It is a bit bulky and heavy Durability I have vacuumed things up I probably shouldn't have and never had an issue

highfivefrankie

USA

I remember a Kirby salesman coming to my home when I was a little girl. This particular salesman lacked tact and the ability to relate to his customers, so he did not make a sale that day. Fast forward about 20 years later as a different salesman knocked on my door offering the same free carpet cleaning. My husband and I were impressed but skeptical, so we put him through the ringer with questions about the Kirby Sentria Vacuum. As most people know, these vacuums are quite costly, so we wanted to be sure that we were investing in quality. So far, we have not been disappointed five years in. The Kirby Sentria Vacuum has amazing suction power that gets deeper into the fibers of our carpet. We also own a Neato Robotics vacuum that merely picks up surface particles. Our Kirby is far superior. The attachments are a bit confusing at first, but wonderfully helpful once you master them. We are still quite baffled by how to attach the shampooing device. We were able to attach it once but have not been able again. The instructions are well written or displayed in this regard. The only other complaint is the belt system. Two belts have already broken, resulting a horrible burning rubber smell. Without the belt, the Kirby still outperforms the competition, but is harder to push and the brush does not roll while you vacuum. We are searching for a place to take our Sentria to be serviced. Maneuverability The motor gives you a "drive" option that makes it really lightweight. Versatility Used it for my car, couches & curtains

lhudd

USA

This is overall a great vacuum, because you want a vacuum that will suck dirt up and not leave anything behind and keep it from spraying back out into the air around you. It has incredible suction and great brush action to really deep clean carpets every time, it pulls out dirt that other vacuums simply cannot reach. It impressed me literally every time I used it with how well it sucked dirt out of the carpet. The only things that keep it from getting a ten is that it is VERY heavy so hard to carry, push, and maneuver places. Stairs are a nightmare, so if you don't have carpeted stairs or no stairs, it's a great vacuum. It is also a little spendy for most budgets. Maneuverability The Kirby Sentria is too heavy and awkwardly designed to make it very maneuverable. If all floors were perfect squares and you didn't have stairs, that would be alright, but it's bulk and weight make stairs an exhausting and frustrating chore, and it's very tippy due to its bulky design, so corners and trying to get under beds and tables can be tricky. Ease of Maintenance Relatively easy to maintain due to a simple design. The bag comes in and out with snap and a zip, belt and attachments are all simple mechanics, easy to change, clean and work with. Suction Performance The number one selling point of this vacuum! It could suck the underfloor out through the carpet if it would fit. Awesome suction power. Love it, and it never, ever loses power, even if the bag is overfull, unlike bagless vacuums, which do lose suction, no matter what their commercials say. Versatility It is what it is, not too versatile. It vacuums floors...well. Design Unimaginative, ugly, and utilitarian in looks, bulky and heavy in design, but great suction power which is the most important, so... Durability Made of metal parts, it is hella durable. Nuff said.

bmkb527

Camano Island, WA

I like this vacuum because it can do a lot of different things. It can vacuum, shampoo the carpet, clean hard floors, and blow air with the hose attachment. It is pretty expensive though. Maneuverability This vacuum gets along edges well but does not fit into tight spaces. It is pretty easy to move back and forth but does not turn very easily. I never had stairs in my house but I imagine it would be pretty difficult to vacuum stairs even though the base detaches from the handle so that you can move it up stairs. It is very heavy. Ease of Maintenance This vacuum is pretty simple to maintain. It's easy to change out the bag and easy to detach and reattach hoses and other extra equipment. The vacuum is very heavy though. Suction Performance The suction performance is probably the best thing about this product. Of all the vacuum's my husband and I have owned, this definitely is top notch when it comes to suction. Versatility This vacuum can do all sorts or things besides vacuuming. It can shampoo carpets and clean wood floors. Durability Very durable.

sarakgann

USA

This is the worst machine ever! It is heavy and hard to lift. It is a nightmare to remove the head to attach the hose. I hate it! I have cats and it does a lousy job on cat hair! I had a dyson that did a great job. Time to ditch the Kirby and buy a dyson! Also the price is ludicrous!

Babysilas

USA

Kirby is probably the best vacuum ever made! Maneuverability It's pretty heavy. So it's a little harder to maneuver than other lighter vacuums. It does have a drive peddle you use, so it really helps with maneuvering the vacuum. There's drive and neural, drive is used for when you vacuum, neutral whenever it's turned off and you need to move it from one area to the next. The drive peddle actually feels lighter for this reason. A small amount of the vacuum is made out of aluminum now, that takes away from it's durability, but it helps on its maneuverability! Ease of Maintenance It's pretty easy maintenance. Mine hasn't broken down yet. It usually just needs the brush cleaned about once a month. I feel vacuums that have bags are easier to maintain than bag-less vacuums. Suction Performance I'm vacuum most of my house everyday, and it still has the same suction it had when I first purchased it. The only problem is that they are really noisy. Probably the loudest vacuum I've ever owned. Versatility You can vacuum normal with this. It has hoses to use for specific things. It's great to use on your car, as it has great suction. This has saved me money as I don't have to vacuum at the car wash. You can also use it as a shampooer, it's very versatile. Design There's also a lever you use to move it further or closer to the carpet. Like most vacuums, you can adjust it depending on the thickness of your carpet. Durability Kirby has to be the most durable vacuum ever made. Plus it comes with a lifetime warranty, so that guarantee that it will last a long time. I have had my Kirby for about five years, it's made out of solid material. It can take a beaten, as I've bumped this vacuum into everything. I do feel I paid too much for it, as I bought it through as door to door salesman for about 2100.00 made through payments. But I will not have to buy a vacuum for a long time.

jarschnell

USA

I love this cleaner! I owned a Kirby brand vac many years ago & have often longed to have the opportunity to own one again. Now that I do, I couldn't be happier (except for the cost, overall)! Maneuverability Sometimes it is rather difficult vacuuming the carpet then onto the kitchen floor....& repeat. The cleaner actually left a skid mark on the floor but that was MY fault as I had set the cleaner on a much lower height! Ease of Maintenance Still work in process! I call my daughter in law to change the bags for me, it takes her just a second while I have to play the DVD, pause it, do a step, repeat- Suction Performance This vacuum works very well at suction-some little crumb on the floor inches away is often sucked up easily, surprisingly! Versatility I cannot answer this totally as I wasn't the one who took it apart for the shampooing, lol, but for my daughter in law it was very easy! As far as for me using the vacuum in the smaller version to clean mattresses, couches.. chairs... walls. curtains- I even take the hose & extension to rid those cobwebs that hang around in the corners of the room, as well as cleaning dust out of all kinds of household items as follows: ceiling fans, box fans (just the suction alone saves hours of endless work of taking fronts off the fans, washing or blowing out the dust, same with window ledges, floor boards, the whole nine yards, as they say! Design Love the slender sleek design! I am very proud to show off my Kirby vacuum. Durability If this vacuum can withstand a 10 yr old using it plus the fact that I have 2 cats that shed constantly-then I recommend Kirby to anyone & everyone!, especially to families that have many children and/or pets of all kinds. For example to have this vacuum at a pet shelter would be beneficial for not only the workers, the folks that are GOING to adopt the pets but for the pet as well! Some pets themselves have allergies, so the Kirby Sentria would solve many an issue with such. With the hepa filtering as an added bonus, the bags serve many purposes that other vacuum bags can't claim. Hepa filtering along with the type of vacuum bag that Kirby has, ensures that 'kick-back particles' won't be seen floating in the air after its use! (recall the sunny days that you spent vacuuming the whole house & lo & behold: in the rays of light streaming through the windows are bits & pieces of left over dirt that your old vacuum left behind.

gram2six

Saint Johnsbury, VT

I love my Kirby! It sometimes doesn't turn very well but the suction & mantenace is awesome on it.It is very easy to change cleaning heads/ attachments to clean different surfaces & areas of your house. I use on hard floors, carpets, ceilings, stairs, couch & cars. It is a tad heavy but lighter than another vaccum I had. multi use vac for the one that cleans it all. my mom tends to hit in on things & it is holding up but has some scratches. It also doubles as toy as my kids like how shiny it is & follows it all over the house.

abunchoflemons

USA

I got the Kirby Sentria II last year. I wish I wouldn't have allowed them into my house because I was thoroughly disgusted by what my vacuum did not pick up. I was perfectly fine thinking my carpet was clean until I saw what this one picks up. I don't even use a broom on my linoleum floors anymore. Maneuverability Easy to handle and work around corners. I wish it wasn't so wide so it would get closer to the couch instead of me having to get out the attachments. Ease of Maintenance The bags are easy to replace thankfully. The only thing I don't like is how the dirt gets behind the twist handle to remove the front "head". Makes it harder to clean up. I like how all of the parts and attachments are cleanable just by using the Kirby itself. Suction Performance I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it for myself. When they came in and did the demo.. I had JUST vacuumed my carpet and got what I thought was all of the dirt and fur up. Since I did buy a pet vacuum before the Kirby. The amount of fur that was picked up after my vacuum wasn't picking up any more dirt would gross anyone out and make them not want to sit on their floors again. Versatility I LOVE all of the attachments I got with this vacuum. It makes cleaning a breeze. I don't have to worry about loss of suction in the hose. This thing is truly amazing. Design I think the design could be a little less bulky. Makes it where you have to use the attachments to get any dirt out of the corners. Durability I don't like how easily dirt got behind the twist handle when I switched out components. Makes it a little harder to remove the "head" from the vacuum itself.

angeladawn2011

USA