Bodemer Vacuum

 TL;DR version: apparently, the sweet spot for me with vacuum power is between 3 and 5 amps in the motor. I just had my mind blown. My grandma's Eureka vacuum had a 4 amp motor. A Kirby vacuum made between 1940 and 1962 has 4 amps (1963-70 were around 5 amps, 1970-1981 were 6 amps; they went back to 4.5-5.5 between 1981 and 1991.) They have the same amount of power going to the motor, powering the fan, and turning a belt controlling the brush roller. The belt distance on a Kirby is about 2/3 that of a Eureka. The fan on a Kirby is vertically mounted, and larger. But, the Kirby will actually lift the carpet up as it cleans, while on a Eureka, the carpet doesn't move. The Kirby feels much more powerful, even though it has the same amount of power. The Kirby gets more out of the carpet. The Eureka is remarkably quieter. Because the base (as on all Eurekas made after 1975) is made of Lexan plastic, and the handle (since 1983) is made of plastic, the Eureka is lighter. The Kirby has...

  This Kirby vacuum, purchased at a thrift shop in Washington's timber country, was manufactured in 1957 (a little trick of Kirby's 500 series is that the last number in the model indicates the year of produciton. The 50 8  is 194 8 , the 50 9  is 194 9 , the 51 0  is 195 0 , the 51 9  is 195 9 , etc.) This vacuum appears to have been serviced recently; the outer bag is a generic replacement bag; the bag top cover is for a Kirby Classic III, which, according to Kirby, was made from 1976-1979. The cord appears to be fairly recent also. It was not uncommon for owners to replace parts on their Kirbys, but keep them in service; it is likely that this Kirby outlived its original owner. I remember hearing somewhere that some people still use their families' 1930s Kirbys, due to their longevity. In addition, Kirby offers a factory rebuild service (it isn't cheap, but it comes with a warranty, and they work on every part.)

 Welcome to Bodemer Vacuum!  This blog is devoted to the research, and restoration of vintage vacuum cleaners. If you are in the Seattle area, and are interested in purchasing any of these vacuums, please email me at ballografseattle@gmail.com  Vacuums marked "PC" are my permanent colleciton. Enjoy! Nick Bodemer