We were visited by a kind Kirby vacuum salesperson the other day.  Although the salesperson that came to our house was clean, nice, and not too extremely pressuring, I found that his facts were not quite entirely accurate or that he would leave out some important bits of information. Here is the truth about Kirby vacuums (we purchased the Kirby Sentria so some of this information comes directly out of that Kirby documentation). Here is my Kirby vacuum review summary:

Kirby Vaccum Salesperson Statement:
Kirby vacuums are made entirely of metal, they are real tools instead of your plastic toy vacuum.

The truth:
For past models this was a very accurate statement, the new Sentria model does have a few plastic (aluminum plated) parts that they have used to help lower the overall weight.  The belt on/off release knob, for example, is not entirely metal and Kirby repair-shops have reported that piece as less reliable.

Kirby Vaccum Salesperson Statement:
All Kirby vacuums come with a lifetime warranty.

The truth:
The Kirby Sentria model actually only has a complete warranty for 3 years (belts, light-bulbs, back wheels, and roller brush are not covered).  So during the first three years you can take it in to an authorized repair-shop or pay to ship it to Kirby for covered warranty issues.  They do, however, also offer a lifetime rebuild program.  At any time you can pay to ship your vacuum back to Kirby and for a price of $175 (adjusted according to the new Consumer Price Index number) they will completely rebuild the entire vacuum. A rebuilt vacuum comes with another 1 year warranty. Also, if your Kirby vacuum is accidently destroyed by fire, Kirby will also honor the rebuild program or replace the vacuum if needed.

Kirby Vaccum Salesperson Statement:
Financing the Kirby vacuum for 3 years is a great idea.

The truth:
We paid for our vacuum in cash.  Financing the vacuum will require a check on your credit, and the 3 year loan does have interest built into the monthly payment.  If you decide to finance your Kirby vacuum make sure you understand exactly the terms of the loan and make sure the settled total price you decide with the salesperson is really all you be paying for the vacuum, interest included.

Kirby Vaccum Salesperson Statement:
Buying the vacuum now is urgent!  We will not be back again soon!

The truth:
False, maybe this specific person won’t be able to come back.  But you can always request an in-home demo from Kirby.com and get the exact same offer.  One person online even reported that they had a salesperson at their door within one hour of having requested a demo.  (hint: Schedule your appointment for the end of the month, end of the week, or at least the end of the day, they do seem to have quotas they try and hit, so you’ll be able to talk the price down a bit more)

Kirby Vaccum Salesperson Statement:
You can only buy Kirby vacuums from an authorized distributer through an in-home demonstration.

The truth:
This is true, according to Kirby.com this is the only way to purchase the vacuum with a warranty.  Distributors are not supposed to sell them online.  If you buy one used or refurbished, the warranty only applies to the original owner, so you will be responsible for the full cost of any repairs, replacements, or rebuilds.

Kirby Vaccum Salesperson Statement:
I am a nice guy, I like you guys, I like my job.

The truth:
Kirby salespeople have gained some of the worst door-to-door salesperson reputations.  Of the 30 BBB complaints currently registered online almost all of them are related to the distributers tactics and not the product itself.  Though Kirby strives to only keep distributors with good customer skills.  You might end up with a dishonest jerk at your door — but most are great people.  They are paid on commission, so every time you talk the price down, it does come out of what the salesperson (and his boss) will earn.

Kirby Vaccum Salesperson Statement:
This Kirby Sentria is the best vacuum in the universe.

The truth:
Like any product, this can be debated forever.  Consumer Reports and many other reviews I read online only gave raving reviews for the results of this vacuum.  Is it really better then other high end vacuums like Rainbow and Simplicity? Many say yes.  This vacuum will suck and clean better then any low to mid level vacuum that you can find at wal-mart or home-depot.  Reviews online sound like you will never regret the cleaning ability of this vacuum.  If you can afford a high end deep cleaning vacuum, this is a great choice.

Kirby Vaccum Salesperson Statement:
The Kirby Sentria is easy to use.

The truth:
Well, more or less. It does come with a 30 minute DVD explaining how everything works.  It is definitely more complicated then simply an on or off switch. There are many belt and brush adjustments, accessories, bags, and more that do require some time to learn how they work.