Is the Kirby Sentria really the best model of kirby?  Is it worth the hundreds of dollars more than a previous model?  For your money what is the best model of kirby for you to own?  This guide will answer all of those questions and more.  This guide will cover the differences between models of Gsix through the Sentria model (current model).  It will give you the information you need to buy the best kirby model.  We have made this guide very educational and factual and I think you will be surprised by the results.

Hi my name is Dustin Chaffin Manager at Great-Vacs.  I feel qualified to write this article because we have sold over 10,000 vacuum cleaners online and we really believe that kirby is the best vacuum when it comes to vacuum power, cleaning and reliability.  We only sell high end vacuums and it is our #1 most popular
selling vacuum.    We have been getting
lots of emails from customers wondering what model of kirby is best for their needs.  I was asked to write this Guide to try and
explain what is the best Kirby model for your needs and explain some of the differences in the newer models.  I wont go into
detail on all Kirby models as Kirby has been making vacuums for almost 100 years.  I will focus on the newer models that most
people will buy.

The main point of this guide is to show you that 1.  The newest model is not necessarily better than other models (but sometimes it is better) and 2. Show
you that many of the newer Kirby models really do not differ this much.  Keep in mind that I will try to include as many facts
as I can but that a lot of the information will be my thoughts IMHO (in my humble opinion).  In fact at the end of the article
I will make some suggestions IMHO that I think are the best Kirbys for the buy and the best Kirby model ever made.  So lets
get started.

About every 3 years Kirby comes out with a new model.  The current Model of Kirby (which came out in 2006) is the Kirby
Sentria, then before that the new model was the Kirby Ultimate Diamond, then before that the new model was the Ultimate G,
then the Gsix.  In this article we are going to talk about those models.  Assuming a 3 year life before the next model came
out that represents around 12 years of kirby vacuums.  

Keep in mind owning even a 15 or 20 year old kirby is not that bad.  Most plastic junk you buy at the big box stores have a
shelf life of around 3 to 5 years (depending on model you buy).  In fact " Kirby home care systems are rated #1 in
reliability by a popular consumer products magazine".  We have seen a average life on a kirby vacuum of 25 years (on average,
we have seen tons of Kirby vacuums that are 40+ years that run fine).  So if you were buying a plastic vacuum that lasted
on average 3 years I would suggest getting the newest model but where you have a 25 year average life span owning the newest
model is not essential.

So lets get to it.  Lets go over the differences in these kirby models.  So what I did with the information listed below was went and found each of these models and pulled the information right off the model tag and part numbers of the part on each vacuum. 

POWER - (this is a perfect example of how kirbys are the most powerful vacuum but dont have huge amp motors)

Gsix =  7 AMP 50-60 Hz
Ultimate G= 7 AMP 50-60 Hz
Diamond = 7 AMP 50-60 Hz
Sentria = 7 AMP 50-60 Hz

In other words according to the model tag on the vacuum all these kirbys use the same motor.

FILTRATION

Gsix = HEPA filtration filters from .3 to .1 microns
Ultimate G = HEPA filtration filters from .3 to .1 microns
Diamond = HEPA filtration filters from .3 to .1 microns
Sentria = HEPA filtration filters from .3 to .1 microns

Also on the above models on the outer cloth bag the inner fill tube and mini emptor (channels air flow from fan champer to inner
fill tube) are all about the same.  All models can use the same disposable bag.

FAN

Models Gsix, Ultimate G, Diamond and Sentria all use the same kevlar fan.  The part number for the fan kit that we order that
fits all those models is the same part number and fan kit.

TRANSMISSION

Part # for Kirby Transmissions

Gsix = CA 550289
Ultimate G = CA 550289
Diamond = CA 550289
Sentria = CA 550289

That part number was stamped on all the transmissions. So I assume its the same Transmission.


Did I make my point clear enough?  In other words looks and age aside as far as performance the same thing.  Now lets cover
a few items that are different.  

BRUSHROLL -

Below is a picture of the Gisx Brushroll


Below is a picture of the brushroll in Ultimate G, Diamond and Sentria




In talking to some kirby salesman they claimed the Gsix brushroll cleaned dirt better but when we tested it we did not see a difference.  The brushroll on the Ultimate G, Diamond and Sentria also was stiffer and did a better job at sweeping up the carpet and did a better job on pet hair.  When we are reconditioning a Gsix and have to replace the brushroll we always upgrade it to the new style of brushroll.

UPDATED INFO -

I got an email from a Kirby owner who had a Kirby dealer give him the following information.  The dealer had given his the "Domestic Specifications" for the Kirby Ultimate G and Sentria.  This is the actual specs from Kirby.  If I ever get the ones for the Gsix and Ultimate Diamond I will post them here as well.  I have posted some of these Specs below :

Sentria Maximum Airflow = 115 CFM
Ultimate G Maximum Airflow = 109 CFM

Maximum Suction for Sentria = 27.5 Inches of Water
Maximum Suction for Ultimate G = 26 Inches of Water

Maximum Motor Speed Sentria = 13000 RMP
Maximum Motor Speed Ultimate G = 12,400 RPM

I cant verify that information but it looks like this is the specs from Kirby.  As you can tell they are very close in specs and you will have to make the decision if that is enough for the extra money spent.  From looking at the vacuums and the model tags it looks to me like they have the same motor but if you look at the Motor Speed RPM it looks like they cranked up the speed on the Sentria and that may have given it the extra power.   Thank you for the information that was emailed to us.  If you have additional information we would be glad to post it here.


LOOKS -

Below is a picture of each of the models.  As you can see most of the look changes are with color.  I will list the specific
changes we noticed besides color.  I probably wont include all the changes but will try and get most of them.

Gsix -



Ultimate G - The only difference I saw from the Gsix was color and the bag pattern was different.  Also the HEPA bag material
was thinner on the outer cloth bag.  I have had customers email me and said they liked the Gsix material better (thicker) but
we have seen no problems with the newer HEPA filtration material.


Diamond -   Color the same as the Ultimate G but they changed the bag design to a diamond pattern.  They also added a 2 speed
switch.  The switch is for delicate vacuuming.  For example most vacuums dont have the power to actually pick up a carpet
mat, the kirby does.  So at my house we have a lot of hardwood.  Its kind of annoying to vacuum the rug because it actually picks it up.  With
the Diamond you just turn the switch down for delicate vacuuming or dusting.


Sentria - There are quite a few looks changes on this model.  The really did a good job of trying to modernize it.  They added
a halogen light bulb (never supposed to burn out) and they got rid of the 2 speed switch.  So as far as performance it will be
the same as the Ultimate G and Gsix.  They made this model a little bit lighter but ended up making some parts weaker which I
will cover later.  As far as look changes they redesigned the some of the tools like upholstry tool, hand held tool and air flow
tool.  They also changed the look and design of the bumper.  The 2 look changes I did not approve of is they also changed the
look and design of the belt lifter turning knob and the handle.  They basically made them lighter and more plastic which in turn
made them weaker (which I will cover below).


That is basically all of the differences.  I am sure there is some technical point I may have missed and I am not saying I have
mentioned all the differences but those are all of what I can see.  The point is if the Kirby manufacturing plant had to change
all there parts every 3 years they would go out of business.  So at least these models use most of the same parts and have the
same performance.  In fact when the new Sentria came out I read the article put out by Kirby that was going over all the new
and exciting changes.  I did not see any remarks in the article saying how the vacuum has better performance than the previous
model.  All the changes were mostly looks and design (except for the new light).

So in conclusion these are my suggestions:

1.  For the money I personally beleive the best buy is the Kirby Gsix or Ultimate G (newer model than Gsix).  It has very similar performance as the new models at a
much lower price.

2.  If you have lots of pet hair I would go with the Ultimate G or newer.  Or you can get the Gsix but you will probably want
to buy the newer style brushroll which we sell.

3.  If you are not on a strict budget I personally believe that the best kirby ever made was the Diamond Kirby for the following
reasons.

    a.  First it is the newest model (made up to 2006) where it had all the best features without having the Sentria weakness's
    b.  It is the only model of kirby to have the 2 speed switch on the motor.

4.  If you want the newest and coolest looking model of kirby go with the Sentria.  It is a great Kirby and they have done a good job of modernizing it with some new looks to it and cool features.  I really do like the new bumper and the halogen lights.

I promised you above I would go over a couple of the things I dont like about the Sentria model.  

1.  The new parts that are on the Sentria will not be available to Shops like us for about another 2 years.  So you would have
to get those parts from Kirby.  Examples of some of those parts would be the light, handle, bumper, belt lifter knob, tools etc.

2.  The handle being weaker.  On the Sentria's that we have sold we have had to pack the handles a lot better than previous models.
All the previous models were metal framed with a plastic backhandle cover (very strong) and on the Sentria its plastic framed with
some really light aluninum plating on the front.  We had problems with those handles breaking in shipping so we had to pack them
better.  In talking to kirby dealers they said the same thing.   What makes kirby's popular is their power and durability.  So I was disappointed with that.



Well thats it.  I hope this review was helpful in you making your decision on the best kirby model.  I hope I have made myself clear,
have stated the facts well and you feel educated.  Would you take a minute and if this guide was helpful vote on it?  That makes it so
that it rises in the rankings and is more visible to other would be Kirby owners.

If you are still confused as to the right model or vacuum for your family (everyones needs differ) then please feel free to drop me a
email and tell me about your situation (like how much carpet, hardwood, allergies, pets, kids) and I would be glad to help you get a
vacuum that would be perfect for you.  

Thank You,

Dustin Chaffin
Great-Vacs, Manager