DYSON SWEEPER VS. KIRBY
I have owned a Kirby for 30 years and love it but it does need replaced. I just purchased a Dyson Animal upright.
The Kirby and Dyson have extremely good “sucking” power. I would say that they are equal. I had tried several other cheaper brands and they did not have the sucking power as these two.
Weight-The Kirby is heavy to carry up and down the steps. The Dyson is lighter weight .
Durability- The Dyson is ALL Plastic. If you drop it or it falls-such as down steps-I am sure it will crack in many places. The Kirby is much more sturdy and durable. It is almost all metal.
Cost-The Dyson is about half the cost of the Kirby which is why I chose it.
Accessories- the Kirby Attachments- the hose is much more comfortable to use. It is corrugated hose attached to hard plastic that is curved just at the right angle for comfort and ease of use. It is slightly longer than the Dyson. The Dyson has a corrugated part attached to plastic also but it is not as flexible nor as comfortable to use as the Kirby. On the Dyson the 3 main attachments can be stored right on the sweeper. They snap into place so hopefully they won’t fall off easily. The other attachments have to be stored separately. All attachments for the Kirby had to be stored separately. You can convert the Dyson to use the hose and attachments very quickly. For the Kirby you have to take the front off and attach the hose. I have some carpet but mostly hard wood floors so it is nice that I don’t have to carry around the attachments with the Dyson. They are all right on the machine.
Bags-The Dyson is bagless which is nice. You just empty the container. My Kirby has a cloth bag that is not hard to empty but after 30 years it smells. No matter what I do makes it smell any better. I could get a new bag but with the cost of the other repairs needed I could buy a Dyson.
The biggest drawback that I can see so far with the Dyson is that it is ALL PLASTIC. That really concerns me. I am not sure how durable it is going to be.
Warranty- The warranty IS VOID if you do not buy it from an authorized DYSON dealer. So be careful who you buy from if buying on EBAY.