# Kirby and Rexair Rainbow Vacuum Cleaners **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 22, 2017, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kirby-and-rexair-rainbow-vacuum-cleaners/791902 "2017-07-22T20:22:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kirby-and-rexair-rainbow-vacuum-cleaners/791902/21 "2017-07-24T22:53:33Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I love the sales pitch and how they justify the outrageous price: > _“Well, let’s assume you use a ‘regular’ vacuum twice a day”_ What? are you fucking crazy? do i look obsessive/compulsive? Takes 45 auto from drawer > [@](#): > > _“And you change bags twice each time”_ Twice? Bags? It is 2017, what planet did you roll out from? inserts magazine into 45 auto > [@](#): > > _“And bags are $10 each”_ Bags again is it? in an age where vacuums are made of injection molded plastic and funny vacuum changers and baffles and use NO BAGS? And for the bags they still sell, they are not even 10 dollars a package. I dont like lies. Pulls slide back and chambers a around > [@](#): > > _“Well, the Rainbow would practically pay for itself!”_ > > :rolleyes: > > “Get the fuck out!” Yelled while pointing the gun in the middle of his forehead. $2000 dollars, what kind of an idiot does he take me for? ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kirby-and-rexair-rainbow-vacuum-cleaners/791902/22 "2017-07-25T04:22:55Z")
We bought a Kirby years ago for 150 bucks. The guy needed one more sale to get a trip to Hawaii. We used it for over 25 years. It was worth the 150 bucks. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kirby-and-rexair-rainbow-vacuum-cleaners/791902/23 "2017-07-25T17:53:43Z")
> [@2Bits](#): > > Surely, _somebody_ out there has purchased (or knows someone who has purchased) one of these two (or three! Filter Queen falls into the same category) extremely-expensive vacuum cleaners generally sold using an in-home sales pitch. > > Are you satisfied? Regretful? Remorseful? Um, I think you missed about a quarter of the prior posts: > [@kunilou](#): > > My mother had a Rexair for about 20 years, then bought a Rainbow, used that until she died, and passed it down to us. > > I’ll say this for them, they last a long time. > > However, for that price you can get an excellent vacuum cleaner, pay for repairs if anything breaks, and do it three or four more times when the first one finally dies. > [@BigT](#): > > Long ago we got a Rainbow, and we were indeed happy with it, to the point we got a second one. But, after that second one quit, vacuums had gotten so cheap we decided against it, and just got a cheap one from Walmart. It lasted about half as long, but it was less than half the cost, and far more convenient. > [@Gorsnak](#): > > My parents have a Rainbow. Bought it must be over 30 years ago, and it still works fine. I think it was Cdn$400 or so at the time, which was a fair chunk of money for a small appliance in the early 80’s. It’s a good machine, but kind of a hassle to use with filling the reservoir with water and such, and then dumping the ensuing mess. Not dusty though, I’ll give it that. > [@4d3fect](#): > > My folks bought a Kirby, I recall them being impressed that the guy stomped on the hose. Unbreakable. That thing was a tank. They might still have it. Don’t recall the price. > [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](#): > > We had a Kirby back in the 80’s. Being a kid, I never paid attention to how well it worked, but I do remember how horrific it was to clean. It had a cloth bag and you’d have to shake it out. ---
**Author:** ![2Bits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e95f7d/32.png) [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kirby-and-rexair-rainbow-vacuum-cleaners/791902/24 "2017-07-25T19:12:01Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > Um, I think you missed about a quarter of the prior posts: Yes yes yes, but I was hoping to read more first-hand experiences rather than those of what someone’s parents did when they were kids. Mostly I was trying to goose my thread. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2017, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kirby-and-rexair-rainbow-vacuum-cleaners/791902/25 "2017-07-25T19:41:12Z")
> [@2Bits](#): > > Has anybody here purchased a vacuum cleaner after a sales pitch from a representative of one of these companies? That’s how we bought our Kirby, 25-30 years ago. I recall it costing around $800. > [@](#): > > Are you pleased with your decision? Not terribly displeased, but if I had it to do over again I wouldn’t. It was heavy. **Really HEAVY**. While it had some good features, it had an unforgivably stupid one: the handle wouldn’t latch in an upright position, rather it had a stop at about 45º – which was exactly at the tipping point so that half the time when you let go of it, it just toppled over backwards. It cleaned fine and was quite durable, but I don’t think it was a particularly good value compared to other vacuums. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kirby-and-rexair-rainbow-vacuum-cleaners/791902/26 "2017-07-26T03:18:59Z")
> [@2Bits](#): > > Yes yes yes, but I was hoping to read more first-hand experiences rather than those of what someone’s parents did when they were kids. > > Mostly I was trying to goose my thread. I can assure you that even though I was a kid, I personally had the joy of cleaning the bag. Are they still being made like this? I would not buy one for this alone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kirby-and-rexair-rainbow-vacuum-cleaners/791902.md?page=1)