You don’t have to be an expert or take a Kirby sweeper apart, in order to determine whether Kirby was ever used or not.
Outer box usually is not a good indicator as if it was shipped or sat in a trunk of a car for a week it may look pretty bad but yet the vacuum inside may have never been used. If you want to make sure that seller told you true there are few areas what should be inspected after you take a Kirby Vacuum out of the box:
- Wheels
- Brush roller
- Nozzle
- Attachments
- Shampooer
- Outer bag
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Overall look of Kirby Vacuum Cleaner.
Never used Kirby cleaning system will be spotless and shinny. There should be no fingerprints or scratches.
However don’t be alarmed if you see some black residue on aluminum parts, especially in the corners or hard to reach spots. This may be some buffing compound which is used to polish Kirby Vacuum aluminum parts. Obviously, if you see fingerprints and scratches or aluminum is not shiny you definitely have to inspect the rest of the machine. |
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Wheels:
Inspect front and rear wheels for scuffs and dirt. Rubber on the wheels is soft enough, that if Kirby sweeper was used (especially on hard surface floors) it would have noticeable signs of wear. Also look for the dust and carpet fibers inside of the front wheel (you will need to flip the vacuum upside down to get a peak inside the front wheels). |
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Brush roll:
To avoid belt stretching Kirby Company assembles it without properly installing the belt. If seller claims that Kirby vacuum “was never out of the box” then once you get it you will need to take off the nozzle off, turn the knob, put the nozzle back onto the unit and turn belt lifter handle again (see our manuals).
However keep in mind that this is not unusual for a seller to install the belt properly before delivering or shipping the Kirby sweeper to the end user. It is always nice when things work right out of the box without having to go through the manuals first.
Also look for lint in bristles. It is nearly impossible to get all lint out once brush roll was used.
Pictured brush roll was never used. You can see very fine lines left from belt touching the roller while stored but if you would turn on the vacuum with properly installed belt it would leave very distinctive mark on the roller through entire width of the belt. |
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Nozzle:
Picture #4 - Inspect vinyl bumper for scratches, especially on the corners.
Picture #5- Look for dirt and sand between bumper and aluminum, by pulling on bumper in the center. Look for signs of oxidation on aluminum behind the bumper. |
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Fan case behind the nozzle:
Picture #6 - Take a look at the Impeller / Fan on main unit of the Kirby cleaning system. Look inside the for the dirt and hair on the fan.
Picture #7 - Look around the switch on the front of the unit - on the nozzle casting there is a protrusion that is supposed to press on the switch once nozzle is installed. While using the vacuum for the demonstration nozzle has to come off and be installed several times. This protrusion usually bumps the alluminum near the switch several times leaving fine but visible scratches (pictured is the perfect - never scratched fan casing).
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Exhaust:
Examine exhaust opening for dust and sand. |
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Cord:
Cord must be clean and very nicely wound. It is very time consuming to wind it by hand that would look as if it was done by a machine. No salesman would go through that trouble.
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Attachments:
Take a look inside of Extension Wands; they should be clean and shiny as a mirror. Inspect microgrooves at the end of the wands. If they were used you will notice tiny scratches. |
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Shampooer:
Remove shampooer tank cap and smell inside. It should have a smell of plastic, and if you can smell shampoo – it was used. Also check for water spots on the inside of the container and/or some fibers from paper towel that may have been used to dry it. |
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Look for the dirt and fibers on the Sponge and little Shampoo Screen. |
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Inspect Kirby Shampooer brush and belt. It is nearly impossible to clean carpet fibers from the bristles of the brush roller. Look at the bottom of the shampooer tray. If you use it - carpet will leave tiny scratches on the plastic. |
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Inspect the shield which covers the brush roller. You will see some very tiny scratches from brush roll if it was ever spun. If it has never been used plastic will be very smooth and shiny.
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See if there is any crystallized shampoo left in the Kirby Shampooer Hose. |
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Outer Bag:
(if Kirby sweeper was used for demonstrations bag will always be new because sales people do not use the bag – they use the demo tool with round filters instead. If this is used Kirby – it is nearly impossible to clean out the bag 100%)
Picture #16 - Inspect fill tube for dirt, hair and carpet fibers.
Picture #17- Dust/dirt shoots at the miniemptor elbow at pretty high velocity leaving tiny scratches Mini Emptor collects heavier stones and coins, so shake it and see if there are any diamond earrings stuck inside.
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| There are a few other things to look at but the above mentioned should be more than enough to tell used Kirby vacuum cleaner from the one that was never out of the box. |