Vintage Kirby Classic III vacuum


Yet another vintage item I picked out of the trash... This is a Kirby Classic III. It was a terrible mess and smelled like a sewer. There was liquid in the waste bin, and I don't want to know what it was! I nearly threw up a couple times while cleaning this one, but it turned out beautifully and runs great now. I think it was made between 1976 and 1979.

Posted under: Kirby Vacuum Tuesday, October 12th, 2010

26 Responses to “Vintage Kirby Classic III vacuum”

  1. Vacmasterthegreat says:

    I got a bunch of attachments for that model out of the trash and I almost threw up trying to clean them up!! Wish the vac came with the attachments

  2. aohm1001 says:

    My mom and grandma had these vacuums. My grandma had the omega and 89 kirby legend 2. Know we have the legend 2 and it runs as good as it did as day one. Keep yours have motor rebuild every 3 to 6 years. Or when u hear the motor running rough!

  3. stars1976 says:

    you r right the classic 3 was made 1976-1979

  4. ClassicTVMan81 says:

    @aprilwill39
    Defective filter bag guard, spring or Sani Em-Tor gasket.

  5. moonraiser63 says:

    My grandma had it too. But it was sold when she died.

  6. aprilwill39 says:

    my famly had one like that but the air bag was coming off

  7. ClassicTVFan82 says:

    Aaron, from 1960-80, your 560 would also have sounded like this, pre-fan change.

  8. TheGreatOn says:

    parents bought one of these in the 70′s from a salesman who dropped the price down from $800 to $400 because his boss said they “looked like nice people”. Anyways, they used it till a few years ago when they thought it was outdated, and since then they have gone through around 3 different vacuums. They probably shouldn’t have thrown it out.

  9. cornhusker94 says:

    so dose mine

  10. hdyudu says:

    seen a lot of old vacuums branded by kirby

  11. jibba48 says:

    my grandma has this one

  12. ClassicTVFan82 says:

    There is a Suction Relief Vent which can reduce the suction, as desired, for use on certain lighter rugs and carpets.

    Be aware that once you open the Suction Relief Vent, always put the headlight cap down against the Rug Nozzle. It should remain in closed position when using the Kirby for normal full power cleaning operations and when you empty the bag.

  13. adb140275 says:

    he has cerebral palsy, so that would be difficult for him to use his feet he just presets it

  14. ClassicTVFan82 says:

    Kirby recommends you start your vacuum with the Toe Touch control set to the highest (#8) position, and then adjust it one notch at a time until you hear a slight change in the tone of the motor, which indicates the nozzle is at the correct position for optimal carpet cleaning.

  15. ClassicTVFan82 says:

    The plaid bag on your CIII is the 1st version which would indicate this CIII was built from August 1976 up to December 1977.

  16. HrvatskiTigar says:

    your stupid, very stupid

  17. HrvatskiTigar says:

    yes they now

  18. adb140275 says:

    fuck you knob

  19. adb140275 says:

    i have extreme dust/grass/pollen allergy issues so that is good

  20. Maxxarcade says:

    I got both of mine out of the trash too. This one is all fixed up now, and is my daily use vacuum. I converted it to use disposable HEPA bags a while back.

  21. adb140275 says:

    i got 2 kirbys out of the trash!! people dont know what they throw away

  22. stars1976 says:

    nice kirby i have a classic omega.

  23. cuffie says:

    Hi, this is a great post! Thanks..

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.