I vividly remember my mom vacuuming the rug in our living room, and the sound it made was like music to my ears. ( it was a bright red Electrolux Z65 ,pictured here) The same goes for her cake mixer when she would whip up her famous orange cake for our Friday night meal. I would beg her to vacuum the rug and sofa every day, just so I could hear that satisfying “vrrrrr” sound.

As I grew up and moved to LA, I started working odd jobs as a teenager. It was during this time that my best friend Alon K. (may he rest in peace) and I came across an advertisement in the local newspaper. The ad was promoting door-to-door sales of a vacuum called the Kirby G4. We decided to give it a shot and began knocking on people’s doors . In the beginning, we only sold one or two a month, just enough to cover our rent. But the more we did it, the better we became.

Along the way, we started accepting trade-ins as a form of discount for the newer models. It was during this time that I developed a deep appreciation for the older Kirbys. I was in awe of the craftsmanship that went into the vacuums from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. This sparked my curiosity, and I began digging for more information about these vintage models. Unfortunately, information was scarce, with only one website belonging to the briliant Mr. Charles Lester  providing detailed information about the 500 series. This inspired me to conduct my own research on the earlier models.