kayaking on Loch Leven near Glencoe, Scotland, 2018

kayaking on Loch Leven near Glencoe, Scotland, 2018

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The Little Kirby that Could

You've heard the expression "You get what you pay for." Often this is in reference to something you wish you'd paid more for. But in some cases, pricey can pay off. I'm reminded of this about once a week, when I pull my trusty Kirby vacuum cleaner out of the closet and we dance awhile around the house.

Sometime in 1994, I was pregnant with our twin sons and, I don't recall the exact circumstances -- it likely started with a phone call from a salesman. But a Kirby rep found his way to our front door. He gave a very convincing demonstration, and by the end of the evening, we had spent what seemd like a ridiculous amount of money for a vacuum cleaner. But the salesman assured us we'd never have to buy another vacuum. That it would last a lifetime. And weren't those babies worth it? Oh, they'd be crawling around all over those floors. And didn't we want them to be really clean? This may have been the beginning of my OCD nature.

But you know, the saleman was right. It's been 17 years, and this workhorse of a vacuum just keeps on cleaning. We change the bags when full, and the occasional belt, but otherwise, it's been maintenance-free. I fully expect to be pushing the beast around the house for the foreseeable future.

How about you? What purchase has surprised you with its longevity? Or disappointed you in some way? Did you get what you paid for?

1 comment:

Common Household Mom said...

How did I miss this post?

It's very satisfying when an appliance lasts so long. We just had to replace our clothes washer, which we bought 17 years ago. The replacement is so newfangled and computerized that I suspect it will break down within 3 months.