Kirby Tradition, with HEPA conversion…
This is my Kirby Tradition easily modified for use with the Kirby Polypropylene HEPA filtration bags, it’s a simple update for the Tradition, being the first Kirby with a long-zipped bag, all you do is buy a HeritageII mini-emtor and filltube assembly, and put it right onto the bag!!! Easy peasy!!! 
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Tags: bags, banana, filter, Filtration, filtrete, hepa, Kirby, mod, modification, modified, mods, polypropylene, Tradition, update
December 29th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
I’ve done this same exact conversion to my Trad…it was one of the best upgrades I’ve ever done to my Kirbys. Bags are a little expensive compared to the other kinds, but they’re worth it, since they retain a lot of airflow even when full. My Trad’s poly bag is filled to the full line and it can still pick up rugs!
And interestingly, manufacturing dates aside, our Trads look and sound pretty much identical. Does yours have a lexan or kevlar fan?
December 30th, 2008 at 12:59 am
I might have been wrong, upon rewatching your Trad vs. Dyson vid, it sounded like your Trad has a metal fan. :S
December 30th, 2008 at 6:58 am
It has a plastic fan, I’m not sure whether it’s a Lexan or Kevlar, I haven’t looked for a while!!!
My metal fan is in the nozzle-less CIII at the moment (better to be stored there than in my spares box!!!), so all my other Kirbys are Plastic-fanned…
This video is the first time I have put a HEPA bag in my Trad, as it for some reason still had a Yellow bag (I think I put it in there when I was moving, must have run out of MM bags), I was very surprised at the difference it made…
February 9th, 2009 at 8:35 am
I wonder what that moment at 3:42 would’ve been if this, or any other pre-1979 Kirby, had a metal fan?
February 9th, 2009 at 9:57 am
I don’t think there’d be much difference as it would have spun down… :\
March 4th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Dave, I would like to see you cut videos of not only this Tradition but also your Classic III, in hose mode.
March 4th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
Not possible now as I have no Classic-type hose available now, the one I had set up for the CIII and Trad I have changed the motor end to a G5 one with speed selector, and I have no other hoses I can alter…
March 25th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Sorry, I meant to say at 3:12 here.
March 25th, 2009 at 11:01 am
Why does the motor sometimes speed up when you disable the belt (when you do straight-suction cleaning)?
March 25th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
I think it’s due to the fact that there is no resistance through friction (from the belt, brushroll and brushroll axle or bearings (I have the old solid axle type), with the belt off, the motor can run faster as the resistance is no longer there…
May 12th, 2009 at 1:15 am
I rigged up my kirby tradition the same way to use HEPA filter bags. works just fine.
May 12th, 2009 at 8:01 am
Are you using the white Polypropylene bags or the older brown paper MicronMagic HEPA bags?
May 12th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
I’m using the brown MicronMagic HEPA bags. I live in Durango, CO, USA. The vacuum cleaner store in town that repairs/sells kirbys has those bags as well as some polypropylene generic bags for kirby
May 12th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
I bet you can get them cheaper here (enter this number in eBay’s search box):
120366995869
That’s for a 6-pack of bags and 1 belt, from ebay’s best Kirby seller (in my opinion of course), Kent D’Oyler…
April 12th, 2010 at 11:59 pm
I use these same bags on my G3 and converted Classic III. The filtration is great, and the suction remains strong even after using it on concrete and other fine dust. I’ll never use paper bags again.
October 6th, 2011 at 3:19 am
@budw84 Great Video. tradition bags are some of the best. But tey dont sell as well as some of the others we carry.