My Heritage now has Turbo Brush

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human

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 29, 2013
Messages
3,937
Location
Pines of Carolina
So I thought I had everything I needed for my Heritage 1HD that I refurbished and updated earlier this year but there was one thing I didn't have for it that I kind of wanted for it. The machine has the "Turbo" logo on the handle, which I believe indicates it originally shipped with a Turbo brush, so when I found one in pristine condition for a mere $10, I decided it was qualified as an essential bit of kit. The brush came Monday and I just gave it a little test run a few minutes ago.

I've never been that big a fan of turbo brushes, having been introduced to them with a really horrid example from a Bissell plasticrap vac that wouldn't even turn if it so much as touched carpet or upholstery. For that reason, I went into it with fairly modest expectations that were totally blown right out of the water. This one definitely has Kirby quality and Kirby power—and it's also relatively quiet, which is an even further win. I now feel like this machine is complete.
 
Nice

Glad you were able to get a quality turbo brush at a decent price that works well true to Kirby quality.

I’ve had some luck with the Hoover brand ones working quite well and not stalling out and the brushes actually touch the fabric, though they can clog up easily but they are designed with buttons to press to open the cover to clean it out.

I just recently acquired a Shark turbo brush off a trash find NV480 and it runs fine, but the brush is set so far in that it doesn’t barely brush the upholstery unless it gets sucked upwards into the unit a little. Works ok for thicker carpet but will be kinda weak on super low pile or hard upholstered furniture. However it does have that wonderful lint grabbing fabric strips before and after the opening.

Jon
 
Turbo brush

The heritage design had ancestors. The sunbeam in the 50's Preco sold independently. They were I think 9-12" was Preco and sunbeam size. There is a Turbocat for $100 that is exactly like Kirby's.
I like it alot more than zipp brush.
There is one thing that may make it complete. On the front of the handle fork they had a clip. The split section attached to it. They also make black vacuettes for heritage.
Glad to see it's coming along.
I mentioned I like the turbo brush. It's actually my favorite all time attachment.
You post all these updates could you post pics please. Congrats again
Les
 
Human

Edgar,

Early in the Heritage II sales run, the Turbo Brush was still an option but instead of the Heritage I's dark gray casing, it now had the black casing to match.

This one is rare since it was replaced by the Zippbrush only six months later, in March 1985, the same time that the Kirby Kaddy for the basic tools and the "slimline" nozzle came out.

Here is that black Turbo Brush on eBay:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Kirby-Vacu...641619?hash=item594ab7b093:g:uk0AAOSw56Jel3lq

~Ben

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The combination of two cats and several Persian rugs in my house presents quite a rigorous test for most vacuum cleaners. I tried the out Turbo Brush—appropriately connected to my Heritage—on some spots I'd missed when I vacuumed the Persian rug in the dining room Sunday, and it was getting everything in a single pass—true Kirby performance, that matches and maybe even surpasses the performance of my other favorite handheld nozzle, the Electrolux SideKick, which is motorized. I've always tended to reach for one of my Electrolux canisters when I want to use handheld attachments because the Kirbys take a little extra work to reconfigure them for it. I'm now beginning to think that effort may actually be worth it.
 
Speaking of Turbo

My brother stopped by yesterday and gave me a second turbo accessory. I already had the turbo brush which is gray. Now I have the turbo sander which was part of the Heritage Home Turbo Group. It vacuums all sawdust as you sand. Also works as a massager or scrubber/buffer with appropriate pads. This one is dark brown and was in the original box, unused as usual with a red cushion pad for massage, and a couple different strips of sandpaper, a scrubbing pad and a soft white buffing pad.So all I'm missing from this "group" is the Turbo-Groom hair groomer that "vacuums hair clippings before they hit the floor" oh and I'm also still missing an actual Heritage Vacuum Cleaner,haha, minor details!The "booklet" I'm using to I.D. these attachments was printed in 1981 with a Kirby Heritage with the orange outer bag on the cover, but inside which is printed in b&w it appears "she" has the newer gray bag for the disposable bag.It looks like the sani-emptor is still installed with both cloth dump bag and new paper bag system. No mention of mini-emptor. Both use the same hanger that says Kirby Heritage and the handle says Turbo. Lots of changes around this time!Have you seen/used the sander or the hair clippers,lol?
 
I have a few other Turbo accessories for later model Kirbys, including a Turbo Sander in G6 livery, new in the box but I've never used it. Since it sucks up the dust, I'm thinking it may be an ideal tool to sand the butcher block counter top on the island in my kitchen before I seal it with urethane. I also have a couple of rotary Zip brushes, one of which came with my Sentria and the other I bought separately for a pittance. I think the separate one is for a G4. It's graphite gray with white accents. The release buttons on both my Zip brushes are jammed and won't move.

I believe the gray outer bags and Mini-Em-Tor came out with the Heritage II. The Heritage came with a bright orange bag and the older style Sani-Emptor, regardless of whether it has a dump bag or a paper filter bag setup. It will, however accept a plastic H2/Legend style Mini-em-tor without modification as my Heritage will attest.

I've had two Heritage 1HD's. The first one, which got away from me when my ex-girlfriend stupidly left it behind in her apartment when she moved out, came factory equipped with a paper bag setup. The one I have now came to me in February with a dump bag, which I never put on the machine when I assembled it out of the shipping box. I had a spare complete gray H2 bag setup, which I put on it. Later, a fellow member generously gifted me a brand new orange bag, so it now has the correct bag with an 'incorrect' Mini-Em-Tor, fill tube and bag adapter inside it. I'm perfectly content with this modification because it means I need only one type of bag for all seven of my Kirbys.

Somebody said earlier they wanted to see photos to go along with my words, so here you go:

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H2

If the heritage 2 was a shakeout/dump bag it would have the hammer tone grey emtor. It was an option.
The heritage turbo sander is quite good. I used it to sand down 2 desks. It's great not having dust all over. The shaver I've seen I'm pretty sure it's a 1980s Wahl brand made in Racine Wisconsin. I've never used it so I can't say if it sucks up the hair.
Thanks for the pics. You post slot on the machine but no pics.
Les
 
not black so much

kirbyclassicIII. that doesn't appear to be black like you suggest, just dark grey, which is like mine...and like all the ones I"ve ever seen....just like Les' photos. I suspect its the lighting in the photo that leads you to think its black
 
I agree. Mine often looks black in dim, indoor light. That's why I took it outside in the sunlight to photograph it.

Les, Sorry about not including photographs. I'm a writer by profession so I tend to paint my pictures primarily with words, only supplementing them with images when words won't suffice.
 
Human

It's your posts. You are a good writer. I know alot about kirby I'm more visual. I won't pester about pics.
The turbo brush is close to the same hue as the emtor.
Thanks again.
Les
 
It's all good, Les. I am not remotely upset and I didn't mean to offend you. I was just explaining where I was coming from. In m'y profession, I'm used to giving, receiving and acting upon constructive criticism. And I do appreciate the knowledge you generously share.
 
Human

I'm not offended st all. I enjoy your posts and also appreciate your knowledge.
Yes there is a shopvac version, Turbocat, amongst many other variations.
Les
 

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