Thread Number: 23005
Berber carpet with Kirby brush rolls 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 257482   11/24/2013 at 16:00 (3,806 days old) by sopranojam85 (Austin, TX)        

I've seen a LITTLE discussion about using delicate brush rollers on berber carpet. There's a special delicate brush roll for the G series (parts number 159394 for G3/G4 and 159398 for G5 and later) but I can't find any of such soft brush rollers for earlier models.

I have both the original 2-row brush roller w/ my Classic Omega, and a 4-brush roller that is made for the Heritage, but works fine on mine. Are these safe to use on berber carpets, or should I look for an alternative?

Some people talked about Kirbys "skipping" on berber, like when going against the grain, but did not see much discussion of berber being pulled or damaged. I'll be honest - I did not buy the highest quality berber. I plan on putting hardwood down in a few years, but I'd like the cheap berber to look half-decent until I do that :) Ideas appreciated.

Post# 257498 , Reply# 1   11/24/2013 at 19:24 (3,805 days old) by KirbyLux ()        
Berber

 I lived in a house with berber and I never used a delicate brush roll. Honestly, I didn't know such a thing existed until I came here. I never noticed any damage caused by it, but I am unsure of the quality of the carpet. However, my Heritage 2 (4 row brush) was a nightmare to push. Most of the time I used a different vac for the berber and saved the area rugs for the Kirby.

Post# 257503 , Reply# 2   11/24/2013 at 20:33 (3,805 days old) by dustin (Jackson, MI)        

dustin's profile picture
We have berber carpet in two bedrooms downstairs, very cheap berber at that, and I haven't had a problem using any of my Kirbys on it. I have 4, (517, Classic, Classic III, Heritage), and The 517 actually does a nice job and is easy to push, while the other 3 are hard to push and don't do as well, however none of them have caused any damage to the carpet.

Post# 257507 , Reply# 3   11/24/2013 at 21:16 (3,805 days old) by sopranojam85 (Austin, TX)        

Somewhere I read that the G series bristles were stiffer nylon, and the older ones were horsehair. However I can't validate the horsehair claim, as both my brush rollers seem to be some kind of nylon material, all solid black bristles. I think only the Miracle Head had all horsehair bristles that were very soft.

A cursory internet search reveals reports of a Kirby demo that resulted in pulled berber, and several people saying berber in general should have brushless vacuums only.... I can't imagine how I'd survive with a cat in the house if I couldn't use a brush roller.

I still am debating getting a G series model, only for the tile cleaning, as I'll have 6 tiled areas to clean regularly... But I digress :(

Post# 257531 , Reply# 4   11/25/2013 at 03:34 (3,805 days old) by vintagerepairer (England)        
Berber

 In the UK, the term "Berber" is almost entirely used to describe a "looped pile" carpet and not a Berber as it was originally. Is this the same in the US?

If so, the issues which have been noted here are that any damage to the carpet fiber is easily noticed, as the loops stand proud and show-off the damage more so than a cut-pile. In the case of vacuum-cleaning, an aggressive brush roll can harm the carpet surface to the point that if you lie on the floor and look down the room, you can see how the top of the loops has been affected. With man-made fibers there is also the risk of them melting from friction from an aggressive brush roll. Another issue is if a loose thread is picked up by the roller and then pulls out the length of the carpet.

But for me, this has to be off-set by the fact that a carpet is there to do a job and needs to be maintained accordingly. Would it be better to not clean a carpet for fear of damaging it? I think not, as ultimately the dirt and debris would wear it out anyway. To me, once a carpet is down, the wear begins. Whilst I appreciate that one cannot afford to keep changing carpets, I think a certain acceptance that it will get damaged is worth having in mind.

Post# 257543 , Reply# 5   11/25/2013 at 09:54 (3,805 days old) by sopranojam85 (Austin, TX)        

Yes Benny, our berber is the "modern" definition of berber, being just a relatively cheap looped pile carpet. I don't know how prone it is to brush roller damage, but I understand all berber carpets CAN be damaged by that.

I'll probably be on the lookout for a free and/or dirt cheap G series in my area, and buy a delicate brush roll, and the tile cleaning kit. That would make the most sense with my upcoming home floor situation. I don't have the heart to get rid of the Classic Omega, I'll most likely hold on to it, unless I can convince one of my siblings to use/own it :) They don't quite "get" the Kirby like I do.

Post# 257931 , Reply# 6   11/29/2013 at 20:53 (3,800 days old) by marks_here (_._)        
My experience is

 marks_here's profile picture
with the older kirby's the brush rolls are made with softer bristles while the newer ones are stiff & not forgiving on berber carpet hense the skipping, hopping, snow plowing and other things that will not efectively deep clean the carpet.

I had bought a new Sentria years, used it twice & thought I was going crazy because it was not cleaning right, went to return it & they wouldn't hear of it so it sat in the closet for 2 years.I thought this is stupid because I wasted all this money on something i'm not going to use...there has to be some secret to why this is happening. LOL I drove by a different Kirby store by my parents house & popped in to tell my story then the guy says "They didn't tell you about the different brush rolls we have out?" I told them no so I saw the one for the delicate carpets, felt the brushes & said to myself this is what I need.

Bought it, installed it and OMG!!! it worked & quite well too. It did a great job on the berber, the plush, shag upstairs & even the grass outdoor carpet on the veranda. Now this Sentria works like a Kirby should, nice & smooth across all the different surfaces without no hopping, skipping & the bag is actually getting full!

Post# 258469 , Reply# 7   12/3/2013 at 22:21 (3,796 days old) by RoyalLover60 ()        

I have Berber carpeting in my home, and use a Kirby Sentria to clean it, but I have noticed the " skipping" of the brushroll on occasion with the TechDrive engaged. I haven't noticed any damage. But for correct adjustment to rugs, it is hard to beat the "Adjust-O-Rite" from Royal. I use a Royal 880 most of the time, and think it is actually better than most, if not all G series Kirbys for lightness,and it cleans as well. And quieter!



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