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Thread Number: 14754
As Requested, The Kirby Heritage G Prototype "Prometheus" |
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| Post# 156396 10/22/2011 at 12:18 (4,835 days old) by lunchboxsean () | ||
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Here he is folks, I welcome any and all comments. 
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| Post# 156397 , Reply# 1 10/22/2011 at 12:19 (4,835 days old) by lunchboxsean () | ||
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| Post# 156398 , Reply# 2 10/22/2011 at 12:20 (4,835 days old) by lunchboxsean () | ||
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| Post# 156399 , Reply# 3 10/22/2011 at 12:21 (4,835 days old) by lunchboxsean () | ||
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| Post# 156401 , Reply# 4 10/22/2011 at 12:22 (4,835 days old) by lunchboxsean () | ||
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| Post# 156402 , Reply# 5 10/22/2011 at 12:22 (4,835 days old) by lunchboxsean () | ||
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| Post# 156404 , Reply# 6 10/22/2011 at 12:23 (4,835 days old) by lunchboxsean () | ||
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| Post# 156405 , Reply# 7 10/22/2011 at 12:24 (4,835 days old) by gsheen (Cape Town South Africa) | ||
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| Post# 156422 , Reply# 10 10/22/2011 at 13:55 (4,835 days old) by Jakesvacs () | ||
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Haha! I love it, the styling looks so cool! | ||
| Post# 156445 , Reply# 11 10/22/2011 at 17:16 (4,834 days old) by Brandon_W_T () | ||
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Thats an incredibly unique piece of history you have there. DONT LET IT GO! (unless you want to make some serious $$$ selling lol) Does anyone else notice that you can see the rotor? I dont think you can on G series machines. 
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| Post# 156453 , Reply# 12 10/22/2011 at 17:23 (4,834 days old) by Sablekid () | ||
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Strange indeed. Kinda like it, definetely one of a kind! | ||
| Post# 156462 , Reply# 13 10/22/2011 at 17:42 (4,834 days old) by vac_whisperer () | ||
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Brandon put it best, that is a piece of history! This is just plain awesome...I wonder how many are in existance? Does it run? | ||
| Post# 156463 , Reply# 14 10/22/2011 at 17:44 (4,834 days old) by LongLiveKirbys (Minneapolis) | ||
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OMG! I LOVE ITT!!!! | ||
| Post# 156476 , Reply# 15 10/22/2011 at 19:11 (4,834 days old) by KirbyLover (Louisville Kentucky ) | ||
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Very cool! Is there any sticker on the bottom of the vac? | ||
| Post# 156491 , Reply# 17 10/22/2011 at 21:29 (4,834 days old) by lunchboxsean () | ||
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Ok so maybe the picture I took was just of the gauges. 
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| Post# 156514 , Reply# 18 10/23/2011 at 00:44 (4,834 days old) by broomvac (N/A) | ||
Incredible!
Now all it needs is a super spa day to get those scuffs out and get that aluminum shining like a mirror!
Also, how many amps does it draw? Even though there are no stickers on the bottom, there are other ways of finding it out. And does it use a Heritage style brushroll or Generation style brushroll? Is it compatible with any attachments? | ||
| Post# 156525 , Reply# 20 10/23/2011 at 06:35 (4,834 days old) by CRAIG_1982 (Newcastle Under Lyme (England)) | ||
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| Post# 156526 , Reply# 21 10/23/2011 at 07:13 (4,834 days old) by gsheen (Cape Town South Africa) | ||
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What I can't believe is that they just threw it into a dumpster behind the factory, prototype coat a fortune to make and represent considrible design investment. these machines are either destroyed internally or kept locked up as they have the company's design secrets in them even if a particular feature never made it into production. at some of the company's I.ve worked at they have prototypes dating back to the 50's . even when I have done consulting work for a few I have been allowed to keep some of the early prototypes but under the condition that I do not dupm them or show post pics of them.
I have actually asked to be able to post some pics of the more wild conceptual test mules as most are between 5-10 years old. I would love to show them to you guys. I hope they say yes | ||
| Post# 156531 , Reply# 22 10/23/2011 at 08:16 (4,834 days old) by kirbymodel2c (Nottingham, England) | ||
Wow | ||
| Post# 156536 , Reply# 24 10/23/2011 at 08:51 (4,834 days old) by gsheen (Cape Town South Africa) | ||
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| Post# 156538 , Reply# 25 10/23/2011 at 08:58 (4,834 days old) by lunchboxsean () | ||
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How fast do new products get to South Africa after they are released in America or Japan? | ||
| Post# 156545 , Reply# 26 10/23/2011 at 09:11 (4,834 days old) by gsheen (Cape Town South Africa) | ||
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Will it depend on what it is
cell phones we were light years ahead of you guys but now your catching up still we tend to get new models a few months before you guys , cars we get hyundia's and toyota's a few onths before you guys aswel.
vacuums is another story some times a few months other times exacly the same time. last year I was testing one of only a handfull of prototypes of a new vacuum destined for release under differant brand names for the same company, Good vacuum. surprisingly as it was designed in the states we got it at the same time you guys did.
I am busy with another model now that you guys already have had for a few months, just evaluating it for our unique conditions . Our market is much smaller here so not every model makes it to us , IE dyson only has 4 models in there SA range at the moment | ||
| Post# 156548 , Reply# 27 10/23/2011 at 09:13 (4,834 days old) by lunchboxsean () | ||
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You wouldn't be testing the new Dyson dc41 would you? How is it? | ||
| Post# 156554 , Reply# 28 10/23/2011 at 09:21 (4,834 days old) by Oreck_XL (Brooklyn, New York 11211) | ||
Kirby Prometheus | ||
| Post# 156556 , Reply# 30 10/23/2011 at 09:29 (4,834 days old) by gsheen (Cape Town South Africa) | ||
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| Post# 156557 , Reply# 31 10/23/2011 at 09:31 (4,834 days old) by gsheen (Cape Town South Africa) | ||
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| Post# 156564 , Reply# 33 10/23/2011 at 10:14 (4,834 days old) by Brandon_W_T () | ||
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Indeed..... you can make a LOT more by holding onto it. | ||
| Post# 156569 , Reply# 34 10/23/2011 at 10:37 (4,834 days old) by redgeminipa (Altoona, PA) | ||
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KEEP IT!! That's a truly amazing piece of history! I'd never let it go! | ||
| Post# 156570 , Reply# 35 10/23/2011 at 10:40 (4,834 days old) by kirbymodel2c (Nottingham, England) | ||
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That.'s easy... | ||
| Post# 156572 , Reply# 36 10/23/2011 at 10:48 (4,834 days old) by rainbowjoel (Dexter NM) | ||
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i like see a video of it. | ||
| Post# 156579 , Reply# 37 10/23/2011 at 11:34 (4,834 days old) by vac_whisperer () | ||
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KEEP IT!!!!! | ||
| Post# 156581 , Reply# 38 10/23/2011 at 11:39 (4,834 days old) by broomvac (N/A) | ||
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This is what happens... | ||
| Post# 156659 , Reply# 39 10/23/2011 at 19:12 (4,833 days old) by DesiredName (Utah) | ||
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| Post# 156664 , Reply# 40 10/23/2011 at 19:35 (4,833 days old) by baglessball () | ||
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That ace! | ||
| Post# 156665 , Reply# 41 10/23/2011 at 19:52 (4,833 days old) by broomvac (N/A) | ||
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One other thing | ||
| Post# 156666 , Reply# 42 10/23/2011 at 19:58 (4,833 days old) by twocvbloke () | ||
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Up until the Sentria, all the motor pans were metal, just painted metal, but on the more recent sentrias they used some lightweight plastic to lighten it a little... :\ | ||
| Post# 156668 , Reply# 43 10/23/2011 at 20:21 (4,833 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada) | ||
"What do you guys think?" a no-brainer.
Seriously Sean, you are only 25 years old and the possessor of what is at this point likely the ONLY one of these prototypes in existence and running condition (unless Kirby has one stashed in their Museum).
Pay whatever the man wants to have it buffed and shined and prettyfied but DO NOT trade it in on anything no matter how much you think you'd like those other machines. If he is wiling to trade you the equivalent of almost $3000 in goods for it, imagine what he knows it is potentially really worth to the right client. As much as I want to believe the shop owner is sincere you don't know what his heirs might do with it, either. As soon as it comes down off his wall you can bet it would land on eBay or in the dumpster. If anything you should have a legal contract with the guy passing ownership and possession 'first refusal' back to you in the event of his passing. You should write down every thing you've been told about it and keep its history with the machine. As the years & decades go by you'll be happy you kept it and the only alternative should be to pass it back to Kirby Co, if they want it, or to a sincere collector you know - or will meet - and admire. Just sayin' all of us oldsters have stories and regrets of machines of lesser significance than this that we let out of our hands too soon. Keep it! and bring it to a Convention. Sure to win some Blue Ribbon or Trophy. :-) Dave | ||
| Post# 156675 , Reply# 44 10/23/2011 at 22:27 (4,833 days old) by vac-o-matic (Saint Louis, Mo.) | ||
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Yeah! What Dave said! | ||
| Post# 156709 , Reply# 46 10/24/2011 at 05:29 (4,833 days old) by kirbymodel2c (Nottingham, England) | ||
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Oh | ||
Post# 156721 , Reply# 47 10/24/2011 at 08:41 (4,833 days old) by gottahaveahoove  (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
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I just can't BELIEVE that Kirby would THROW it into a DU First, the waste! Plus, as mentioned, the SECRETS! After seeing this, they might be more careful around the dumpster! "Pulled from the dumpster behind Kirby in Cleveland...." They'll LOVE that! And, I'm not even a Kirby guy!... but see how well I play with others?? They should have a "vault", like another FINE maker of vacuums....around the house, around the world, but NEVER around back, in a dumpster. (God knows what was in their dumpsters) | ||
| Post# 156723 , Reply# 48 10/24/2011 at 08:48 (4,833 days old) by scvacuumguy (SC) | ||
If he is wiling to trade you the equivalent of almost $3000 
Dave, I'd love for you to come buy my trade-ins anytime if you're paying that much :-) .
Kirby Ultimate G= $75 Tristar= $150 Fantom Fury=$25 FQ Majestic= $150 Store Credit= $100 Total Value: $500 (Nowhere near $3000) The dealer likely has around $50 in the store credit and everything else was traded in. I know all of our trade-ins are simply gravy since we build the trade-in into the price of the machine. If you can get him to offer you cash, consider doing it- it's just a vacuum cleaner. Cash money always speaks better to me than trading a bunch of vacuum cleaners. Remember, the vacuum cleaner is not a widely collectable item. You do have a rare prototype, but its only collectable to maybe 300 people around the US, and a very small percent of them could actually afford a cash deal on the vacuum. If cash money speaks to you more than looking at a vacuum cleaner in your home, sell it for top dollar. Never take a trade of goods, especially store credit on a vacuum. | ||
| Post# 156727 , Reply# 49 10/24/2011 at 09:34 (4,833 days old) by normvac (COLUMBUS, OHIO) | ||
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Do Not Sell it, Keep it,! You will be glad in did in the decades to come ! | ||
| Post# 156730 , Reply# 50 10/24/2011 at 10:37 (4,833 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada) | ||
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Naturally, I was assuming the proffered enticements to be brand new in-the-box unopened NOS ensembles. :-)
You're right, of course; the dealer friend knows exactly what he's dangling in trade for this unique Kirby specimen. Heck, were I he I'd try to get it for a bargain, too. "the vacuum cleaner is not a widely collectible item. You do have a rare prototype, but its only collectible to maybe 300 people around the US, and a very small percent of them could actually afford a cash deal on the vacuum." Correct and as Collectors do we not wish for this singular machine to be cherished and cared for by one of the 300? This Forum is precisely the way to disseminate the knowledge of its existence among the Kirby Devotees. The response of the shop owner to the idea of merely borrowing the machine for shop display will be quite revealing, methinks. Pay the polishing bill and bring it home, Sean. Accumulating a selection of accessories for it over time will be relatively easy should you want to increase its 'value' and utility. Orphaned Kirby bits are a dime-a-dozen at thrift stores and on eBay/Craigslist, as you know. I would not try to retrofit a headlight on it, however. :-) As I said, if it were mine I would hang on to it for a few years (or decades) particularly because it will be buffed and polished, let the word spread among the faithful and in time that deep-pockets Collector can make his move. All it takes is 'the One'. The only rational for parting with something this precious would be pressing financial difficulties, in which case I can think of many & most other vacuums in my collection I would flog off first. Selling rashly on eBay and the like is always a matter of timing and location - as a seller always be prepared to withdraw the item from sale before the final 24 hours if it has not generated enough interest to achieve the desired 'top dollar'. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - On a similar note, I have in my care - in addition to several examples of the final product - the mid-1940 one-of-a-kind hand made engineering test bed prototype rescued off the loading dock of the defunct Connecticut Pratt-Read factory of what ultimately became the 1950 Aeolian-American PIANOLA keytop piano player. Comparing the two side-by-side is an eye-popping revelation to the faithful, differing in a multitude of ways from the final product in size, internal configuration layout and specifically engineered drive & control components that were ultimately rejected in final form. Many of the innovations and solutions in the prototype are astounding in their inventive simplicity but manufacturing & tooling cost considerations decided Aeolian toward a machine utilizing bulkier components already available off the shelf as a standard 88-note player. The prototype clearly indicates that the PIANOLA was intended to contain a fully reproducing Duo-Art and Ampico expression system. This working prototype paired with a restored 1950 keytopper is destined to be donated to a Mechanical Museum of my choice in the years to come, either in Illinois, Michigan or Pennsylvania, for future enthusiasts to study and delight in. I hope the same fate awaits Prometheus. Btw Sean, did you christen the Kirby with that most suitable name? Dave 
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| Post# 156752 , Reply# 51 10/24/2011 at 18:03 (4,832 days old) by vac_whisperer () | ||
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Call me paranoid, butI wouldnt even let that Kirby out of my sight, and definitely not trust a contract for it. Either way, its awesome and I love. it. Even John the Hoover nut loves it! | ||
| Post# 156791 , Reply# 52 10/24/2011 at 23:21 (4,832 days old) by thissucks () | ||
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DO NOT SELL IT | ||
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Post# 156958 , Reply# 53 10/26/2011 at 01:29 (4,831 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
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Love??? | ||
| Post# 156983 , Reply# 54 10/26/2011 at 07:59 (4,831 days old) by henry200 (Saint Paul MN) | ||
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I "admire, appreciate, etc." nuts! | ||
| Post# 157019 , Reply# 55 10/26/2011 at 17:29 (4,830 days old) by vac_whisperer () | ||
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Heh, I think everyone would love just about ANY vacuum prototype! lol
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| Post# 157095 , Reply# 57 10/27/2011 at 04:08 (4,830 days old) by gsheen (Cape Town South Africa) | ||
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| Post# 368653 , Reply# 58 3/18/2017 at 22:09 (2,860 days old) by crazykirbydude (Lexington, KY) | ||
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| Post# 368671 , Reply# 59 3/19/2017 at 03:58 (2,860 days old) by Kirbyg6 (York) | ||
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| Post# 368676 , Reply# 60 3/19/2017 at 09:20 (2,860 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
Same thing happens in the automobile industry. Almost all of the concept vehicles that go on the auto show circuit end up getting scrapped when the season is over. A notable exception was two GM concept vehicles from the 1950s that were supposed to have been scrapped on Christmas Eve (I don't remember the exact year) but it was a bitter cold day in Michigan and the GM exec charged with overseeing their destruction didn't want to hang around to observe the operation, so he just signed off on the paperwork and left. The owner of the srap yard kept the cars hidden (and basically forgotten) for some 60 years until they were unearthed about five or six years ago and restored. Another one from that era that survived was the 1956 Lincoln Futura concept car that ended up in the hands of famed custom car builder George Barriss, who eventually turned it into the Batmobile for the 1960s Batman TV show.
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| Post# 368677 , Reply# 61 3/19/2017 at 09:34 (2,860 days old) by Myvacsrock (USA) | ||
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This machine is now in my possession. I have a thread out there. It's an interesting beast. | ||
| Post# 368678 , Reply# 62 3/19/2017 at 09:36 (2,860 days old) by crazykirbydude (Lexington, KY) | ||
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| Post# 368679 , Reply# 63 3/19/2017 at 09:57 (2,860 days old) by Myvacsrock (USA) | ||
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Yes it does | ||
| Post# 374339 , Reply# 64 6/23/2017 at 22:20 (2,763 days old) by crazykirbydude (Lexington, KY) | ||
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There are three of these same cleaners alongside one final prototype or maybe even a production G3. Skip to 3:34 in the video to see them. It does not appear that there were headlights on them.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO crazykirbydude's LINK | ||
| Post# 374379 , Reply# 65 6/24/2017 at 19:52 (2,762 days old) by Oreck_XL (Brooklyn, New York 11211) | ||
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Automotive prototypes
One company that I know for fact did not crush their prototypes was Studebaker. Tucked away in the deep forests of South Bend Indiana is "the Studebaker Graveyard" where one off prototype carbodies were left to rust in the elements. Everything postwar is still there, prewar examples were melted down for the war effort....
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| Post# 395962 , Reply# 66 8/1/2018 at 22:16 (2,359 days old) by kirbyg4fan (loveland Colorado ) | ||
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This is history dude rare find! keep it! You have a part of KIRBY history! | ||
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