Materials used in Kirby Heritage II

I love the entire Heritage/Legend series. It represents the ultimate refinement of the pre-G Kirbys. They're very easy to work on with conventional tools, far simpler than the Generation series (G3-Avalir). All three Heritage/Legend color schemes are very attractive. My personal favorite is the Heritage 1HD with its orange bag, but you really can't go wrong with any of them. They're all very solid machines, designed to last a lifetime or two.

The only part I know of that is particularly hard to come by is the foot switch assembly, which is also where the power cable plugs into the machine. I have a Legend II, on which someone installed an older foot switch from what I believe to be a Classic Omega. The brown power cable doesn't match the oxblood red of the machine, but surprisingly, the brown foot switch is less noticeable. It may be different on UK machines, but the female end on the North American machines' cables (we call them cords) are shaped differently between the Classic and Heritage lines, and are not cross-compatible.


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Post# 467056 10/26/2023 at 04:07 (204 days old) by kirbynoob (UK)
Checkrate/Likes Hi All, New to the forum from the UK. I prefer forums and think they're vastly superior to what others are using these days and I think forums will get a come back at some point. The knowledge and wealth of experience just can't be beaten. One thing I can't seem to find, for the Heritage II, do any of you know if any of the components on this model are Bakelite with potential Asbestos? For personal reasons I'd like to stay away if so. I would LOVE to restore one and use as my daily, as I think they just look fantastic and are achingly cool. Kirby aren't as readily available and spare parts aren't as easy to come by here in the UK but thanks to the internet and worldwide shipping I should be able to sort one out decently. I have decided I will get a Kirby but if I am unsure on my question with the Heritage II, I will have to go for a Generation model. Hope you can help, sorry if this is a bit of a strange question. I look forward to speaking more with you all on my Kirby journey. Kindest Regards

Post# 467057 , Reply# 1 10/26/2023 at 07:00 (203 days old) by kirbymodel2c (Nottingham, England)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Hi...* Hi, I know there's no as asbestos or bakerlite. Parts for the Heritage II are fairly easy to locate in the UK. And as you said any other less common parts can be imported in easily. If you get a Heritage II,Legend II or G series I'm sure you'll love it and the performance. James:o)

Post# 467058 , Reply# 2 10/26/2023 at 07:26 (203 days old) by kirbynoob (UK)
Checkrate/Likes Hi James, Firstly, I really appreciate your reply. Thank you! I came back to the forum to post my response I've had from Kirby to say the same as you have. "Dear , Thank you for your email. I can confirm that there is absolutely no asbestos used in the manufacture of the Heritage Kirby, or any Kirby Home care system." I am now very excited to buy one to restore. I love cars and do lots of work to my own and have always been mechanically minded so this should be a fantastic project! I love the more retro look of the Heritage etc than the new 'Generation' line of them. Thanks again!

Post# 467061 , Reply# 3 10/26/2023 at 11:10 (203 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)
Checkrate/Likes 1 I love the entire Heritage/Legend series. It represents the ultimate refinement of the pre-G Kirbys. They're very easy to work on with conventional tools, far simpler than the Generation series (G3-Avalir). All three Heritage/Legend color schemes are very attractive. My personal favorite is the Heritage 1HD with its orange bag, but you really can't go wrong with any of them. They're all very solid machines, designed to last a lifetime or two. The only part I know of that is particularly hard to come by is the foot switch assembly, which is also where the power cable plugs into the machine. I have a Legend II, on which someone installed an older foot switch from what I believe to be a Classic Omega. The brown power cable doesn't match the oxblood red of the machine, but surprisingly, the brown foot switch is less noticeable. It may be different on UK machines, but the female end on the North American machines' cables (we call them cords) are shaped differently between the Classic and Heritage lines, and are not cross-compatible.