The History of Sebo Upright Vacuums

Sebo is best known for it's line of great upright vacuums. These machines combine superior German engineering with American ingenuity to produce some of the finest upright vacuums available today! Here we'll take a look at a brief history of Sebo uprights.

The first Sebo upright was introduced in 1969 - The Standard Turbo. This machine featured an amazing C-class high-density motor capable of 22,000 rpm and an all-new foam filter design. Early machines were built by Polti but production soon shifted to Germany after the government created strict import laws restricting foreign competition against heavy hitters like Miele & Kempten. The early machines are considered some of the best and most sought after of any vacuum ever made.

Most of this first generation of uprights were 500 & 600 models with very little variation, leading to few differences in parts availability even today! Most of these machines had a "Turbo" version affectionately referred to as "Turbos". Other than that they all shared the same basic design using the tried and true 3 HP C-class motor coupled to a large rubber belt driving either a #38 or #34 beater bar. The belt-driven top plate was made from stamped steel and always matched the color of the machine for great good looks.

Most first and second-generation Sebos were painted red on top (hence their nickname 'red tops'). Polti used a black top plate with gold lettering which was passed on to the German models. Later, Sebo began offering the standard Turbo in either red or black making it one of the few uprights that can be had in both colors.

The first-generation machines are some of the most sought-after by collectors for their looks and performance. There are very few parts available today, but there is a group on Yahoo groups dedicated to helping owners find parts. They can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sebos_turbo_history/

Second Generation - B-Series & C-Series

Sebo introduced a new line of upright vacuums sometime around 1979 or 1980 with their B series uprights. This line featured a new design from the ground up. Gone was the old C-class motor and in its place was a true G-class Sebo canister motor. This machine was also designed for use with disposable bags as opposed to the classic cloth bag that had been used since day one!

The B series uprights also introduced a new style of power nozzle on the upright model. The Turbo nozzle on first-generation machines was not only rather ugly, but it tended to tip over easily when transitioning from carpet to hardwood or tile floors. Sebo's engineers came up with a brilliant solution - they simply reversed the brush roll so it would spin clockwise instead of counterclockwise. This ingenious design not only kept the machine standing upright, but it also greatly improved pickup on bare floors.

The B series uprights were available in an assortment of high gloss colors - yellow, red, blue, and a special dark gray. They also offered a model with a beige top plate to match the Polti Minuteman which was still being produced at that time as well as a white version for those who wanted their machine to be seen! The popular 600 Turbo was now called the 700. It can be found with either red or blacktop plates depending on whether it's from the first run of these machines or later production. Some people refer to these as "Black Top Gold Series" models because during the early production one could tell them apart by looking for brown wires instead of black wires going into the switch housing.

Third Generation - The T Series

In 1985 Sebo introduced their third generation upright which they called the "T" series. This model featured a new wider frame, a new power nozzle, and a unique side-mounted agitator motor coupled to a large automatic carpet height adjustment brush roll. This model came in various colors including black, red, and white. Turnabout was fair play as Polti copied this design when they released their Panther later that year! The third-generation machines are still very popular today even though production stopped over 10 years ago!

Fourth Generation- G/K Series

In 1998 Sebo finally went up against Miele's head to head by introducing the "G" series is sometimes referred to as the "K" series. These models featured a new sleek look that was quickly copied by Polti as well as a wide array of new features that have kept the machines popular until today, but it appears that production is coming to an end soon which makes these machines highly sought after by collectors and aficionados alike!

There are also a few other oddball Sebo models out there such as the B2 Gold Top (a long-forgotten upscale version of the 600 Turbo), Top Star (a very rare canister version of the B-series), and the Grande (an older C-Class with a 30-foot cord). There were also some commercial-grade machines built for use in offices or restaurants called the "Gourmet". The G/K series is now Sebo's most popular model and is available in a wide variety of colors including beige, red, black, silver, and white.

The C3, D2 Diamond (a commercial-grade machine), Elegance(TM), and Excel. All of these barebones models sold for around $1000 or more when they were released. The biggest difference between these machines and their predecessors is that all of them use a disposable bag to capture the fine dust inside instead of a traditional cloth bag. These bags come in a variety of sizes with what appears to be roughly 1-liter capacity depending on what flooring you're cleaning! This new disposable system has made it easier than ever for people who suffer from allergies to more easily manage their household maintenance chores.

Sebo machines are built like a tractor and use top-quality components, but unlike most other companies they don't offer a wide variety of models aimed at every price point and flooring type possible. Sebo doesn't make canister or stick vacuums (although there is a small commercial model called the "Freejet"), they don't make uprights with power nozzles for stairs (the TurboPower 3 which has been discontinued), and they only recently introduced an air-driven turbo brush that's bagged instead of having its own motor like many of their competitors do - even though it's probably the best such machine on the market today! the product line consists almost entirely of semi-upright models targeted at the premium vacuum market.

Fifth Generation - U1

The fifth-generation began with the introduction of the U1 in 2000. The U Series is now currently being offered as the KF80/U90 series. Other models are available for specific markets. These include Symbio which is designed specifically for people with allergies and asthma, Zeus for professional cleaning services, and the Quattro which is designed for pet owners.