Kerstar

## History

Kerstar, a British vacuum manufacturer established in Northampton by Bill Starcevic in 1959, started as a family-run venture with his two sons, Andrey and Tom Starcevic. Initially based at 16 Sheep Street on the first floor, their original factory soon became insufficient for their growing operations by the late 1960s or early 1970s. In response, Kerstar relocated to St George's Street, a more spacious location, to accommodate their expanding business.

During the early to mid-2000s, Warwick Burt, a local construction firm, constructed a new and larger factory in Weddell Way, Brackmills. This prompted Kerstar to leave their St George’s Street facility and shift to the newly established Brackmills premises.

Andrey sadly revealed his father passed away in 2012, with the cause of death undisclosed. Bill's lasting legacy will be commemorated for his role in crafting one of Britain's finest vacuum cleaners. By the later part of 2019, Andrey and Tom, who had been running Kerstar since the mid-70s, sold the business to Filtermist.

**Trivia**

* During the early years of Kerstar, Bill would hire door to door salesmen, one of who was Tony Howes, and was told to say "that it is not a vacuum cleaner but a domestic household hygiene unit."
* Andrey and Tom took on the responsibility of transporting "thousands" of vacuum cleaners to the Stoving Ability factory for the powder coating procedure.

## Models

### Supreme

The Supreme is the first model sold under the Kerstar brand, it was manufactured in England according to the rating plate, which was riveted on. However, many other brands, such as Osprey, share this same American design, production ran from 1959 through mid 70s.

During the 70s, it was equipped with Matsushita's twin turbine 3F-814G motor, although it was supplied by Numatic Engineering and rebranded as "NU3F-814G".

**Specs**

* Power: 800W Max / 680W Average, 240V 50Hz AC/DC
* Motor: Matsushita's 3F-814G twin turbine
* Model: C.606
* Filtration: Unknown
* Capacity: Unknown

### KV10/15/20

* KV10 (1978-present)
* KV15 (1980s-???)
* KV20 (1980s-???)

Fitted with a single 3F-814G (1978-1981) 3F-804G (1981-1987)

### KV200/2 (1990-2003 at least)

* Twin motor, supplied by Lkey or something

## Prima / Prima CD

Prima and Prima CD, both sturdy vacuum cleaners designed for household and commercial use, moulded from a durable impact-resistant plastic, making them lightweight yet robust enough for use in the toughest working environments. These models are distinguished by their red "can assembly" and black "top cover" which features Kerstar branding, equipped with four castors that effortlessly move across surfaces. The primary distinction lies in their cord management system: Prima CD incorporates a convenient cord reel, eliminating the need for manual coiling, while the standard Prima utilises a cord hook. The latter is particularly well-suited for commercial applications due to its simpler design, minimizing potential parts that may develop faults. Production of these models commenced in the 1990s and concluded sometime in the 2000s or 2010s.

    Specification:

* Power: 1000W Max / 800W Average, 230/110V 50Hz
* Motor: UD21004BR (230V), D2-1001BR (110V) DAF
* Airflow: 43.5Ltr/Sec
* Vacuum: 2,500mm
* Capacity: 11.5L
* Filtration: 12" Cloth/Nylon Filter
* Cable: 10m 2-core (0.75mm)
* TV/Radio Supressed
* Cleaning Range: 27 metres
* Weight: 7kg
* Dimensions: 410(H)x385(W)x385(D)mm