Types of brooms?

[mahogany_wand]

Sorry if this has already been covered, but what are some other types of broomsticks apart from the classic Cleansweep and Nimbus?

Also, what's the plural of Nimbus? Is is Nimbus', Nimbi, or what? Thanks in advance for your help!

~M_W

[Inverarity]

Quidditch Through the Ages describes some other models. They might be listed on the Lexicon too.

Also, what's the plural of Nimbus? Is is Nimbus', Nimbi, or what? Thanks in advance for your help!

The Latin plural would be "nimbi," but it's also acceptable (and more common) English usage to pluralize it the way we do most Latin words ending in -i: "nimbuses."

When referring to a brand/model name, it would definitely be "Nimbuses."

[padfoot_returns]

Off the HLP:

Bluebottle
A broomstick for the family with a built-in Anti-Burglar Buzzer (GF8).
bluebottle [Eng.] any of several species of flying insect of a metallic bright blue colour.


Cleansweep Series Brooms
A series of sport broomsticks produced by the Cleansweep Broom Company beginning in 1926 (QA9):

* Cleansweep One
The first of the Cleansweep series, this model (released in 1926) cornered as did no other broom before it. Within a year of its release the Cleansweep One dominated the racing-broom market, having been designed specifically for sporting use (QA9).

* Cleansweep Two
Released in 1934, this broom model was an improved version of the Cleansweep One (QA9).

* Cleansweep Three
This broom model was an improved version of the Cleansweep Two and was released in 1937 (QA9).

* Cleansweep Five
The Weasley twins fly these broomsticks (CS7).

* Cleansweep Six
The Quibbler, in its September (or August, possibly) 1995 [Y15] issue, carried an interview with a wizard who claimed to have flow to the moon on one of these brooms, and had returned with a bag of moon frogs to prove it (OP10).

* Cleansweep Seven
Oliver Wood mentioned this as a possible broom for Harry when they were first introduced (PS9). This suggests that no later Cleansweep model was available at the time. Most of the Ravenclaw team in Harry's third year flew these (PA12).

* Cleansweep Eleven
The Cleansweep Eleven was released in 1995 [Y15], making it the latest broomstick in the series. Ron Weasley received one as a reward upon being made a prefect (OP9). He was very happy about it, so we know a fair bit about its specifications from him:

o It can go from nought to seventy in ten seconds (OP9). This is presumably in miles per hour, as broomstick speeds are typically expressed that way (QA9).
o

The handle is made of Spanish oak (OP9). Note that oak is a wand wood (PS5).


Comet Broom Series
Series of broomsticks produced by the Comet Trading Company (formed 1929) (QA9):

* Comet 140
The first of the Comet series of racing broomsticks, numbered 140 because of the number of models tested during its development. This model (released in 1929) incorporated the patented Horton-Keitch braking charm (QA9).

* Comet 180
The second of the Comet series of racing broomsticks, this model was released in 1938 (QA9).

* Comet Two Sixty (Comet 260)
A recent entry in the Comet series of racing broomsticks, released no later than 1991. We've seen three of these in action:
o Draco Malfoy flew one before he made the Slytherin team (PS9).
o Cho Chang flies one (PA13).
o Tonks flies one (OP3).

* Comet Two Ninety (Comet 290)
The most recent entry in the Comet series of racing broomsticks. Its maximum acceleration is nought to sixty, and that only with a decent tailwind according to Which Broomstick as quoted by Ron (OP9).


Ellerby & Spudmore
A broom manufacturer; for information on its brooms please see Tinderblast or Swiftstick (QA9).


The Firebolt
Released in the summer of 1993 [Y13], the Firebolt is currently the fastest racing broom in the world. Harry saw a prototype in Quality Quidditch Supplies the summer it came out and was sorely tempted to empty his Gringotts vault to buy one (PA4). He resisted the temptation, however, and to his surprise received a Firebolt for Christmas from his godfather, Sirius Black (PA11). The Irish International Side flew Firebolts in the 1994 [Y14] Quidditch World Cup (GF8).

*

streamlined, superfine handle of ash, treated with a diamond-hard polish
*

hand-numbered with its own registration number
*

tail twigs of birch, individually selected and honed to aerodynamic perfection
*

unsurpassable balance
*

pinpoint precision
*

acceleration of 150 mph in 10 seconds
*

unbreakable Braking Charm
*

when you pick it up then let go, it hovers at exactly the right height to mount
*

turns with the lightest touch, seems to obey thought rather than grip
*

superbly smooth action


Flyte and Barker
Broom manufacturer, maker of the Twigger 90 (QA9).


Moontrimmer
A slender, ash-handled model of broom that for its time (first created in 1901 by Gladys Boothby) could achieve record-breaking heights (at least, record-breaking while the flyer maintained control at such an altitude). Its maximum speed was less than seventy miles per hour (QA9).


Nimbus Series Brooms
Series of high-end broomsticks produced by the Nimbus Racing Broom Company (formed 1967) (QA9).

* Nimbus 1000
The first broomstick of the Nimbus series, this model was revolutionary in its day for reaching speeds of up to 100 miles per hour and being capable of turning 360 degrees at a fixed point in mid-air (QA9). This broom put the Nimbus Racing Broom Company at the top of the broom manufacturing field, a title it boasted for some time.

* Nimbus 1001
* Nimbus 1500
* Nimbus 1700
Brooms which followed the release of the Nimbus 1000 between 1967 and 1990 and ensured the Nimbus Racing Broom Company stayed atop the field of sport brooms.

* Nimbus 2000
Harry's first broom, given to him by Professor McGonagall in his first year (PS10). At the time he received it, it was the best broom available; he used it until it blew into the Whomping Willow during his third year (PA9).

* Nimbus 2001
Released just before the start of Harry's second year in 1992, a year after the Nimbus 2000. Lucius Malfoy bought seven of these to outfit the Slytherin Quidditch Team; there's some evidence that this was why Draco was made the team's Seeker, as he really isn't a particularly good player.


Oakshaft 79
A large, heavy broom built by Elias Grimstone in 1879 and designed for endurance flying. This was the broom used by Jocunda Sykes when she became the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean by broom (QA9).


Shooting Star
The cheapest racing broom ever released as of its release in 1955, but the buyer got what was paid for; the Shooting Star's ability to accelerate and to achieve respectable altitudes didn't hold up well over the long haul (QA9).

*

Ron's old Shooting Star was sometimes "outstripped by passing butterflies" (CS4); since the manufacturer, Universal Brooms Ltd., went out of business in 1978 and the observation about the Shooting Star's speed was made in 1992 [Y12], the decrepitude of the old Shooting Star was not perhaps surprising.
*

The Hogwarts school brooms include Shooting Stars (PA10).


Silver Arrow
Produced by Leonard Jewkes sometime after the development of the Moontrimmer, this achived higher speeds than either the Moontrimmer or the Oakshaft 79; its maximum speed of 70 miles per hour with a decent tailwind was very good for its time (QA9).

*

Madam Hooch had one once upon a time and remembers it fondly. She compared the Firebolt to it in a way that suggests that the Silver Arrow had a slim handle which might have been made of ash (PA13).


Swiftstick
A broom produced by Ellerby and Spudmore, who had earlier released the Tinderblast, in 1952. It was never used for Quidditch because of its inability to ascend powerfully (QA9).


Tinderblast
Broom produced by Ellerby in Spudmore in 1940, twelve years before they released the Swiftstick. It traveled somewhat slower than the Comets and Cleansweeps of its time and thus was never used in sports (QA9).


Twigger 90
A gimmicky broom produced by Flyte and Barker in 1990, the Twigger 90 warps under high speeds and thus has never been used for Quidditch (QA9).

You can head over there with more info on brooms

xxRiham

[Tim the Enchanter]

Well, padfoot_returns very thoroughly covered British brooms, but what about foreign ones? Considering that Ali Bashir wanted to export flying carpets to Britain, I would expect there to be a few foreign broom makes as well.

I've actually sketched some designs for non-British brooms, and this is what I have:

Brooms of the World

In case you can't read my handwriting, this is what they are, from top to bottom:

Volksbesen 2005 - Germany ("People's Broom")
Tata 2 - India
Glisenti Falco 360 - Italy
Chauchat 8 - France
AK-47 Venik - Russia ("Kalashnikov's Automatic Rifle Model of Year 1947 Broom")

Yes, I know I wrote a different name for the last one in the picture, but that's it's official name, I've decided.

Tim the Enchanter

[OliveOil_Med]

And these all appear to be Quidditch brooms to me. Let's not forget, there are other sports played on brooms as well. My guess is that a broom used to play the American sport, Quodpot, is very different from one that would be used to play Quidditch.

There is a lot of potential to use your imagination when it comes to making brooms.

[Tim the Enchanter]

And these all appear to be Quidditch brooms to me. Let's not forget, there are other sports played on brooms as well. My guess is that a broom used to play the American sport, Quodpot, is very different from one that would be used to play Quidditch.

There is a lot of potential to use your imagination when it comes to making brooms.

I'd imagine that brooms for Quodpot would have to be very sturdy and capable of surviving quite a lot of abuse - I wouldn't be surprised if the broom handle had metal braces or something like that. Also, it would have to carry more weight than a Quidditch broom - since Quodpot is played with an exploding ball, I'd imagine that the players would wear some sort of protective armour, probably of leather or even dragon hide.

So, all in all, I think that Quodpot brooms would have thicker shafts, and likely reinforced. Plus, there would probably be stirrups like in the movies, to help keep the rider on the broom in case the ball exploded while the player was holding it. Also, some sort of fire-retardant spells would be a must. These brooms could very well travel at high speeds, but they'd have slow acceleration and poor maneuverability.

Tim the Enchanter