Sanitaire S649 Upright Vacuum Review 

One of the vacuum designs that’s older and the G-Series Kirby’s. I always did like these though, they always had a pleasant sound. I want to eventually get one.

You have got to have the cleanest floors in your neighborhood. I have a vac similar to that one only it has a chrome hood, and a round height adjustment. I love it.

S649 is one of my favorite sanitaires other then the beastly S661. Love the style of it.

Those direct air machines have some serious airflow! Great for deep cleaning carpets. I haven’t seen too many of the “blue” home line sanitaires but I am pretty familiar with the red bag commercial ones. They are pretty much indestructible as long as you don’t run over a nail or something. They are all good though, very few differences from what I can tell. Nice machine! I’m still running an old Hoover convertible that I rebuild earlier this year, I think it’s from about 1998 maybe. Not the greatest filtration that’s for sure, but it’s really done a good job keeping my carpet in good shape vacuuming twice a week. Paired with a second vacuum with a hose I can do vacuum everything.

My commercial Sanitaire also has the VG2 beater bar, and it is CRI certified, so it is actually gentle on carpets. It vibrates the dirt out that's deep in the carpet. Sand is like tiny glass shards and cuts carpet fibers as people walk over it, so it needs to be removed, and this vacuum does it! I don't find any fiber bits in the bag, very unlike the big box store vacuums with only brushes that I've gone through over the years.

A great machine from a day when home carpeting was different from today. It really did well on short pile, indoor/outdoor, commercial carpeting, and walk off mats. That’s where the beater bar did well. I never had an opportunity to use one on shag carpet but I’m sure it did better on it than a straight suction canister. 👍🏻

I have never had a sanitaire, but I have had a few old eureka models. I currently have a Eureka vibra groomer from 1973 which I got for $10 about 5 years ago, and with all the many vacuums I have, I always find myself using that cheap vacuum from the early 70s. It just cleans really good and is easy and light to use. I have replaced the brush strips and the belt a few times, along with lubricating the brushroll and replaced the gaskets, but it has never given me any issues. Although the motor bearings are starting to fail, greasing them helped some, but they are a bit past that. I think when they completely fail I am going to try to fit a 4 amp sanitaire motor into it, which mounts with the same plate as the 3.5 amp motor that is already into it. I am sure that it will not last over 50 years like the old one did, but I think I can make it last.

I actually had one of these. I think this exact model. Can’t remember. Nice machines though. So simple.

I picked up the chrome hooded model at a Thrift store with the round height knob and quick change fan body. I think I paid about $25 for it in 2010 and it was in really good shape. It has a white PTouch label on the hood with "$499" on it so I assume that it might have once been a vac store display. Little firm to push but I love it and should use it more and glad I have one in the collection as I do feel like the clean better than the standard Eureka line.

I love these old Eureka Sanitaire's, even though their design is exactly the same as the newer models, the Eureka era had a nicer sounding motor than the Electrolux era. I do like how the back wheels are hidden away on this model to make it look more sleak, but like you said, it does get difficult to roll it on its back. Also that slider carpet height adjustment was called the Rug-U-Lator, and I do know the knob style was called the Dial-A-Nap.

I have that exact vacum ! & uses Eureka F&G style bags . It does a great job on carpets . Santaire a dirts worst enemy dirt doesn’t stand a chance I would know ! Any direct air flo will outclen any modern by pass machine by far. I’ve got carpets in My place & I found My Santaire at a thrift store for 91 cents & it works perfectly ! I cleaned it up put a new belt & beater bar & replaced the bag it was good to go if a person has pets this the vacum to have !

I have a home model S650 and just replaced the belt. Also, in the house is a Kirby G5. Both are amazing machines but I have to say the S650 did a amazing job at removing dirt from long neglected carpet with a significant reduction in carpet greying. Kirby was just serviced today only requiring a new fan and brush roll. I will clean the Sanitaire air path and compare the performance. These are both heavy machines. I think the Kirby will be easier on carpets as the Sanitaire has the spiral cast aluminium brush roll/beater bar, I can smell dust from this machine.

Happy Day 7 of Hanukkah I worked with so many of these in restaurants and hotels that when I moved into my first apartment faced with the prospect that I wouldn’t have my parents Kirby to use and having used Hoover Convertibles and finding these much better at deep cleaning I purchased a Eureka ESP version of this exact machine in 1987 along with a 3hp Mighty Mite. I’m not certain if the motor on the ESP was 6.5 or 7.0 amps but the machine was grey and had the Rugulator height adjustment switch like this one instead of the Dial-a-Nap. I found that if you tilted the machine forward the switch slid easily. The machine worked great for a few years until I made the mistake of using a Hoover Convertible belt which was too small and tight and it snapped the shaft of the motor off. I liked these machines because they didn’t feel like uprights. Somehow they felt like a powernozzle at the end of a wand combined with a lawnmower. Alex, I was wondering if you know if the manufacturer that produced the VibraGroomer brushrolls is the same manufacturer that produces the metal brushrolls for Riccar. I’ll understand if you don’t know or if you’re not allowed to comment about Riccar.

NEVER seen any of these vacuums on a curb or a thrift store-figured folks used these until the bitter end and tried to have a vac dealer fix it.The delear sells the prospect a new machine and his old Sanitaire went into the dumpster if the dealer could not fix it or clean the vacuum up-then sell it as a used vacuum.

I think that’s the model my aunt has. It’s very lightweight and powerful.

As always thanks for the reviews! I follow you regularly and trust your opinion. I’ve had the Miele S7, S5, and currently have the sc899 which I appreciate but it doesn’t seem to pick up anything fairly heavy like a small rock. I’ve been eyeing the central vac and the riccar however still unsure of the best. I’m looking for an upright or central vac that is the best at carpet and nothing else as I use my other vacuums to do the small clean up stuff. With all of your knowledge what’s your best performing carpet only vacuum? As always thanks and keep these videos coming!

I have a Sanitaire system pro (household type) S780 and I'm having a heck of a time finding any useful information about it. It was gifted to me without an user manual but videos are cool. Do you know of any sites I should check out for tips?

Fantastic vid, I have a ZC880 which I love! Do you reckon a Sanitaire with a VGII fitted is one of the most greatest cleaning vacuums known to man? I had a thick saxony carpet in my room and used my refurbed Kirby G6 with stiffer Sentria brushroll and always thought it was clean untill I got my Sanitaire with VG2 and JHEEZ as soon as I switched it on, I noticed a white mist in front of the vacuum, I looked close and it's a bunch of sandy grit coming out that my G6 left behind!!!

I just can’t seem to bring myself to get rid of my 1989 Eureka Precision. It’s basically a beefier self propelled version of this vacuum with a cord rewind. It just cleans carpet so well!

I’m having trouble finding the video where you review the vg 1 vs 2 like you said in your video - or did I misunderstand ?

חג שמח

I have a few Sanitaire machines like this-the design will NEVER die-its cheap to produce-simple to service and to use.When I see the clean air machines with the hose-on commercial settings those are NEVER used.Home users use the hose.For commercial use they just get in the way.The ST bag system is an IMPROVEMENT over the HORRIBLE F&G design.

Honestly, I loved my old Eureka ESP variant of this, though the color didn't age well. (It was white and...pink? Which, no issue with pink, just faded poorly over time).

Question The OEM bag was like camo green/white. Is the motor always that loud?

They still have eureka eps vaccum

F&G could also stand for Fucking Great vacuum HAHA😂

Not great cleaners by todays standards???? They are among the deepest and best cleaners you can buy. I have about 15 of them mostly SC886s. 3 being red handle capped ones from the 80s. One is a 1982 SC686 and it will deep clean and groom better than any of my Kirbys, Royals, my old windsor xp12, my vintage dirt devils, hoovers, and any other vacuum I've either had or used. I have lots of vids on my page of my vacs and the older Sanitaires can't be beat. Many others would agree