Sanitaire Tradition REVIEW - Upright Bagged Commercial Vacuum, SC886F 

Sanitaire Tradition at Amazon: geni.us/bDpzg Sanitaire SC888 (better filtration) at Amazon: geni.us/ka4o

I've owned a commercial cleaning company for 30 years. We've tried a lot of stuff and come back to Sanitaire. What is great is that you can totally rebuild these machines on the cheap. Most replaced item is the brushes. You don't have to buy a whole roller, just remove the bolt on one end and slide the rod out and you can pull the brushes off with a pair of pliers. It is a bit tricky inserting the new ones because you have to make sure they stay in the grooves or the metal tube will expand a little and you won't be able to get the end caps back on. I have saved a lot of money over the years replacing brushes instead of buying new rollers. These vacs really scrub so commercially we replace them every 3 or 4 months. The machine is difficult to use if you let the brushes wear too thin because you have to drop the level and it starts sucking its self to the floor. Do not use this on the lowest setting, take advantage of the air flow. No wonder in the video some of the larger debris it would push along and not pick up. They were testing it with full contact to the carpet instead of slightly higher which actually helps you pick up more dust and everything because of the air flow. Don't buy a dump bag unless you want to wash it often. Biggest reason these stop cleaning well is because the bag is never cleaned. We use paper filters to catch more dust and more importantly so the cloth bag clogs up less often. We clean the cloth bags with water and hang them to dry every 3 months. You'll see these running and the cloth bag is firm and hard to compress. When you buy a brand new unit squeeze the bag and you'll see how easy it is to compress. That is because the air is flowing easily through the cloth bag. All parts are available and pretty cheap. I've replaced motor bearings, motor brushes, the deck, the clips for the cords, the bags, brushes, brush bearings, impellers, bottom plates, rear wheels, misc. springs, the handle housing that attaches to the base. Most my vacuums have few original parts, a few units I've had since 1985 when I started; I've never thrown one of these away. We don't worry about it not having a detachable hose because we detail vacuum with a back vac weekly to get into hard to reach places. Nothing works better on entry floor mats. There's some tips for those of you looking to buy one of these.

Man you know you're old when this brings you back to the days when all vacuums looked like this! Stunned they still make things look like they did.

I service these vacuums for a janitorial company and I can attest these are SUPERBLY constructed and have outstanding performance. These things get absolutely beat to DEATH with our company and they just last and last. Everything can be serviced or replaced on them super easily.

I have no intention to ever buy a commercial vacuum but man I love these reviews.

Anyone who's familiar with these knew it was going to do exceptionally well in the deep cleaning test. These, Kirby and metal Royals are the best vacuums you can possibly get when it comes to pure carpet cleaning power. It is best to supplement them with a canister though due to the lack of above the floor and hard floor cleaning capabilities.

Omg, i remember my mom using this vacuum when i was a child. I think it's mainly use in businesses

Thank you! Your links totally saved me when I needed to replace the "better filtration" model's bag!

The test I've been waiting for, the king of air flow! Awesome! I've been following you on my alt account for a long time. I'd go with ANY of the sanitaire models with a HEPA bag, they make several in a few different price ranges, the shakeout bag type doesnt filter at all.

I have the SC888. It's beast. If you buy one, buy spare belts. I use mine in a commercial setting with a street-front entrance with lots of dirt and small gravel traced on to my floor. I'm in Canada so all winter I'm vacuuming lots of grit and sand that tracks in from the side walk and that is what is hard the the belts. Also, I need to replace the motor brushes about once a year. This vacuum is great because you can actually fix this unit!! Most cheaper vacuums would last me almost a year and the motor would go up in smoke. Other info: 1. I vacuum 600 sq feet daily for 11 years with this vacuum 2. I fill 3 bags a year 3. I break 3-4 belts a year, mostly in the winter when conditions nasty 4. You can buy almost any part you need online.

I bought a used blue version of this and used it to vacuum my garage in MN! It was such a tank and never broke. I used it as a trade in for a Simplicity. I don't miss it that much but it reminds me of school when I was a kid!

I do love this vacuum and would love to have one. I’ve tried it in the States whilst there and really loved it. I guess they make shake out bags for cheap companies that don’t want to spend money on bags as I guess they cost a lot compared to other bags on the market today? Video idea there maybe? 🤣🤣🤣🤣. I would only use the hepa bagged one personally. Awesome video as always Chris 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗😘

We still get these issued to us in the Navy Barracks at NAS Pensacola. They remind me of 1970s vacuums.

I use the SC888N which as you stated is the disposable bag version. It is a BEAST at pulling dirt out of carpet. You may think the carpet is clean but it will find dirt and fill the bag up!

I appreciate your works and give the facts on your videos

Been waiting for this one! Thank!! Love these machines

I understand that it is a good quality vacuum cleaner but in terms of manageability it is very difficult, I have to clean a 27 floors building and after 5 floors I end up with a lot of back pain because the vacuum is very heavy.

Out of all the Commercial Vacuums out there I still prefer the Sanitaire SC886 & SC888!! Easy to maintain and cheap/easy to find parts!

Your reviews are amazing and entertaining. How is it you made vaccuming a fun subject!!

I have a suggestion of a test. Try testing for likelihood of clogging by vacuuming clumps of paper towels from small clumps to larger clumps. See how large it can handle before it gets lodged somewhere. This could be helpful, as we often accidentally vacuum up stuff like paper or socks.

These, and their Eureka cousins, the metal Royals, Kirbys, or almost any direct air machines are absolute monsters when it comes to cleaning carpets. You’ll almost never find a better carpet deep cleaner. They do struggle with above floor cleaning, which is why most didn’t even have tools.

I spent 8 years before I retired selling janitorial, which included commercial vacs, and we sold Sanitaire in addition to a couple of other brands. Hotels really liked this model because it was the cheapest "commercial" vac that I had seen. I didn't feel it was a good buy because it was essentially a home vac* with a long cord, and I felt it was overpriced for what it was, but sometimes you need to sell them what they want. *When I say it's like a home vac, when I was younger our family business sold Hoover home vacs, and the Sanitaire was constructed almost identically only the Hoover's did use a disposable paper bag.

Thanks! Nice review! The performance is not unexpected considering I own three of them. For a vacuum that’s not as expensive as a Dyson you can get a bit out of it.

I believe these Sanitaire vacuums are very reliable just like their older Eureka ancestors. I used to have a blue line S677 with the ST bag setup (which I honestly find way better than the F&G bag setup since they are a true top fill bag design) and it was an amazing vacuum and it was really powerful (honestly more powerful than my Kirby Diamond Edition), I sold it about a year ago and admittedly still regret selling it to this day. The only thing I don't like about it is how easily the belts tend to stretch after such little use. And if you think the shakeout bag models have bad filtration, just wait until you test the bagless version of this, they're way worse I bet, the place where I used to work had a bagless version of that model and it had very terrible filtration (that is why I don't think direct air vacuums should be made with bagless systems).

The roller/belt comes right off without tools in moments. Why didn't you do that and test it that way on hard floors? With that kind of airflow, I imagine it'd be very impressive.

Have you ever heard of the Workhorse commercial Vacuum? I've been seeing it used around RU-vid and was curious if you can't test it to see if it's any good! Keep up the good work!

One my favorite commercial vacuums I just wish the can make a canister version .I would like to see what I'm getting up.🤓👍

they are a great 'grab n go' second vac in between Kirby or Rainbow full house cleaning day

If you have new carpeting, I HIGHLY recommend getting either the Vibragroomer 1 or CWP wooden replacement brushroll for these. The factory Vibragroomer 2 is so aggressive it actually eats the carpet slightly. Also, you can use HEPA F&G bags if your model came equipped with the F&G bags originally. That airflow and cleaning ability though? Second to none. Also, for bare floors, I find it dead easy to just pop the base plate off and take the belt off the motor shaft. Takes me about 20 seconds if that, since I've used them on and off for nearly 22 years. Could be worth it to see how much of a difference the bare floor test would be. Other than that, great job man!! I knew this would be good, but I didn't expect THAT good!!

I'm actually considering getting the SC888, most say that these break down fast & no place repairs these so they just throw them away, but a plus side that wasn't mentioned was how easy these parts are to get, belts are less than $5, & even the direct air motor is almost $60, that's really affordable compared to a motor for a Clarke Carpetmaster 112 (another vacuum that I have), & how easy it is to install these things & fix

I'm curious to see how the paper bag version does in the filtration tests, just to see if it gets a passing score. Also I'm 99% sure the wide track Tradition (model SC899) still includes the solid aluminum Vibra-Groomer I brushroll. I'm curious to see how that stacks up against the 886's Vibra II in the deep clean test

Do you think that the models with the allergen bag would do a better job at capturing particles? Any chance you could test that? :)

Wonderful saw

Try the sanitaire 635a. It is similar style but is there professional series of vacuums

we use one of these where I work and after years of abuse it is HORRIBLE at vacuuming and it is extremely tiring to use because it weighs so much. It also snaps belts about twice a week, we do about 30-45 mins of vacuuming a day. So thats pretty terrible. When it had a new motor and beater bar it does do a really god job though.

Very often the go-to machine for cleaners in apartments and condos.

from experience: only good for summertime when brand new. the real problem occurs with ice melter (salt) on a carpet. won't pick it up plus will burn belts every week. the bag won't open after a couple month of use.

With the Riccar r40 series , did you check and make sure that it was picking up the sand and not extra carpet fibers ?

Found one of these in the school I'm working at. Thing was covered in what looked like calcium and hardened dust. Cleaned it up, and other than a little rust here and there, the thing retained it's power. Other than being a really gross clean up, it's great.

Can you please make a video explaining the difference between suction and airflow? or link me something if you don't have the time? Thank you.

They are for sure some of the best deep cleaners I have used in my cleaning company. That being said they do not cope well with rocks, paper clips, staples. Etc. they just spit them out or bounce around inside the cleaning head. If you wanna test a true monster of a vacuum do yourself a favor and try out a royal metal commercial upright. It literally will pick up anything in its path and I’m curious to see how much cfm it pulls at the head. 9 blade metal fan and 10 amp motor it literally picks the carpet up off the floor

I noticed you didn’t include the Oreck XL in the “direct air” category, when in fact it is. Oreck vacuums don’t have traditional direct air numbers like the Kirby or sanitataire because they use significantly smaller (about 4 amp) motors, whereas the sanitatiare uses a 7 amp

I use these Sanitary vacuums at work for the school district it seems like the belts are always breaking sometime stuff gets sucks in impellers and they break too

*hepa for home* *shake out for businesses* not bad for roughly $250 but if you must have a hose then other vacuums are better for the money. for that reason im thinking id opt for the kenmore elite.

Are they self propelled or are they counting on that level knob to get it high enough to roll over the carpet? If so is that level knob vulnerable to much wear?

Do you have a video showing how to clean it? How to remove the bag and the brush to clean it?

Ive seen this exact same vacuum has at my church. It’s been their for at least 15 years.

I like the style

Is this your best carpet deep cleaner?

And one more thing can you review the Eureka Airspeed bagged and bagless variants. This vac is NOT for commercial use! I know a local Thai restaurant used one of these and it broke within 2 months (the vac equivalent of 20 days), that they never used this again. They use a Hoover commercial vac now. :)

You should try the workhorse.

Vacuum wars, please review the pf62 by Powerflite. My choice for janitorial office type carpets for a dozen years now...160 cfm, duel edge cleaning, two fans so suction on both sides. Great HEPA bags, and cheap roller brush and parts!! A.J. P.S. 8 lbs.

The pigtail cord and ergonomic handle are recent additions to this model. Previously this had a gray, non replaceable cord with matching tube-like grip as sc886E. Sc886E was introduced in such form 15 years ago. before that, it had a completely different motor (metal top) and a white cord and grip. I wonder how an older model might impact the review. Obviously the pigtail cord pro is now out of the picture, but if it’s an sc886e we’re talking about that’s the only difference between it and the sc886F

PLEASE do the Hoover shoulder-vac!

Flip the carpet on the backside then vacuum to agitate the sand out of the carpet to get a deeper clean

Yayyyy more commercial vacuums

Can you review and compare the Bissell bgu8000 big green to the oreck xl?

this channel is so good it really needs more subs spend some time on promoting the channel, maybe do a colab with someone (something like "Can a robot vaccuum clean gasoline on fire" etc.

I want one of these I own 9 cvacums this would be a good one

These are great carpet deep cleaners.

I always take no brush shut off switch and no squeegee backwards to avoid scattering debris

Oh that's neat I love this it's silent and you don't have to use the hose. Most ones kinda gives me the jitters but it's life. No hose I like that better.

now you should compare to a vintage hoover and eureka models.

So the sc888 use bags but what kind of bags is it f&g is it st or is it both if you know and can confirm that please tell me

The belt and fan configuration is the same as a vintage Hoover.

Does the sanitaire vacumm have a light on the front?

I made a mistake in buying a Bissell Pro Shake commercial vacuum cleaner for my home. I don't know what brand to buy now. I hate the robotic looks of most vacuum cleaners and I don't need the extra attachments. Oreck might be good, but they're noisy.

this vacuum is so pretty and retro it is making me want it so bad

What would you recommend for commercial use and has passing scores with multiple tests at a reasonable price?

TY !!

If you remove the brush roller it will work on hard floors.

my grandma has an old ass vacuum like this and its has never had any trouble. Not even a bad belt

Yes this is a great Electrolux,Eureka vacuum cleaner but yes Electrolux should have tools for them to use on hard floors otherwise these are good machines and are very popular

Do you have a video abut wet/dry vacuums portable?

I believe the oreck xl is a direct air vacuum as most orecks are but you put it in red with the clean air machines when you were comparing the saintare to direct air motors, not really a big deal I'm just pointing it out Also i still would like to see a windtunnel max bagged review if you could i got the vacuum for my mom for mother's day and I'm just curious what the specs are

Have you ever tested a rainbow vacuum??

Ugga booga. Ordered for brute tornados man power!

I think I’ll get one.

I will get the Sanitaire vacuum 1 day

I'm still mad the got rid of the headlight and basically killed the blue line

So that extra cfm comes from having no bag. Kirby would have more cfm if you removed the heppa bag.

En donde las encuentr

I can use it for my carpet

2:38 I gotta tell the WatsonsVacuum guy about this!

Keep It Old School 😎👍

What was the fpm number

Next try the NSS Pig vacuum

BEST VACUUMS FOR SCHOOL JANITORS CAW CAW. THE SHAKE OUT BAG IS THE BEST PART OF THE NIGHT CAW CAW.

Combine the SC888 with a Mighty Mite/SC3683B canister and you've got the best set of machines for any task in a home or in commercial. Or if someone wants a lighter, cheaper machine that performs almost as well, the S635 is the way to go. Great review, man. Looking forward to the Hushtone tests!

Can you do a shop vacuum series

The oreck has a Direct air Motor

Where is the Sanitaire assembled?

Try a nss vacuum

Hey mate!! Can U review Hoover Zenith Cordless vacuum!!

Finally!

What does it sound like? How loud is it? How many decibels?

This is my girl 😙thanks I’m getting this next payday 💰

Just cut the hair in the bruah roll then remove no nees to remove the brush roll

Did this sanitaire have the metal motor or the plastic motor

What is the amount of hair needed to have a decline in pickup ability?