TRADITION® Upright Vacuum SC688B

We bought a wool carpet that specified vacuum cleaners to use w/o voiding the carpet warranty. That was truly annoying since we have used principally Miele vacuums in the last 20 years, along with a lightweight Shark. Over the last 55 years I have used Sears, Hoover, and Eureka vacuums as well. With great hesitation we ordered this Sanitaire, noting the much more affordable price when compared to a Miele. When it arrived I immediately recognized it from the numerous hotels in which I have stayed during my life of business travel. Perhaps the instructions could have been more explicit, but it's a vacuum cleaner so one should have some idea of how the bag and cord brackets are attached. I found assembly to be intuitive. The motor works well, the carpet height settings are appropriate, and once set they stay in place like any other vacuum cleaner. But the big surprise was how well it cleans! And without winding up long hair on the roller, which was always a problem with the Shark. It's much lighter that the Hoovers of yesteryear and not what I would call heavy. It has a clear bumper so that it does not leave black streaks on the white baseboard. It is easy to control and work within tight spaces. As Jordan D. says in their review: "No tricks or gimmicks. It vacuums the carpet perfectly." Our Shark went straight to Goodwill and our Miele is restricted to wood and tile floors. This vacuum is fantastic.

I own another brand of upright vacuum that cleans well, but I learned recently from multiple sources that its brushroll with stiffeners is hard on carpet fibers. I watched the cleaning crew in my workplace use Sanitaire upright vacuums day in, day out, year after year, so I had no reservations about purchasing the SC688B. It lives up to all of my expectations, and with a projected motor lifespan of 2,000 hours, if I run it one hour a week it should last over 38 years! I like that this design has been out for a long time so maintenance items are readily available. Its CRI silver rating means it not only cleans well, but is safe for my carpets. It does a great job on them, and cuts my vacuuming time about in half compared to using my canister vacuum with powerbrush.

I did not find the unit to be very difficult to assemble. Mine went together in about 10 minutes with a pair of screwdrivers. It's a little noisy, but after all, it is a commercial vacuum. I could not be happier with it, and I highly recommend it.

This vacuum rules! It totally completes the job of...vacuuming the carpet. No tricks or gimmicks. It vacuums the carpet perfectly.