Sanitaire Commercial - PROFESSIONAL TRADITION® Upright SL635B

The best cleaning machines out there are going to be bagged. There's no getting around that.  Now in terms of carpet cleaning ability for the price I think the best you can do is a sanitaire tradition. the SL635B would be the model I look at.  There are a few caveats to it.  It's a basic carpet cleaning vacuum there are no onboard tools. You will need to make sure you have it adjusted properly for your carpet via the dial. And lastly make sure not to pick up any metallic objects as you can damage the fan.  All that said it's a basic workhorse of a machine with simple maintenance change the bag and the belt when needed. 

Workhorses are relatively durable and the bagless design shows all the dirt which is great for videos and showing off to the customers. I would not use a Kirby commercially, they're too heavy and their fan is susceptible to damage. The Sanitaire Tradition is a similar vacuum to Kirby while being lighter and much easier to repair. But both Kirbys and Sanitaire Traditions have low water lift so they can leave a lot of heavy particles behind. Also the dump-out and dump-cup Traditions have terrible filtration. The Workhorse isn't popular here because the pre-motor filtration is poor and they don't have brushroll shutoff or on-board tool storage so they aren't well rounded vacuums. Cool vacuums, but too niche to recommend to most people.

Kirbys and Sanitiare Traditions have very similar very high cfm due to their direct air design but low water lift. The Workhorse and other clean air vacuums will have lower cfm but higher water lift. I think the Workhorse makes better videos because you can dump out all the dirt and show the viewers. Are you thinking about getting a new vacuum for yourself? I think there are a lot of other specs and features to consider if you want a vacuum for your home such as filtration, weight, built in hose and tools, etc.

If you are using Oreck XLs, I'm assuming you don't need any hose or tools, just a vacuum for carpets. I don't think any of the more durable vacuums will tolerate that kind of abuse regularly, so maybe go for cheap and as durable as you can get. I'm thinking of the [Sanitaire Tradition Professional SL635B](https://www.sanitairecommercial.com/collections/upright-vacuums/products/professional-tradition%C2%AE-upright-sl635b) $139. This is an old-school Eureka F&G/Sanitaire Tradition upright vacuum. Just like the Oreck the Sanitaire only vacuums carpets. But the Sanitaire Tradition uses a larger more durable fan and very simple motor. There's a recline lever and an on/off switch. There's a height adjustment knob but you'll only use them on low pile. This is the cheapest model and it's pretty lightweight. There are nicer ones with chrome and an easier bag dock, but let see if it can last longer than an Oreck first. It should last longer because it's more durable overall than an Oreck, but I'd try 1-2 before buying a whole fleet. It's easier to change the belt than an Oreck, no tools required, and you'll need plenty of belts because they need to be replaced regularly, but they're cheap. F&G bags aren't my favorite because there's a metal stretch band at the bottom, but again I'd see if this machine would work for you before paying more for one of the nicer versions like the SC888N $291 (chrome hood, longer cord, easier-to-change ST bags). The [Sanitaire Professional SL4110A](https://www.sanitairecommercial.com/collections/upright-vacuums/products/professional-upright-with-tools-sl4110a) $119 is another cheap commercial vacuum. It's more like most regular bagged uprights with a hose and tools. It's simple to use and cheap to replace. It's lightweight for a regular upright and easy to change the bags. Changing the belt requires a screwdriver. What do you think?

The Oreck Commercial XL is ok. It's lightweight and good on low to medium carpets. Like you said no hose and no tools. They do last a long time but the Commercial XL has the old bag dock, so you'll need to install one of the new bag docks so it can use the hepa. I'd choose the Karcher Ranger over the Oreck Commercial XL. You can find the Ranger for $199-212. The Ranger has carpet height adjustment. You won't need to change any bag dock and it has a lifetime belt. The Ranger is made by Sebo and it will have the best reliability among these options. I'd also choose the Sanitaire Professional Tradition SL635B $159 over the Oreck Commerical XL. The Sanitaire has carpet height adjustment. There are F&G Hepa bags available. You can get to the belt and brushroll without any tools. If you are willing to trade a little reliability for features I'd highly consider the Sanitaire Professional SL4110A $159. It's a traditional upright vacuum. It has carpet height adjustment. Generic hepa bags are available. What sets it apart from the Oreck is it has a hose and tools. I'd choose either the Karcher Ranger or either of the Sanitaires over the Oreck. What do you think?

Unfortunately, a $50-$200 budget isn't in line with a daily commercial use cordless machine. You could look at a Tornado LW 13/1 if the budget can be raised to $600 and you must have a cordless machine. If the budget and weight requirement isn't flexible, you're looking at a Sanitare Tradition. If you can be flexible on weight, something like a Sanitare Professional is in budget. Hoover and Bissell Commercial sell the same machines with different colors and names. Anything cordless <$200 will break quickly like all of your previous machines. Your movie theater uses a vacuum more in a day than a household does in a month. Any big box store machine lasting two months or more is impressive.

Unfortunately, a $50-$200 budget isn't in line with a daily commercial use cordless machine. You could look at a Tornado LW 13/1 if the budget can be raised to $600 and you must have a cordless machine. If the budget and weight requirement isn't flexible, you're looking at a Sanitare Tradition. If you can be flexible on weight, something like a Sanitare Professional is in budget. Hoover and Bissell Commercial sell the same machines with different colors and names. Anything cordless <$200 will break quickly like all of your previous machines. Your movie theater uses a vacuum more in a day than a household does in a month. Any big box store machine lasting two months or more is impressive.

I wouldn’t recommend any cordless for this application, they will all meet the same fate as your last shark. You need something that can withstand commercial use. Within budget: a Sanitare Tradition. Is this for picking up popcorn? Would a good old fashioned lobby dust pan and broom suffice?

I know the Sanitaire Tradition machines work great on thick carpet (mainly because the design hails from the original era of plush carpets) but it's a carpet-only machine.

I would argue certain Bissell and Hoover models are okay, the bagged ones of course because they're more simple. The Bissell Big Green Commercial and it's Sanitaire counterpart are good machines for their $100-$130 price point and parts are readily available. For someone on a very strict budget that has predominantly carpet they're not horrible options by any means. Same with the Bissell Zing for someone with hard floors.

Huh... I'm sure all those vacuums are really good, but I personally think that a commercial machine is would end up being more BIFL. I have a Sanitaire tradition that's run flawlessly for years now. Which makes sense because it's meant to clean entire hotels, not one dinky house.

A bagged eureka or sanitaire upright would be a good upright. Very easy to maintain and virtually no tools needed for most repairs. Parts of arby's available can I do a great job on Carpeting and floors ( Depending on the model). Try to find one that has a 7 Amp motor. Use Hepa type  bags. A Kirby would also be a good option.. The newer models have what's called Tech Drive which kind of compensates for the weight of the Kirby .

I use a Sanitaire upright for the heavey extraction of fur ,dirt,and dander. And my Sebo D4 Premium for the fine dust vacuuming. The filtration on the Sebo is just amazing. But it would overwelm my machine with tasking it to do the the heavy lifting+ expecting it to filter that much fur.

If you want a tough commercial vacuum- get a Sanitaire or spend the big bucks for German made like Miele. Consumer store brands like Shark and Dyson will not last that long. Vacuums reviews are a plague of affiliates/shills/dishonest actors.

As a restaurant owner and a vacuum store owner. Get a Sanitaire or a Titan commercial. Need one that has a clutch so you don’t burn your motor when someone clogs the brush roll.

I used to really like the sanitaire when I did hired cleaning jobs, just because they are so lightweight and the bags are cheap so I could change them as much as I needed to without feeling some type of way. Some of those places were so bad, I would have to change it after every room and then go over it a couple more times and change it again before moving on to the next to get it adequately clean and/or prepped for the steam cleaner bro's. Cheap bags and belts and lightweight really matters when you're doing that kind of heavy vacuuming lol. Plus I liked that you could just tip it back a little and it would pull in everything from the edges and corners, and it was light enough that I could grip the back of the headshell and move it around on carpeted stairs and it would actually do a pretty adequate job on them. I have used the Kirby before, it's alright I guess but I couldn't really get the hang of it and I found it kind of annoying because I couldn't fit it in tight closets or under stuff, and the side mounted bag is forever in the way for lefties, lol. Plus it was just generally heavy and it would tire me out more quickly, and it seems like nobody knows to ever empty them or change their belts, and a lot of people run them without disposable bags because they don't know any better too. Lots of people don't do any basic maintenance on their machines for some reason and wonder why they don't work right 😆

Well you’re going to have the same sort of problems with Shark, they’re worse. Mine wasn’t even meant to have the brushroll removed and cleaned, found that out the hard way. That’s basic maintenance for a vacuum, especially when you have pets and humans with long hair. Shark wanted me to buy a whole new powerhead, lol. Good thing my dad and I are handy and jerry-rigged the Shark back together. My mom bought two Dysons. A (I think) DC40 then one of the pet ones with a ball. They were both crap too. The switched kept going out, luckily our vacuum shop doesn’t gouge people on repairs. I took my commercial Sanitaire (not suggesting this beast to average consumers), but the amount of sand it pulled out of her carpet was fascinating. So the Dysons were just sweeping the surface of her carpet. I’m sure the people here will recommend either a Miele or a Sebo. Other good vacuums exist too. I mainly collect and repair older vacuums as a hobby. So I’m not the one to ask. I do know bagged is better and cleaner than bagless, and direct air cleans deeper than a bypass machine. Air flow is what cleans, not suction.

if i can make a suggestion it would be just purchase a commercial vacuum. you’ll be paying much less than you would for a dyson and you’ll be able to easily and cheaply repair it yourself. they’re loud as shit but work well and very simply. i have a sanitaire and it’s been going strong for two years. i had to replace a belt because i accidentally damaged it and i got two for $7.