TRANSPORT® Commercial Cordless Backpack Vacuum SC580A

Bissel/Sanitaire is the same as far as “customer service”. Spent $500 on a “commercial” backpack vacuum which FELL APART at about 4 months. The SELLER actually made things right, but it took a ton of emails and calls and wrong parts being sent and returned etc. etc. etc. Don’t recommend that brand (Sanitaire was purchased by Bissel) at all. FOUR MONTHS!!!

I'm just going to add Clarke and Sanitaire to your list for the commercial options. Windsor is also a good choice, because they are often rebranded Sebo's at half the price. Orek is a good buy if you want something lightweight. My mom's XL has been going for 28 years now without needing repair. It's very easy to do stairs with, except it has no hoses or attachments for nooks ans crannies. Shop vacs (and rigid) are also built like tanks. You can use those for nooks and crannies as well as cleaning up liquids and larger chunks that would kill typical vacuums. They are cheap too. The only thing is you have to set them up for their purpose. You can dual filter with a bag and a HEPA filter to get just as precise cleaning as you get on a house vacuum, despite what some people say, but you need to take those off for liquids and use the sponge filter instead.

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.

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.

I like it on my bad arthritis days when my hands hurt, because the bulk of the weight is on the floor. Actually, the most annoying vacuum I used when my hands hurt was my boyfriend’s Shark stick vacuum, because all of the weight’s up at the top of the vacuum where you’re always holding it up. It went everywhere my canister’s powerhead does, but for a small vacuum, gives me more fatigue, because the ergonomics weren’t thought through. Same reason I can push around my heavy commercial Sanitaire. Carrying it is a beast, but using it, the motor and bulk of the weight are on the floor instead of resting on my hands and wrists.

They clog, are awful to work on, the plastic goes brittle, they don’t deep clean. I got a $150 commercial Sanitaire, and it pulled so much imbedded sand out of my carpet that two Dysons had left behind. They sweep the surface, they don’t deep clean. Sand in carpet is like microscopic glass, it will shred the carpet fibers over time.

Commercial Sanitaire. Same model we had growing up 40 years ago. We had ours for like 20 years, originally bought used, and if I had a clue I'd probably had repaired it and still would have it. Very repairable. Very strong. Look into it.

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.