Sanitaire SC5815B Commercial Quite Upright Bagged Vacuum Cleaner with Tools and 10 Amp Motor, 15" Cleaning Path

I bought this Vacuum about 3 years ago. I find the way the vacuum is designed I can't get under any of my furniture. Way too much plastic as well. If I could do this over and I will in the future it sure won't be this model.

Is great for heavy work

I received this vacuum with the Hight adjustment setting broken straight out of the box. The manual recommends not to return it but to have it serviced instead. I called Sanitaire and they referred me to a local service center. The service center kept the vacuum for two weeks and I never recieved a follow-up call, after they finally called me they said the part was on back order and there was nothing they could do. So I called Sanitaire and they said they do have the part, but after I was transferred to another representative they said that they dont have the part. I was getting different stories from different people. I urged them that I needed this vacuum to run my Janitorial business but they didnt seem to care or at least escalate the problem. All they asked me to do is not return the vaccum. So I waited another 4 days then finally the service center calls and say's my vacuum is ready. I pick it up to find out it was more broken than before. The brush didnt spin and it started to smoke.I returned it a few days ago. Be careful, customer service isnt much help. This vacuum cost me time and money. I'd give it zero stars if I could. I need a durable commercial vacuum that will sustain at least 2 years for a janitorial service. This was not it.

After doing some extensive research on vacuum reliability and performance, I wound up with this vacuum due to it's commercial level quality and reliability, extremely easy maintenance, sealed HEPA filtration, not bagless, and the fact that it has a hose as many commercial vacuums do not.In short, if you're reading this review, stop buying POS department store throwaway vacuums in the $45-$145 range and just buy one good vacuum and be done with it for years. Paying a little more for quality and performance to get a vacuum like this will end up saving you much more money in the long run and you'll have cleaner carpets too. I decided on this vacuum because again I wanted something that will last for decades and has good power and performance. If you have $600 to spend, get a Miele canister. If you have $200 to spend, get a Sanitaire commercial vac or a Riccar if you can find one.Pros:Powerful motorActually cleans wellHEPA filtrationBagged. Easy to swap the bags. Don't have to deal with dust flying out into the air with a bagless vac.Driven by one heavy duty belt that is easy to change when (not if) needed. Only 3 screws to remove.40' power cord15" widthRelatively quiet compared to almost every other vacuum I've usedHas a 10 FOOT hose with attachments. A lot of commercial uprights don't. Don't be afraid to buy generic attachments here on Amazon to clean your hardwood floors with. Why spend $75 for a basic Miele hardwood head when you can buy a nearly identical generic one for $5-15 that will work with this vacuum? Shop smart.Certified by the Carpet and Rug Institute for cleaning performance. That means it actually works, and you're not going to see that on the el-cheapo vacs at wal-mart.Replacement parts are cheap and readily available, and will be available for years to come. Easy to work on by yourself.Cons:Have to pay for bags. You can get them for less than $1.50 each here on Amazon.Not lightweight, but not heavy either.

For at least five years, I have used a Hoover Windtunnel Supreme vacuum. And for as long, I have disliked it. It's tools would easily fall out of their cradle during normal use, it's power cord had thin, easy-to-damage insulation, the power cord was easy to step on the way it was routed, and the vacuum would fall over easily when using the hand tools. My Hoover Windtunnel Supreme vacuum is an annoying example of poor engineering. Finally I decided enough was too much, and just bought a Sanitaire SC5815. What a relief. So far, I like this vacuum because: * It has a long, well-made power cord. The power cord is routed such that it is easy to keep out of the way * It is quiet * It's tools stay in place. It's long crevice tool nests inside a single extension tube. The long crevice tool can be combined with the extension tube thereby eliminating the need for a second extension tool (as implemented by the Hoover). * When the handle is in the vertical position, the beater brush is automatically lifted off the floor so that the machine does not scrub in place when the hand tools are used. * The suction is great This machine cost about $75 more than the Hoover (if you do your Internet research), and well worth the difference.*** Update: 04/21/2010 *** This machine is still functioning well. I just now changed the drive belt, and I waited much too long to do so. I should have changed it a couple years ago. The belt had been slipping for some time now and I had not noticed until after I changed it. The slippage was do to normal belt wear and was not a fault of this great machine's design.