Electrolux Eureka Sanitaire SC3683A Commercial Canister Vac
- Details
Avg. consumer rating = 83/100
The Eureka Sanitaire SC3683A is considered a commercial vacuum but plenty of folks seem to be using it in their homes. Consumers like the fact that it is small, light, powerful and HEPA ready, although there are some comments about it being better on hard surfaces than carpet.
The name Electrolux Eureka Sanitaire SC3683A Commercial Canister Vac seems a little odd with so many company prefixes. These are all actually part of the same group however. As we understand it, Electrolux purchased the Eureka company in 1974 and Eureka is the parent company of Sanitaire. Sanitaire has been well-known for its commercial cleaning products for many years and Sanitiare vacuums were first offered to the public in the 1950s.
Vacuum Features
A quick note - when researching this particular vacuum it became apparent that there were many different specifications posted on different sites. Specs like weight, warranty, motor amps, motor watts, etc seem to vary. Where possible we will quote specs from the Sanitaire site.
The Sanitaire SC3683A comes with a 10 amp motor and most consumers report that it has plenty of suction. It is HEPA ready, having a completely sealed filtration system to prevent dust leakage. But you will have to purchase the HEPA filter separately as it does not come with one. If one has asthma or allergies getting a quality vacuum with HEPA filtration may be a good idea. HEPA filtration removes 99.97% of all airborne particulates of 0.3 microns or larger that pass through it. The key here is that the filters are only able to filter the air that passes through them and many vacuums leak air but still tout the value of their HEPA filtration. HEPA filters work most effectively within a sealed system (and, as mentioned, the SC3683A has a sealed system).
The SC3683A comes with a number of tools:
- deluxe floor brush
- dusting brush,
- crevice tool
It also has a metal telescoping wand, a seven foot hose, and a shoulder strap for conveniently carrying the unit. This vacuum is very lightweight weighing in at about 10lbs. It has a 10-inch cleaning path (a little narrow in our opinion) and sports a 20' double insulated commercial power cord - short in our opinion (30 feet plus would be better). Vacuum cleaner dimensions are (L x W x H) 17" x 9" x 11.25".
This is also a bagged vacuum. Canisters/uprights/stick vacuums are either bagged or bagless and there are advantages and disadvantages to each approach. In general bagless machines do not require one to purchase bags but it can be a messy affair to remove, empty and re-attach the dirt canister. The opposite is typically true with bagged vacuums (easier and cleaner to change-out but you have to buy bags). Consumers tend to like one or the other. Some swear by bagged while other feel bagless is the way to go. It is worth pointing out however that a bagless vacuum may have more filters to maintain and they rely on seals to prevent the dirt-container from leaking.
The Eureka Sanitaire SC3683A is CRI Green label approved. We ran into this group recently while researching another commercial vacuum (the Hoover Portapower).
CRI stands for the Carpet and Rug Institute. We know little about this organization but they claim approval indicates that the vacuum is a superior cleaning vacuum that has passed stringent testing for soil removal, dust containment and carpet appearance retention. You can read about this group here if you wish. The vacuum is also UL listed for commercial use. UL stands for Underwriters' Laboratories which are a nonprofit, independent product safety certification organization in the US.
In terms of a warranty there seem to be many sources indicating that this vacuum comes with a limited one-year commercial warranty, while several other sources indicate a 2 year warranty. We note however that the Sanitaire site itself indicates that this vacuum comes with The Sanitaire® Commercial Limited Warranty which states:
Your Sanitaire commercial cleaner is warranted to be free from all defects in material and workmanship in normal use FOR A PERIOD OF TWO YEARS (Models SC678, SC679, SC689 are warranted for ONE YEAR). The warranty is granted on purchases on June 1, 2009 and later, and only to the original purchaser of the cleaner. The warranty of course goes on to discuss several provisions and quite a bit more.
What are consumers saying about the SC3683A?
Consumers rate the Sanitaire SC3683A fairly well and ratings from a few well-known websites are provided below:
| Source | Consumer Ratings | #Ratings |
| Amazon | 4.2 stars out of 5 | 40 |
| Epinions | 3.6 stars out of 5 | 5 |
A reviews of consumer comments related to the Sanitaire SC3683A yielded several common likes and dislikes about the vacuum cleaner. See below
Pros
- Very strong suction
- Light
- Excellent on bare floors
- Easy to change bags/filters
- Small footprint - easy to store
Cons
- Loud
- Power cord is short
- No automatic cord rewind
- Only average on carpet (although a Eureka Power Paw Turbo tool can be attached but is not included).
- Vacuum and exhaust get fairly hot
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