The Sanitaire SC679J Commercial Upright Vacuum Cleaner is a lightweight, corded, and bagged upright vacuum. It is simple to use, low maintenance vacuum, designed to clean large carpeted areas quickly on a daily basis. Today, we will discuss in detail the tech specs and features of the Sanitaire SC679J Commercial Shake-Out Bag Upright Vacuum Cleaner and offer a detailed review of this product.

As usual, before we begin, we invite you to check out the most important vacuum cleaners’ specifications, how to choose a vacuum cleaner guide, how vacuum cleaners work, and what to look for when you want to buy a residential vacuum cleaner versus a commercial one. The vacuum cleaner under scrutiny today is an upright commercial unit, so you have to be careful in your choosing. For this reason, we offer you today the Sanitaire SC679J Commercial Upright Vacuum Cleaner review.

Sanitaire SC679J Commercial Upright Vacuum Cleaner Review

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The Sanitaire SC679J upright vacuum cleaner is a sturdy and durable unit, powered by a 5 Amp motor. At first, such motor appears weak, especially when compared with 10-12 Amps motors commonly found in many residential units, but the suction is very good. When combined with the motorized brush bar, it does an excellent job in carpeted areas.

Sanitaire SC679J is a very simplified and specialized unit. It weighs just over 12 pounds (~5.5 kg), but almost all the weight is resting on the wheels, making it very easy to operate and maneuver for longer periods of time.

Let’s discuss the power switch now. There is just on/off option and the suction is constant, with no power regulators of any kind.

However, to optimize the cleaning of the carpets of various pile heights, the cleaning head comes with a dial-in selector. It is positioned low and one must bend down to change this setting. This can be an issue for people having back problems, but such design allows all of the heavy parts to be concentrated low, on the wheels.

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The handle can be parked vertically or can be moved up-and-down to ease the cleaning and to allow cleaning under the furniture and other objects.

The unit is powered via a 30 feet (~9.1m) power cord, allowing the unit to clean the large areas using a single power outlet. And if that is not enough, the extension cord can be easily used, since the unit operates using just 5 Amps and still providing 120 CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute). Note that the unit’s noise levels are around 78 dB. It is not noisy like a fighter jet taking off, but it could be perhaps less noisy 🙂

sanitare sc679j 1The unit doesn’t have a power cord automatic rewind system. It would be nice to have such a system since the power cord is rather long. On the other hand, such a system would increase the weight, mechanical complexity and in the end, the price of the unit, so perhaps it is not a ‘bad’ thing that this unit lacks such a system.

The Sanitaire SC679J Upright Vacuum Cleaner Tech Specs and Features

Let’s see a quick rundown of the Sanitaire SC679J upright vacuum cleaner’s most attractive tech specs and features. Next we will discuss each of them in detail to help you understand what they mean and how to decide if this is the best commercial vacuum cleaner for your needs.

Key Features

  • Model: upright vacuum cleaner with reusable bag, corded;
  • Weight: 12 lbs (lighter than other commercial vacuums on the market and easier to maneuver in comparison to other upright vacuum cleaners);
  • Input power/current: 5 amp motor;
  • Airflow: 120 cubic feet per minute;
  • Power cord length: 30 feet;
  • The power cord rests on the cable hooks and can be easily wrapped on manually;
  • Handle design: automatic locking system with a foot pedal release for usability;
  • The handle also drops down flat for cleaning under furniture and for storage;
  • In the package: 6 belts included but no other attachments;
  • Users ratings: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Now that we saw the main features of this product, let’s understand them so you can get a better idea about how this vacuum cleaner works and what it can do for you!


Why Should You Buy the Sanitaire SC679J Upright Commercial Vacuum Cleaner?

The cleaning width is 12 inches (~30.5 cm) and the total width of the unit is 14 inches (~35.5 cm). Such cleaning width enables the user to clean a larger area in less time, which is very important for commercial vacuums.

The motorized brush bar does a very good job when cleaning various types of dirt, including pet and human hair. However, it is not of ‘tangle-free’ design and longer hair can accumulate over time around it. This requires the user to stop cleaning and clean the brush bar (which can be done rather quickly, but it does require additional work to be done).

The Sanitaire SC679J uses a reusable vacuum bag for collecting the dirt. The dirt bag’s capacity is 18 dry quarts (that is 4.5 gallons of dirt!). Such capacity enables the user to clean a large area without interruptions.

To fully use such large dirt bag, air enters the bag on the top of the bag, enabling the unit to have constant suction until the bag is almost full.

Emptying the dirt bag can be done quickly and easily, just be careful when shaking the bag. Don’t do that with the whole bag above the trash can, but with the part of the bag in the trash can (or one can create a cloud of dust).

Air filtration is good, but not HEPA grade.

The warranty is one year for both parts and labor – this doesn’t sound much for a commercial unit, but most of the residential units will fall apart after one year of commercial use.

Sanitaire SC679J Upright Commercial Vacuum Cleaner: FAQs

Before we wrap up this review and present you with our verdict, conclusion, and recommendations, let’s check out a few frequently asked questions when it comes to this product!

Is the Sanitaire SC679J Commercial Upright Vacuum Cleaner good for residential use as well?

If the unit is good for commercial use then it must be good for residential use, too, right? Well, the Sanitaire SC679J is optimized for large carpeted areas and it cleans them very well. But, it also lacks accessories like a flexible extension hose and telescopic wand, crevice tool, dusting brush, and other cleaning attachments often found on residential vacuums, designed for cleaning surfaces from the floor to the ceiling, including upholstery, stairs, bookshelves, etc. So, in conclusion, it is an excellent choice for residential use if all you want to do is vacuum carpets.

Which is the best commercial vacuum on the market?

It is hard to pick just one best commercial vacuum cleaner, so we will offer you our top five picks, besides the Sanitaire SC679J model.
1. Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away (NV501);
2. Oreck XL2100RHS;
3. Hoover C2401;
4.  ProTeam Backpack Vacuum;
5. Sanitaire SC3683B

How do you empty the bag on the Sanitaire commercial SC679J upright vacuum cleaner?

The first thing you should do is slide the top of bag out of its open end of the clamp. Next, you should remove the bag from the vacuum cleaner’s body by pulling back the lever arm on the bag collar. The collar is at the bottom of the bag, so pay attention. Prepare a trash bag or a trash can and shake the bag’s contents vigorously inside the trash container. You should do this outside a room you just cleaned. In a hotel or a restaurant/any type of commercial setting, do the cleaning in a specialized room. If you do it at home, pick an area you can clean up easily afterwards from the inherent dust.


Verdict and Final Thoughts on the Sanitaire SC679J Commercial Upright Vacuum Cleaner

The Sanitaire SC679J Commercial Upright Vacuum Cleaner is an inexpensive upright vacuum cleaner for commercial use. It does an excellent job on the carpets of various pile heights. It is good practice to periodically check the condition of the brush bar (long hairs!) and brush bar belt. However, if you have the need to clean ‘just’ carpets at your home, Sanitaire SC679J is an excellent and very affordable choice. With its excellent consumers’ ratings and enthusiast reviews, this unit is an option to consider if you want to buy a reliable, powerful, and affordable commercial vacuum cleaner.