gmerkt
New member
Fantomlightning, I'd be interested to know more about any connection Sanyo had with the manufacture of the Chinese Fantoms. I've not liked the Euro-Pro/Shark stuff that I've worked on or seen, but a Sanyo connection might be an explanation for the seeming higher level of quality on the Fantoms.
The Sanitaire SC899, that's the one with the 16 inch brushroll, sells online for about $260 or thereabouts. Plus shipping. However, I just about fell over when I was in a vac shop not long ago and they had a new one at around $400. My interest in the 899 is from having one I refurbed and had no trouble selling. It was used but in pretty good condition; I didn't have to do much to it. I can't remember what I sold it for, but around $50 and it went fast. A carpet installer bought it; he liked the shake-out bag which in his business filled up very fast with new carpet residue after installation.
Every once in a while I get a commercial machine. The last one was another Sanitaire, not the wide brush. It was a lesser model, didn't say the word commercial on it but by definition I'd say anything Sanitaire is in that ball park. It was the dark blue/chrome one.
Funny story. It was a pretty nice machine with a small hole in the plastic bag adapter, which I replaced with a used part. I had it all cleaned up and ready to go and someone came over to look at it. I went through the demo routine, then when I went to show them how to change a bag, the plastic zipper on the bag broke. No sale; I was disgusted. So it sat around for a couple of months and I finally checked on getting a replacement bag, which if too expensive would cause me to chuck the machine. Well, the bag assembly was pretty cheap, so I put one on my next Hesco order. When it came, it was truly an assembly, including bag adapter, fill tube, bag garter, and even a new F&G bag installed. It was a generic for any similar Eureka or Sanitaire, in white and looked good with the blue. All I had to do was turn two screws and hook the bag spring.
So the machine was ready to go all over again, and I jacked the price enough to cover the cost of the new bag. It sold quickly too. A man and his young adult son came over; they were buying it to keep in an apartment building they owned for the tenants to use so wanted something heavy duty. The younger guy tipped it over, looked at the model number, and said, "Yep, this is the one." I guess he knew a little about such things.
I've got another commercial downstairs that I refurbed but haven't done anything with. Look this one up: Clear Max, marked on the ID tag "Commercial Vacuum Cleaner" and it's a model CMS 1T. I've checked them out online and Clear Max makes a line of commercial machines, all Chinese presumably. They take a proprietary bag, which so far as I can tell need to be bought in quantity. I've found that Kenmore U bags have a collar that fits the Clear Max bag dock okay but I'm reluctant to try to sell it without being able to tell the buyer where they can get a ready supply of bags, plus I don't want to buy 25 bags to get one proper one just to sell it. So it sits there. I've used it around my home; it's okay but not special. Main thing I had to do to it was repair the cord. More bad copper; broken strands at the strain relief caused it to pop and separate. I shortened the cord a few inches back to good material but this shouldn't happen.
The Sanitaire SC899, that's the one with the 16 inch brushroll, sells online for about $260 or thereabouts. Plus shipping. However, I just about fell over when I was in a vac shop not long ago and they had a new one at around $400. My interest in the 899 is from having one I refurbed and had no trouble selling. It was used but in pretty good condition; I didn't have to do much to it. I can't remember what I sold it for, but around $50 and it went fast. A carpet installer bought it; he liked the shake-out bag which in his business filled up very fast with new carpet residue after installation.
Every once in a while I get a commercial machine. The last one was another Sanitaire, not the wide brush. It was a lesser model, didn't say the word commercial on it but by definition I'd say anything Sanitaire is in that ball park. It was the dark blue/chrome one.
Funny story. It was a pretty nice machine with a small hole in the plastic bag adapter, which I replaced with a used part. I had it all cleaned up and ready to go and someone came over to look at it. I went through the demo routine, then when I went to show them how to change a bag, the plastic zipper on the bag broke. No sale; I was disgusted. So it sat around for a couple of months and I finally checked on getting a replacement bag, which if too expensive would cause me to chuck the machine. Well, the bag assembly was pretty cheap, so I put one on my next Hesco order. When it came, it was truly an assembly, including bag adapter, fill tube, bag garter, and even a new F&G bag installed. It was a generic for any similar Eureka or Sanitaire, in white and looked good with the blue. All I had to do was turn two screws and hook the bag spring.
So the machine was ready to go all over again, and I jacked the price enough to cover the cost of the new bag. It sold quickly too. A man and his young adult son came over; they were buying it to keep in an apartment building they owned for the tenants to use so wanted something heavy duty. The younger guy tipped it over, looked at the model number, and said, "Yep, this is the one." I guess he knew a little about such things.
I've got another commercial downstairs that I refurbed but haven't done anything with. Look this one up: Clear Max, marked on the ID tag "Commercial Vacuum Cleaner" and it's a model CMS 1T. I've checked them out online and Clear Max makes a line of commercial machines, all Chinese presumably. They take a proprietary bag, which so far as I can tell need to be bought in quantity. I've found that Kenmore U bags have a collar that fits the Clear Max bag dock okay but I'm reluctant to try to sell it without being able to tell the buyer where they can get a ready supply of bags, plus I don't want to buy 25 bags to get one proper one just to sell it. So it sits there. I've used it around my home; it's okay but not special. Main thing I had to do to it was repair the cord. More bad copper; broken strands at the strain relief caused it to pop and separate. I shortened the cord a few inches back to good material but this shouldn't happen.
