Another great machine from SEBO (Sebo 370)

Member Name: mattrichardson

Product:	Sebo 370
Date:	04/08/08 (213 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great design and performance

Disadvantages: Price maybe?

I was drawn to this machine for one reason.... The cleaners at work have been using/abusing a model similar for years with no problems and reliability is a big issue for me.

The machine specs are quite good. It's a commercial machine with twin motors. A motor to power the agitator brush and a motor for suction. It's got a nice long cable and an okay hose, it's not long enough to reach all the way up the stairs but it will reach about half way. It's got standard filters that are upgradeable to hospital grade; it will cost you around £12 to buy the hospital filter from Sebo. The bags are a decent size and seem to cram quite a lot of dirt into them. The suction motor is 1000 watts, this is pretty standard for a commercial machine and it creates enough suction to give a good clean. Results are very good and it picks up everything in its path including the mountains of hair our dogs shed.

This is Sebos latest commercial machine, it is based on the BS models but Sebo have made a few user friendly changes. Such as the machine having on board tool storage and it using the same bags as the domestic X machines so that they are much easier to come by. Internally though it's still the same as the BS machines and is truly designed to be used constantly by cleaning ladies who neglect their machines constantly while remaining completely reliable. How do I know so much about this machine? Simple. I did a bit of research and spoke to the Sebo rep before buying this machine due to its price tag. I wanted to be sure I was getting my moneys worth.

The machine cost me £379.99 from Comet. Our local store has just started to sell commercial machines from makers such as Sebo and Nilfisk. The machine is available in two different models, the only difference being the size of the cleaning head. There is the 37cm width hence the model number 370 and a larger 470 model with a 47cm cleaning width. I bought the 370 as I felt the 470 would have been too large for domestic use and I wasn't going to pay an extra £100 for the sake of 10cm.

So what made me pick this machine over the Sebo domestic range? Well other than it being a commercial machine designed to last a lot longer there was one main influence. I've used the domestic X range before and found one problem in our house. Having different floor coverings in each room means that when going from room to room I was having to wait for the machines computer to adjust the cleaning height accordingly.... no major problem as it would only take a matter of seconds but if I was ever in a hurry I felt like I was constantly waiting for the machine to adjust. Given the choice of the domestic machines with this feature or the commercial machine without I chose the commercial. I know it's just me being picky but I'd rather be in charge of what setting the machine is at, and I wouldn't be having to wait for the machine to decide what cleaning height it wanted to be at.

Specs and features of the machine. So along with having a long cable, robust body, decent hose and tools and a large bag what other features does this machine boast? Well it has a similar protection system to the X machines. There are two lights on the base of the machine, a red one and a green one. The green light is lit up if the brush is turning okay and is in good contact with the floor. The red light will light up constantly if the brush has jammed and the brush motor has turned itself off to protect the machine. If the red light is flashing then the machine either needs its cleaning height lowering or the brush is worn and the brush strip needs replacing. Being a commercial machine when the brush roller is worn you can replace the strip of brushes, instead of having to buy a whole new brush bar. The brush is driven by a toothed timing belt so the belt should never need replacing as it will not slip and the electronic protection will prevent any wear. When the machine is in the upright position the brush automatically turns off to protect flooring and prevent any wear. The cleaning height of the brushes is adjustable by turning a dial on the side of the cleaners base. It has four different height settings. The cleaner comes on setting two as normal but I'm finding myself leaving it on setting one all the time as I then don't have to lower it every time I vacuum the tiled floor in the kitchen.
There is a bag full indicator near the handle of the machine that lights up red when the nag needs replacing.

There isn't really a set guide for when to replace filters, and being a machine designed to be used by cleaning contractors and things its very low maintenance. Just a case of putting a new bag in when the light comes on.

Cleaning efficiency is good and it's picked up everything i've thrown at it so far. The tools are great and are really practical. For example the crevice tool is nice and long so it gets down between car seats and things with ease. There is no dusting brush supplied with the machine but it can be bought from Sebo as an optional extra for about £4, as can many other optional tools such as a turbo brush. The machine does loose SLIGHT suction as the bag fills but nothing noticeable enough to effect cleaning performance. The bag in my machine is currently just over half full and its compacted so much to the point of resembling a bag of cement dust but the machine is still giving full suction. The only downside to having a bagged machine for me is that they start to smell quite badly of stale dog as the bag fills, that's just something that comes with owning animals though.

Sebo domestic machines now come with a 5 year parts and labour warranty as standard. Commercial machines come with a 1 year warranty. However I have spoken to a manager from Sebo and they have said that due to the machine being used for domestic use they will cover it with the 5 year parts and labour warranty.

Weight and noise of the machine are normal. Elderly users would probably find the machine too heavy to push. I wouldn't say it was any heavier than a Dyson to lift and certainly no noisier.

All in all it's a great machine I'm very satisfied with. The £380 price tag is somewhat high but it is a commercial machine after all and you get what you pay for. It's certainly a lot nicer/easier to use than the Kirby that cost me £1000 and hardly gets used because it's so fiddly!

Summary: Great if you want something that will last

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