A comparison of the performance of some key components of the vacuum systems of the third generation synchrotron radiation (SR) light sources ESRF and Elettra is made. It is shown that, following routine vacuum interventions, both accelerators reach suitably high gas-scattering beam lifetimes in a matter of few tens of ampere·hours of integrated beam doses. The impact of the installation of narrow-gap vacuum chambers is discussed. Some failures and their impact on the operation of the accelerators are described in detail.