Are Oreck Vacuums any good?

[dwl93]

Are they? I'm considering getting one (most likely a used one) and was wondering if they're worth it.

 

[tylerawells]

A lot of people will tell you that the Oreck XL21 is perhaps one of their best uprights. They are lightweight and incredibly strong suction, and fairly deep cleaners on the low pile carpet. The motors are screamers and it is a direct air machine. They are pretty durable - my grandmother has had one for 20 years, I've had one for 1 year and both have been very good machines. They are now part of TTI, which is the same company that owns Royal Appliance Manufacturing, Dirt-Devil, and Hoover in floorcare, along with brands like Homelite etc... in outdoor yard maintenance equipment.

 

[sebo_fan]

Im not a fan of the original XL model and they seem to come up a lot on auction sites. I have yet to use an Oreck that is quiet. The later models with the slide in bag dock are easier to rely on though as the bag isn't liable to fall off through use and thus pepper the internal bag with dust. In terms of cleaning, I have always admired the brush rolls as they are bushy and soft in general. However a few models have plastic fans that are liable to break over the more commercial version which has a metal fan for better longevity.


 


More modern Orecks (sadly in the UK we only have a few older models) with open rear wheels makes it a heck of a lot easier to wheel away after usage. However, the better one I have so far found is a TTi product, the Hoover Signature, only its called the Vax VCU02 here. It has a similar push on bag to the older Oreck but a much bigger dust channel to prevent the bag from coming off. It is noisy but not as noisy as our old Oreck. The compromise you make with this model is that the permanent rear handle gets in the way for true flat to the floor cleaning and doesn't benefit from the Oreck helping handle. 


 


Also, although both these models and generic Orecks have a similar design outright, at the base spine due to the thrust of suction the machines can clog, requiring dismantling. The Vax I have doesn't suffer from this much though I do check it perodically - and I've been generally impressed with this vacuum since my Gtech sweeper is awaiting a new handle to arrive due it being used as a quick daily driver and though the dust bags aren't as big as Oreck, they're still pretty big at nearly 8 litres. However I have noticed that as soon as the bags start to get really heavy with dirt, the vacuum isn't as lightweight to push anymore, especially on medium carpet - that's when I rely more on my Sebo X uprights or the Felix.

 

[vacman117]

Try checking your local Big Lots frequently. I found my Pilot there for $129. Oreck does a fantastic job on their factory refurbs, just like new. 


 


You can't even compare the original Orecks to the Pilot or XL21. They are far quieter, have better brushrolls, and clean a heck of a lot better. I have a very deep pile carpeting and my Pilot is one of my only vacuums that will actually pull itself on it. I'd definitely recommend one in a heartbeat.


 


Chase

 

[super-sweeper]

I love my XL9100,

It isn't a screamer like the XL2's, Plus the motor is bigger, beffy-er and more metal-er!


It does a nice job on carpets, And is handy to have and whip out in an instance when there's dust to be tackled!


I highly recommend older Orecks, After lending them my Kirby and a Commercial Fantom, I rebuilt my neighbor and friend an XL-Commercial unit, which they still love and use all these years later! Just recently (July) I gave their Mother (And Friend) a XL9100 I refurbished for her. She loves it! All they used before was a little Dirt-Devil carpet sweeper, they never did drag out their Rainbow or Dirt Devil!


 


-Alex.

 

[spiraclean]

Probably in the minority here, but I quite like them and think they have their place. They were originally designed for use on very low pile, flat carpeting as one would find in commercial applications, and this is where they shine. My home has short pile berber throughout, and I had no complaints whatsoever about its performance. Pet hair and scattered cat litter were not a problem, and pickup on bare floors is surprisingly good for an upright. On deeper pile it will surface clean and groom very nicely, although for deep cleaning I think there are better choices out there.

The noise is something that gets mentioned quite a lot. To be honest I don't find the Oreck to be unusually loud, but it is quite a high pitched sound (I definitely preferred it over the irritating howl of the Dyson DC07, which really grated on my nerves). Noise is subjective however, so mayhaps it would be wise to try one before buying if possible to see if it's something you can live with.

I very much liked the companion canister unit that comes with it as well, probably because I really don't like uprights with onboard tools. Works well for what it's intended, i.e. stairs and above floor cleaning, and is great for use in the car.

 

[durango159]

Warranty Issues

A big problem you will run into is warranty. With the recent bankruptcy and sale of Oreck to TTI, you may trouble getting service. My local dealer, a former Oreck Authorized Service dealer will only be warranting Orecks bought at their store. Anywhere else, will no longer have a warranty repair.

As far as performance I can not recommend an Oreck. Cleaning is fair. Their filtration drives me crazy. I've had severe allergy issues and have had to find a different machine to use due to awful exhaust from Orecks!!! The bags say that they're Hypo Allergenic and special Micro filtration. I believe it is primarily cause it's an unsealed system with poor airflow and dirt blowing out back of power head. I've allergy problems with 6 different Oreck upright models to include the Dual Stack commercial upright, XL21, U2000R commercial, and various 1 and 2 speed home use XL uprights.

In contrast I've never had allergy problems with Hoover Decade uprights, Hoover canisters, Hoover Elite/ PowerDrive uprights, Riccar vacuums, Aerus vacuums, Sebos, and most other vacs.

 

[vac-o-matic]

Business as usual here.....

I have worked part-time in an Oreck store for over 8yrs, one of 7 in the St. Louis metro area. We are honoring warranties, as long as valid for the machine as we always have. TTI has said there is no change with warranty procedures at this time. If the machine is under warranty, and it was bought at any other vendor, we will honor it. As far as dust leakage, there are two couplers, one at each end of the wand from the bag connector, down into the fan housing. Many times these have come loose and just need to be tightened. We sell a very good white fabric hepa bag for the uprights with odor fighting charcoal, and have very satisfied customers including myself since I have a shedding dog. If all the fittings are tight and the bag is installed properly, there shouldn't be any issues.

 

[kirbyloverdan]

Rick

you are 100% correct Oreck will be run just as it always has .

I am highly allergic to dust and when I run all of my Oreck's nothing ever bothers me .

I can`t use my Filter Queens or any other bag less vacuums because they are way to messy to mess with and I suffer cleaning them out bagged vacuums only for me or my Rainbow or many other water vacuums I own .

Dan