Oreck improvements
"Oreck should shorten the airpath. - or make the fill tube larger bore." They do in their XL 21/Platinum line. I don't know about a steel fancase, but perhaps a steel lined fancase would make them more durable, while minimizing weight increase. Also, dirt tubes had a greater propensity to get clogged in the older models where they used pins and rivets. I've come to find many preowned Orecks have not been used but ABUSED. It's not designed to pick up gravel and coins, no dirty air cleaner is. I've seen Kirby (500 series) machines with busted fancases because someone tried to do that. All in all, I do think it's a pretty good design, and now that the patent has expired, other vac manufacturers are jumping on the bandwagon. IMHO, 4 amps is plenty of power.