New Oreck Quest Pro

VacuumLand – Vintage & Modern Vacuum Enthusiasts

Help Support VacuumLand:

V

vac-o-matic

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
1,512
Location
Saint Louis, Mo.
We finally got our new canister in and it's a beautiful shade of candy apple red with gray trim. Quiet, great cloth bags, etc. It looks like a lot of other canisters, if anybody has an idea what it might be a clone of, let me know. It has a six position power nozzle that I've not seen on any other. It is from, yeah, China. Kind of looks like the Royal Lexon line, Hoover Anniversary Windtunnel canister, and I'm sure some others. It's priced at 499.99, considerably less than our former Dutchtech line, but at least they had Wessel-Werk power nozzles. Check out Oreck.com, see what you think.
 
Well, it doesn't look as heavy-duty as the DutchTech, but then again, it's no where near the price. I just wonder if they're as much of a nightmare to service. Lots of little parts made the DutchTech a pain! I recall selling maybe a handful of DutchTechs, they're not really what Oreck is known for. It fills a vacuum (pun intended) for a niche audience. I would only sell one to a customer who ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY REFUSED to use an upright! If I could sway them to buy an upright, I would. Wonder how long it'll be before all Oreck products are made in China. Oh, the humanity!

- Karl
 
the canister looks
like the shark professional
power nozzle is new design
red color like the
bissell digipro canister
? ? ?
 
I like the look of it... the body and especially the power nozzle. I like power nozzles and vacuums with edges that extend past the main body, that kind of "stick out" on either side... and the body is very sleek looking... and the color is great... but it's lacking some very important, common features that NO modern canister should be without... mainly a quick release power nozzle and finger tip power switch (looks like only a bare floor rocker switch in the hand grip).... I'd say Kenmore still has them beat, but Kenmore has started to integrate the dusting brush into the hand grip and it's a joke, with barely any bristles at all, and the upholstery tool now is a joke too.. it has rubber fins, I guess to keep drapes from being sucked in.... what ever happened to real attachments?

Here's a pic and a link, just to make things more convenient :o)



http://www.oreck.com/Oreck-Quest-Pro-Canister-Vacuum
vacuumfreeeke++2-14-2011-20-12-53.jpg
 
Hey Bobbie, you just brought my attention to something I didn't notice. There is a quick disconnect at the power nozzle that must've been added or redesigned after these pics were taken. It can be released from either the left or the right with a butterfly shaped pedal down at the neck. There's also a nice horsehair wide bare floor brush that comes with it, looks like the one that comes with the new Constellations, pretty generic, but nice. Overall it's a really nice machine, I've sold one so far since they came in. I had good luck selling the Dutchtechs so these should be an easier sell with the lower price point, and we'll have to wait and see about durability and reliability. I haven't seen one broken down, but I like the construction of the main machine better, and hopefully will be easier to work on than the Dutchtech, although about the only thing we do to them is replace the cordwinders, after the owners have yanked the plug out of the wall from across the room and left half of it in the outlet! We do not do plug replacements, so we have to order the whole cord reel setup. It's amazing, I tell the customer they can go to the hardware store and buy a two dollar plug and do it themselves, but they leave it and buy the new cordreel.
 
Wow, that's a pretty important feature for them to leave off the picture and website.... it may make them lose sales. If I were looking for a canister and I were just a "regular" consumer, I would probably go for a Kenmore/Panasonic canister that had quick release instead of this thing because there is no place that indicates it is included. I guess that's why it's good to go to the store and see the thing in person, but still, interest has to be created somewhere, and the manufacturers web site seems to be the place for that.

I have never been impressed with Oreck uprights.... they are too loud, and when I used mine yesterday, it snowplowed things like onion skin and garlic peel on my carpet by the kitchen... I had to lift the machine up and place it over the debris.... then it spit it behind the machine and I had to try 3 more times.... finally when it just wouldn't go in (new bag and belt and brushroll, btw), I just opened the bag up and dropped it in manually.... I guess I should have just thrown it in the trash, but I was trying to show the silly Oreck what he supposed to be doing! Of course that doesn't say much, my Kirbys snowplow too, but at least with them, I can raise the height all the way and usually go high enough over the debris that it somehow finds its way into the bag... maybe it's my flat carpet, though that seems to be what Orecks were designed for.

I wouldn't pay the new price for one of these, but if I ever see one on Craig's List, I would snap it up, even if just to look at.... It will be a long time though since they are still so new.

Let me ask, does the power nozzle have a cogged belt with overload protection? If not, Oreck needs to go back to the drawing board. I know Oreck enjoys selling belts, but for a modern canister not to have a cogged belt is a little crazy. Is the brushroll chevron style? Wood, plastic, or metal? How stiff are the bristles? I think I need to go to a store and check one out on person.
 
Looks pretty much like generic chinese crap...Oreck is a niche vacuum cleaner and a fad that is quickly dying. Thank God Target is carrying them so the Oreck stores will quickly die away with the fad.
 
Having worked in an Oreck store, and strongly considered OWNING an Oreck store, those are some pretty strong words there. They're one of the few makes that still have a dealership! We're not here to "bash" brands. I too lament that some Orecks are now being made in China....
 
Karl, I'd think long and hard before even remotely considering working in one or owning one- Oreck is now available in Target. This will kill Oreck's dealership niche. What they need to do is allow Oreck stores to carry other brands (that don't break as often) so that they can continue to salvage their (the owner's) reputation as a decent businessperson.

When the Oreck stores came up for sale around here 3 years ago (and they still are very much for sale), I saw the books for all three stores. I'm still bound by the non-disclosure agreement...but let's just say I would rather invest money in a Siberian timber forest.
 
i have noticed
a lack of infomercials
from oreck, used to be
they were on everywhere
i do laugh when im on
youtube and an oreck add
is on the sidebar
mining for a younger buyer?
hint....target audience
still watches tv
 
Chris, you're probably the type of vac shop owner that bashes any brand that's not available in your shop. There are many Oreck store owners that count on the income from their stores to put food on the table for their families. I would never thank God that anyone would lose their livelihood just to enhance my own, but then again, that's not what I'm about. Oreck is a part-time job for me, as it puts me in touch with some of the vacuum buying public. I'm not saying if I had a choice of only one vacuum, it would be an Oreck, I have so many, it would be hard to choose, however, the brand does fill a niche, and we have a lot of dedicated owners who wouldn't own anything else, as with other high end brands that cost a lot more than ours. You've made snide remarks in the past on the forum reagarding Orecks, and everyone is entitled to their opinions, but I would really think before you type, otherwise you come off as self-centered, self-serving, and pompous.
 
I definitely don't bash all brands that I don't carry- if we did that, there would be no way to talk someone who can't afford a new vacuum into paying for an expensive repair. I have bitten my tongue and teach employees to bite their tongues when trying to talk someone out of a machine. As I say with Dyson, we enjoy making money off of the repairs.

The stores I'm referencing are in our general area, so I have no clue the customer service available in the stores where you are a part time employee. I'm sure yours is much better than anything in this area- but really now, Oreck is just a giant joke of a vacuum cleaner.

I wish my part timers were as defensive of our TTI products as you are of Oreck. Oh yea, and I am cut throat when it comes to business, there are two competitors in another county that are good friends and decent people- we send people to each other all of the time. As for the Oreck stores, nobody really likes the idiots who incompetently run them, therefore we enjoy taking their business. Three years ago, there were 4 stores competing in my market area, the last one of them closed last month. Just like in the woods, only the smart survive.
 
ok...

ok...we all have our own opinions on certin products. there is absolutly NO reason to fight over that. I think that all products have there pros and cons. some more than others. I personally have an oreck upright and it is great for what I use it for. light duty every day cleanups. for the weekly cleaning I use my kirby gsix. that also has its flaws. this forum was made to be fun, not for arguements over what one has in their vacuum shop or what vacuum isnt as good an pointing out every single detail why. that would be like me saying why i didn't like someone at school to a bunch of friends just to start trouble. in my opinion that is unnessecary. again. we all have our opinions. im not trying to be a butt-in ski but there it is. NOW: on the the topic at hand. I think that would be a great alternitave for those who don't have the money to purchace a miele.

~Josh
 
Oreck stores to carry other brands (that don't break as

I'll have you know that Oreck is one of the simplest machines in the vacuum cleaner industry to work on. If you can't, you have no business owning a vac store. The reason they break as often as they do is because incompetent owners use (and ABUSE) the machine for other than its intended purpose. For example, once in awhile, we'd get in an Oreck where the "cleaning lady" vacuumed up dog waste. Most parts are interchangeable, we sold 1 bag style to fit ALL of the Oreck uprights, and I dare say I doubt you would never tell a customer who brings in an Oreck "I won't service your machine" just because you can't sell them. Yes, the vacuum cleaner industry, like many other businesses today is very cut throat, everybody is out to screw everybody else over. Knowing Oreck is marketed through so many channels today is definitely a deterrent from owning a store, but like I say they have their own dealerships, at least, for the time being. I'd love to see TTI do that!
 
My 2 cents worth:
First of all, I think most of us have forgotten how simple an upright vacuum is really supposed to be. My Oreck XL Platinum is fine for carpets. I don't expect it to do anything else and I'm never disappointed. Long before the days on-board tools and 12 amp motors, our older family members had been using highly efficient 3 and 4 amp uprights for decades to the benefit of the carpets.

How exactly IS Oreck supposed to compete with companies like TTI and who says Oreck or any other brand has the best thing going? No brand does and that's why vac shops are still around. It's an industry built on "upselling". For every brand of machine out there that you think is "the bees knees", there's a shop owner with at least 5 of the same brand in his backroom that were traded in on something else he managed to demonstrate as a better brand.

I don't envy the plight of the present day vac shop owner. Their jobs have gotten a lot harder. Not only do they have pressure from external retail sources when it comes to pricing, but they've also got to stand behind brands that they don't necessarily believe in because the wholesale distributor is allegedly giving them such good incentive price points. I have a friend who's a Miele Diamond Dealer and also keeps Riccar and Sebo prominently displayed in his store. He told me he does this to apply pressure to the reps who distribute each of these brands. This is free-enterprise at its best.

Anyway, I don't think Oreck competes with these brands. I think they keep things like full sized canisters in their product line just so they don't have to see a potential customer walk out the door, because we all know there are die hard canister users who won't convert to upright and vicey versey. I'm not necessarily pro-Oreck (used to manage a store, could tell you nightmarish stories about the company), but at least I know I'll always find a replacement roller brush if I got into their stores without being told that they no onger carry one for my machine. The absolute worst tactic is when the guy in the vac shop tells you: "um sir, we'll need to order that part for you. It will take two weeks". What he's really hoping is that you won't want to wait two weeks and you'll immediately trade your machine in. That's just more upselling. One of Oreck's regional VP's once told me: "we're not in the vacuum business, we're in the bag, belt, brush, air freshener and shampoo business". Take this any way you choose.

I know I'll be corrected on this one (go ahead) but it seems to me that companies like Hoover and Royal didn't get themselves into trouble until they started trying to "reinvent the wheel" in the vacuum market. There was probably a marked moment in the history of Hoover's fiscal health when they strayed away from what they've always done so well and started making all the plastic machines in the 80's. One could probably find this pattern in Royal's record, right about the time they started making Dirt devil uprights.

Anyway It's not as if Target or any shopping channel or the other retailers are being allowed to sell Oreck's best models. I'd like to see Target keep ample supply of Oreck's so called "high filtration" bags in stock and at a competitive price. Lotsa luck there.
 
"I'll have you know that Oreck is one of the simplest machines in the vacuum cleaner industry to work on."

Very very true here. I still think Oreck has some work to do. They've rested on their laurels for a good 30 years with the "hotel upright". I'm hoping to see some more enhancements in the XL21 model platform. I'm thoroughly enjoying my Platinum.
 
It takes my high schoolers about an hour to learn how to work on an Oreck...so I'm not sure what your point is...

The real vacuum repairmen are the ones who know how to rebuild an Electrolux motor, Kirby motor, and a myriad of other complex machines. If one can work on a simple Electrolux Power Nozzle, then one can work on a very simple Oreck.

"Knowing Oreck is marketed through so many channels today is definitely a deterrent from owning a store"-- I'm glad we agree on at least something :-)

Like young Josh said in an earlier post- there is no perfect vacuum cleaner. It's all about who is using it/where it is being used/and what types of floors it is being used to clean. If I suggested someone purchase a Metal Royal to clean their beautiful polished concrete, they would be forever dissatisfied with their machine.
 
I love my oreck

My oreck XL2600 is one of my favorite vacuums, and my daily driver for over a month, which is kind of a record. And i beleive this site is called VACUUMLAND- and orecks are vacuums. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Thats just my two cents.

VW
 
to each their own...

No matter what the brand, where it's made, what it cost... even what color it is, there are people who LOVE them and people who HATE them. I love Kirbys, someone else may absolutly HATE Kirby with a passion and have really good reasons to hate them.
I suggest that if someone loves a brand you hate don't get bent out of shape over it. You won't change their mind, so don't bother trying. You can express your 'distaste' for a brand with out getting nasty toward someone who does not agree with your opinion, after all it is just an opinion.
Now, if they love Dirt Devil... well, that's another matter.
Justin ;)(just kidding)
 
Kirby is my all-time favorite vac brand and the most numerous in my collection. I really havnt seen anyone who doesnt like kirby on vacuumland, but im sure somebody doesnt. Oreck is my second favorite vac brand.

VW
 
Personally I like my Orecks. They are a very simple easy to use machine. My family has owned them for years and they all still run. It is now tradition to get one from my mom when we each get our own house. Evryone my think what they want about them, or any other machine for that matter but in the end it all come down to personal choice. For me an Oreck is much easier to pull out and do a quick run around before company come or what not.

My Local Oreck store is a hot spot in town on weekends normally 8 or 9 people deep at a time, looking, buying supplies or just stopping in. The owner of our local store is very successful and treats all of his customers very well.

As far as where they are sold, who cares? What does it matter that Target sells them? Target sells Dysons does that make them any less of a machine? Even better Bed Bath and Beyond sells Miele, that does not make them a bad machine. The place where a vacuum is sold does not matter.
 
Im curious to try out one of these new Oreck canisters. I have used the full sized DutchTech canister and I really liked it. The unit has similar power to a Miele, nice build quality, and the Wessel-Werks PN like Miele. Who manufactured the DutchTech canisters for Oreck? While they didnt have as many features as a Miele, they certainly were a reasonable competitor as well as being slightly less expensive than the full sized Miele. I was a bit disappointed to see that Oreck no longer sells the DutchTech and I doubt this new machine is constructed as well either.

Oreck certainly has its on niche in the market place. They do make a nice straight forward easy to use upright that does a pretty good job. However, it cant be compared to a machine like Kirby or a metal Royal. Thats like comparing apples to oranges, two totally different animals that are set out to appeal to two totally different market segments. You cant expect an Oreck to deep clean like a Kirby or have the option to convert it to a canister set up. Its a light weight upright that picks up the dirt and debris and grooms the carpet well, its not made to deep clean a carpet like a Kirby. While I dont absolutely love Orecks, I do appriciate them for what they are and that they are constantly trying to improve on their previous model
 

Similar threads

P
1985 NYTIMES article on the Electrolux Factory Closing in Old Greenwich, CT
Replies
9
Views
380
royalsuper
royalsuper
N
new turbocat pro
Replies
10
Views
193
tolivac
T
V
Another HooverOreck product....
Replies
2
Views
41
daknx1994
D
N
my review of the pro-team super coach and Perfect pb1001 backpack vacuums
Replies
9
Views
2K
n0oxy
N
P
Marking Electrolux Time in 2017
Replies
4
Views
119
collector2
collector2

Latest posts

Back
Top