New Oreck Quest Pro

[ohio_tuec]

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!

 

[luxlife]

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.

 

[luxlife]

"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.

 

[scvacuumguy]

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.

 

[vac_whisperer]

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

 

[djtaylor]

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)

 

[vac_whisperer]

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

 

[luxlife]

" I have bitten my tongue and teach employees to bite their tongues"

Well bless your heart! I'm biting my tougue right now!

 

[isufan11]

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.

 

[bimmer740]

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

 

[ohio_tuec]

What does it matter that Target sells them?

It matters a great deal to the Oreck stores who (except for mail order and QVC) had exclusive rights to sell them up until this point! They'll have to work much harder now servicing the machines that are already out there, and trying to squeeze every dollar they can out of a repair. Back in the day, Oreck could be sold through mom and pop vacuum stores. Then, about 1996, Mr. Oreck told the vac stores "either go all Oreck, and ONLY Oreck, or you can't sell my product at all." I think if Oreck deviates away from their 8 lb. Hotel Upright, not only will all Orecks be produced in China, but they may go out of business completely. I'm not saying Oreck is the best, or Kirby is the best, but each one has its niche audience. And each one has their own dealership, for now at least. Kirby too, has its disadvantages. First and foremost, it's as expensive as hell new, second they're HEAVY as anything (and the Tech Drive introduced with the Generation 3 didn't help the weight factor). Why Kirby chooses to knock on random doors in poorer neighborhoods to make a sale is anyone's guess (at least here in New York). Otherwise, they're a fabulous machine.

 

[luxlife]

One overlooked point about the Oreck upright (as it was told to my by management training) The philosophy behind a lightweight easy to use machine was the hope that it would be used more often if it was made easier to use. The folks at Oreck would love to see us vacuuming every single day. More vacuuming = more full bags + more worn belts & brushes. Oreck is in the biz for these things too.

The last time I vacuumed every single day was when I visited my grandmother and got to use her Singer 2 speed upright (circa 1960-something).

 

[alaskabob]

orecks have been
sold in the jc penny
catalog for years
way before they
were at target
and online too

 

[piano_god]

...who made the DutchTech?

Philips.

The machine was made in the Netherlands (...or as some like to call it, Holland. Hence the name "Dutch").

The hose was sourced from Plastiflex and the powerhead and attachments were manufactured by Wessel Werk.

 

[tolivac]

Oreck-Yes their uprights fill a certain need-but don't like the outsourcing of the machines to Chnina.Bet the Dutch made "DutchTech" canister was a better quality machine-please stay with it.I have seen too many Chinese built canister vacs in vac shop repair tables-many visits,and in their dumpsters.

 

[scvacuumguy]

"I have seen too many Chinese built canister vacs in vac shop repair tables-many visits,and in their dumpsters."

Rex- come down one state and visit one day...I'm staring at at-least 60 chinese vacuums sitting in our repair area waiting to be picked up. I really wish people appreciated American Made products that lasted for a long time.

One last comment about Oreck- the older Orecks XL9100, etc- those really do last a long time and people who actually take care of them could possibly use them 15-20 years or more.

 

[ohio_tuec]

Bet the Dutch made "DutchTech" canister was a better

But an absolute nightmare to work on! I remember the service tech in the Oreck training video was sweating and stuttering as he was taking the cleaner apart. I was more confused after watching the video than I was before. Well made, yes, but unnecessarily complicated. I wish Oreck would bring back the Dual-Stack. It was far better than the Sanitaire-esque Perfect machines they now offer....

 

[joshdonnell]

miele wasn't made here there damn good vacuums a lot better then all plastic canisters . like riccar, kencrap, lg, etc

 

[vacman117]

I don't know if anyone posted this, but that looks like a Hoover power nozzle that was never released. There is a video of it on Youtube, and it looks similar. I included the link to it..
Chase

 

[vac-o-matic]

That's it!

Hey Chase, thanks for the info, that's exactly the power nozzle on the Quest Pro. I wonder under what pretenses that guy got the power nozzle, and interesting he didn't show what vacuum it was connected to. It's the same brushroll as ours too, and alas, not a cogged belt. One thing different about the power nozzle, when you crank it up to the highest setting and want to go back down to the lowest, it clicks down through every setting instead of just dropping all the way, interesting. I have crunched up Rice Krispies and rubbed kapock all over the plush carpet in the showroom, even stomped it in, and the Quest Pro gets it in the first pass. I like the six position height adjuster, and the machine is ultra quiet. I wish the hose was a little longer, reminds me of the shortcomings of the Electrolux hoses, just another foot would make a difference. The brushroll is very agressive, looking very similar to the Hoover Windtunnel's. While most people come into Oreck for the lightweight upright, this model will fill a niche like the Dutchtech did when we sold those. In the past, I've sold the both upright and Dutchtech to the same customer wanting the convenience of both for whatever reasons, so we'll see how these go, and am interested in the durability, and longevity. My manager at Oreck offered me a new Quest Pro in lieu of my Christmas bonus, and I took the bonus, since I already have so many vacuums, and I want to wait and see how the new model holds up. I'll say one thing, it sure is a looker! Btw, it's not packaged with a turbo nozzle, but we are giving them with the purchase of the vacuum.