Opinions on Oreck XL's

[blackheart]

A week's worth of dirt

In order to find out if they are really effective or not I ran the Oreck 4090, pictured above 6/7 days in a week (I skipped Sunday due to feeling ill, and having to work)
I live in a 1 bedroom apt, it's just my cat and I, only my living room and bedroom have carpeting, there's also a rug by the door.

In my opinion it did rather well, and i'd feel comfortable using an oreck (older or newer) as a sole vacuum (along with a companion canister). Sure it's not a tandem air, kirby, or sanitaire but i do feel it does a respectable job.

Here's some shots of the debris it gathered in it's week long run, some of the grittier particles were still caught in the folds, especially the bottom.

 

[vac-o-matic]

Devin, that amount in the bag after a week shows that Orecks are viable cleaners. There are so many haters out there that bash the brand. When I worked at the Oreck store, people would bring them in and they weighed 15lbs. instead of 8, they'd set it up on the platform, and say "it's not pickin' up"! That's because they filled the bag to the max, and it was like a brick! Oh well, hard to help stupid. Where did they think the dirt went? If you keep a good brushroll/belt on them, they work well. As for people complaining about them leaking dust around the tubes, tighten the collars around each end of the tube, and make sure there's a rubber ring inside the collar! I use my Orecks frequently and never have that problem.

 

[wyaple]

I'm Always Amazed When People Have Such

Varying opinions and experiences with nearly the same machine. For this simple XL model, it's "supposed" to have high airflow and at least medium water lift, so I get confused when one group can't seem to get these to work well and another group has great results for over 10 years.

I never use a vac to pick up debris, only dust and dirt that humans normally can't pickup by hand. And all my machines are kept squeaky clean, brush rolls included. If your cleaner is clogged, brush roll has enough hair to cover someone's head and bag is jam-packed, you're not getting the best cleaning experience possible.

Bill

 

[kloveland]

I personally like them. The tall handle is great for taller people. And they groom carpet nicely. I currently have two of the older style Oreck uprights. They are also very easy to service!

 

[daknx1994]

I personally like them. People complain about the noise level but have you used a Tacony lightweight? Those are not by any means any quieter. Are they over priced? Somewhat even when compared to Tacony models. They sell well and most consumers seem to love them. I have two classic type models as well as a platinum model. I have fifteen year old carpet and the Oreck's are one of the only machines that makes the carpet stand up and look refreshed. I hear many people complain that they are not real durable. I would have people bring them into work and most of the time the fans were jammed due to a coin or Bobby pin being picked up. The worst I have seen is on the xl21 models, the early ones having fan housings split apart. Other than that I have never seen major problems out of these units.

 

[tolivac]

Maybe like Simplicity--Oreck should try to come out with a cordless Oreck.The dealer I frequent carries both Oreck and Simplicity-the Simplicitys outsell the Orecks.Customers really like the cordless Simplicity.I am getting one in the near future.

 

[vacerator]

But TTI

already has a cordless Dirt Devil.

 

[durango159]

A Simplicity Supralite will zoom itself across a room if in upright handle and turned on!! They will run away from you quick if switch is on when the unit is plugged in. An oreck doesn't have that power.

Orecks are lightweight to carry but hard to push I've noticed. The Simplicity's maneuver easy and clean fantastic.

 

[stormcrash]

I've never found Oreck vacuums hard to push, I actually sometimes find myself vacuuming too quickly especially towards the end. And while not fast, growing up if our Oreck was on and in the upright locked position it would start to slowly crawl forward under its own power.

One other thing I will say is that I think Oreck nailed it with the Helping Hand handle design in terms of ergonomics. I still see so many vacuums with the traditional slight bend stick handle (maybe with a guard) that are terrible for wrist position. After looking up info on ergonomics last year when my bad computer posture at work started bothering my mouse hand I've realized that the Oreck handle design really does keep your wrist in perfect alignment when in the vacuuming position

 

[kirbyloverdan]

The XL 21

Through the pilots to the newest Oreck the Elevate
Conquer all do that with handle in upright position .


Dan

 

[rise2it]

Oreck opinion

My opinion was that Oreck was the "Bose Stereo" of the vacuum world...massively overpriced due (in part) to the insane amount of advertising done...what should have been an $89 vacuum that sold for $300. (..and their customer's loved them, at least when they first got them..)

 

[tolivac]

It was said that--by the vac shop owners I know-the Orecks and other lightweight uprights were liked by older or elderly folks because they are easy to pick up and push-esp with the "handplane" handle on the Orecks.When I use one-I feel like I am pushing an old Stanley handplane.That handle does have those merits-you can exert some push with little effort on your part.

 

[panasonicvac]

Well I got a call earlier today from this same neighbor that wanted me to come vacuum for her. Turns out the lindhaus powerhead wasn't working so I had to use her other vacuum. They don't have the XL21 anymore, they now have a black XL2 they got not too long ago. Wow that thing was TERRIBLE. It was VERY HARD to push on their rugs and medium pile carpet. It was okay on cleaning carpets, I think the XL21 did a little better job than the XL2 but I can't remember. I thought the worst part was I was disgust on how much dust and dirt was blowing out on the neck of the nozzle, I even vacuumed up a few screws accidently and a huge dust cloud came out of the neck.

I haven't used a Oreck in years but now I gotta say that Oreck is another brand I would say to stay away from.

 

[stormcrash]

Sounds like there's something quite wrong with that vacuum then. The XL2 is from the early/mid 2000's so that vacuum is probably about a decade old and in need of a tune up. While you shouldn't have sent a screw up the vacuum, it sounds like the gaskets on the tube collars are bad if there's dust coming out. The wheels may be stuck too if its that hard to push vs a 21. The 21 is newer and a higher end model but it sounds unfair to judge based on what appears to be a machine in very rough shape

 

[panasonicvac]

The XL2 was bought a year ago refurbished from a nearby Oreck dealer, that thing looked like brand new to be quite honest. All the wheels were fine, they weren't stuck at all. The neck of the nozzel was also fine, gaskets were fine, no cracks, and all screws were tighten in place (This was when I replaced the belt on the Oreck to make sure underneath was fine). I always check to make sure a vacuum is in good shape before I would clean a house with it or give my overall final thoughts on a vacuum when I test one out. Even after inspecting the Oreck including replacing the bag and belt on it, it really didn't make much of a difference when I went to cleaning with it. I would still give credit to the XL21 because I remember that thing wasn't hard to push at all on area rugs compare to the XL2 but neither of them would outclean their Central Vacuum.

 

[luxkid1980]

I have an Oreck XL Classic that I bought refurbished at BigLots a few years ago and it's been great! The only maintenance i've done is to replace the bags and I replaced the belt once. I like the very simple components of this vacuum. It cleans my medium pile carpet and hard wood floors very well. I'm not sure how the vacuum could possibly get a poor review. Its a simple vacuum and it gets up dirt very well. It doesn't need all the silly contraptions that some newer style vacuums seem to come with these days..HEPA filters. The Oreck dust bag filters the air. What more do you need? Thus far, my Oreck has been trouble free and it only cost me $99. Also, the vacuum isnt hard to push, no more than a vacuum should be. Besides...vacuuming is a chore. You have to put in some effort to vacuum with any machine, except maybe the robot ones. If you find one at a thrift store at a good price, they are worth it. Just spend some time to clean it up and replace the maintenance parts (brush roll, belt, bag, etc.)

 

[sptyks]

For me vacuuming is not a chore, in fact I look forward to it 2 or 3 times a week. I own 4 Kirby's, a Royal metal upright, and a Hoover Windtunnel Air. The Hoover lives in the bathroom since it is the smallest. It is on constant standby for kitty litter pickup as that is where the litter box resides. 


 


I love to vacuum the rest of my home with my Kirby's and Royal which all do an excellent job. I also shampoo my carpets every 3 or 4 months with my Kirby Sentria.


 


I have never owned an O'wreck and because of all the negative reviews I have read here on VacuumLand and elsewhere, I doubt I ever will.


 


 

 

[luxkid1980]

I still consider vacuuming a chore, because what is a chore? It's a task that we routinely do; be it daily, weekly, etc. There are many chores that I like.. including vacuuming I also like washing clothes..though I hate folding them afterwards! Oreck XLs are great vacuums for what they are intended to do.. get dirt off the floor. They are not great at vacuuming the couch or a chair

 

[daknx1994]

Things just don't seem to add up. I feel some people on here stick their nose up at a vacuum just because of a few others thoughts. If you have never owned one or really used one (and I am not talking about just a few minutes using one), don't comment on it. Orecks are hard to kill and actually do a pretty damn good job. If I had to give up all of my vacuums and keep one, it would be my Oreck's. They are lightweight, easy to use, and do not give me a headache like other vacuums. So if you do not have any sound experience using one, don't comment. I don't go around saying things about brands that I have never used or damn near owned.

Rant over, long day at work.

 

[icee]

They are ok

I have an oreck xl signature gold edition, it's basically a normal xl with a diffirent color bag. It does ok lol. It definitly is for low pile carpet. The brushes are fairly soft and suction could be higher. Those with low pile carpet, elderly, or physically handicapped would be fine using it (the later two because its light weight).

 

[kirbyvertibles]

Those that have only used the lower end models with the smaller motor really need to try the bigger ones like the XL21 and newer. If you think the basic Oreck is meh just ok, you will love the bigger ones.

 

[wyaple]

I wasn't aware that the XL-21 had a bigger motor

I'll have to re-adjust my sights for that model then. Maybe the larger motor won't be such of a screamer as the standard XL.

Bill