Oreck owners out there

[brandon_w_t]

Anyone else have an Oreck vacuum.

I picked this XL9100 for $10 at the goodwill. Its a later model with the NICE D shaped handle.

My grandma has wanted one for years. So I think I will give this to her. I have completely striped it down and washed and cleaned and lubed everything. its like new.


For being so light and only 4 amps, it cleans quite decently. It grooms VERY well. Probably due to the long thick bristles.

Talk about easy to use too!

I dont know anything about their new models. My friend might have a signature gold series for me. But not sure if I want it because its newer. Dont know if they are as reliable as the older ones?

 

[vac_whisperer]

Good vacs. I have an Oreck XL2600. Not a bad vac; maybe not the best deep cleaner. But good to have aound.

Orecks are GREAT for the elderly; they are easy to carry up/down stairs, and push. Like I said, tthey don't REALLY deep clean, like a KIrby, for exmple, but they're fairly good. They're definitely better than not vacuuming at all, hich tends to happen in elderly homes. I think it would be GREAT to give to your grandmother.

VW

 

[kirbyds80]

Too loud

My only problem with an Oreck is that they are too loud for me.
-Jayson

 

[henry200]

My mother has had an Oreck for several years. She is OK with it primarily because of its light weight but frankly I think it's hard for her to maneuver in her little apartment because it's so tall, or is it that she's so short? LOL The little vac with attachments that came with it had such a short hose though it drove her crazy, so I retrofitted a longer hose on it for her.

The Oreck does a great job of fluffing up plush carpet and seems to pick up pretty well except along edges. I'm not sure how deeply it cleans, but how much ground-in dirt can a very tidy old woman create in a second floor apartment?

I observed a couple things with the Oreck at one place where I worked though. When used on hard, tightly woven commercial type carpet the bristles wear down rather quickly and the brush rolls are expensive to replace. As the bags start to fill up, fine dust starts leaking out around the bag collar. Not exactly "hepa filtration" as claimed on the outer bag. I would be sneezing from all the dust in the air after cleaning my office.

I'd say you got a good deal for what you paid and your grandmother should be very happy with it. I think my mother paid way too much for what she got. (around $350)

 

[gottahaveahoove]

I HAD to use one at work yesterday.

It was squealing. I told them it was blocked...again. I took it apart, packed! Then, I discovered the hand cleaner was blocked too. It seems to happen regularly. They KNOW what I'd do... "GIVE ME AN "H", GIVE ME AN "O".......

 

[gottahaveahoove]

But, relax!

I used gloves.

 

[williamr1248]

Oreck owners out there

I have the Oreck XL21 Platinum upright and canister. I have to say I like the machine. It is so easy to use and store. I had an earlier version of the Oreck with the smaller fill tube and I did not like it at all. This one is quiet and has a large easy to change bag, The light is located low in the front of the machine and really lights up the path. I hate to say it but I cannot find much not to like about the machine. I can see why it works very well for an older person. One thing about the Oreck is you need to try it on your type of carpeting I don't think mine would work well on a very heavy or dense carpet. It is so easy to store and can be hung over the clothes rod or hung on the wall. The newer version of the small canister is also much better with a hepa filter,longer hose and quieter motor.
It still surprises me that I would like an Oreck but this one is very different from the first yellow XL I sold.

 

[kirbyds80]

Would rather have a Riccar Superlite

I'd rather have a Riccar Superlite. For a little bit more money you get better performance, and a more powerful motor and better cleaning.
-Jayson

 

[djtaylor]

Orecks are really not a bad vacuum. I have a 9200, though I did a major upgrade to it. The fan housing, the exhaust tube and bag adaptor, outer bag and bag docking system were from much newer 'donner' machines. But the motor is original and works great. I don't use it much any more, but it's nice to have around. The motors in the newer machines seem to ware out rather quickly(five years or so), but are not too expensive to replace. They are also easy to work on. I suggest replacing the belts often(3 to 4 months)and have a bag docking system added. I hope to get an XL21 or Platinum sometime this year. That's a very good design.
Justin

 

[kirbyds80]

Really awful

Would never even think of buying one of those things. Can't believe you people actually like them. Haven't you ever heard of a Riccar Superlite? Isn't that way better then an Oreck? I think so...
-Jayson

 

[vac_whisperer]

KirbyDS80, I doubt you have ever even used one.

VW

 

[brandon_w_t]

Its hard to judge a vacuum if you have never used one before.

I am a guy who loves his old heavy hoovers, but can appreciate modern ingenuity. Sure Orecks are pretty flimsy, and aren't the most powerful things out there, but I give them credit for the ups.


I couldn't compare it to a Riccar, but I think those are quite too expensive for what it is- a copy of an Oreck.

 

[kirbyds80]

Have used one

I have in fact used one and didn't like it. Thought it had weak suction compared to a Riccar Superlite. Orecks were never my favorite anyway. I do love my Kirby's though. Good machines indeed.
-Jayson

 

[bimmer740]

I had two Oreck uprights that I bought new about 6 or 7 years ago, one for my house, and one for my grandmothers. They were rather expensive but they did come with the 10 year warranty with free annual maintenance, plus the Oreck dealer is only about 5 minutes from my house. They were good machines, especially nice for quick clean ups, light weight and easy to use. The belts did need to be replaced often and the bags really held a good amount of dirt and filled quickly, which left me very surprised as I thought it would take a year to fill one bag. Orecks do groom the carpet very nicely and are good for easy clean ups on bare floors too. However I I decided to part with mine as they were loud and I needed something that deep cleaned better. At the time I still had my German Shepard and while it handled pet hair well, the dog tracked more dirt into the house than I would ever want to see again. Plus the "dog smell" from the machine got to me after a while, although that was not the fault of the vacuum itself. Overall I would give the Oreck another try, the XL21 and Pilot model have received good reviews and seem to be a great improvement over the older models.

The most important thing that one must remember when using or comparing an Oreck is: it is NOT a Kirby!! I have always loved Kirbys and cant imagine living without one, but to compare an Oreck to the Kirby as though it were a direct competitor is not possible. They are two very different machines, its like comparing a TOL Mercedes-Benz S-Class to a SmartCar. Two totally different vehicles that aim to please two very different audiences, just like Kirby and Oreck.

 

[hoovercelebrity]

Really awful... Would never even think of buying one of those things. Can't believe you people actually like them. Haven't you ever heard of a Riccar Superlite? Isn't that way better then an Oreck? I think so...

While everyone is entitled to their opinion, this is borderline of being rude... You "can't believe people actually like them" ... Well, they do!

This is the kind of talk that I'm not going to be putting up with around here; this kind of talk is what I've already received complaints about from a few members. You already said above that you thought the Riccar was a better machine -- that's all you needed to say.

 

[kirbyds80]

My apalozies

My apalozies to anyone i've offended. Hope we can all be friends around here. We will now return to our regular programing...
-Jayson

 

[kirbyduh]

I love..

Orecks! The brushroll design and speed helps them clean fairly well. My grandparents use a newer model (A couple years old)and have thick, plush carpet. It is very, very dense. They have used their oreck twice a week since they've had the carpet. It must be doing its job because there isn't a single worn down place. Also, in my opinion,
orecks are anything but flimsy. When I was a little kid, my sister and I would go on the hard wood floor to vacuum and throw the oreck up in the air with every forward stroke and every back stroke we slammed it down on the floor. It still ran fine after all those times until the day a sock was lodged in the fan. (R.I.P) I also did and still do jump on the base. (And I am verry heavy. I am 15. When I was born, I weighed 13 lbs, 10 oz)The oreck never buckled under me, it won't buckle under much, =D

 

[kirbyvacuum]

GOOD JOB

Hi Fred Very nice job. We should learn to RESPECT each other in this club and i think most of us do. Keep up the good work Doug

 

[kirbyds80]

Can easily die

I know not many of us would do this to one, but i have seen one person actually suck up gravel with and that thing died in a heart beat. Not made for stuff like that. Hey didn't Oreck make a knock off of the Sanitaire at one point?
-Jayson