Oreck XL headlight bulbs

[justjunque]

Hi all,

This might seem like a stupid question. And, maybe it is.
But, I'm cleaning up a very dirty, neglected Oreck XL2600HH for someone, and I need to replace the headlight bulbs. To my surprise, I'm having trouble finding them.
I've found some on Amazon that they claim are the right ones, but they're more than $8 each. That seems like highway robbery.
Some others, which are a little bit cheaper; some reviews say they work, and others claim that they're 12v bulbs, and blew out immediately.
I know there doesn't seem to be much interest in Orecks here, but I'm hoping someone can answer a few questions:

Can someone direct me to the correct bulb?
I have no experience with the XL2600HH. Does it use the same bulbs as the newer XL2 platform?
Is there an LED alternative bulb that will work in it?

Thank you,
Barry

 

[panasonicvac]

Walmart has some for around $5 you could try at no risk cause they have free returns. They are the same bulbs as the XL2 but it's not common for these bulbs to burn out often. There are LED bulbs you could upgrade but they're alot more expensive than just the regular bulbs.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Replacem...MI-KWs4LXUiAMVDgytBh0YWRydEAQYAiABEgKSXvD_BwE

 

[justjunque]

Thanks, Alex.
Just out of curiosity; since both of these bulbs are not working, is there another cause that I should look for? I haven't gotten around to opening up the base yet. I'm still scouring unfathomable grime off the outside. And, of course, the bag got laundered immediately. I don't even want to know what they vacuumed up with this poor thing.
If it's not overly common for these bulbs to burn out, and neither of these are working, maybe there's something else wrong. Can the harness get disconnected somehow, or are they "hard wired"?
I know, I'll find out when I get it opened up. I just thought I'd ask ahead of time.

 

[panasonicvac]

If it's not the bulbs causing the burnout, then it'd be the socket(s) going bad which rarely happens. I don't ever recall seeing a socket that needed to be replaced myself. But if a socket were to go bad, usually upgrading to LED lights would solve the problem. The XL 2600 models are pretty old, I'm sure the lights just had it's fair use out of them.

 

[justjunque]

Does it make sense that I can't seem to pull the bulbs out of the sockets?
I'm pulling to the point where I'm afraid the bulb is going to shatter in my fingers, and it won't budge.
I've never replaced a bulb in an Oreck, but I've taken them out as part of the cleaning process. And, I've replaced bulbs in other vacuums. But, I've never experienced anything like this!
Am I being stupid? Or, could someone have jammed the wrong size bulbs into the sockets? That could possibly explain why they don't work.

 

[panasonicvac]

They can be tight but with a little more force they should just pop right out.

 

[justjunque]

I’ll keep trying.
But, in the past, they’ve always popped right out for me, just like in the video. I have a feeling I’m going to end up with shards of shattered bulb in my fingers before they let go.

 

[justjunque]

Hey Alex,

And anyone else who might be interested.
I'm happy to report that I finally got both bulbs to let go. And, looking closely at them, there are little fragments of filament rolling around inside both of them. So, I probably just need two new bulbs.
The vacuum, which is now mine, looks night and day better than when I first saw it. I have a feeling it was probably very well cared for, and maybe used very little, for most of its 23 years. Then, someone else probably got it and just trashed it. It looks like a gem now. But, it fought me at every turn!

Edit:
Again, please forgive me if this is a stupid question. There’s a reason why I don’t get into the electrical/wiring/mechanical elements of vacuums. I generally limit myself to just cleaning them up.
I’m looking at replacement bulbs. I looked at the link that Alex posted.
My question is; can I use the automotive bulbs that say 912, and look identical to these? Or, even the LED version thereof?
There’s a much wider selection from which to choose, and the price is a lot lower.
I’m guessing that they’re not interchangeable, due to the ac/dc factor or something. But, I had to ask.
Thank you for bearing with me. [this post was last edited: 10/14/2024-15:31]

 

[lesinutah]

The

Bulbs oreck uses is the same as kirby 505-1cr. Eureka uprights use for 30 plus years to current date. The royal vacuum used the same bulb.
I want to say sylvania 1156.
I had an oreck xl commercial in yellow look just like yours and it took the bulb I mentioned.

 

[justjunque]

Thanks, Les!
I'll check that out too.

 

[panasonicvac]

You can

Oreck themselves don't make the bulbs. In fact alot of companies buy them from light bulb manufactures. So automotive lights will definitely work. Personally, I don't mind spending a little more for the bulbs from a vacuum store because they help support the business like the link I shared with you unless they're asking for too much. But if you already had some laying around, then by all means use them. There are in fact LED versions. I don't know how long they'd last but I'd imagine better than the standard bulbs, but personally I dislike the cold white look on the older Orecks as I prefer warm white instead. On newer models like the Platinum for example I do prefer cold, in fact those use a whole different light which are the more expensive ones I was telling you about and never seen one go bad before.

 

[justjunque]

Thanks.
Good to know about the automotive bulbs. I might buy some, just to have on hand.
However, I ended up buying two bulbs from an online vacuum parts/supplies place. Cost $12 for two little bulbs. But, I will probably never need to replace them again in this particular vacuum.
I decided to stick with incandescent. Like you, I wasn't sure I'd like that bright, cold light coming from a 23 year old vacuum.

 

[justjunque]

Ready to give up

Well, after the post office played "keep away" with my package for an additional four or five days, the bulbs I ordered finally got delivered.
They're 912 bulbs, and were supposed to fit the Oreck. They look just like the ones that came out of it.
But, there's no way these things are going into the sockets. Neither bulb, neither socket.
I think my choices are going to be; just using the vacuum without headlights. Or, feeling like an idiot, and bringing it to the vacuum shop to have light bulbs put in.
As bad as this vacuum was when I got it, I never expected that the headlights would be the thing that I'd get beaten by.

 

[texaskirbyguy]

Can you post a picture of the bulbs you are looking for?
Usually they are off-the-shelf varieties.
Look carefully on the bulb itself for markings.
Note that if printed on the glass, it can rub off when touching it.

The 912 bulb is a wedge base automotive and landscape bulb. The G series Kirby uses this I believe - 11-13 watts I think.

The Kirby 505 to Classic 1CR uses a (then) standard 120V dual contact bayonet appliance bulb, 15-25W.

The Classic Omega to Legend 2 uses a 12V single contact bayonet 1156 automotive bulb (thicker filament to resist vibration damage).

 

[justjunque]

Hi, Rob!
Not the greatest picture, but here are the bulbs.
At the top, are the two burnt out ones that came out of the Oreck. In very tiny print, they’re marked “912”.
Below them, are the two new ones, also marked “912”.
Holding them up to each other, they appear identical. But, the new ones will simply not fit into the sockets.
I believe the wattage needs to be pretty low. Maybe four or seven or something like that.

 

[justjunque]

Problem solved, I guess

Well, on a whim, I decided to pop a bulb out of another of my Orecks, and see if it would fit the problem machine. It did.
So, then I tried one of the new bulbs in the other Oreck, and it fit.
So, I just swapped them out. The existing, working bulbs are now in the project vacuum, and the brand new bulbs are in the other one.
Doesn’t really make sense to me, but everybody has working headlights now!

 

[texaskirbyguy]

So did you figure out why they would not fit? They all look the same in the picture. Is the thin part of the wedge too wide or something?

With all of the tolerance variations of stuff made offshore (and just plain re-engineering FU's), it is possible the bulbs you got were just made too large and extra force was needed to install them, MAYBE.

I had bought 'new' 1850 bulbs to use in some barricade lights that drew too much current than the originals and they failed to flash properly.

I had bought a simple reproduction bracket for a car restoration that had only two holes and one hole had to be redrilled 3/8 inch over.

Nothing beats the older original stuff but it is becoming hard to find it.

 

[justjunque]

I have no idea, Rob.
The only thing I can figure is that the sockets on the 2600 are just ever so slightly tighter than on the other 4070. And, the new bulbs must be ever so slightly larger. Like you said, the quality control probably just ain't what it used to be.

 

[panasonicvac]

That's very strange to hear this Oreck was having a hard time putting new bulbs in, I've never seen that happen and I've worked at an Oreck store before.