ORECK
- Thread starter kirbyloverdan
- Start date
Help Support VacuumLand:
tylerawells
Well-known member
I'm a very happy Oreck owner, and my grandmother has had an Oreck for the past twenty years which she bought as a factory refurb and still works. I think Oreck will continue to build their traditional products here in the states, models like the Graphite, and Commercial series. But, I do think the other models, like the Magenesium Series and VersaVac both are going to be overseas made. And, I'll take bagged over bagless anyday.
electromatik
Well-known member
I've never owned an Oreck but I used them when I worked at a hotel. It worked pretty well but I wasn't bowled over by it. It wasn't really lightweight either as I remember it. I've known a few owners, including one who described it as a joke and a $500 dustbuster. The suction power of them never impressed me either. I wonder if it will be a mistake in the long run because I'm sure I read somewhere that bagless sales had peaked and was in (slight) decline. A lot of experts, in vacuum stores and on the internet, are spreading the word about the superiority of bagged. I'd rather change a bag any day that empty a bin.
kirbyloverdan
Well-known member
All of the
Newer Oreck Uprights made in the USA are very good vacuums . I bought the Magnesium and it was trash then I noticed it was made in China and back to Oreck it went . They won`t close up their US plant if they would that would be the end of them .
Newer Oreck Uprights made in the USA are very good vacuums . I bought the Magnesium and it was trash then I noticed it was made in China and back to Oreck it went . They won`t close up their US plant if they would that would be the end of them .
lunchboxsean
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2011
- Messages
- 312
I have been seeing the new oreck "hybrid" vacuum in the store lately. They've had it at Meijer (Midwest competitor to Wal-Mart) for months now. They look and feel like total pieces of crap. Admittedly, though, I always thought the XL was crap just because of the weight and what I thought was cheap cheap feeling materials. I haven't used one, but boy it looks cheap, kinda like they contracted EuroPro to build it for them. I sure hope this doesn't turn out to be another Shark...
kirbyloverdan
Well-known member
The USA
Built Orecks are not crap . They are well built long lasting vacuums .
They clean very well also , guess you should buy one before judging a book by its cover ?
Built Orecks are not crap . They are well built long lasting vacuums .
They clean very well also , guess you should buy one before judging a book by its cover ?
lunchboxsean
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2011
- Messages
- 312
I think there is a missunderstanding.
After re-reading my last post, I apparently was ineffective in conveying that this was my first impression of Orecks before I started doing anything with vacuum cleaners. That was simply my first thoughts when I saw one several years ago. I now know, and have for some time, that these are rather high quality machines that are everything they are billed to be. I apologize for any confusion this might have caused, I certainly don't believe US built Orecks to be poor quality vacuums at all. Sorry.
After re-reading my last post, I apparently was ineffective in conveying that this was my first impression of Orecks before I started doing anything with vacuum cleaners. That was simply my first thoughts when I saw one several years ago. I now know, and have for some time, that these are rather high quality machines that are everything they are billed to be. I apologize for any confusion this might have caused, I certainly don't believe US built Orecks to be poor quality vacuums at all. Sorry.
electromatik
Well-known member
Because Oreck designed and promoted his earliest machines for hotel use many people judged them based on that. The early ones were designed for low pile carpets in motels/hotels. Many people never thought there were good enough for residential high pile carpeting, and indeed they weren't. I do think the new ones are improved for higher piles. Last time I used one was in about 2000 in one of my first jobs at a hotel. It was a red machine with a gray bag. It was effective for low pile carpets but it would have failed at household carpet.
kirbyloverdan
Well-known member
See if you haven't
Used an Oreck in 13 years they have greatly improved but you would never know that .
I just wish people with opinions on certain vacuums would at least own of have used the newest models before they speak about something they know nothing about .
Used an Oreck in 13 years they have greatly improved but you would never know that .
I just wish people with opinions on certain vacuums would at least own of have used the newest models before they speak about something they know nothing about .
lunchboxsean
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2011
- Messages
- 312
I still must not be saying this correctly. Before I knew anything about vacuum cleaners, I used to think they were cheap. Having owned several and obviously used them often, I now know they quality machines. That is what I was trying to say the first time. I never meant to imply that American made Oreck's were low quality. It was a typo. I apologize for any confusion. I can say that I have used the Magnesium quite a bit, and it was rubbish, awful. Knowing that the new hybrid, whatever they call it, is also built in China and based on the Magneseum is disconcerting.
electromatik
Well-known member
Kirbydanlover, please stop smart mouthing me. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, as you read. I wouldn't buy an Oreck because I like canisters and want attachments, no matter how good they are.
stricklybojack
Well-known member
I am fascinated by the Oreck brand...
First i got to hand it to 'em for making vacuums people love...really, that's the number one thing a company can build into it's products imo. Second, they are so scrappy & unpredictable in their designs, Dual-Stack anyone? Awesomeness!
I'm at a small local church thrift shop, they got a well used basic Oreck upright for a bit more then i want to spend, i'm checkin' it over wondering what it needs, "hmmm not as light as i thought"...that's because a new bag was way over due, the one in it was a solid cinderblock of about 6 lbs of packed dust! That was as good of a testimonial as i'll ever get on a machine.
First i got to hand it to 'em for making vacuums people love...really, that's the number one thing a company can build into it's products imo. Second, they are so scrappy & unpredictable in their designs, Dual-Stack anyone? Awesomeness!
I'm at a small local church thrift shop, they got a well used basic Oreck upright for a bit more then i want to spend, i'm checkin' it over wondering what it needs, "hmmm not as light as i thought"...that's because a new bag was way over due, the one in it was a solid cinderblock of about 6 lbs of packed dust! That was as good of a testimonial as i'll ever get on a machine.
sebo_fan
Well-known member
Oreck just need to start making better and versatile vacuums - if they want to sell to people who sleep in hospitals - if there's anything to be learnt from that news report, its quieter motors for a start! If Miele can do it, so can Oreck and its about time Oreck invested a bit more versatility into their vacuums. I've said it before and I'll say it again, when you consider how lightweight a general vacuum cleaner hose is, there really isn't anything stopping Oreck from adding a hose on the back of their uprights, thus giving future buyers a better incentive than an upright alone with the option of another canister machine in their ownership.
The Oreck uprights direct air fan system would not delivor good suction with a hose-it was designed for floor and carpet cleaning only.That is why the Oreck uprights are often sold with the Oreck compact canister vacuum as a package deal.And a hose and attachments on the Oreck upright would make it heavier and more clumsy-not what the Oreck folks want.
sebo_fan
Well-known member
Oh my goodness me. A hose and two tools do not add " extra weight." You've only been led to believe that. Case in point - many uprights don't have added weight where hoses and tools have been added. I can see your point if an additional caddy has been tagged on that IS heavy if it can be taken off and stored.
Direct air system? Do you mean where the dirt enters from the brush roll and through the fan before it travels up the main spine to the bag? I thought that was dirty fan air?
Clearly the news report highlights some poor thinking in my opinion:
Namely the addition of a lightweight, bagless vacuum/steam mop hybrid. "The industry's never seen that," so says Doug Cahill CEO. Well, hello - Shark already have one on the market and it weighs 12 to 16 pounds.
If Oreck are a true vacuum cleaner company I'd have thought they'd have invested more time and effort in producing something more in line with dry picking up dust only, don't you think? If they want to appear to a younger crowd, they will have to consider an upright WITH a hose. If Miele can do it with their S7, Oreck can jolly well tag along. Keep churning out the classic bagged vacs only but offer buyers something a bit more modern at the same time. Thereby keeping Oreck loyalists happy with the old and pulling in a larger new audience with something new. Selling old and new products are easy to do - Miele, Sebo and others all do it, not necessarily replacing old lines all the time with new ones.
Furthermore, Oreck folks and future Oreck buyers are two very different bands of consumer. An Oreck owner will be happy with what they have and will continue to recommend the product to others as long as it gives good performance - same as any owner with a brand that gives a good performance. I think resting on that idea alone of hearsay and passing a brand's name word of mouth is slowly dying out though.
We have the Internet now, those ruddy consumer reports and individuals use per review site and forums like this. Therefore it's not as easy as it once was to believe in a brand and I very much doubt these days a younger crowd wants two machines to deal with as opposed to one that can offer cleaning the floor and above it.
http://www.amazon.com/Shark-Steam-Mop-Vac-MV2010/dp/B003KKD7DY
Direct air system? Do you mean where the dirt enters from the brush roll and through the fan before it travels up the main spine to the bag? I thought that was dirty fan air?
Clearly the news report highlights some poor thinking in my opinion:
Namely the addition of a lightweight, bagless vacuum/steam mop hybrid. "The industry's never seen that," so says Doug Cahill CEO. Well, hello - Shark already have one on the market and it weighs 12 to 16 pounds.
If Oreck are a true vacuum cleaner company I'd have thought they'd have invested more time and effort in producing something more in line with dry picking up dust only, don't you think? If they want to appear to a younger crowd, they will have to consider an upright WITH a hose. If Miele can do it with their S7, Oreck can jolly well tag along. Keep churning out the classic bagged vacs only but offer buyers something a bit more modern at the same time. Thereby keeping Oreck loyalists happy with the old and pulling in a larger new audience with something new. Selling old and new products are easy to do - Miele, Sebo and others all do it, not necessarily replacing old lines all the time with new ones.
Furthermore, Oreck folks and future Oreck buyers are two very different bands of consumer. An Oreck owner will be happy with what they have and will continue to recommend the product to others as long as it gives good performance - same as any owner with a brand that gives a good performance. I think resting on that idea alone of hearsay and passing a brand's name word of mouth is slowly dying out though.
We have the Internet now, those ruddy consumer reports and individuals use per review site and forums like this. Therefore it's not as easy as it once was to believe in a brand and I very much doubt these days a younger crowd wants two machines to deal with as opposed to one that can offer cleaning the floor and above it.
http://www.amazon.com/Shark-Steam-Mop-Vac-MV2010/dp/B003KKD7DY
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
kirbysthebest
Well-known member
I am not going to knock Oreck because I think they are good little vacuums for what they were designed to do.
I think the light weight is what has caused them to gain their popularity, at least that is the way they have been marketed. As for offering bagless, they are just attempting to give consumers a choice while still staying with their line of vacuums.
The best vacuum someone can have is one they will use. If a 8lb, Oreck is easier to use by an older person, or someone with disabilities then it is going to be far more effective than a more complicated heavier machine.
Though by going bagless, Dave is going to have to re-shoot a whole series of infomercials where he touts the superiority of a bagged machine.
I think the light weight is what has caused them to gain their popularity, at least that is the way they have been marketed. As for offering bagless, they are just attempting to give consumers a choice while still staying with their line of vacuums.
The best vacuum someone can have is one they will use. If a 8lb, Oreck is easier to use by an older person, or someone with disabilities then it is going to be far more effective than a more complicated heavier machine.
Though by going bagless, Dave is going to have to re-shoot a whole series of infomercials where he touts the superiority of a bagged machine.
kirbyloverdan
Well-known member
Ryan
as Harley has said Oreck`s are for older people or those with a disability any attachments would add weight to the vacuum . Orecks are know for their light weight 8-9 lb vacuum not tools onboard heavy vacuum .
Plus the idea of having two vacuums an upright and a canister is the perfect way to clean your house . I personally hate tools on board when I clean I use an upright mostly for carpet and a canister for attachment cleaning and bare floor cleaning .
as Harley has said Oreck`s are for older people or those with a disability any attachments would add weight to the vacuum . Orecks are know for their light weight 8-9 lb vacuum not tools onboard heavy vacuum .
Plus the idea of having two vacuums an upright and a canister is the perfect way to clean your house . I personally hate tools on board when I clean I use an upright mostly for carpet and a canister for attachment cleaning and bare floor cleaning .
georgect
Well-known member
Daniel
Ohhhh Daniel...I LOVE as many tools as possible on board a canister...to each his own.
I love being able to take the vacuum anywhere in the house and BAM! everything is right there with you. No having to run upstairs to grab an attachment.
And I like my attachments to be full sized, not tiny.
I just hope the Riccar's coming later this year will fill may desires for a full sized canister with every bell and whistle and attachment, on board.
Ohhhh Daniel...I LOVE as many tools as possible on board a canister...to each his own.
I love being able to take the vacuum anywhere in the house and BAM! everything is right there with you. No having to run upstairs to grab an attachment.
And I like my attachments to be full sized, not tiny.
I just hope the Riccar's coming later this year will fill may desires for a full sized canister with every bell and whistle and attachment, on board.
Direct air and dirty air mean the same thing.I don't use hose attached to the vacuum-to have the hose with the machine means compromises-The hose performance won't be as good and the upright function won't be as good-hence the little compact canister sold with the Oreck XL type uprights.On the little Oreck XL upright-they would have to somehow intergrate the hose with the direct-dirty air fan system.Garry did do this-never used one of their machines.Don't know how well the hose on their machine works.I hardly ever use the hand tools and hose with my Kirbys-just on occasions--just to use them.Mostly use another canister vac instead.Its easier and gives better hose performance.
sebo_fan
Well-known member
Dan
Who has time these days to use two machines to clean up a home compared to one? (well apart from vacuum cleaner collectors!) I can see the bonus of a canister vacuum but to have to buy the two in order to get the upright in the first place can be off putting. Things are easier now since Oreck do sell just the uprights.
I find it quite ironic that whilst some members on here feel that the elderly need an 8lb vacuum cleaner to use, some easily forget the maintenance thereafter. How can an elderly person who may be arthritic and yet is able to use an Oreck vacuum cleaner be able to grip the thick rubber sections at the back of the main spine to remove clogs? Or, change the drive belt? Do you see my point in this? If not I'll explain in more detail.
My parents bought their Oreck XL in the 1990s. At the time it was one of the "middle of the range" models available in the UK. They bought it because they too were "getting on a bit," and the heavy 10kg Vax canister they had bought a few years earlier was given to me as it was far too heavy to use in the home. My mother also broke her arm and thereafter couldn't use half of the appliances in the home. (You can't imagine the delight I had when they gave me their Jack La Lanne juicer as it was too heavy to move each time to remove the bin at the back in their tiny kitchen.) So the Oreck made sense at the time - even using our old Hoover Junior U1104 with the straight plastic handle was agonising for mum to push around. They adored the Helping Handle and the 10 metre length cord that the XL came with though and the ease of using the upright only to swipe around floors. What they weren't taken with was some of the claims that Oreck had used the machine with - namely showing that the vacuum could clean any kind of carpet including sisal weave and thick natural bassine rugs that had been bolted at the front door.
Oreck UK showed a video with the same kind of texture where the Oreck XL could happily clean. Not with my parents. They soon found out that the drive belt could easily break due to the long textures of that particular carpet. So in the first year of ownership, the XL had about three belt replacements and my father detested the idea of having to remove so many screws on the base plate, not for the belt replacement but for having to remove the bunched up of texture fibres sitting in a bunch at the dust channel behind the brush roll.
Next up - the dust bag in their XL was of the old type that just pushed onto the dust channel hole. At times it would come off, because whilst they felt the dust bag inside since there was no dust bag indicator, the dust bag would never be as full as it initially filled the first day they got the XL. Definitely a clog then and oh the fun I had trying to dismantle it all to shift the clog of dog hair that had just built up behind the main dust channel at the top leading to the dust bag.
Looking back at it now, my parents avoided using the XL until I returned home from Uni to fix it whilst they borrowed my uncle's SEBO X1 - a totally different machine as you can imagine but when the electronic sensor took the weight off pushing and pulling and showed if there was a clog, my parents instantly fell in love with the SEBO upright, though it was just as expensive to buy as the money they had splashed out on the Oreck XL and the brush roll could be taken out via a push button release! For a machine that was supposedly made for the elderly, they felt let down by the Oreck's design and more so for the lack of a hose. My late father was a scientist and mathematician and he figured it wouldn't have been a loss to fit just a hose on the back by the main suction channel spine. I can still see their point, even if years after, the dust bag has a slide in-to-lock mechanism, now.
Another issue they had was the actual cord of the machine itself - Oreck UK fits the poorest rubber quality that when run over with the Oreck when its done accidentally, the rubber splits really easily. Two cord replacements were also spent on my parents XL. They didn't mind winding up the cord though as it was light enough, but the quality of it was less than expected for the price they paid. When you're used to thicker rubberised ribbed cords on Hoover classic uprights, the thin rubber quality on an upright three or four times the price of what went before can be disappointing to the buyer and owner.
End of the day, whilst the machine was great on carpets and hard floors, my parents felt as if they had been ripped off. Having to buy replacement edge brushes that were a nonsense to put on via a tiny cross head screw, the removal of another cross head screw to get into the side door belt release chamber (it made a lot of sense just to leave the screw out and just slide the door in, eventually with tape). the removal of clogged pet hair and whatever else got stuck up the spine or the main dust channel and then at the end of all that having to put up with the noisiest sound they had ever experienced, the claim that this was a purpose made vacuum ideal for the elderly just didn't seem to ring true. They were less impressed with the cost of the highly expensive high filtration dust bags too.
Its all very well being able to have an upright that is light and easy to push - but what happens after if it all starts to go wrong? Does the design extend far enough to consider easier access points for elderly people who find gripping difficult and poor eyesight compensated by larger screws or nuts for removal or far more modern mechanisms that don't even allow tools to be used?
Who has time these days to use two machines to clean up a home compared to one? (well apart from vacuum cleaner collectors!) I can see the bonus of a canister vacuum but to have to buy the two in order to get the upright in the first place can be off putting. Things are easier now since Oreck do sell just the uprights.
I find it quite ironic that whilst some members on here feel that the elderly need an 8lb vacuum cleaner to use, some easily forget the maintenance thereafter. How can an elderly person who may be arthritic and yet is able to use an Oreck vacuum cleaner be able to grip the thick rubber sections at the back of the main spine to remove clogs? Or, change the drive belt? Do you see my point in this? If not I'll explain in more detail.
My parents bought their Oreck XL in the 1990s. At the time it was one of the "middle of the range" models available in the UK. They bought it because they too were "getting on a bit," and the heavy 10kg Vax canister they had bought a few years earlier was given to me as it was far too heavy to use in the home. My mother also broke her arm and thereafter couldn't use half of the appliances in the home. (You can't imagine the delight I had when they gave me their Jack La Lanne juicer as it was too heavy to move each time to remove the bin at the back in their tiny kitchen.) So the Oreck made sense at the time - even using our old Hoover Junior U1104 with the straight plastic handle was agonising for mum to push around. They adored the Helping Handle and the 10 metre length cord that the XL came with though and the ease of using the upright only to swipe around floors. What they weren't taken with was some of the claims that Oreck had used the machine with - namely showing that the vacuum could clean any kind of carpet including sisal weave and thick natural bassine rugs that had been bolted at the front door.
Oreck UK showed a video with the same kind of texture where the Oreck XL could happily clean. Not with my parents. They soon found out that the drive belt could easily break due to the long textures of that particular carpet. So in the first year of ownership, the XL had about three belt replacements and my father detested the idea of having to remove so many screws on the base plate, not for the belt replacement but for having to remove the bunched up of texture fibres sitting in a bunch at the dust channel behind the brush roll.
Next up - the dust bag in their XL was of the old type that just pushed onto the dust channel hole. At times it would come off, because whilst they felt the dust bag inside since there was no dust bag indicator, the dust bag would never be as full as it initially filled the first day they got the XL. Definitely a clog then and oh the fun I had trying to dismantle it all to shift the clog of dog hair that had just built up behind the main dust channel at the top leading to the dust bag.
Looking back at it now, my parents avoided using the XL until I returned home from Uni to fix it whilst they borrowed my uncle's SEBO X1 - a totally different machine as you can imagine but when the electronic sensor took the weight off pushing and pulling and showed if there was a clog, my parents instantly fell in love with the SEBO upright, though it was just as expensive to buy as the money they had splashed out on the Oreck XL and the brush roll could be taken out via a push button release! For a machine that was supposedly made for the elderly, they felt let down by the Oreck's design and more so for the lack of a hose. My late father was a scientist and mathematician and he figured it wouldn't have been a loss to fit just a hose on the back by the main suction channel spine. I can still see their point, even if years after, the dust bag has a slide in-to-lock mechanism, now.
Another issue they had was the actual cord of the machine itself - Oreck UK fits the poorest rubber quality that when run over with the Oreck when its done accidentally, the rubber splits really easily. Two cord replacements were also spent on my parents XL. They didn't mind winding up the cord though as it was light enough, but the quality of it was less than expected for the price they paid. When you're used to thicker rubberised ribbed cords on Hoover classic uprights, the thin rubber quality on an upright three or four times the price of what went before can be disappointing to the buyer and owner.
End of the day, whilst the machine was great on carpets and hard floors, my parents felt as if they had been ripped off. Having to buy replacement edge brushes that were a nonsense to put on via a tiny cross head screw, the removal of another cross head screw to get into the side door belt release chamber (it made a lot of sense just to leave the screw out and just slide the door in, eventually with tape). the removal of clogged pet hair and whatever else got stuck up the spine or the main dust channel and then at the end of all that having to put up with the noisiest sound they had ever experienced, the claim that this was a purpose made vacuum ideal for the elderly just didn't seem to ring true. They were less impressed with the cost of the highly expensive high filtration dust bags too.
Its all very well being able to have an upright that is light and easy to push - but what happens after if it all starts to go wrong? Does the design extend far enough to consider easier access points for elderly people who find gripping difficult and poor eyesight compensated by larger screws or nuts for removal or far more modern mechanisms that don't even allow tools to be used?
