Thinking about an Oreck

[adamthemieleman]

Hi all. Thinking of biting the bullet to go for an oreck. I honestly never thought I would touch one because of an advert that scared me silly when I was a child.

I've always wondered about trying one, and I'm thinking of an XL7, the black and cream one.

Any thoughts and pointers, is there any advice or anything I need to know?

 

[dysonman1]

Most collectors think Orecks clean just "ok". They don't have the power of a Simplicity Freedom or Riccar SupraLite. That's because they don't have a very large fan. What they ARE great at, is being an 'electric broom' - not for deep cleaning but for quick, everyday cleaning.

 

[sptyks]

Adam,


 


Tom is correct. Don't get an Oreck if you need a deep cleaning vacuum. The Oreck's fan is very small and it has a fairly soft brushroll. It does not produce enough airflow and agitation to deep clean. The Simplicity and Riccar that Tom mentioned above are much better choices.


 


If all you need is something like an electric broom, then go for the O'wreck.


 


 

 

[luxkid1980]

I think the Orecks clean pretty well. If you want a light weight vacuum, don't bother with a Riccar or Simplicity. I've used both and they are cumbersome to move around, especially on hardwood floors. I have 2 Orecks: the XL Classic and the Platinum Pilot. Both are fantastic at cleaning bare floors and under tables. I have had no problems with them picking up everything from my wall to wall carpets. Now, I would not pay the Oreck price in a vacuum store. They can be had cheaply in thrift stores and on places like eBAY. And best of all, they are super easy and cheap to maintain!

 

[kirbysthebest]

The key to being happy with an Oreck is to lower your expectations.  They are OK for surface cleaning, tidying up, short pile carpet.  Though they will groom your deep pile carpet beautifully, they won't clean it that well.


 


That said, they have a good niche for the handicapped, and older people that can't handle a large vacuum anymore.  I have always said it is better to use a semi-effective machine frequently, than a super effective machine, never.


 


There are other, more powerful, and in the same price range machines. 


What I did for my Oreck fix was shop ebay.  $36 total with machine purchase, new brush roll, belt. 

 

[luxkid1980]

While I would not use the Oreck on shag carpeting, it does perfectly well on medium pile Berber carpeting, area rugs, etc. Its effortless to push it around the floor to vacuum and so light to pick it up and carry it. I added an extension cord to the already long power cord and I can go everywhere in the house with it now without having to switch outlets. The dust bags are very large and a snap to replace.

 

[turbo500]

Just a heads up folks, Simplicity & Riccar don't sell vacuums in the UK

 

[wyaple]

Here's some vids showing what an XL2800 can do

Bare Floor Tests Oreck XL2800


Oreck XL2800 Surface Debris Test


Oreck XL2800 Flour Under the Carpet Test


So surface cleaning and general carpet pile fluffing yes. Deep cleaning no. Oh, and don't pick up large amounts of debris as the tubes will clog quickly.

Bill

 

[rvarley]

Not sure why anyone would think the light weight Tacony vacs are difficult to move around or don't clean bare floors well. I have one and it does great on both counts. Now a full sized, dual fan Tacony is another story. I found that thing to be a beast. And Kirbys, at least the ones before tech drive area also no picnic.

I've never tried an Oreck, but would like to. I know the Simplicity Freedom blew me away with its compactness and maneuverability. And I've come across more than one person who thought there Orecks were great.

 

[airway77]

Hi All!

Haven't posted in a long time simply due to school, life and family issues consuming all of my time.

I used to have a black two-speed XL2800. We got it from a church bazaar to complement our former Kenmore Whispertone canister (now our Rainbow SE PE) as a light-duty, "quick picker-upper" vac. It served us almost daily for a year and a half, when the motor blew. We've since burned through several WallyWorld quick vacs, and our current Hoover Cyclonic Stick Vac is starting to show signs of fatigue.

As for my old XL2800, I must admit that I actually liked it, and that I want another Oreck. Low speed was perfect for hard floors, and high speed, while LOUD, wasn't too bad on our cat-hair-covered carpets. The Kenmore definitely cleaned circles around it, and the Rainbow would too, but for a light duty machine, it really wasn't bad. As for the Tacony competition, I don't have any experience with them, so I can't make that comparison.

Can anyone on here speak to the reliability and user-friendliness of the XL21 and its derivatives? I really like the looks of them, and the promise of a quieter high speed is a welcome improvement.

Steven

 

[luxkid1980]

I have heard the XL21 is a pretty robust machine, though I have not used that machine personally. All of the Orecks, except for the much older models look pretty much the same.

I had a Kenmore upright and also a Riccar 8900 and didn't find that they picked up any more dirt and debris on the carpet than the Oreck XL did. On hardwood and bare floors, the Oreck was much better than the Riccar or Kenmore, and those two vacuums even had brand new belts installed.

I bought my Oreck XL Classic refurbished about 5 years ago and it has never once failed. I routinely check the bag and brush roll and I believe have changed the belt and brush roller one time since I bought it.

On the Oreck Platinum Pilot, I have only changed the belt since the brush roll looked new. It was at a thrift store, virtually new, for I think $10 and came with 5 new HEPA bags. Both machines have been very reliable so far.

 

[dysonman1]

They do sell Tacony made ultra light uprights in the U.K. under the TruVox label. In fact, they just got the cordless ultralight, which is an absolutely fantastic cleaner. It is the same as our Simplicity and Riccar ultra lite cleaners just in a different color, and they were built in St. James, Missouri, Now Europe up can enjoy the same wonderful vacuum cleaners that America has enjoyed for more than 15 years.

 

[adamthemieleman]

The xl7 is the one that I'd probably go for. I've heard it's quite a good machine

 

[vacuumlad1650]

I bought a Used Simplicity Freedom...the lightweight upright. Mine is one step above the base model...one speed motor, flat belt, wooden brushroll, and old style (Thankfully) HEPA bag mount. Even with a fairly worn belt it's a great cleaner! Much more Suction, and AirFlow than an Oreck, and a more aggressive brushroll. I'll take it over the Oreck any day. The Oreck does make a nice Electric broom, as Tom has mentioned. Anyways, just my 2 cents!

 

[luxkid1980]

To the original poster, if you want to try out an Oreck, perhaps you can test one that is being sold in a vacuum store. If you do buy one on a site like eBay, inspect the belt and brushroll before you make a final review. A couple people in here said they are good electric brooms, but an electric broom type cleaner isn't really an accurate way to describe Oreck's cleaners. Their upright products are great for their intended purpose, which is cleaning the floor and they do that well.

 

[airway77]

I just bought an Oreck Elevate Conquer and it is AMAZING! Every common qualm (loud, horrible brushroll) has been addressed. It's quiet, light to use, feels self-propelled, and has really nice agitation. It's no VibraGroomer III, but it definitely has more agitation than any other Oreck I've seen or used. The purple HEPA CC+ charcoal bags are also nice (but expensive!).

Forgive me for saying this, but Oreck has made a believer out of me!

 

[luxkid1980]

I've heard good things about the Elevate Conquer! I wonder how it compares to the Oreck Platinum Pilot version I have. The Platinum is also very quiet for an upright, light to use and I love the two speed motor! Like the Elevate, the Platinum pilot also feels self propelled and is effortless to push across the carpet, much more so than the classic XL version I have. Its an awesome cleaner.

 

[stormcrash]

I have an Oreck Graphite model and I absolutely love it, though we always had Oreck XLs growing up so I'm very comfortable with them. The Graphite is a 2 speed variant of the standard XL platform.

I've never had trouble with clogging on any of the ones I've used, so I other factors such as trying to vacuum large debris that should be picked up by hand my play a role in that. The brush roll is soft but very bushy and really grooms the carpet well.

Performance always seems to be a sticking point with people, but I find it cleans fine and is miles better that the piece of junk Shark I was using prior to the Graphite. While other heavier vacs will probably clean deeper more easily calling it an electric broom is a disservice since it has better airflow and cleaning than most of the cheapo vacuums in stores from Shark, Eureka etc. I will readily admit it is a bit on the loud side though.