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Merry Christmas to all. I just got back from my family and found out that my cousin bought his parents a gift certificate for an Oreck. Yes, they forgot how much I know about vacuums (Bless their hearts) So now I suggested that I would cantact you all and ask which model would suit them best. They have hardwood floors and rugs and carpeting. In a previous thread someone had mentioned the Oreck XL=21, is this the best one? Is it better for them to buy it from Oreck or to buy it at a store? She wanted to make sure the it still weights the 8 lbs or so, does the 21 weight the same? I would appreciate the advise...

Thank you,
David
 
Riccar Supralite/Simplicity Freedom
Do you remember the VacWeb forum? I used to post on there before it closed down.
 
the XL21 has a bigger impeller, which i hope equals more airflow. more airflow is what the original models needed. the oreck store now sells two-motor commercial uprights, but not 8lb ones. if it HAS to be 8lbs and HAS to be an Oreck, get the xl-21.
 
The heavyweight lightweight

the XL21 is far and away the very BEST Oreck ever made,I promise you that, with up to 76% deeper carpet cleaning,over 50% more airflow due to a 33% larger fan and a much stiffer roller brush.It is much quieter than the other Orecks,has a 21 year warranty with 21 free annual tune ups and a Buster B with over 50% greater performance.There are many advancements not available on the other Orecks.Give it the 30 day test.
 
Thank you all....

Thank you all for your advise I will give them this advise.

David, do you think I should tell them to buy it at a store or from the company?

David
 
Depending on where they live, I can suggest a store. If they live here in Denver tell them to go to Anderson's Vacuum. And tell them to say I sent them there. ;)
 
The XL-21 is phenomenal! Be sure, however, the dealer gives you the BB-1100 at the $749.99 price point. Some licensees try to give you the lesser Buster B-870 AD and upgrade you to the 1100 for $50.00 more.
 
Well, you're entitled to your opinion. Does the Riccar come with a 21 year warranty, and free annual service for 21 years? Have you test driven the Oreck XL-21? How long has Riccar been in business? What is the warranty on their machine?
 
Consumer Reports:
Oreck XL21
very good in carpet cleaning
excellent in bare floor cleaning
poor in suction
fair in noise
excellent in emissions
Riccar Supralite/Simplicity Freedom
very good in carpet cleaning
excellent in bare floor cleaning
fair in suction
fair in noise
excellent in emissions
 
You can't beat the 21 year warranty and 21 years of free tuneups on the Oreck XL21!
That is an excellent deal!
 
Consumer Reports:
Oreck XL upright
good in carpet cleaning
excellent in bare floor cleaning
poor in suction
fair in noise
excellent in emissions
 
Anyone...

whos pays $700 seriously needs to have a mental health checkup.. lol. I was at Toms store yesterday and a lady brought in an Oreck XL21 that was less than a year old to be repaired. In fact, she said it was the second time in less than a year that it needed to be repaired. The tiny little bearing in the brushroll failed for the second time in a year and it smoked the belt and ruined the brushroll. Since neither the belt or the brushroll are under warranty, she paid $70 to have the Oreck repaired not once, but TWO times in less than one year. Tom calls that little 3.5 motor the "little motor that can't" I can't imagine that anyone would waste their money on one of these. Geez.. for $749 you could have a Miele, or many other quality two motor systems.

Derreck
 
Yes, you're right, you could pay $749. for a Miele, and pay two or three times what you would in parts for another make of vacuum. If the vacuum is less than a year old, and the lady needed a roller brush replaced, that item WOULD have been under warranty had she brought it to an Oreck dealership. Oreck warrantees roller brushes for 1 year. Had she brought it into our store, and the roller brush were out of warranty, the repair would have been $40.00. Bottom line - Tom likes Dysons, he hates Oreck because he is not licensed to sell Oreck. Why would anyone want a gas-guzzling 12 amp motor, when a 3.5 amp motor will do the same job? And as for consumer reports - like I tell my customers - "If Consumer Reports were to tell you to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you do it?" CR is for sheeple who can't make up their own mind and need to be TOLD what brand to purchase. I put little stock in their weighted surveys. They need to put more emphasis on the quality and durability of the machines they are testing. I'd like to see another make of vacuum that has a 21-year warranty, and 21 free tune-ups.
 
Free annual tune-ups

Or are they free? The reason for this rediculously high price is because you are actually paying for these "free" services at the time you buy it. The "free" BB 1100 is also built into the price. The Riccar costs less becuase they didn't add all these "free" items to go with it. My person preferrence is for the Riccar, I just really like the Riccar and Simplicity vacuums. The Oreck XL21 is also a good enough vacuum, and definately the best of all the Orecks, but just beware of what you might first see as "free".
 
Yes, but you still haven't answered my question. How long is the warranty on the Riccar? I'd like to see one still going 21 years from now. Rest assured, they'll be plenty of Orecks. Oh, and if the Riccar doesn't come with a Buster B, what do they give you to do the above-the-floor cleaning? The Riccar is sold by mom-and-pop vac shops who can't sell Orecks. It may be a good vacuum, but I'd like to see someone do a side by side comparison of the two, with durability being a heavy determinant.
 
Karl,

The warranty on the r----- and the s--------- is TWO years. Even the xl-classic has a Three year warranty. I am not dissn t----- but I am saying the warranty is better on the o----.

-a-
 
The warranty on the Riccars are 2 years.

As for comparing the 2, I look at both cleaning and reliability. Some of the features for durability that the Riccar has that Oreck doesnt: a circuit breaker on th motor, thread guards on the brushroll, rubber treaded lexan wheels that roll on brass busings, and a larger, thicker fan (the Oreck's fan has hollow blades, honestly. The Riccars also can use Filtrete bags and you can change the belt without needing a screwdriver.

As for including a small handvac, this is entirely up to the dealer. They can choose to include the SupraQuick, or not. But with a full retail price of less than a comparable standard Oreck, you could buy both the top of the line RSL and upgrade to a larger small canister to get near the Oreck's price, and ou would still have a better canister with larger bags.

When I was working for a Riccar dealer, we traded in almost every Oreck that came in for service on a RSL, and people loved them. I have nothing against the Oreck, I just feel the Riccar version is better, and this is based on both customer's and my own personal experiance in selling and servicing both brands.
 
Buying an Oreck

I personally don't think anyone would be upset by not having the ability to sell Orecks. All of the vacuum shops that I know of (including me at Electrolux) get several Orecks traded in all of the time. These machines never even get sold as used unless someone comes in asking specifically for an Oreck, and even then most vac shops will talk the consumer into buying something better. An Oreck would be the perfect vacuum for an old lady living in an apartment, but for someone who is attempting to actually get their carpets clean, it just doesn't have the power to deep clean down deep into carpets where the sand and damaging particles lay. It will groom the carpets nicely and pick up surface dirt, but to deep clean, you need a "gas guzzler"

Derreck
 
I disagree wholeheartedly. The roller brush on an Oreck turns at 6500 RPM's, three times faster than the roller in a conventional vacuum, which (combined with powerful suction) give it the ability to deep clean carpets like no other vacuum. "Gas Guzzler" vacuums with 12 amp motors don't necessarily clean better, they just generate more heat so the motors burn out in a relatively short period of time. Amperage has absolutely NOTHING to do with efficiency of a vacuum. It's merely a measure of how much electricity you are sucking out of the wall. Oreck's design has often been imitated, most recently by Riccar and Hoover, but I believe the Riccar will be a flash in the pan. Bison tried (unsuccessfully) to imitate the Kirby. It was similar in design, but ultimately Kirby won out, and Bison went into bankruptcy. Oreck has a proud 43 year history. How long has Riccar been in business???
 
Riccar has been in the sewing machine buisness since 1945. They started making vacuums in the 80s and were bought by tacony in the early 90s. Ever since Tacony bought them, they and Simplicity have been a growing company in the independant vcuum store buisness. They have a full line of high quality vacuums, not just the SupraLite. I seriously doubt that Tacony is going anywhere.
 
i have a standard regular oreck. the brush spins too fast, too fast and too little airflow. just enough airflow to pull the surface debris away. the oreck will actually grind dirt DEEPER into the carpet with its combination of mega-sweeping and inadequate airflow. the xl 21 is prolly better. the oreck currently resides at moms house. my brother loves it.
 
Oreck XL21 upright
4.0 amp motor
Oreck XL upright
4.0 amp motor
Riccar Supralite/Simplicity Freedom
5.5 amp motor
 
Honestly, I like the Riccar Supralite/Simplicity Freedom and Riccar Supraquik/Simplicity Sport much better than Oreck XL21/Oreck XL.
 
Derreck--

Speaking of lightweights, I'm wondering...

Tom mentioned to me about an Electrolux lightweight upright that apparently is a much better performer than the Oreck (at least on carpets anyway) in addition to being less expensive. However, I've Googled around and can't find any information on it ANYWHERE. Does your branch carry these? I think he said they were $299 retail.
 
WOW!-Oreck Vs Riccar.I have an Oreck-its not the XL21-I tried an XL21 and didn't notice much diffrence over then one I now have.I have 3 Orecks in my collection-two were free!One from a work collegue who didn't want it,and another as a trade in toward a TriStar.the Oreck is an interesting little vacuum-but really CANNOT compete with some of the "heavyweights"remember the Oreck was originally designed to clean low pile commercial carpets-this it does supurbly.When I try to use it on my deep pile carpets--that 6500RPM brush speed bogs down badly-the machine is REALLY struggling.In this instance Oreck should provide some sort of nozzle height adjust-then it should be better.When I try the Oreck on a bare floor-ANYTHING in its path goes--the high speed brush sort of even "polishes" the floor!It manages to get dust and stuff cleaning to the bare floor.Some others miss this fine dirt.Esp the "chalky" dirt that collects on bathroom floors.I imagine this must be soap-water residue,maybe mixed with some skin residue.I also like the circuit break in the Riccar-Oreck should provide a breaker in their machine-makes sense.If the Oreck should hit that unknown sock under the bed--imagine its motor is "toast" unless you are VERY quick on the stop switch.I do like the "plane" handle on the Orecks-holds much like the handle on a hand plane.You can exert force easily to push-pull the machine.I really wonder though-will either the Oreck or the Riccar "Superlite" last for 21yrs-I have my doubts.In both machines their small motors are working pretty hard to turn both their suction fans and beater bars.Bigger vacuums-the motors last longer since they aren't as under as much of a load.I would give it to the Orecks and Riccar-their smaller nozzles get into small places better.I could envision an office cleaning service using either if these machines to clean around and under office desks,etc.I am also a firm beliver of Tacony products--they give an excellent value for the money- more so than the Oreck.
 

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