Walked Away From a $2 Oreck...

[human]

So I was at Goodwill a little while ago and among all the plasticrap vacs was a cute little Oreck XL in gray and white livery and I couldn't believe the price tag. They just wanted $2 for it. The thing was a bit dusty but other than a replacement plug, it looked to be in fairly good condition. There was no inner bag but it didn't look like it had been run without one. Someone, either the previous owner or a worker at the store, had simply tossed it. I actually could have gotten it for $1.80 since Monday is 10 percent off for seniors but it just didn't excite me enough to make room for it so I left it where it was. Great price--especially since all the plasticrap vacs surrounding it were in the $10-15 range--but it just wasn't the right machine for me. Besides, without a bag, I couldn't even test it properly to know whether I wanted to keep it.

 

[huskyvacs]

I would have bought it just to restore and sell on eBay.

It's what I plan on doing when I get my "workshop" built. I cannot believe what people pay for vacuums on eBay now. $85 + for 90's Hoovers. Good money to be made. Money made can fund parts for my current collection too.

$9 Goodwill vacs don't end up in the dumpster, collectors get the vacuum they want in perfect working order, I get money to fix up my current collection - everyone wins.

 

[human]

Yeah, you're right about that. I was just looking on eBay to see what they're going for. Potentially a healthy profit margin to be had there.

 

[fan-of-fans]

It is indeed amazing what items that were once considered cheap modern junk and tossed away or for a few dollars at a thrift store are going for on eBay now. Or I should say listed for because not all of them are selling, but indeed many are.

Even 90s and 00s items are listed as vintage now and for higher than I'd ever expect, more than they did new. I guess time moves on and today's average stuff is tomorrow's antique or vintage or rare item.

 

[human]

Yeah, the word "vintage" is so overused on eBay that it has become absolutely meaningless, basically just a synonym for 'old and dusty'.

So I went ahead and bought the Oreck for $1.93, including tax and donated the seven cents change to round it out to an even $2. I plugged it in before I bought it and the motor sounds smooth but both light bulbs were out, yet another expense, along with a package of bags.

My plan for the bags was just to pick up a three-pack at Walmart, which was just down the road from Goodwill, but I was very disappointed to find they barely had any bags at all, maybe four random styles and not many of those. It looked to me like they were quietly letting their stock run out with no intention of replenishing. Being mildly obsessed at this point, I drove to Target and found nothing--not a single bag. Apparently, the only places left to get bags, not only affordably but at all, are Amazon, eBay and specialty online retailers. Amazon will be dropping the bags and bulbs off sometime today (seriously, Amazon needs to take over the Postal Service) and I'll have it cleaned up and ready to flip shortly thereafter.

 

[human]

First Impressions...

The bags I ordered last night arrived a little while ago so I put one in and gave the Oreck a spin. Not a bad little machine, actually. I wouldn't trade a Kirby or Electrolux for it but for $2, I have no complaints. Being so light weight is definitely a plus.

So this particular model is a 9100c, likely made before 1997, as it does not have a date code on the rating sticker and it has a 3.4 amp motor.

Earlier this afternoon, I wiped it down with some Simple Green and paper towels and except for some wear on the rubber bumper, it looks great. It has definitely a fair amount of use but I do not believe it's been abused.

The belt is beginning t show some cracks from dry rot and will probably need replacing sooner, rather than later, which is yet another reason to flip it quickly and let it be somebody else's problem. Hopefully, whoever ends up with it will replace the belt and not toss the machine. In all, I am quite impressed at how well it is engineered for accessibility. It's very easy to open up to change a bulb, the belt or the brush roll.

The only other issue I see is the strain relief grommet on the cord has pulled out of the plastic housing so I'm going to have to figure out how to wrestle that back into place without breaking the plastic. Once I get that addressed and the headlights working, it'll be ready to flip.

Meanwhile, here are some photos for your enjoyment:

 

[hoover300]

I may be interested

How much do you want for it?

 

[bikerray]

I found this one at Goodwill for $5, I picked it up for a dealer I know.

 

[human]

@hoover300: Look for an email message with "Human's Oreck" in the subject line.

 

[kirbyklekter]

It's not a bad vac

My friends mom put one under his Christmas tree in '97, and he still uses it today. No hose or attachments, but works well on stairs as is. Everything goes up through the handle half way then in to the bag. Prone to a clog now and then. I pulled a maple leaf out that caused the handle to pack quite full! 2 belts is all that's been replaced in 24 years.

Not sure why they are often referred to as "hotel vacs" as I can't imagine a nice big hotel lobby being vacuumed with one or more being pushed around as they are a bit loud! I'd have to add another tag to my door, Please don't disturb or vacuum the adjoining rooms before 10am! Still a good vacuum cleaner for the price!

 

[human]

All fixed up...

So I've spent a fair amount of quality time with this little $2 Oreck the past few days and spent way more than $2 on maintenance items it needed like bags, belts and bulbs. It's looking and running great. I managed to wiggle the strain relief grommet back into place but the plastic surrounding it is cracked so it's still loose. I realized part of the problem is there isn't enough slack in the cord immediately above the strain relief when it is wound up on its hooks. There's a restraint loop screwed onto the handle but the cord slides freely through it so I added a nylon cable tie to hold the slack where it needs to be. It's crude but reasonably effective.

In going over it, I did discover it's one of the earlier 9100's that has a more durable metal fan. In some ways, I feel like if I wanted an Oreck to keep around for awhile, this would be one to keep and while I have a better appreciation of Orecks than I did a few days ago, I'm not sure I need this one to be a long term part of my collection. Still, I plan to have some fun with it for at least a little while before finding it a new home. Of course, I find more enjoyment in fixing them up than actually cleaning house.