kirbyman65
Well-known member
I personally love my Orecks. I know they don't have great air flow along with some other flaws but I love mine.
What's everyone's opinion on Orecks?
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huskyvacs
Well-known member
They work fine as long as you have realtor grade carpet. They do not have an adjustable floor height lever so their achilles heel is too thick carpet or rubber backed carpet. They are most at home on low pile and medium pile nylon weave carpet. They have great airflow, but poor noise insulation. They are incredibly easy to work on and repair, so they are great for beginners to learn how to repair, needing only a single Phillips screwdriver to disassemble the entire vacuum and every part is detachable for quick swap repairs.
human
Well-known member
I picked an Oreck upright up at Goodwill a few years ago for a ridiculous price, like $2.99. I cleaned it up and got it working as it should, and was totally unimpressed. Donated it to the church's rummage sale a few weeks later. Some time after that, I acquired a couple of Oreck BB mini canisters, and I like them pretty well for what they are. Not all powerful, but super convenient for car vacuuming and quick pickups. But honestly, I can't say I'd go across the street to save either model from the trash. I'll just stick with my Kirbys and 'Luxes. At the risk of sounding narrow minded, I like what I like.
I'm in the thumbs up camp, but with an asterisk.
I realize that they have their limitations. And, I started out as a strictly canister vacuum fan. We have no carpet, and just a few area rugs. So, any upright is quite impractical for us.
But, like husky was saying, they're pretty simple for a beginner to work on. Or, someone like myself, who's not super new to it, but just has no aptitude for mechanical things. Even with an Oreck, I'm afraid to get into anything that involves wiring.
But, lately, when I want to grab something to do a quick tidying up of the breezeway, which has a braided rug that covers most of the floor, I've been reaching for one of the Orecks. With the two speed, I even use it on the tiny sections of hardwood floor, using the lower speed.
So...in a nutshell, I like them.
I realize that they have their limitations. And, I started out as a strictly canister vacuum fan. We have no carpet, and just a few area rugs. So, any upright is quite impractical for us.
But, like husky was saying, they're pretty simple for a beginner to work on. Or, someone like myself, who's not super new to it, but just has no aptitude for mechanical things. Even with an Oreck, I'm afraid to get into anything that involves wiring.
But, lately, when I want to grab something to do a quick tidying up of the breezeway, which has a braided rug that covers most of the floor, I've been reaching for one of the Orecks. With the two speed, I even use it on the tiny sections of hardwood floor, using the lower speed.
So...in a nutshell, I like them.
Its
Like the econo boxof vacuums. They have 4 amp motors lightweight and wooden brushroll. Your not going to be wowed by power but they get most jobs done without having to lug a 20 plus pound ma gine around.
There's nothing special but there reliable and convenient.
Like the econo boxof vacuums. They have 4 amp motors lightweight and wooden brushroll. Your not going to be wowed by power but they get most jobs done without having to lug a 20 plus pound ma gine around.
There's nothing special but there reliable and convenient.
dysonman1
Well-known member
They are not really a vacuum cleaner but more like an electric broom, which is what they originally started out to be when RCA whirlpool made them for Sears. They were made to be used by people who don't care whether or not the rug is actually clean, but rather looks clean. Hotel maids and cleaning ladies come to mind. While they are very lightweight, and are great for people who can push nothing else, I recommend them only as an electric broom and a supplement to a "real" vacuum cleaner. Also, they are quite overpriced at retail For what they are.
wstonehockertv
Well-known member
Orecks are a love it or hate it type of machine. I could see them being useful for low to medium-pile carpeting. High-pile carpeting...I'll use something else. Even with a squeegee, Orecks are not meant for bare floors; that is where straight-suction canister come in.
panasonicvac
Well-known member
Used to love Orecks at first, then I disliked them, and now I love them again. In fact they're one of the only full size direct air machines I'd ever use, at least for today since there's not much options left on the market and Oreck has also made some improvements that blows some other direct air machines out of the water. I like the simplicity of them, how light they are, and the performance it gives. Currently their commercial models in my opinion are the best budget vacuums you can buy brand new despite their drawbacks.
blackheart
Well-known member
Respectable.
I think too many collectors are hard on them.
They aren't the best vacuums out there but I'd take even the classic 4 amp models over most bagless machines.
Now the 21 style machines are a slightly different story they're pretty good I think. I'd say the same of the magnesium/discover
They're basic sure, they don't have onboard tools but they're a straightforward machine with decent cleaning ability and you could do way worse.
I think too many collectors are hard on them.
They aren't the best vacuums out there but I'd take even the classic 4 amp models over most bagless machines.
Now the 21 style machines are a slightly different story they're pretty good I think. I'd say the same of the magnesium/discover
They're basic sure, they don't have onboard tools but they're a straightforward machine with decent cleaning ability and you could do way worse.
amtraksebo1997
Well-known member
Personally, I consider them to be good quick clean-up vacs. They're easy to pull out, use, and put away. I wouldn't say they're great daily-drivers, though, and I certainly don't think they're worth Oreck's asking priced for them (cough cough, XL Classics). My XL9100 somehow groomed certain carpets fantastically, and agitated decently, too. How that was the case with its soft brushroll, I don't know, but just did.
In short, they're a poor-man's cordless stick vac.
In short, they're a poor-man's cordless stick vac.
redditforvacs
New member
Their good vacs, but they’re not for everyone.
I may be slightly biased as i’ve used them all through my life whether that be when I was at Merry Maids or when I was a kid playing with my grandparents one. But my honest opinion is they’re functional, lightweight, get the job done machines. I personally find people especially collectors are too hard on them. Some are better than others, their not at all perfect and have drawbacks. Their not my favorite but their far from my most disliked. Plenty of residential cleaning services use them, the hotel industry which they were originally shooting for has mostly retired all of them in favor of Windsor Karcher, Sanitare, etc. I’ll cut to the chase, decent vacuums, not for everyone, typically comes down to the person rather than the vacuum in the idea the Oreck is working completely fine. Feel free to disagree, thats just my take.
I may be slightly biased as i’ve used them all through my life whether that be when I was at Merry Maids or when I was a kid playing with my grandparents one. But my honest opinion is they’re functional, lightweight, get the job done machines. I personally find people especially collectors are too hard on them. Some are better than others, their not at all perfect and have drawbacks. Their not my favorite but their far from my most disliked. Plenty of residential cleaning services use them, the hotel industry which they were originally shooting for has mostly retired all of them in favor of Windsor Karcher, Sanitare, etc. I’ll cut to the chase, decent vacuums, not for everyone, typically comes down to the person rather than the vacuum in the idea the Oreck is working completely fine. Feel free to disagree, thats just my take.
vackid
Active member
Oreck is a brand that seems to be unnecessarily divisive in the vacuum community. I think we often forget that as collectors, we look at things through a completely different lens as the end-user. Oreck did a few things really really well. Remember what was out at the time of Oreck's meteoric rise? Some of the most popular and well marketed machines were HUGE. Kirby Heritage II's, Hoover Dirt Finders/Concepts, were all HEAVY vacuums. Didn't matter if they were self-propelled, you still had to drag it out of the closet and plug it In and carry it up and down stairs.
Sure, Oreck's never cleaned as well as the big vacuums, but they certainly did a good enough job that the majority of people who bought them, loved them. You could get them under a bed, vacuum the stairs (not well, but you could get the bulk of the dirt), and actually move them around without getting tired. An interesting conversation I had recently with an Ex-Rainbow salesman comes to my mind. He was telling me that when he was selling Rainbow's in the late 80's, the easier house for him to pull dirt from was a house that had a Kirby. Not because they didn't work well, quite the opposite. It was easy to pull dirt because a lot of the people never used them. It was too heavy and too much work to put on the tools, so people vacuumed as little as possible. On the flip side, he said the worst house for him to pull dirt from was a house that had a Hoover Convertible. They were lightweight, easy to push, and thin. People actually reached for them regularly and their carpets were clean because of it. If your benchmark is a Kirby, you're probably better off vacuuming 3x per week with an Oreck that cleans 60% as well, rather than vacuuming only 1x per week with the Kirby.
Oreck found a hole in the market for a lightweight vacuum that could be marketed to older customers, and people who just generally wanted something lighter weight and easier to use. Sure it was expensive, something had to pay for the millions of dollars worth of infomercials, newspaper ads, and direct mail, but they created quite the empire for a few decades.
I grew up with Oreck's and had family members who owned them and loved them. Most of them had Kirby's and Concept's which still lived in the basement, but the Oreck was their daily driver. Sadly I think Oreck was a victim of being a high-maintenance vacuum. Realistically you need to change the belts every 3-6 months to keep them working decently, otherwise they would stretch so fast the brush would just stall the moment it hit the rug. Oreck was genius with the "Free Tune-Up" plan since it kept the customers coming back into the stores, but also kept the vacuums working well enough that customers really liked them. However there was a large group of these customers (like my family members) who lived too far from an Oreck store to get them tuned-up and would go years without belt changes (until I started doing them on a regular basis for them). Too often these machines would never get a belt and unless customers could remember how it worked when it was new (often they wouldn't. A belt stretching out is a slow-enough decline that most people wouldn't notice immediately, unlike a belt that has actually snapped), the machine would be used until they were unhappy with it and then go to the basement and get replaced by something else.
I guess to sum it all up, Oreck's in general worked well enough, long enough, that many customers were very very satisfied with these machines. At my store, we have a legion of devoted Oreck fan's who truly do love their machines. The XL21-customers especially really bought into the Oreck "lifestyle" and get their machines tuned-up yearly and really love their vacuum. The new Elevate Control and Command are just fine. I would still rather own a Riccar R10 Series because of their build-quality and performance, but the Oreck would suit me fine. Especially with the Command having the "Endurolife" belt which really keeps these machines working pretty damn good for a much longer period of time. Orecks' aren't for everyone (what vacuum is?) but they were suited for a lot of people who needed a lightweight alternative to their heavy uprights. Oreck really established itself as a well-known, high-end, home cleaning brand. It's sad they weren't able to evolve with the times and were purchased by TTI who has really done nothing with the brand.
Sure, Oreck's never cleaned as well as the big vacuums, but they certainly did a good enough job that the majority of people who bought them, loved them. You could get them under a bed, vacuum the stairs (not well, but you could get the bulk of the dirt), and actually move them around without getting tired. An interesting conversation I had recently with an Ex-Rainbow salesman comes to my mind. He was telling me that when he was selling Rainbow's in the late 80's, the easier house for him to pull dirt from was a house that had a Kirby. Not because they didn't work well, quite the opposite. It was easy to pull dirt because a lot of the people never used them. It was too heavy and too much work to put on the tools, so people vacuumed as little as possible. On the flip side, he said the worst house for him to pull dirt from was a house that had a Hoover Convertible. They were lightweight, easy to push, and thin. People actually reached for them regularly and their carpets were clean because of it. If your benchmark is a Kirby, you're probably better off vacuuming 3x per week with an Oreck that cleans 60% as well, rather than vacuuming only 1x per week with the Kirby.
Oreck found a hole in the market for a lightweight vacuum that could be marketed to older customers, and people who just generally wanted something lighter weight and easier to use. Sure it was expensive, something had to pay for the millions of dollars worth of infomercials, newspaper ads, and direct mail, but they created quite the empire for a few decades.
I grew up with Oreck's and had family members who owned them and loved them. Most of them had Kirby's and Concept's which still lived in the basement, but the Oreck was their daily driver. Sadly I think Oreck was a victim of being a high-maintenance vacuum. Realistically you need to change the belts every 3-6 months to keep them working decently, otherwise they would stretch so fast the brush would just stall the moment it hit the rug. Oreck was genius with the "Free Tune-Up" plan since it kept the customers coming back into the stores, but also kept the vacuums working well enough that customers really liked them. However there was a large group of these customers (like my family members) who lived too far from an Oreck store to get them tuned-up and would go years without belt changes (until I started doing them on a regular basis for them). Too often these machines would never get a belt and unless customers could remember how it worked when it was new (often they wouldn't. A belt stretching out is a slow-enough decline that most people wouldn't notice immediately, unlike a belt that has actually snapped), the machine would be used until they were unhappy with it and then go to the basement and get replaced by something else.
I guess to sum it all up, Oreck's in general worked well enough, long enough, that many customers were very very satisfied with these machines. At my store, we have a legion of devoted Oreck fan's who truly do love their machines. The XL21-customers especially really bought into the Oreck "lifestyle" and get their machines tuned-up yearly and really love their vacuum. The new Elevate Control and Command are just fine. I would still rather own a Riccar R10 Series because of their build-quality and performance, but the Oreck would suit me fine. Especially with the Command having the "Endurolife" belt which really keeps these machines working pretty damn good for a much longer period of time. Orecks' aren't for everyone (what vacuum is?) but they were suited for a lot of people who needed a lightweight alternative to their heavy uprights. Oreck really established itself as a well-known, high-end, home cleaning brand. It's sad they weren't able to evolve with the times and were purchased by TTI who has really done nothing with the brand.
rugsucker
Well-known member
"--conversation--with--salesman--"
Very true.I have sometimes said the vac that cleans best is the one you understand and get out of the closet and use.So an Oreck could clean better than a Kirby with bad belt and wrong height setting.The Orecks got better after changing to belt access on side and twist lock ring for handle.And the idea of upright for only rug/carpet and canister with hose for everything else is good no matter what brand.
Very true.I have sometimes said the vac that cleans best is the one you understand and get out of the closet and use.So an Oreck could clean better than a Kirby with bad belt and wrong height setting.The Orecks got better after changing to belt access on side and twist lock ring for handle.And the idea of upright for only rug/carpet and canister with hose for everything else is good no matter what brand.
fantomfan57
Well-known member
Human, and others,
I think I mentioned in another thread an improvement for the Oreck BB. I ran a strip of thin adhesive foam around the perimeter of the bag rest (ledge) and increased the suction quite a bit.
Did the same thing to my GE Mv1 & 2's. Made a big difference.
I think I mentioned in another thread an improvement for the Oreck BB. I ran a strip of thin adhesive foam around the perimeter of the bag rest (ledge) and increased the suction quite a bit.
Did the same thing to my GE Mv1 & 2's. Made a big difference.
kirbyman65
Well-known member
Thanks!
I’ll be sure to try that I just got an oreck bb
I’ll be sure to try that I just got an oreck bb
