Oreck vacuums... everything they're claimed to be?

[mrsilv04]

It is time for a new vacuum. The $59 special from the local superstore just isn't getting it done anymore.

Are Oreck vacuums everything that they're claimed to be?

I do know of a lady who cleans homes for a living who uses one.

I've heard a complaint that they're actually too light, that they don't want to stay flat and down on the carpet while being used.

They're definitely more expensive that most other vacuums.

Since every upright comes with the handheld vacuum, that's a bonus. I can see how the handheld vac would come in handy... like when vacuuming out the truck.

 

[Quest]

LOL! I'm not a big fan of Oreck.

I'm more of a generic Hooooover or Dyson guy. I'm actually using a Bissell bagless one at home. Other than the annoyances of frequent disposal of the dirt filled collecting bucket and washing the pre-filter sponge, it's been good to me.

Performance-wise: it has more stronger suction power over the 18+ yrs old Kenmore bag-type rollabouts we have (not used).

Also: I'm not a big fan of those "johnny come lately" sino brands such as shark, etc. They are noisy, pretty much useless when it comes to suction power, and pricy too (owing to that rather frequent fat/bald man with glasses in midnite infomercials.

Dyson is good but very expensive (twice of what I'm willing to pay for, typically), but seems to be well-made/well designed.

Q.

 

[Johnny]

We had one, but donated it to the son. Much prefer my older Electrolux vacuums.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: Johnny
We had one, but donated it to the son. Much prefer my older Electrolux vacuums.


Why did you give it away, Johnny?

 

[Johnny]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Originally Posted By: Johnny
We had one, but donated it to the son. Much prefer my older Electrolux vacuums.


Why did you give it away, Johnny?


Just thought the existing Electrolux' did a better job.

I will give them credit for two things, they are light weight and they kept American workers employed after hurricane Katrina.

 

[JTK]

A month or two ago, one of my little darling maniacs tipped a big potted plant over at my mom's house. Dirt all over the carpet !@#$% Mom says just grab the vacuum out of the hall closet. It's a newer Oreck upright. I was surprised at how light and well balanced it was and the build quality is nice. It made quick work of that dirt. Gone with barely a pass. quiet and super powerful. I didn't realize until I was done that I didn't even have the motor on high speed. It's got a low/hi rocker switch. It's a year or three old. LED headlights on it even. If I had carpeting, I'd have one. FWIW, we've got a ~$200 Sanyo canister vac just like the one below. Awesome power. The problem is, there's no attachments. The power head has to double as a bare floor tool, but it's too big and clunky to be useful. The round brush is the only other 'tool' and is a joke. The bags are too small as well.

Joel

 

[Hermann]

Originally Posted By: Johnny
We had one, but donated it to the son. Much prefer my older Electrolux vacuums.


+1 on the Electrolux, I bought a used one 30 years ago and it still works as good as when I bought it. It came from a Electrolux dealer who took it on trade for a new one. I paid $70 IIRC. Just use the 3-ply bags original or generic. OTOH my 88 year old Mom loves her Oreck because it is so light.

 

[Al]

Originally Posted By: Hermann
Originally Posted By: Johnny
We had one, but donated it to the son. Much prefer my older Electrolux vacuums.


+1 on the Electrolux,

+3 on electrolux canister.Mom gave us her 20+ year old Electrolux when we were married. 5 years later we bought our first. 25 year later we traded it on another one.

This one is 10 years old..It will outlast us.

 

[saberz]

I actually use the "Shark Navigator"

It is probably THE best Vacuum I have ever used. 2 years strong daily and it sucks up dirt from carpets like you wouldn't believe.

http://www.sharkclean.com/Shark-NV22-Navigator/

It's tall height wise, small width wise and literally sucks up anything with no loss of suction. I clean out the detachable canister every few vacuums. Your first time you may need to empty it because you do not realize how bad other Vac's are before using it.

It comes with replacement filters and foamy/spongy pads for filtration.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: Quest
I'm actually using a Bissell bagless one at home. Other than the annoyances of frequent disposal of the dirt filled collecting bucket and washing the pre-filter sponge, it's been good to me.


I actually broke down and bought ($15 worth) new filters for the Bissel bagless. Works real well now.

Getting an (OLD) Kirby. It has become to heavy for my 76 year old mother in law to manage. I want to see if it's all it's made out to be.

Miele is supposed to be very good to.

 

[Kestas]

Long ago I learned to buy vacuums that suck the dirt into the bag, and not the kind that push dirt into the bag. The former has the fan and motor after the bag, the latter is sometimes called a "dirty motor" design.

My Panasonic is still working great after 15 years... very robust with little maintenance beyond bags, filters, and cleaning the beater head every bag change. It also has very few plastic parts that snap off with time like on other makes.

 

[rjundi]

Beyond happy with my wife's Meile (made in Germany). I have not dared asked her what it cost.

We owned a hoover before which was pure garbage and did not work on hard wood floors well.

 

[Jeepster_nut]

We have an Oreck...on it's 8th year no problems. They also come with the annual "tune up" which consists of armature cleaning and polishing, new belt, sanitizing the exterior bag, and a new interior bag. Its worked into the price no doubt, but it is nice to have someone else do it and pick it up the next day. I recommend the Oreck.

 

[mrsilv04]

I had no idea that this topic would be on page two within two hours...

 

[BrianWC]

Light would be nice. I've had the same Hoover Wind Tunnel for 10 yrs and the thing won't die. I think it weighs 875 pounds. I've had two Sharks hoping they could replace the Hoover for quick cleanup but they don't suck and I mean that in a bad way.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

After my "perfect" 30 YO orange eureka canister died I knew Id be in a world of hurt as the hoses, wands and bare floor brushes are terrible compared to the old rubber and horse bristle units from the mid 60's.
As far as makers:
Meile are very good, SEBO are sexy to engineers, but a $50- 2.5HP shop vac with the bag option will work well on bare floors if you use/adapt your old quality wands - It will generate MORE suction than you can use. The shop vac does not sit on the stairs to well though.
Another option: Backpack/rocketpack vacuums are great to reduce the frustration factor if you are overloaded with furniture and furniture legs. check them out!

 

[SteveSRT8]

You get to use whatever you want, but anyone using a shop vac indoors is just redistributing the finer dust!

Minimum of HEPA filtration for me. Brand is pick one. We have great experience with Dyson units. Highly effective and extremely durable.

 

[dwendt44]

Despite the high price, Oreck finishes mid pack on Consumer Reports tests.
It's often the case that a lower priced unit from Eureka or Hoover beats them all.
$140 got me a Eureka at Wal-mart that runs circles around the older Hoover I've had trouble getting a part for.

 

[scurvy]

Originally Posted By: Quest
Dyson is good but very expensive (twice of what I'm willing to pay for, typically), but seems to be well-made/well designed.

Very well made & designed. We bought a Dyson DC14 at Costco a few years ago and have been amazed at its performance ever since. It's a very nice machine that cleans fantastically well and so far definitely worth the price.

 

[lyle]

As long as it sucks, most are about the same. We had a Kenmore canister vac, replaced that with a "refurbished" Dyson upright. Paid $200 for it and about the only thing we could really notice was that the box it came in didn't have a lot of the cardboard supports inside. Otherwise, it was brand new. My friends in Germany all have Miele vacuums, but they are pricey. Before we bought the Dyson, we looked at Oreck. They claim to suck up the stuff others leave behind. The salesman vacuumed some carpet with a brand which I forget now, and then re-vacuumed it with the Oreck. He showed me the bag and all the stuff the other vacuum missed. I grabbed a Dyson and re-vacuumed it again, and showed the salesman all the stuff the Oreck missed. It was light, though.

Eh, pick one, buy it, suck stuff up.