Oreck Vacuums?

Question

Does anyone have an Oreck Vac? Are they really as good as they advertise them to be?
What is the best brand to buy?

Answer 1

In general, the lighter a consumer product is, the cheaper it is built, therefore the shorter lifespan it has. Oreck advertises based on their light weight.

I'd caution that while the suction may be good, that's not all there is to choosing a vacuum: parts availability (belts, carpet beater brushes, bags - to say nothing of wear parts like motor bearings and brushes which are easy to replace and can avert an otherwise good machine from the landfill), durability (is a beater brush wrapped in hair going to burn out the motor?) and repairability (ease of disassembly by even unskilled repairpersons).

Never buy a household vacuum which doesn't use a disposable paper bag (like most vacuums) or a cone filter (like Filter Queen), as lightweight dust will make it through "cyclonic" and other filter schemes. The only bagless vacuums I'll accept are central vacuums (vented to outside so the residue dust goes there), Shop-Vacs (workshop cleanup, not living space) and Roombas (more regular cleaning cycle will pick up stuff which blew out the back last cycle).

My own vacs are a 1930s Royal upright for my carpets, and a 1950s Hoover Constellation for hard floors and general canister vac use (drapes, baseboards, etc). I have mechanically and cosmetically restored both. Bags and other parts are readily available for both machines, though I have to go to a vacuum cleaner specialty store - ie. Wal*Mart is out of the question. Since my house is decorated in Art Deco and early technology, I leave them out for decorative effect.

If your old vacuum cleaner is broken, whip out a screwdriver and try to fix it. All it is is a motor in a box. Figure it out. If it's over ten years old, it's probably built ten times better than the $99 local discount store vacuum. Hoover, Electrolux, Eureka, Royal (Dirt Devil) are generally worth fixing.

Remember, if it's "As Seen On TV", it's probably crap.

Answer 2

I have a love/hate relationship with my Oreck. It is light weight providing the bag isn't full. Second, it seems overly sensitive to animal hair problems. I have long haired dogs and the brushes get clogged (common with all rotating brushes) but then it migrates to the edge and the ball bearings. When impacted the brush doesn't spin well and the belt tears easily. Fortunately they now have a little door on the side for easy access to the belt. My mother's old machine didn't, what a pain.

It is my go to machine when I don't want to do a complete vacuum.......blinds, walls, furniture etc. You'll need another machine for that.

If you don't have pets and you vacuum daily or there abouts, it's fine.......remembering you'll still need something for the drapes, furniture, etc.

Answer 3

Oreck is a very good vacuum and it is lightweight *my mother owns one but I own a Kirby. Call them out and let them do demonstrations for you before you decide.

Answer 4

My mother-in-law has one. She loves it. I like it too.