Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

ORECK - The business, the history, the machine, the man and related.

(Below: Oreck 1979 to 2008)

  < yr. 1979  < yr. 5/2008

Hi DIB,

Is there supposed to be a link in here?  It sounds interesting.

-MH

Motorhead wrote:

Hi Motorhead and others.  I've got lots to say on a variety of Oreck topics.  How about this to open the discussion/thread...  Does anyone know a logical reason why David Oreck does not invent or invent much.  He is the most iconic and most well know vacuum manufacturer in America and yet it looks like today’s 2008 Oreck vacuum cleaner has gone unchanged (almost) for 30 years.  The business model of no change or little change (to the product/s), is this the best way to grow the brand and serve his franchisees?        DIB

 < Oreck in 2008

  < Oreck in a 1979 patent

Oreck patent 1)  http://www.google.com/patents?id=mpc3AAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract&zoom=4&dq=oreck#PPP1,M1

Oreck patent 2)  http://www.google.com/patents?id=59wxAAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract&zoom=4&dq=oreck

Here's some info I posted before on David.  He's an octogenarian.  Served in WW 11.  Commonly called the big war.  No doubt this is a reason for employing Americans and building American made vacuums: ORECKS.  You can't count on one hand the number of vacuums made in the USA. 

For all the whiners, like HARDSELL, constantly bemoaning Wal*Mart and Chinese made products, take a good close up look at the ORECK, its founder, the company and the people it employs.  When you impugn them, then don't be surprised by the huge trade deficit with China.

What happened to the patriotic call: Buy American.  Is it just a slogan?  Doesn't it count for anything any more for vacuums?   Well it does for some.  And I may be the only one who posts here.  Imagine having to defend a product made in the USA for 45 plus years by Americans that costs $199.  And lasts on an average for 20 years!!  What do you want for your devalued dollar?  A dyson?       

Carmine D.

DIB,

I can't answer for Dave, but I am going to imagine his market idea is much like Kirby.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it.   Why does he have to invent or innovate, when he has the market that everyone else is wanting to get into. 

Stop by a Oreck Clean Home Center, I guarantee you will be treated well. 

What else would you want in an upright vacuum,upright vacuums are tailor made for open area rug cleaning why were so many hoover convertibles sold because people liked them for attachment use I dont think so.

The oreck features the following 8lb if you cant use an oreck you should retire from vacuuming.

a big feature thats often overlooked is the huge top loading hypoallergenic disposable paper bags that  truely retain 99.5 of dust and allergens,the outer bag is also a filter.

a very generous cord 25 plus feet,and even a 50 foot cord can be installed sometimes a sharp dealer will install the longer cord just to keep the special customers satisfied.

the brushrollor is a  chevron package,excellent at dust and dirt removeal,this machine deep cleans as good as any other out there,there is no proof that it doesnt,

the motor is long lasting and cheap to replace if it has to be, the fan is polycarbonate that can eat sheet metal screws they will chip but not blow apart,The fan cases over time become an issuemthis is more common in commercial applications.
 
The belts should be changed every 4 or 5 months[ I know i will catch flack on this one],

The origional oreck was actually a R.C.A whirlpool,cvr 1000. People that really know Dave no how he got started,

The dealers really scoffed at this xl 8300,laughfed at it but through constant advertising promoting both himself and the machine this machine the man and the family are now ICONS in the vacuum world.

Now that i start to think about it DYSON is doing the same thing,

CarmineD wrote:

Again you are not telling the truth.  I only stated that Wal Wart sells many import products from several countries.  That is only bemoaning to someone like you who always tries to twist statements to your liking.  I have already given my story about how the import cars and cycles got the USA off its' ass and caused them to produce much higher quality.

Americans were content with the junk produced in the USA until they saw what real quality and performance was from Japan.  I applaud Oreck for being patriotic, however patrotism does not always relate to performance.  I have no doubt tabout Oreck quality and longetivity.  When Oreck improves performance to my satisfaction I will certainly consider a pruchase.  Now Carmine and so many others will tell you that the European vacs are probably the best.  Most vac shops push these ultra expensive European vacs above all others.

An import is an import regardless of country of manufacture.  So where is the patrotism among the vac shop owners.  I believe it is profit driven above all else.

Japanese autos are superior to any made in the USA, however I do not drive one because the USA cars are good enough for me.

As an American I have the priviledge of an opinion and my choice of purchase.  Same aplies to others.  So get off the soap box and take your medicine. 

Carmine, you were so proud of your plasma TV.  Why did you accept that imported POS?  Must be relative to you owning it as opposed to others making their choice.

HARDSELL wrote:

We're talking ORECK and ORECK vacuums here. Stick to the subject.  I would never buy another LG plasma.  Why?  Terrible customer support and service!  They subcontract the service out to contractors not their employees.  Mine went bad during the 2 year warranty.  Nice picture, I must say.  But I'm looking to upgrade soon.  But that's info for another site not here.  

Oreck on the other hand has a network of authorized franchised stores nationwide.  Almost 500.  Oreck employees.  Now scrub the rest of the BS and stay with the US made ORECK vacuums on this thread.  Best in its class.  Others try to imitate and still have not matched it.  It's a niche.  And has a lock on its market: Lightweights and hotels/motels.  And has for over 45 years.  Only one contender is a distant second: RICCAR/Simplicity.   The latter is a premier top shelf seller among vacuum stores.  Also made int he USA.  Just like ORECK.

Carmine D.

Just a few questions I've got on the ORECK:

When it's mentioned ORECK is made in the USA, is that every part that goes into the machine is sourced and made in the USA?  I'm only asking as alot of companies these days say things are made in a particular place but when you break the product down most of the parts have been manufactured else where first then put together in another place.

ORECK claims like other Vacuum that their vacuum is 99.99% of all particles down to 0.3 microns are trap inside.  There is a 'youtube' video of which ORECK and others like Hoover, Dyson etc... get independently tested including using a particular counter to find it's not that good at filtering amongst other things as ORECK says it is. The other brands fail too! 

Price, why are these vacuums so expensive for what they are?  It may be a niche market they target but as DIB says the original design has not changed so the price should of come down by now.  The UK prices start from £299.00 up to £429.00, that is over double if not more what you can pay for other brands in the UK, the same in the USA to I would think!

DC18

DC18 wrote:

Hello DC18:

You've asked several excellent questions.  Let me address the first.  By law a US company cannot use the claim made in the USA unless a majority percentage of all the components that make up the product are US made.  My sense, without having read the law recently, is 80 percent or more. 

Here'a an excerpt that might assist:

The Standard For Unqualified Made In USA Claims

What is the standard for a product to be called Made in USA without qualification?

For a product to be called Made in USA, or claimed to be of domestic origin without qualifications or limits on the claim, the product must be "all or virtually all" made in the U.S. The term "United States," as referred to in the Enforcement Policy Statement, includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories and possessions.

What does "all or virtually all" mean?

"All or virtually all" means that all significant parts and processing that go into the product must be of U.S. origin. That is, the product should contain no — or negligible — foreign content.

What substantiation is required for a Made in USA claim?

When a manufacturer or marketer makes an unqualified claim that a product is Made in USA, it should have — and rely on — a "reasonable basis" to support the claim at the time it is made. This means a manufacturer or marketer needs competent and reliable evidence to back up the claim that its product is "all or virtually all" made in the U.S.

What factors does the Commission consider to determine whether a product is "all or virtually all" made in the U.S.?

The product’s final assembly or processing must take place in the U.S. The Commission then considers other factors, including how much of the product’s total manufacturing costs can be assigned to U.S. parts and processing, and how far removed any foreign content is from the finished product. In some instances, only a small portion of the total manufacturing costs are attributable to foreign processing, but that processing represents a significant amount of the product’s overall processing. The same could be true for some foreign parts. In these cases, the foreign content (processing or parts) is more than negligible, and, as a result, unqualified claims are inappropriate.

Thank you for the questions.  I will address them as best as I can, based on what I know.  I am by no means an expert on ORECK and all things ORECK.  I'm hoping to learn more too.  Because I like the product.  I use the ORECK XL Classic upright exclusively on a daily bases for my floors and rugs.  I find it to be a good rug and carpet cleaner/groomer.  And excellent on barefloors.  Are there better?  Yes, the HOOVER WT is better for rugs.  ORECK is the best on floors, bar none.  I have more of the latter [floors] than the former [rugs].  A feature greatly underestimated on the ORECK upright: It's edge cleaner.  It beats most vacuums in the industry hands down.  Even the mighty HOOVER.

Carmine D.