Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

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

(Below: Oreck 1979 to 2008)

  < yr. 1979  < yr. 5/2008

Those are not ORECK parties,there clinics on vacuum cleaning usage,sort of like physical therapy,if you can change the belt and brushroll in less than 3 hours,then a party is thrown in your honor,
Then you are known as the vacuum KING or QUEEN.

Then if you can change the fan and fan case,you are on the board of directors,and in charge of research and development.[Sorry H.S. your not qualified]

HAPPY $#%*MING

MOLE

I'm back, after a long and much-needed break.  Seems Carmine is at it again as usual

This thread has taken quite an interesting turn.  As anti-Oreck as I am (overpriced electric broom combined with a useless handheld, what a great combination) I have also mentioned before that the Oreck stores *are* clean, organized, and well-managed, with the attendants being very friendly.  Of course what has not been said is there is a reason for that...they don't get any business!  The few times I have gone into Oreck stores, I was always the only visitor there, and when I acted interested I was shown every machine they had.  You could tell they were laying it on thick too, they must be desperate for sales the way they seem to kiss the customer's @$$ so much.

The problem I have, and the reason I'm anti-Oreck, is that they do not have to produce vacuums this way, they CHOOSE to.  They could EASILY improve the design for performance (dare I say it could use its own tools, but then they wouldn't be profiting off of that hand vac).  I don't see how the diameter of the fan and fan chamber couldn't be increased while still keeping the current low-profile housing (after all it is the handle pivot that is the fan chamber), and a lifetime geared or serpentine belt added while keeping the current motor so as not to compromise size or weight too much.  Eureka showed us that you can have a small low-amperage motor and a regular-size fan with no problems and decent performance, and Tacony showed us that you can have a lifetime belt on a single-motor lightweight upright (throwing the claim of "Oh it only has one motor, a lifetime belt won't work" out the window).  I don't see why Oreck can't keep up with the times and update. 

-MH

Motorhead wrote:

Missed you Motor, welcome back.  I recall you did, but didn't want to say.  Since I consider myself at least at one time as anti-ORECK as you.  And HS only asked for one.  JUST made the same comment too about the ORECK store he visited.  If I recall, he got a great deal on a RICCAR and bought it. 

The ORECK XL-21 Titanium has a bigger fan, more powerful motor, and uses less electricity than the smaller ORECK motors.  Also has a more aggressive brush roll.  All the other ORECK-s use the same motor.

Carmine D.

I think that ORECK has entrenched itself in the upright for the carpet cleaning and the portable canister for the other stuff,very old school selling technique.The upright is their market,the dealers tend to shy away from the dutch tech powerteam and the orbiter,the air cleaning stuff is also a sideline.Its more or less a window dressing.The XL series uprights are only profitable for the dealers in the top end stuff [ like the XL21 titanium,the internet and orecks own web site kills the high end machines. I would really be pushing the customer out the door at 799.00, the dealers are real gun shy on quoting this machine,because its the same response from the customer[thank you for your time and can i have a brochure].

ORECKS BEST DEAL IS THE CHEAPO 299.00 PACKAGE WITH THE GIVE AWAYS.

MOLE

MOLE:

I got 4 at $150 each without the giveaways.  Paid the shipping of $20 per.  And a one year warranty rather than the 3 years.  Tho I hear the cordless iron is a decent product.

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:
There seems to be a little controversy on this,Was the whirlwind in the mid or late 1800's,the first suction machine?. Royal at the time known as the P.A. Geier company started in 1905, Kirby claims 1906,

And the OHIO TUECK, dont know the date,

I really dont know BOOTH got the credit?

mole

CarmineD wrote:
Were you wearing a mask and carrying the 44 magnum.


MOLE

CarmineD wrote:

Carmine,

You continue to be an habitual liar.  Nothing that you have said indicates that you are anti-Oreck, until you could not produce a name for anyone who complimented the Oreck stores.

Who are you referring to as getting a Riccar and making a comment about the store they visited.

MH is right all the way, especially about no customers in the store. 

I suspect htat the largest % of sales are direct order so the customer gets a gift.  Remember that Oreck has to resort to gimmeckry to sell vacuums.

mole wrote:

The Booth saga is ancient vacuum history.  My memory is not that good. 

Up to the time [late 1890's], cleaning dust was done by blowing the dirt out and catching it.  Save the push and pull carpet sweepers by BISSELL and the like that were around in the late 1800-s.  And the hand pump suction style cleaners around the early 1900-s/turn of the 20th Century.  The latter hand powered carried a 1907 'vacuum' patent by law.

Booth got the idea of suction and described it to an American inventor who had a 'blowing' contraption demoed at the London's Empire Music Hall.  It was used to clean railway carriages.  Booth was a fairground wheel engineer and got the idea to add a fan creating vacuum which sucks dirt rather than blows.  He used petro to power the motor.  He patented his vacuum cleaner in 1901 and launched the British Vacuum Cleaner Company to market the Puffing Billy.  Red box on wheels.  Like a fire engine.  Uniformed men did the cleaning by passing flexible tubes [hoses] through the windows of residences and sucking out the dust.  Booth didn't want to market just hire out.  To my knowledge that was the first usage of the word 'vacuum.' Belongs to a Brit.

Spangler and HOOVER united in the USA in 1907 and mass marketed the HOOVER uprights in 1908 including in Great Britain by 1912.  HOOVER were the first mass produced vacuums for sale [$75] in the USA .  Royal in the USA was earlier [1905] with a tank not an upright.  Electrolux too [in Sweden] around 1913 with a tank, the Lux 1.  Not sure about Kirby being around that early in the game  First, I recall KIRBY, was the early 30's.   Tueck was a push power fan operated upright.  Primitive.  Better than the pump suction hand vacuums at the time [around turn of the 20th century].  The latter similar to insect and vegetable sprayers were produced in cities that had metal and iron foundries for local sales and use.

We have a poster here with hereditary links to Kirby and is the owner of an Ohio Tueck.  Maybe Jim Kirby can assist with some of this vacuum history.

Carmine D

BEST BUY on-line now carries ORECK vacuums.  One talked about here the XL21 gets 4 out of 5 stars based on 40 reviews.  The BEST BUY Site says the following verbatim:

Oreck XL21. It's destined to become the standard by which all other vacuums are judged because it comes with an unprecedented 21-year Guarantee and 21 years of FREE tune-ups! From the bottom of its double-helix, high-speed, pile-lifting roller brushes, to the top of its redesigned comfort fit Helping Hand Handle, the XL21 delivers unsurpassed power and maneuverability.

http://www.bestbuys.com/p24159261-Oreck-XL21-Bagged-Upright-Vacuum--reviews.html

Carmine D.