Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

We recently purchased a Sebo Felix from Costco.com and my wife does not like it at all.  It runs hot and was heavy/akward to carry as a canister.  Luckily Costco has a great return policy!  The most important feature for her is light weight and she really likes our 10-year old Oreck.  I've gone to both the Oreck store and an independent vacuum store to look and compare.  The Oreck and Simplicty Freedom seem very similar.  I like the high end Simplicity Freedom model F3700 [priced at $399] without the companion canister and $499 with the canister because it has a metal brush roll.  The lower end freedom models don't have two speeds and frankly don't seem as good as the Oreck to me.  At the Oreck Store I tested the Magnesium, which was interesting, but costs $399 as well [$499 with canister].  Also, not sure about buying this new and unproven model although it was incredibly light.  Costco is running a special thru January 15th, where I can purchase the Oreck XL & Canister companion for $248 [$50 off costco price].  At the end of the day this seems like the best value to me, but I'm curious as tot he opinions on this forum.  Thanks very much!  

What a pity you got rid of it - the Felix would have made a good secondary back up machine. If the Felix was running hot, then it's been put to the highest speed - as the happy owner of a Felix (5 years and counting) I seldom need to keep it in the highest maximum suction speed to pick up deep down grit, dirt and pet hair and the heat you felt was the clean air expelled from its top wrap around filter and motor. The canister option isn't something I like from Oreck and in the UK we don't get many modern Oreck models, having to buy a separate canister for the lack of a hose and tools on board. I bought the Felix because it is compact and easy to get around corners as well as having the on/off brush roll function. I like the Oreck Magnesium model a lot and wish it could be here in the UK - but again unless you really need a hose and smaller cleaning tools then it's better to stick with something that has everything on board. Also - metal brush bars are damaging to hard floors and carpet frames - they loosen the screws that keep frames in place - if you have them at door entrance thresholds to rooms.

As the owner of a previous Oreck XL - it is a good model - if you are after a high end priced carpet sweeper with a motor - because that's all it is. The Oreck is good for hotels because it is so lightweight and easy to get under low furniture. What I liked about it was initially its lightweight factor but it is VERY NOISY. I found it suffers from the following:

• Small motor means that the suction will weaken as the dust bags progressively get fuller - and the bags don't usually fill up to their 10.3 claimed capacity.
• Removing clogs is time consuming - you have to take apart the main spindle from the bottom of the vacuum, then the central spindle and then the dust channel routes towards the dust bag.
• The motor is not sealed inside, but rather protected by the thin plastic sole plate on the base of the vacuum's floor head/brush bar. Anything on a rough surface or any exposed screw heads in your floors can crack the plastic sole plate.
  
• There are no rear wheels on the Oreck exposed - this means that each time you want to store the vacuum away, you'll either have to suspend the handle down and push it to the desired location, or constantly lift it back to where it stores.
• It does not lay flat when made to go flat - the floor head doesn't lie flat when cleaning under low furniture.
  
• This is a dirty fan vacuum which basically means more damage can be done to the fan inside - and I had to replace mine with yet another plastic replacement. Commercial XL uprights have metal fans, so there's less damage. Clean air vacuums separate the suction channel from the sealed motor - and clean air systems means it is far easier to remove the clogs - like your disposed Sebo Felix!
  
• The side brushes constantly need to be replaced - constant ploughing through carpets and siding up to skirting boards means the brushes at the side get pushed or flattened, thus loosing their proper brushed action when it cleans the edges. Oreck sell replacements because they can make money from that.
• There are no additional filters on the Oreck bar the dust bag and dust can leak out of the bags despite their Saniseal claims. The outer dust bag can be machine washed but its time consuming!
• Depending on the model you do buy, check that dust bags have a slip in cartridge holder for the bags to lock into the dust channel inside the soft bag. Previous XL models suffered from a push on & lock dust channel that often brought the bag away from the force of the fan and thus coating the outer bag in dust.

To each their own with the Sebo Felix, but I'm 100% sure that vaccum was not for us.  I do appreciate you taking the time to provide some feedback.  Best Regards.

Hi fletch173,

I think you already answered the question yourself but here's my two cents.  The Oreck's not a bad deal.  Would Costco include the 12 disposable bags it supplies with an online sale? The bags are big in size, eight quarts, and you can clean a long time between bag changes. A package of eight HEPA filtraton bags sells for about $35.00 but because of size that amount of bags could carry you into the next year. There is also the option to use less expensive plain paper bags that run at about $25.00 per pack of eight.

Never having owned one, I'd wondered about Orecks for a good while and then got the chance to do public demos of the two-speed XL Insight and the XL Platinum Pilot at Sears during early spring 2011.  First the weight, about 9 and 10 pounds, is so cool.  They both perform well on rugs and bare floors.  The Magnesium is a newbie that I have not tried and if I were to I'd wait 'til I could find some reviews AND land it at a better price.

I liked the Oreck XL Pilot model especially because of the added pivot feature that makes the machine quite maneuverable for not only getting around things but under as well.

My only misgiving would be that the Costco version does not appear to use the new belt sold with the cleaners I demoed last year.  Called the Endurolife it was made of made of more durable material than rubber and didn't stretch.  To work with this new belt, the motors on the machines I demoed were designed to shut off if the brushroll jammed.  You just had to unplug and plug again to reset.  Bag changing is easy and the bags for the models I used sealed automatically when you removed them. 

Shop around as best you can to get the best price.  Sears didn't offer the best prices but was a lot better than the Oreck stores.  Has your wife seen the Oreck XL Pilot? Since she's already used an Oreck she might really like it.

The Ultimate Oreck Hand Vacuum is a neat little machine with HEPA.  It's bags sell for around 15 bucks for 12.  However the bags are small and the cleaner serves best for household duty only.

The URL for the Oreck XL Platinum Pilot's user guide is here http://www.oreck.com/PUG/79052-01_REV_A_PILOT_manual.pdf

Happy hunting,

Venson

 

What about the Hoover Platinum bagged upright? Is it really that bad?

vacmanuk wrote:
I have tried Oreck twice in my home.  Returned them each time.  The only positive for Oreck is the light weight.  Vacuum performance was little better than a Bissell sweeper (non electric).  I settled on the Hoover Platinum.  No way Oreck can touch it.  Also it has not had the belt/brush roll problem associated with Oreck.
My main dislike is having to have a hand held since it has no hose.  The Platinum hand held is noisy and the exhaust will blow away anything in its path.  However, it has tremendous suction.  I thought the Oreck hand held had very poor suction.

Just thought I would let everyone know that I purchased the Oreck XL ProPower Plus from Costco and we love it!  The vacuum is very light weight and cleans well enough for us and the handheld is light weight and has plenty of suction.  Sure, I wish I could find something this light with a brush roll that turns off, but no comparable model provides this.  I think the value/price Costco provides with their sale price of $248 is tremendous.  Included:  

Adjustable and padded shoulder strap

60" Flexible hose

Crevice tool

Circular Dusting brush

Large floor tool

Upholstery tool

Telescoping extension wand

Turbo brush (ideal for removing embedded pet hair)

2 - HEPA filters (one installed and one additional in the box)

2 - tune-ups on the upright

8 - HEPA odor fighting Upright bags 

12 - hypo-allergenic, double-wall Handheld Vacuum bags)

Accessory storage bag 

Also, my parents have the hoover light weight platinum being refereced above and we tried it and it is not bad.  I'm sure it cleans fine.  However, it is heavier than the Oreck and we prefered the Oreck's feel.  In fact, my parents even said they regret not purchasing an Oreck.  Also, the Hoover is priced at approx. $209 and for all you get with the Oreck at $248 from Costco with their excellent return policy if needed, the deal was too good to pass up.  Thanks to everyone for your input.   

Hi fletch,

Great to hear you found something you like.  Actually all that matter's is the indiviual owner purchasing the cleaner he or she LIKES to use.

Best,

Venson

HARDSELL wrote:

My God, Hardsell where have you been all this time?  How are you? Hope all is going great for the new year.  Anyway . . .

I had my misgivings but I've gained a bit of respect for the Oreck through use.  Mind you, I haven't gone out to buy one for myself but I do think they do the job and fit the bill for many now that there is this new phenomina come to light -- ask anybody to lift more than ten pounds and they look at you as though you're asking them to committ suicide.  (To think I took a liking to a 22-pound LG upright.  What was I thinking?)

While i doing demo duty, many longtime owners walking by would proudly step over just to say the Oreck they'd bought ten or more yeas ago was still running and cleaning well. 

As for the call for high power, it's a myth and not everybody needs it.  Besides which, big power is usually used to compensate for bad design.  All depends on the individual household and the kind of traffic it's subject to.  The needs in a home with kids and lots of company and the requirements of a home where life moves slowly are different.  The Ultimate Handheld didn't seem to lack much and a hurricane isn't neccessary just to clean a bathroom or kitchen floor, go over furniture or do window sills unless we're talking maybe about a houseful of pets. The upright's meant to handle bare floor as well as carpeting and did so well when I was showing them. There shouldn't be any real above the floor cleaning challenges for the handheld to meet but buyers should be made aware that the handheld is meant only for the most general household duty.  We did have have one customer come back to complain that it couldn't handle cleaning the several halls and stairways of the apartment building he owned; really a job for a full-sized vac.

My only beef about Oreck is pricing. The Oreck stores and some chain stores really go off the chart pricewise regarding the simple machine an Oreck actually is. The Hoover Platinum upright and handheld canister hold the trump card here due to not only good cleaning but usual price point advantage.

Venson wrote:
Hi Venson, I still read the forum.  I sort of lost desire to comment without Carmine around to dispute my statements  I really miss him. You and Carmine are two people that I really would like to meet.  All has been well for me and my family.  You have a great year also and may you always remain the gentleman that you are.

Venson wrote:
I sincerely hope you never have to own and run an Oreck XL - unless all you do all day is clean carpets and hard floors- hotels love them because they are so fast and lightweight but in the UK, most hotels use Sebo uprights or Henry canister vacs - even if they have suction only floor heads - the hoses and smaller tools cope better for detail cleaning, especially around the air conditioner vents in the rooms and of course crucial to keep standards up met by the hotel and quality assurance organisations. Of course if the Oreck in the UK was priced cheaper than the prices we have to endure currently (base model costs $309-42 from £199-99) which is the same price as a Sebo X1.1, then I'm sure British buyers would probably flock more to Oreck but the lack of a hose and on board cleaning tools is a major downside in my book and having to use an additional machine at the same time, is nothing more than a token gesture and one that would annoy me having to fish it out each time I want to clean dust out of radiator and heater vents.

I wouldn't agree with "big power is usually used to compensate for bad design," however. Look at our Miele vacuums where high power is a welcomed requisite. Maybe that's me though. Having tried bagged vacuums with low motors and especially in the case of the Oreck where the 10.3 litre capacity dust bags never filled right to the top in my experience, therefore being a bit of a waste of money on the bags alone, I'd say high/big power is welcomed - especially in the last stages of a bag when it's about to be replaced and when it's full as a brick. The only exception to the high power, justified full dust bag routine I've found is with the Sebo X1 Automatic/Sebo uprights - the bags fill right to the top, but that's another debate for another day!

Last night I watched an Oreck XL Power Team demo on idealshopping.TV (UK cable channel shopping channel) and wasn't particularly impressed with the still, too noisy motor. When I compared my old Oreck XL to our British Hoover Junior that had the same motor rating, the 23 year old Junior is much quieter when running and its a pity Hoover UK don't still sell the Junior model for stalwarts of what has gone on before. On the channel demo they did a pick up test with the XL on hard floors using bird seed, tea, garden soil and feathers. The woman claimed that the Oreck would pick it all up and it duly did - but beforehand when the bag flared up, the feathers and soil went running for their lives - a big downside with any outer soft bagged vacuum like the Oreck. Then they discovered that the Oreck XL wasn't picking up - it had clogged up. I was beside myself!