Customer Reviews

Oreck Vacuum Cleaner XL Classic Base Model

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Hands down, this is a great vacuum. It's lasted my family for well over 4 years, and I don't see any indication that it won't last longer. It's not falling apart like the cheaper vacuums you might find at other stores.

It does one thing (suck), and it does it fairly well. Be forewarned though it's not going to pick up the tough jobs in one pass like you may have been led to believe in the infomercials. Recently we were cleaning up the needles from our real Christmas tree and found it took 5-7 passes of the area to get all the needles picked up. For normal household use, it performs fine.

My one real complaint is the size of the cord. I don't live in a large house with big rooms by any means, but I do have a problem of the cord not reaching from one side of the room to another. I usually have to plug the cord up at a central location in the room and go from there.

I recently bought the Oreck, after falling for the ads on tv and in print, about the suction power and the lightweight advantage. I love the fact that it isn't heavy, and the suction is fine, but the design is flawed, as it clogs almost every time I use it. I have to take it apart and clear out the entry area right behind the beater brush. It has a sharp angle, and debris gets caught up in there. I have long haired dogs and use the vacuum a lot. If I suck up a tiny piece of paper or even a 1/2 inch long leaf, it clogs and the hair won't go up into the bag. I am very disappointed. I spent nearly $300 and had I known, I would have just bought another 79.00 Bissell, as it never clogged.

I recently baught 2 Oreck Classic's for our business and after seeing how well it performed there I had to purchase one for my house. I don't know what happened to the other people who are posting about complaints but one thing is foresure... My Oreck is Amazing.

We have a 145lb St.Bernard that sheds very heavy in the summer and the Oreck pulls the hair and dander up with ease... I have had to make 3-5 passes to get all of the dirt and hair but that is no different from other models I have owned.

I would recommend this vaccum to everyone. My wife and I love to use it and know we will have this Vaccum for years to come.

I have had this vaccuum for a few years now, but I am so fed up with it that I have purchased a new Kenmore cannister (which is fantastic) and relegated this one to the upstairs.
First of all, I have never had to have a vaccuum serviced so often in my life. If it falls over it stops working, and needs service. If you pick up a lot of per hair it stops working. If the plug becomes dislodged from the outlet, it stops working. The service is terrible!! Everytime I go I get a lecture from the service guy that I am too rough with the vaccuum, or I am vaccuuming too quickly (what the heck!!!), or some other ridiculous exuse to avoid honoring my warranty. If I'm so hard on vaccuums, why haven't I had trouble with any other brand?? The hose that comes with the handheld is very brittle and cracks quite easily (mine is patched with electrical tape).
The icing on the cake was when I got my Kenmore...it picks up a TON better than the Oreck...even when the Oreck was new. I know this for a fact because I only filled the bag in the Oreck about once every 6 weeks, and I can fill the bag in the Kenmore once a week...it gets a lot more dirt and pet hair....and I have had my Kenmore for a year now, and not had any problems with it all (even with my so-called fast and rough vaccuuming).
The only reason I have given it 2 stars is for the lightweight ergonomic design...other than that it is a complete dud.

This is the most incredible vacuum cleaner I have ever used. My Hoover Spirit was cumbersome, easily clogged and hard to store. The Oreck is light, efficient and easily stored. I've been using my foundling for a year and only yesterday had to replace the belt. It wasn't that difficult, 3 minutes at most. If this one ever wears out, which it shows no sign of doing, I would purchase a replacement without hesitation. With 5 cats vacuuming isn't a trivial matter.

I have had this machine for 5 years now and have had nothing but problems with it. I think I've had to change the belt 30 times. It always slips off, so I'm constantly having to stop what I'm doing to re-adjust the belt. And that is no easy task. 5 screws at the bottom have to be unscrewed to get to the belt. The store sales people say this is because we need to buy an annual repair contract to be sure all the parts are working properly. . with what we paid, that contract should come with the thing!

Most of the time I fell like I'm just pushing the dirt around and it's not ever really sucking.

I've lasted this long with it only because I paid so much. I finally can't wait to just toss this in the trash when I find a replacement!

I use the little handheld vacuum more than this one, but, not hugely please with it either. The cord was not made of quality material and all it does is get tangle within itself and will never pull straight.

Sorry Oreck, but please stop with the "wonderous" commercials! You won't get me again!

Like some of the other reviewers, I also fell for all the hype & sales pitches around this vacuum. I was using a cheap Panasonic model for over 10 years and thought I'd splurge and get this real fancy vacuum. Boy was that a mistake, from day one it did not work at all. I could smell a burning smoke smell and as it turns out it was the vacuum belt. When I talked to the service center, I was told I should buy a big bag of replacement belts for this and I also need a maintenance contract. I had only used the vacuum a dozen times at most before I put it out in the garage and bought a cheap vacuum from Costco to use. My husband tried to fix the Oreck several times and couldn't. So I wasted over $300 on this piece of junk.

It sucks and I don't mean with dirt.
Just not made for plush, thick carpets. Does not pick up the dog hairs, and very little dust. I have to struggle to push it since it does not glide easilly. Creates alot of back strain.
I would imagine it is okay for wood or tiled floors but not for carpets.
One other thing is the base is so square that it does not fit into any small crevice areas. If I could give this lower than a ONE I would.

I had seen the ads, but I never would have spent the money on this vacuum unless I had seen and used it first. After using a friend's Oreck, I was hooked! I can't tell you how disappointed I had been with the many vacs our family had gone through over the years--3 or 4 different brands & styles. They were clunky, heavy, cheaply made, and didn't last! The Oreck is lightweight, does a good job- and I only have the basic model. It's not pretty or fancy, but it works. I have had mine now for about 3 years. The only maintenance required is changing the belt every 6 months. In my opinion, this vac is worth the extra money. If I had spent the money years earlier, I would have saved myself a lot of back aches and frustration!

I have the upright XL model upright. I have never replaced more belts in my life. My hands just ached for the last time replacing the belt tonight. I just threw my Oreck out my front door into my side yard. Believe me, it just flew. I hate this piece of junk. I have pets and need to sweep and sweep, this vacuum never cut it. I think because I paid
$369.00 for mine, I just felt it was my fault. I'd read the directions over and over, reinstall the brush assembly, made no difference. The belt is so tight, your hands just hurt after replacing the belt. The vacuum pushes the dirt around just fine but after 40 minutes, the doggone belt breaks AND I bought lots of belts and bags from the local Oreck Store, so I know the belts are the correct model. Well, that's it for me. I have virtually no temper, but this vacuum will bring out the worst in a person. I wish David Oreck would come to my door; he could certainly find my house easily, my house has a sweeper thrown out on the lawn. I just imagine David coming to my door and I would punch that scam artist right in the nose! Don't buy an Oreck. I wish I had the money I was conned out of for this awful sweeper.I bought a Dirt Devil Dynamite for a friend to go under the Christmas tree, well she's not getting it. I opened the box, stuck the handle in and it clicked; that was it. I actually swept my house without the belt breaking--no bags, got all the cat hair, it's got a small head on it so I can get into corners really well. It's the best sweeper I ever used. David Oreck, I hate your guts!