If you have decided to purchase an Oreck vacuum you will have the pleasure of using an efficient, dependable and easy-to-use vacuum. Orecks are popular for thier light weight, effective cleaning, reasonable filter bag costs, and easily available replacement parts. While other vacuums may perform better in specific types of vacuuming, you would be hard-pressed to find another vacuum with an Oreck's performance in the same price range.

Purchasing an Oreck vacuum is no different from any other purchase, the more knowledge you have the more likely you are to make a purchase you will be satisfied with. I service and sell many high quality vacuum brands so the following guide will apply to many other brands as well as Oreck but a few of the recomendations are particulary important if you are contemplating an Oreck XL vacuum.

1. First and foremost, buy from a reputable Seller! Check the Seller's feedback for specific comments related to vacuum sales! If you purchase a vacuum from a "garage-saler", "basement shop", an Individual selling their personal vacuum, or a "Drop & Sell" shop specializing in selling used goods on eBay,  you don't always know what you are actually buying. Ask the Seller if they are a legally licensed Business and how long they have been in business.  If they are licensed your chances are much better that you are dealing with a professional.

2.   Be more concerned about the condition of a vacuum rather than its age. Vacuums rely on mechanical and electrical components to work properly. They wear out. There is no way to change that fact. Buying an older vacuum in superb condition is a much smarter purchase than buying a newer model which has been used commercially or has had extensive use in a harsh environment. Vacuum techonology has not changed a great deal for quite a while (with the exception of "bagless" vacuums"). In the case of Oreck vacuums, their design and components have remained relatively consistent (except for cosmetic and user-friendly changes noted below) since their introduction. Oreck designed it well in the beginning and they have stuck with a proven design which performs well.

3. WARRANTIES: Decide whether you want to the get the best vacuum for your money or the "safest" purchase. If you are the type of person who needs the comfort a warranty provides then keep the following in mind:

3A. Warranties benefit the Seller far more than they benefit the buyer. If they didn't Sellers would not offer them! No company (or individual) would offer a warranty if they thought they would lose money on repairs. Warranties add cost to any products. Vacuums are no exception.

3B. A Warranty is only as good as the company (or individual) who is offering it. Check eBay listings for vacuums with warranties. You will find them ranging from 90 days to 10 years! While the peace-of-mind a warranty offers may be nice at first glance, will the warranty actually be honored? If you purchase a vacuum with warranty how will you know they can even be contacted in 90 days much less 10 years? Even legitimate businesses with proven records could go out of business before your warranty expires!

3C. Almost every warranty offered on vacuums sold on eBay require the customer to return the vacuum to the Seller for service. Are you prepared to spend $20-$25 (non-business shipping rates) to return a vacuum to a Seller and then pay the same amount to have it shipped back to you? Sellers who offer warranty are quite aware that a large percentage of customers will choose to have repairs done locally because of the shorter turn-around and convenience.  Many times repairs can be done locally for less than the return shipping cost for warranty work. Sellers offering warranty know that! Those same Sellers may also refuse to reimburse you for repairs done by other facilities.

3D. Many Sellers will deny warranty repairs due to "abuse" or "other than normal use". You have no guarantee that after you spend the time, money and effort to return a vacuum for repairs that you will still not be faced with a repair bill.

3E. Warranties are offered for two reasons. To convince less-than-confident potential buyers into a purchase and to increase the sales price of the product. Even when purchasing a brand new vacuum (or any other product) the cost of the warranty is added to the total price. If anyone tells you different, run very fast in the opposite direction!

4. ORECK SPECIFIC GUIDELINES:

4A. Check the listing to see if the vacuum is equipped with a genuine Oreck Celoc Hypo-Allergenic Bag. This bag offers much better filtration of the exhaust air and results in much less dust being returned to your environment. Isn't the whole point of vacuuming to clean the room?

4B. Check the listing to see if the entire vacuum handle is shown, or if not shown there is a specific mention that the upgraded "Helping-Hand" handle with either a 1-Speed or Two-Speed switch is included. If the handle is not shown or it is not the improved handle you will find the vacuum a little more difficult to use and you will be purchasing a cheaper model. 

4C. Over the years Oreck has changed thier filter Bag "Docking" system. This was done as more of a convienence to the user than to improve performance. The earlier bag change system required the user to physically push on the bag. The later docking system uses a tray to accomplish the same thing. There is basically no difference in the performance but with the earlier system a user can tear and ruin the bag if they are careless when mounting the bag to the vacuum inlet. There is also a slight difference in the available filter bags. Customers should match the bags they purchase to the model Oreck they have. Some bags will work with either system. Others will not, but Oreck conveniently states which models thier bags will fit on the outer packaging.

4D. Oreck vacuums also use two different handle and inlet tube connection systems. The first is a system using heavy rubber sleeves which slip over protuding pins on both the tube and connector assemblies of the vacuum. The second system uses twist collars to join the tube and connector assemblies. Neither system is more efficient or provides better performance, although the latter is easier to disassemble if the vacuum should become clogged.   

4E. Oreck's baseplates have also changed slightly over the years.The changes have been minor and do not offer a significant difference in cleaning performance. The latest change offers the ability to refit new edge brushes by simply unscrewing the worn brushes and replacing them with a new pair. Generally, the newest baseplates with this feature can be retrofitted to earlier models although the cost of a new baseplate may not offset the added convienence.

4F. XL vs. XL2 vacuums. Another Oreck review (with 8 lbs. in the title) mentions that the XL2 "seem to be a little bigger with bigger bags which would increase airflow and filtration". Yes, and no! While the outside bag is larger it uses the same Type CC filter bag as the XL series vacuums. Since the inner CC bag (paper filter) is what provides the filtration there is techically no difference between the XL2 and XL vacuums in that regard. Nor is there any difference in bag capacity. If the inner bag is full, it is full, regardless of how much larger the outer bag is. I would however agree that there could be a slight improvement in airflow or "air exchange" due to the larger outside bag. The most noticable difference between the XL2 and XL bags is that the XL2 uses a plastic frame to support the top and sides of the outer bag. While it certainly improves the appearance of the bag by preventing sagging or drooping shoulders, the jury is still out as to whether it would provide a significant performance difference.

4G. While the light weight and competitive prices of Oreck vacuums benefit home users, they also benefit Cleaning services, Hotels, and Commercial users as well. Use caution when choosing an Oreck that does not have the features listed above in 4B and 4C. Although many Orecks sold for commercial use do include the improved features you will find that many vacuums that don't have those features were used commercially because they were a low-cost alternative to a business requiring a large number of vacuums. Question the Seller as to the source of the vacuum? Personal or Commercial use and in what conditions?

4H.  Recently there has been an large number of Oreck vacuums listed on eBay for less than what may have been considered the average price. Ask yourself why? If a Seller suddenly lists multiple identical Oreck vacuums there is probably a reason. For example, it would be extremely unlikely that 8 XL-9100 vacuums were suddenly available at the same time from the same seller unless they were used commercially and all traded in at the same time. That means heavy use on a continual basis. Even if some of the parts have been replaced the vacuum chassis, handle assembly, motor, etc may have seen extensive use.

4I. Question the Seller if there listing states "Recently serviced by a local Oreck facility" or something similar.  Ask the Seller if they can provide a receipt from that service center for those parts. Anyone can put a new brushroll or belt on an Oreck. That does not mean the vacuum has been properly tested, cleaned and sanitized.

4J. Check the shipping charges listed for the vacuum. The same review previously mentioned review(noted in section 4F above) claims that Oreck vacs weigh about 12 lbs. While they don't weigh 8 lbs as claimed, neither do they weigh 12!  Perhaps their scale is in error! An Oreck XL2 vacuum with the larger outer bag and interior bag frame weighs 9.9 lbs. (despite claims to the contrary).  The XL series vacs weigh  less. I have personally shipped around 80 Oreck vacuums in the last year and hundreds over the last few years and the heaviest package (with proper packing and a medium-heavy shipping box) was just slightly over 13 lbs and that included filter bags!  You do the math.  It is not unusual to see listings with shipping charges up to $45.00! If a Seller does not know how to ship an Oreck vacuum for around $18.00 (many times less) it is a clear indication that they are either unfamiliar with Oreck vacuums (they disassemble into a compact size for shipment) or they simply want to gouge you on shipping. Pay for the vacuum not the shipping!

4K. If  you have questions regarding any vacuum including an Oreck and you are dealing with an unknown company ask to speak to a technician, not a Customer Service rep or even a Manager or Owner. A rep may not be up to speed technically. A Manager or Owner may have never personally performed maintenance or may not have done so for years and they are looking for a sale! The guy in the back working on the vacuums knows the product. Someone else may not!

I hope this information helps potential buyers to purchase the best vacuum their money will buy!

Regards, Gary