This review of the oreck vacuum will cover the main differences in the different oreck models.  It will also cover different options as far as filtration and handles.  It will also talk about tool options and Oreck vacuum durability.

Hi my name is Dustin Chaffin and I am the General Manager for Great-Vacs.  We started selling vacuums on ebay in 1998 and since then we have sold over 9000 high end vacuums on ebay alone.  Being ebays largest high end vacuum seller we get on average 100 emails a day.  Most of which are asking what is the best kind of vacuum and asking for general vacuum knowledge.  So I am excited to write this guide because this is an email we get asked a lot, What is the difference between all the orecks out their? Are they as good as everyone says?

Basically their are only 3 main differences in all oreck uprights that we have seen (we have sold over 2000 oreck uprights).  They are listed below.

1. Filtration.  There is the standard oreck filtration and there is the Oreck Hypo Allergenic filtration made for people with allergies and wanting a higher grade of filtration.

2. Styles of handles.  For recent models there are really only 2 different types of handles their is the straight handle and their is the ergonomic helping handle.  With the straight handle the on/off switch is on the power nozzle.  With the ergonomic handle the on/off switch is on the handle right by your hand.  Some models of orecks have 2 speed switches in them for a lower speed.  Now some of the older models of orecks have the ergonomic handle with the on/off switch on the power nozzle but they are not very common.

3. XL2 Models.  This is one of the newer models and they seem to be a little bigger with bigger bags which would increase airflow and filtration.

Other than that all orecks are basically the same as far as performance.  Really the only differences between all the different colors and model numbers is color and age.  The same motor is used in all XL oreck uprights that I have seen.

About Oreck Vacuums in General-

The selling point on orecks is they only weigh 8 lbs and are very easy to use and vacuum with.  However a Oreck actually weighs about 12 lbs.  they only way 8 lbs without the power cord but of course you need the power cord to vacuum with   Parts are readily available and for a vacuum priced under 400 dollars new they actually last a long time.  If I were to guess on a orecks average life span that was properly taken care of I would say 12 years.  The strength of a oreck vacuum is in its brushroll.  Its brushroll speed is quite a bit faster than your average vacuum and so it is a really good sweeper and a decent vacuum.  When you are vacuuming with one it appears to vacuum up everything in its path.  That is really nice because it is nice to have a vacuum that works that good that is that light.  A lot of elderly people use oreck vacuums.  Also a lot of people who have lots of stairs (a lot of carry them around) use them as well.

You cant use tools with an oreck upright vacuum and that is why David Oreck sells the buster b oreck.  Its basically a canister vacuum with tools.  So if you want a tool vacuum you would need both.  I know a lot of people actually have 2 vacuums.  A heavier deep cleaner with tools and a oreck vacuum for light easy day to day vacuuming.  You see it’s a law in the vacuum industry when you give up weight you also give up deep cleaning power.  It would be nice to have a vacuum as light as the oreck but as powerful as the Kirby vacuum or the Dyson Vacuum (which weigh about double of an oreck) but it just does not happen that way.  If you have new carpet with long fibers I would not suggest getting an oreck for at least 6 months.  With its powerful brushroll it will pull up a lot of the new carpet fibers that are not glued (this is common with any vacuum) but they seem to get clogged up inside the vacuum right before it drops into the bag.
As a vacuum shop a reconditioned oreck is not very profitable for us (we sell them in the 115 to 165 range on ebay for most models) but they are a very popular selling vacuum (they sell fast).  People really seem to like them.  I think for the money spent they are an excellent buy and you would be very happy with one. 

If you found this review helpful would you please take the time right now to vote for it?  There are a lot of irrelevant reviews out their so the more votes this gets the higher it will go in the vacuum reviews rankings. 

Thank You and Happy Vacuuming,

Dustin Chaffin
Great-Vacs Manager