My wife really really really wants one of these for christmas (if I got it, it would be a family gift and I would get her something else). She worked for a cleaning company for a while and liked the way it worked. She also had a couple of clients who have them.

"IF" you have one and can offer me any recommendations on what to buy, then I would love to hear from you.

Seeing we have 2 cats and a 8 month old baby... I would probably get the XL Deluxe or XL Ultra because of the hypo-allergenic vacuum bags and layered bag... Oh, and our house is 1100 square feet w/ a finished basement... We could consider getting a refurbished one for 1/2 off (only the XL Ultra)...

I just posted a query on this elsewhere, trying to decide between a Dyson and an Oreck. I'm probably going with the Oreck, if for no other reason than they're a New Orleans firm and I'm going to support the hometown boys however I can.

Beyond that, the Orecks are always highly rated. I've owned or used them in a dozen places, from schools to homes to restaurants.

They have a bunch of models, and some pretty good deals (like a car vac included along with the canister). Definitely go with the hypoallergenic version.

The "full" (i.e., not a refurb purchase) deal comes with the main XL along with the canister vac, which was made and offered as a "free add-on" (of course, it isn't, really; all factored into the price) to answer the fact that the Orecks (to keep with their lightweight, 8 lb selling point) have no hose attachments. My wife and I used to use this to our advantage on cleaning days; she'd work the main upright while I did the "detail vac" on the baseboards and dusting areas.

As an added bonus, my oldest son is well into chore age, and the 8lb vacuum is well within his capacity (if a bit tall).

I wanted to get another Oreck -- lost ours to Katrina's damage; we got a Hoover after we evac'd up here because we just had no money and it was offered to us -- because I'm tired of messing with what seems like 800 filters and traps and such on all these multi-use vacs.

And FWIW, the XL we had was great at picking up pet hair. I also liked the fact it could go from carpet to bare floor with no adjustment.

If I had any complaint, it goes back to an Oreck my family had in the late 70s/early 80s -- the belt would slip a lot. This is the old orange Oreck. The last model I had (the entry level XL) never gave me that kind of problem.

Whew, didn't mean to chatter quite so much. Here's a link and I'll shut up now:

[www.oreck.com]

You can buy them online and, if you use a credit card (duh), you can have them spread the payments out over 12 months (i.e., they put the portion of the charge on the card once a month).

Thanks Zoidberg... all that science stuff you do on in futurama really pays off... Just stop dating the Lobster's... It just looks wrong...

Here is what I posted a few days ago on DM. I hope I'm not banished for posting it here. Give Dyson a serious look before going with the Oreck.

Re: Opinion: Dyson or Oreck?
Posted by: Mike Kramer (IP Logged)
Date: December 11, 2005 05:08PM

We recently replaced our heavy Kirby with a Dyson 14 Animal. Wife is handicapped and had difficulty using the Kirby, but can easily use the Dyson. Adult daughter was for many years an Oreck fan in great part because she had a wrist problem, but also because it was light and had good suction. She has been selling Dysons at her job at Home Depot and got hooked on them. Her Oreck no longer has such good suction and she was ready to replace it. They had a clearance sale on Dysons where she works so we bought her one for Christmas. Get a Dyson.

Wife pointed out to me the Dyson's 2 yr versus the Oreck's 5 yr warranty (plus the tune-ups, should there be one in your area). I was originally looking at a Dyson refurb, but the warranty on those is only 90 days.

Our friend has a Dyson and she loves it... However, my wife is really sold on a Oreck XL... So, I'm going to let the vacuum boss at our home make this decision... I'll offer options though... I just know that before she moved it (still dating), I didn't take her to pick out the mattress for our bedroom... I had to hear her complain about it for 4-5 years... Then I replaced that POS...

Our Dyson 14 Animal is a new one. The seller, [sewvacdirect.com] , provided a 5 year warranty at no extra cost.

Got one recently - after many other vacuums over the years, had I just sprung for this one to begin with - would have been money ahead.

Which one, Larry? The Oreck XL or the Dyson?

Yeah Larry... Which One?

The Dyson commercial makes sense to me. Your suction decreases on a conventional vac as the bag gets dirtier and provides more resistance to the airflow. The Dyson is continously cleaning its dust so the vacuum pump's performance remains constant.

---

Da Good Life

I agree on the Dyson from a technical standpoint. I'd like to hear from an owner, though, how much maintenance is involved regarding filters and such.

I've owned a Dyson animal for about 3 years and love it. If you have pets, it's great for cleaning fur covered furniture.

Zoidberg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Which one, Larry? The Oreck XL or the Dyson?


sorry - the Oreck! Definitely get what paid for there... and wish I'd bought it years and several other vacuums ago.

This is year number 4 for the Oreck XL.
7 years of free tune ups is hard to beat.
Wife and I are very happy with it, esp the weight. Great for the stairs.

After owning a bagless hover I would not own another non bag vac.

rtwdwk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is year number 4 for the Oreck XL.
> 7 years of free tune ups is hard to beat.
> Wife and I are very happy with it, esp the weight.
> Great for the stairs.
>
> After owning a bagless hover I would not own
> another non bag vac.
>
>

Which XL do you have? The higher end one?

I have a Filter Queen.

I guess that leaves me out of this thread.

I don't have experience with either, but I currently have a bagless machine similar to the Dyson (though not the same technology). It vacuums great but it is a filthy beast and a mess to empty and clean. I would lean toward a bag vacuum in the future, just because of the mess.

CR just tested em recently. Dyson and Oreck share the bottom as usual. Sorry. Look um up.

---

A man who is of "sound mind" is one who keeps the inner madman under lock and key.
(Paul Valery)

I got a EuroPro years back, and never regretted it. small, straight-line flow, with indicator to show bag volume.

I honestly don't put much stock in CR these days. I dunno; they seem to rate rather highly brands that have really bad track records. I usually do a mix of epinions.com, reviews on Amazon.com, and some general forum (various forums) queries.

We have an Oreck XL. Got it from my Mom as a Christmas Present about 7 years ago.

Likes: Lightweight, easy to use, close "Oreck Store" nearby so when I need a new belt or bags we can just run over. Fixable vs. disposable.

Dislikes: We have no pets, but hair really winds up on the brush assembly. This has caused the demise of a few belts and brushes. Expensive. Have put about $150 over the years in service and repairs.

Our bonus vaccum, a small canister type, sat outside for almost 1 year. Check to see that it wasn't too wet, plugged it in - worked great.

I have heard mixed reviews about the Dyson. It ain't so cheap too!

Good luck,
JPK

Go To Top Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> CR just tested em recently. Dyson and Oreck share
> the bottom as usual. Sorry. Look um up.
>
> "Ride the horse in the direction he's going"


Why were they at the bottom? We've had an Oreck XL for
about 7 years and have never done anything to it except
change bags. We like it but I picked a very dirty looking
Rainbow SE canister vac at a yard sale recently for $20 with
all the attachments including the powerhead and man can
that thing find dirt left behind. The thing with the
Rainbow is the messy water when you're done and dragging
that canister around. I couldn't pass up a Rainbow for
$20. It took about 2-3 hours to clean it up but it looks
and runs great. I had never seen one for less than $150.
I like how CR rates those cheap vacs and how they have so
much suction. I bought one of those Eureka's that CR
recommended about 10 years ago and the brushes overheated
and melted into the cheap plastic motor housing, it was
trashed.
Grateful11

BTW: My dad and his BIL were cutting firewood a couple years
ago and saw where someone had dumped trash in the woods and
there laid an Oreck XL. My Dad took it and get this all it
needed was a new belt.

We have an older Kirby, an Oreck XL, a Bissel $50 Wall-Mart exclusive, and my pre-marriage Hoover that is in the same league as the Bissel/Oreck. I think the best for vacuuming is the Kirby, though it is heavy and unmanouverable. I am not a fan of the Oreck, I think it is popular because of it's marketing, not vacuuming ability. The Oreck does surface dirt just fine, but for any carpet taller than a hotel-style carpet, it leaves way too much dirt in the carpet. It does, however fluff up the carpet nice and pretty. In my experience, I don't think that the Oreck is any better than the Bissell. Also, bags and belts are more expensive in the Oreck. My old Hoover still does almost as good a job as either the Bissell or Oreck.

Essentially, I think the Oreck is overpriced for what you get.

I had a Kirby guy come to the house while my wife was at work (fortunately for me). he demoed the new Kirby and I was very impressed! The selfpropelled drive sure makes the Kirby an easy machine to manouver. He wasn't trying too hard to make as sale, as he noticed I was alone, but I know I could have gotten it for about $800, well within the range of the Dyson.

What scares me about the Dyson is the seeming "cheapness" of it's build. I've read Epinions reviews and that is a theme I keep seeing over and over. I was thinking about the Dyson until I started reading those. We have two dogs, two cats and a two year old, so a good vacuum comes in handy.

What about the Hoover WindTunnel machines? Aren't they pretty good? CU likes them, and the Hoover advertising mentions that their machine was rated among the best based upon some carpet-cleaning institute's test.