Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Hello all!

As you can tell I am new to the forum.. I came across the site while doing a search for an Oreck XL to a Simplicity freedom comparison (oddly it took me to the Oreck/Dyson flame posts from January). I have worked in the hotel industry for a while, and have been around the Orecks and other light-weight hoovers/sanitaires. I have always been a gadget guy, and vacuums are gadgets for the home. Right now, I have a Simplicity 6 series, a Filter Queen princess with power head and a Kirby G3. I plan on getting another Simplicity or Riccar for my self, and am trying to figure out something for my mother.

The other day she told me that she was having a hard time lifting the Simplicty. She has been having back problems for a while now, but this year they managed to get worse. She also uses the Kirby, but after I brought her the Simplicity, she doesn't haul it up a flight of stairs any more. The simplicity was the upstairs vacuum and the Kirby remains the high traffic cleaner for the lower level. I got to thinking, and I realized that the hotel I am at was wanting to get rid of their Oreck XL2000RHB. The housekeepers don't like it because it is loud, and I agree, it is a very noisy machine. I disassembled it, and found that someone decided to clean up the plaster/paint when the lobby was remodeled... I cleaned everything out and brought it home to my mom. I got to looking, and was hoping I can get some pointers to steer her in the right direction. As of right now, We are going to get an Oreck, either the commercial one from the hotel or a _NEW_ one from a home center if I can indeed find one for 150 bucks.

What I am wanting to know is are the non commercial ones quieter? Also, do they make a stiffer brush roll for the Oreck? I called one of the Oreck Showrooms and they said they have a basic XL2000 stick handle for 199... I am wondering if that would be a better choice than my commercial one. The only issue is the 'D' or helping hand handle is something I am _not_ willing to compromise on. Does anyone have any idea how Oreck deadens the sound? I am wondering if I could stick a sheet of dynomat in the housing to quite this thing down. My 6 series sounds like a whisper compared to this Red Monster.

Now, down the road (before the end of the year) I am going to buy a Simplicity freedom. I am thinking the 3500, non commercial version. I have always liked commercial vacs because of the longer cords, but I take a hit in the warranty. I also know that the commercial has more aluminum and the consumer has more steel.. Is the commercial really that much lighter? What do you guys think? I know the Simplicity has a stronger motor and stiffer bristles, but does it do any better on carpets, and how does it handle throw rugs? The simplicity will be mom's house warming gift when she moves again. The Oreck will stay with me, I have a few places I can use it...

Oh, and the other simplicity that I am thinking of buying my self is the Synergy. I fell in love with it when I first saw it on the internet, and the dealer I dealt with ordered one just for me to demo in the store, but I decided to go with the cheaper 6 series at that time. He said he was glad he ordered it because he hadn't had any and wanted to play with it. He sold that one and had three ordered for a few other customers before we left the store that day.

jkbmmv wrote:

Simply push it around the room without plugging it in.  It should remove about the same amount of dirt as when pluged in.

HARDSELL wrote:

HS/Joshua:

That beats my idea: Ear plugs!  Not to make light of the poster's dilemma, I suggest you contact ORECK, if you haven't already, and ask.  They may have some ideas.

Carmine D.

HARDSELL wrote:

Let the housecleaner use it"""""",just leave the house and do something you really like to do,problem solved....

MOLE

jkbmmv wrote:
Out of curiosity, when you cleaned the machine did you notice any nicks or even blades broken on the motor fan?  It sounds to me like your Oreck is running out of balance because they are usually a reasonably quiet machine...quieter than the Simplicity that you are looking at buying later in the year.

Dusty

To be honest, every vacuum place that I have asked said that the commercial Orecks run louder than the non commercial models... The Oreck home center said that as well (after trying to sell me an 800 dollar upright). I am just assuming that the housing is different, and am looking for ideas for making it quieter... My plan is to use that audio matting stuff (dynomat) if I can find it. I used to run in to it everywhere, now I don't see it... I will probably put a layer on the inside top part of the housing, and a few sections on the top of the bottom plate as well... That should help with the noise.

The fan blades seemed to be alright when I cleaned everything out, and the metal fins on the motor weren't bent. It makes sense that the commercial versions wouldn't be the same as the home towards quality of plastics etc. And to be honest, I have used other commercial Orecks before, and they seem to be just as loud.

jkbmmv wrote:

Hello Joshua:

If you haven't already, replace the belt.  A loose/stretched ORECK belt may cause the brush roll to vibrate, skip over the rug and be noisier than normal.  A new belt prevents this by tightening the brush roll. 

Carmine D. 

The belt is brand new, I took everything apart and cleaned the plastic stuff with soap and hot water, and a tooth brush, there is nothing built up anywhere. I even used a bottle brush on the neck/tube. I let everything dry and re-assembled. Its amazing how simple a flow through vacuum is... Especially after you see the price tag some of them carry.

To go on the obvious bag-less/bagged tension in here, I must say I don't think I well ever use a bag-less upright ever again. I had always wanted one of those Fantom vacuums you used to see on TV all the time... Finally one day, I had a chance to use one. It belonged to a friends mother. I was helping a few friends move, and I pulled out the vacuum and cleaned with it... It did good for a while, but I don't know what happened... I clogged that thing so bad, I just wrapped everything up and took it back to her. She told me as she put it on her work bench "Yea, it does this all the time, but for what I paid for it, I am going to use it until it breaks!". I don't think a vacuum is worth all that trouble... Not if its a weekly/biweekly ordeal.

jkbmmv wrote:

The genius, if you will, of the 8 pound ORECK, beside its weight, is that there are so few parts to it.  Less than 30 in all.  Less parts to break so they will and do last longer.

Carmine D.

jkbmmv wrote:

The bagless full size vacuum is the latest fad in the vacuum industry.  But it is a fad that is dying as quickly as it started.  Why? Because people are learning they have to get up close and personal with the dirt daily if they vacuum that much.  And dumping and cleaning dirt bins that often is no fun.  People know it's worth the cost of the bags from a time and effort point of view.  Just as importantly, from a health perspective they don't want to have all of the dust mites they pick up re-exposed back into the air they breathe every time they dump a dirt bin.   Getting back to ORECK, it is HEPA rated and doesn't have/need any HEPA filters [that every 2-3-4 months have to removed, cleaned, washed, dried and reinstalled/replaced].

Sticks and hand held vacuums, bagless may be fine.  Full size vacuums?  Bagged over bagless every time.  Possible exception for commercial usage where bag costs may be a constraint for the budget conscious.

Carmine D.

Also when the Oreck motors get old and loose they vibrate more and are louder, also the fan may have a crack that is not visible as they are not loud, the commercial has the same motor. We sell few Orecks as we sell mostly Riccar supralites (same as Simplicity) now they are louder but twice the power