Oreck XL 2000 Upright Commercial 8 lb Vacuum Hypo-Allergenic Filtration
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Product Description
The XL2000 Commercial Series Upright is the lightest, most powerful upright in the industry. A high-speed, double-helix brush revolves at an incredible 6,500 RPM, rejuvenating carpets and making them look new again. Features the MicroSweep System for easy transition from carpet to hard surfaces ? no adjustments needed, efficient top-fill dirt flow path, low clearance for cleaning under furniture, 35' fire-resistant cord, edge brushes, nonmarring bumper and soft wheels. The Helping Hand Handle eases stress and strain on the wrist, elbow and arm, because you never need to squeeze the handle. You just push and pull it.Oreck XL 2000 Upright Commercial 8 lb Vacuum Hypo-Allergenic Filtration Review
I've owned three different Oreck XLs over the course of six years and used them 5 days a week for most of that time, so I can say with confidence that I'm well aware of the pros and cons of this model. I wanted a vacuum powerful enough to handle cleaning two or three big houses a day that wasn't too heavy to lift in and out of the trunk several times a day. On those two points, the XL clearly does excel. With an empty bag it's only 8lbs, making it by far the lightest upright vac I've found that can do the job. And when it's functioning properly it performs very well. When it isn't you're going to run into some problems.Here's the good -
1. As I said, this vacuum is extremely light and highly maneuverable, which does somewhat make up for it's lack of a hose with attachments. It can lay completely flat for getting underneath furniture, and it absolutely glides over hard wood or most carpets. Elderly housekeepers may find this especially appealing, since it's not much of a burden to carry around.
2. I use the vacuum on hardwood, carpet, tile or just about any surface, and it picks up very well on all. While these first two things seem like no-brainers, it's amazing to me how many vacuums fail at one or the other. Most vacs will pick up on carpets fine while mostly just scattering or missing dirt on hard floors. This one is much better in that department than many of the others I've used.
3. Another major plus for someone like myself is that a good bit of the maintenance this vacuum requires is easily performed at home. Changing broken belts, replacing roller brushes, and even a few minor electrical fixes can all be done quite accessibly with nothing but a screwdriver. Most of those parts are available right here on Amazon and much cheaper than in the store.
Here's the bad -
1. There's no hose and that's a pain. Despite being able to lie flat, there are many areas that are inaccessible without a hose. Got carpet in your bedroom and need to get behind heavy bedposts or end tables? Sorry, you're out of luck, unless you want to buy one of Oreck's fancy canister vacs. It's 2 for the price of...er, 2. On the other hand, it's light enough to do a flight of stairs easily. Compare that to the popular Dyson brand who advertise their models with stretch hoses as being a very convenient way to vacuum stairs - I've yet to see one long enough to stretch a full flight without pulling the base over and either way you still have to carry the 1000 pound Dyson up or down stairs to do the floors, which sucks.
2. The XL requires a little more maintenance than seems reasonable to me. Granted I use it a lot, but the roller brushes don't really seem to last as long as some other vacs, the belts break or pop off just a little more often, it's self propulsion diminishes considerably with just a couple months use, the cloth bag housing gets snags and rips when going under furniture; basically there's a price for it's light weight and nimbleness which is that everything seems to tear up just a little easier. The bag housing also gets stinky, and is a pain to take it off and put back on if you want to wash it. The vac is also prone to falling backward when left standing on it's own if it gets the slightest bump, and this can cause the wiring in the handle to become disconnected. It's very simple to reconnect with just a screwdriver, as I said, but annoying all the same. They are also prone to getting shorts in their cords at some point during their lives. The Oreck store charges $40 to replace the cord, which brings us to number 3...
3. Oreck charges quite a bit for most of the repairs in fact, and much like a car dealership they overcharge for just about any service( you can get replacement cords online for $17 and it's a 15-20 minute job, where does that exta $23 go?). Also, the consider "normal wear and tear" things not part of your warranty. What falls under that category? Well, pretty much all the most likely things to go out; cords, brushes, belts, wheels, etc. The day I went in and was actually able to use my warranty to get the motor housing replaced I was quite surprised.
4. Lastly, as another reviewer mentioned it is quite loud. Often when I leave after vacuuming and entire house my ears are ringing. That's probably not good. It's definitely more of a Harley than a Honda.
If you do decide to go with the this model one thing you can do that will improve performance greatly and help with some problems I've mentioned is to change the bag regularly. Try not to use it much with a heavy bag in it. A heavy bag puts more stress on the vacuum's connecting joints which can lead to costly repairs. It also tears brushes and belts up faster and if you store the vac with even a half full bag it's going to start to stink a lot sooner, along with whatever room it's in. It's also less stress on your body since you will notice that an XL with a full bag is at least twice as hard to push as on with a fresh bag. I know the bags are expensive but, as with everything else, buy them online where they are much cheaper than the stores.
EDIT: This year I did have an incident with a hardwood floor being scratched. The problem is something I consider to be a small but potentially hazardous design flaw. Behind the roller brush there is a metal strip. On some Oreck models it screws in, on others it snaps on. I assume that it's purpose is to provide durability to the plastic on the bottom of the vacuum that friction from carpet will eventually erode. Over time this strip can become bent or otherwise misshapen by running over rougher floors such as tile or perhaps being snagged on a floor vent. If this happens, an edge can form that, while practically invisible to the naked eye, can nonetheless leave an ugly scratch on a sensitive hardwood floor. This situation is easily avoidable if you regularly examine the strip, and it generally seems to take quite a while for it to become scuffed enough to do damage. I wouldn't worry much about for the first year unless you vacuum every day. Still, it's something to be on the look out for. The strip is easily removable and cheaply replaceable, but hard wood floors are not.
Overall, I'd say this vacuum is the best option I've found for a residential cleaner, but it has some noteworthy flaws. The person it will serve best is one with a minimal amount of tight spaces and lots of open floor space where it's speed and easy handling can be of the most use.
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