Vacuum Cleaner???

PlayboyJoeShmoe

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We have had Hoovers and Kirbys and manage to kill them all within about a years time. Carpet threads and dog hair are the worst offenders.

Is the Oreck 8 pound hotel vac as good as they (Oreck) say it is?

We also have access to a two motor 14" or 18" through the company we get our equipment from.

What can I do??? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif
 

Tomas

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Either of two things, IMNSHO. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

1) Get cheap vacuums and toss them when they fail (and of course they will)

or

2) Get good vacuums and keep the brushes, bearings, filters, etc. clean and replace the bags when they start to impede airflow.

My old vacuum (I got a new one yesterday) managed quite well with 12 years of dirt, dogs, and long haired females. I kept the working parts fairly clean, unwrapped the hair from the brushes after every use, and cleaned the bearings in the head on a fairly regular basis.

I've seen the exact same unit die within a year or so when it wasn't cared for (my biz partner and I got the same type at the same time - he didn't even have the dog problem, but probably never took the collection of crap out of the bearings or brushes. The power head on his died at about the 1 1/2 year mark ...

Why did I get a new one? The blower motor was getting rather noisy and the cord was worn, and things on it were just getting loose from use. It was time. (No, it didn't quit on me - it still worked, but Sears was having a sale on a new one I liked so ... )

BTW, my mum had one of the Oreck's and hated it so much she only kept it for about four months - I don't know what the problem was, but don't mention Oreck around her. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Take care,
tomsig03.gif
 

The_LED_Museum

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[ QUOTE ]
We have had Hoovers and Kirbys and manage to kill them all within about a years time. Carpet threads and dog hair are the worst offenders.

Is the Oreck 8 pound hotel vac as good as they (Oreck) say it is?

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, you aren't supposed to be able to kill Kirbys that fast, but if you're going through those things at that rate, it's probably time to start looking for another brand of vaccume. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif
They use an Oreck vaccume at our apt. building, but long dog fur and other longer fibers aren't encountered, so the thing lasts forever, and it's probably many months between bag changes. I do know that you need to get special "Celoc" bags for the Oreck, while I can go to virtually any store and get Type F&G bags for my cranky old Eureka upright.

I read on another forum awhile back that Kenmore makes a great upright vaccume cleaner, but I don't know how well it copes with long hair and dog fur though. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif
 

Saaby

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I'd look into Filterqueen and Rainbow.

Both are canister vacs, both are designed (Mostly the filterqueen) to be able to handle pet hair et. all.
 

Sigman

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Take the " <font color="red">Red</font>/<font color="green">Green </font>"approach, look around in the garage, backyard, basement, storage shed...gotta have some parts & duct tape that should result in something of...well, what do they say, "Remember, she doesn't have to find you handsome, just handy!" (or something like that...)

Seriously, we've had a Kirby for 24 years. Replaced a couple parts and it still sucks good, however...we decided to get another for the downstairs (got tired of lugging the Kirby up and down 14 steps). Consumer's Reports has given top ratings to the Hoover Wind Tunnel for several years in a row (not the "bagless" model")...well we got one about 5 years ago and indeed it's as good/if not better than the Kirby.
 

binky

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That's interesting to hear another bad story about the Oreck. My neighbor hates hers too. Can't stand it.

I actually asked my cleaning lady what her favorite is. She said of all the ones she uses in people's homes, she like the Miele canister vacs. (Didn't have a specific model preference.) She said it apologetically because she said they're rather pricey.

Because I'm a gadget junky, if I were going to get a vac, I'd get the ones the cleaning staff use at MIT and seem to like ... by Pro-Team which have big capacity and have easy-to-clean foam thingy as the filter. (various levels of foam yield varieties of air-cleanliness, normal through HEPA)

intro.jpg
 
D

**DONOTDELETE**

Guest
I wouldn't buy an Oreck just because of their lying junk science commercial; "so powerful it can lift a bowling ball" -- it's not the suction of the machine holding up the ball, it's the earth's atmosphere -- only a slight vacuum is needed to perform the trick..
 

The_LED_Museum

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[ QUOTE ]
I've always wonderedif this thing works or not, but they sell them on info commercials, so it must work like a charm, right....

[/ QUOTE ]

That's too funny!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
That thing reminds me of the Euro-Pro Bagless Stick Shark (I bought one of those things to supplant my Eureka upright), except the Igia vacume is cordless - and probably gutless too. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
I would not recommend the Stick Shark because it does poorly on carpet (it's a great bare floor vaccume) and wouldn't recommend the Igia vacume cleaner because it's cordless. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif I do like how the Laser Vac "turns into a flashlight" though, so maybe it's a good flashaholic's vaccume. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 

The_LED_Museum

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Well, this silly program won't let me edit my posting, so I have to do another. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif

I was going to add that I am quite tempted to buy this Igia vacume and put it on my website under "incandescent flashlights", with the vaccume part being only mentioned in passing. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
Of course, I'll try to clean out the couch and suck up some cat litter & thumbtacks with it just like I did to my Euro-Pro Bagless Stick Shark around this time last year. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
 

geepondy

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Massachusetts
[ QUOTE ]

Is the Oreck 8 pound hotel vac as good as they (Oreck) say it is?



[/ QUOTE ]

From mind memory only, I recall reading a Consumer Reports review on vacuums and the Oreck was middle of the road in performance. However a friend girl swears by it because it is very lightweight. Also in the article, peformancewise, the Kirby's and there were a couple of other expensive brands listed in which I forget the names, did not outperform much cheaper alternatives. I forget which ones came out on top but there were some Eureka and Kenmore models that did quite well that were reasonably priced.
 

The_LED_Museum

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[ QUOTE ]
Ahhhh yes, see the <font color="blue"> "Classic Stick Shark Review"</font>. This is great! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I fess up to that webpage. Please aim that Euro-Pro Steam Shark at the sink (or just kick the plug out of the wall), and allow me to slink away unharmed. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I have a web page about my Eureka vacume too, but it's REALLY full of dirty words so I better not post it here. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 

PlayboyJoeShmoe

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WOW! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif

Look at this thread go!

Okay, would one or two of you 'consumer guide' readers give me the top 2 or 3 based on how good they clean and LAST?
 

binky

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From CU's 2003 Buyer's Guide (caveat: they're so predictable of giving high ratings to Sears stuff and not mentioning its disadvantages, such as weight. Makes me go "hmmmmmm".):

Performance:
-------------
Uprights:
Kenmore 31912 Progressive w/Direct Drive
Hoover WindTunnel Ultra U6430-900
Eureka Boss SmartVac 4870

Canister:
Kenmore Progressive 22612
Miele Plus S251
Eureka Home Cleaning System 6984

Reliability
-------------
Uprights (best at top of list):
Kirby
Hoover
Kenmore
Panasonic
Oreck
Sharp
Riccar
Simplicity
Dirt Devil
Eureka
Electrolux
Fantom
Bissell

Canisters:
Rainbow
Kenmore
Electrolux
Miele
Hoover
Eureka
 
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