8 pounds of machine....a real KILLER!
Written: Mar 03 '05
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Durability: |
|
|
| Ease of Cleaning: |
|
|
| Style: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Absolutely none.
Cons: Absolutely everything.
The Bottom Line: Get something else.
|
|
|
| wishwebber's Full Review: Oreck XL2600 Upright Vacuum |
It's a good thing this vacuum weighs only 8 pounds because to move it from one place to another when it's not turned on requires actually lifting it and carrying it from one place to another.
It does a good job on the areas of my home where there is Berber carpet. There is no adjustment for carpets of different depths so on the thicker carpet, more strength is required to push the vacuum over it and unless I go directly with the "grain" (which is sometimes simply not practical) the vacuum jumps as I push it. In doing the whole house this morning, I've worn the webbing between my thumb and index finger of my right hand red and raw, very sore, along with a couple of tiny blisters that have popped up below my pinkie and ring fingers of the same hand. This is from pushing while the vacuum jumps all over my floor.
Yes, the handle does lay flat so you can easily vacuum under things, however, that's the only option. If you need to tip it back to go over a threshold into another room, say up a step or from flooring to an area rug you can't do it without putting the handle all the way up then lifting the whole vacuum up off the floor and over the threshold. I've gotten sick of doing that lifting so I've tried twisting the handle sideways to get one corner off the floor and over onto the area rug. This works but after doing that a few times, I begin to feel pain in my wrist as if the abrasion and blisters weren't enough.
I should have sent it back within the trial period but I don't feel that was long enough for me to really get to know the ups and downs of this little beast. Maybe I just kept hoping there would be some ups. Nope. Now I just can't wait to get rid of it but I quite honestly can't bring myself to inflict this thing on someone else.
I bought this vacuum initially because I thought the light weight of it would be easier on my back than my last vacuum. The extra effort of lifting the thing so often with every use along with the trouble I have just getting it to move across my floor have actually made it more difficult for me to use than my previous machine. I'm 36, in pretty good shape other than the back pain, I'm not a weakling at all. If this little machine gives *me* this much trouble, I can't imagine how difficult it would be for someone more frail, weak, or elderly to use. Unfortunately, these are the people Oreck seems to market to. Also, my kids (10 & 14) have an impossible time with it. It is simply not easy to use, and do you think I'd ever get *them* to deal with all the attachments and junk that goes with the canister? Uh-uh.
Though my previous machine had onboard attachments, etc. it also had a greater degree of side suction so you could run it along a wall and get most of what was there. Not so with this machine. It has little brushes poking out the sides but they do nothing. I really have to use the main machine and the canister vac every time. The canister is a pain, as well. It's strong suction, yes, but how many bowling balls or bolts do *you* need to clean up in a day?! I've also grown rapidly tired of the cluttered closet full of hoses, cords, bits and pieces that have to be dragged out, put back. I actually avoid that closet now!
To sum it up, I HATE MY ORECK! I really don't like anything about it. It was a tremendous waste of money and now it is a tremendous waste of time and an even more tremendous waste of my personal energy.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): $500
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
wishwebber
|
|
Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.