Oreck Commercial XL Vacuum Cleaner, Bagged Upright Vac for Carpets and Hard Floor, Lightweight, Automatic Height Adjust, High-Speed Brush Roll, Powerful Vacuum Cleaners for Commercial Use

My old Oreck had worked fine for over 25 years. It was still working when I needed the electrical cord replaced. Had to take it to new place 45 minutes away. Of course one week later they told me over the phone they found all kinds of things wrong with it--bearing about to go, a housing cracked, brush something, a loud noise on startup....There was no loud noise on startup....and it had been working, but it was getting pretty old. I did some research and decided even though a lot of my friends like their Dysons, I do not have room in my condo to store a Dyson. I don't have pets and I do need something lightweight.I decided to stay with my Oreck as I loved such features as: 1) the head drops straight down and with an inexpensive plastic cable tie looped through the handle I hang it in the tiny space next to the hot water heater in the little closet; 2) it is lightweight and easy on my back; 3) it can vacuum under furniture; 4) I can go from carpeting to kitchen floor and I don't need two separate machines; 5) has the self-sealing dustbag, vs emptying a cup of dust.I could not believe the new models no longer have headlights which I had found helpful. However, on the plus side I found that my new Oreck has an even lower profile motor head and now I can easily vacuum under my kitchen cabinets right up to the baseboards where crumbs used to accumulate.So I was told in researching, that the original Oreck company that had advertised so aggressively in the '90s, had run into some financial problems and was sold to another U.S. based owner. Don't quote me as I don't want to spread misinformation, but it seems the models that were most like the originals-- were now called Oreck Commercial Upright Vacuums and are available on Amazon. There is a small range of prices on Amazon from about $156.00 (although it temporarily has gone down in price) to just over $300.00.Then I checked the Oreck website and saw what was available if you go to the Oreck stores that are still open. The new Orecks are elegant looking and much more expensive than the commercial Oreck vacs on amazon. Some of them still have headlights. However they don't have all the old features of the original Orecks such as weighing only 8 pounds and the release on the handle so you can vacuum under the furniture. After much debate I decided to go with the Oreck Commercial XL2100RHS, that was most like my old beloved XL. However there were more amazon reviewers that voted for the other Oreck Commercial style (U2000R1 line) and the majority had good things to say about that model also. That Oreck Commercial line has a 40 foot cord vs the 35 foot cord on my XL. It would have been helpful for me to have the extra 5 feet of cord, but the new cord is much heavier duty than the old and actually adds some weight to the vac. Being commercial heavy cord wears better and it now attaches with a pigtail so it is easier to replace the cord. It has a three prong plug. The helping hand attachment on the (U2000R1) looked good, especially if you vacuum stairs, but it is not available on the XL2100RHS model.Shipping was superfast. But I kept looking at the big box and delaying opening it--it couldn't be as easy to put together as amazoners said. Finally I faced the task and there was a brand new clean vac in the box. I had ordered 25 bags because I wanted to be able to use it when it came, but it was shipped with an Oreck new bag inside ready to turn on and use. Whomever packed it had even put a wrapped single Oreck scent tab halfway sticking out of the zipper bag so you'd see it when you opened it. Opening the box was easy and I was surprised that it came with a small paper manual covering the easy assembly and use and maintenance. Oreck has a pocket on the outside of the zipper bag and it is a good place to keep the Manual, a few extra bags and your receipt. There is also a tiny square pocket inside the zipper bag where you can slip the recommended scent tab. Personally, I prefer to break a new tab up and drop it inside the new disposable dust bag as I change bags-- you can still enjoy the pleasant scent and this way you don't get the inside of your zipper bag sticky. The scent seems to disperse better this way. That was another detail I was grateful for--there was some confusion over the docking of the disposable bags when I read about the different models on amazon. I was happy to see what I consider to be the docking mechanism (not positive)--the way you attach the dust bag inside to the suction pipe with the cardboard that self seals as you change it--that system is still the same in the Oreck. After I use my new Oreck a few more times and change the dust bag I will update this review. But for now I am thrilled with the way this model performed--much easier to vacuum my plush (but not thick plush +) wall to wall carpeting and it really refreshed and pulled the plush nap up-it didn't look all matted down. I loved how the Oreck went from my low level Orientals, to the plush, to my kitchen vinyl floor. Now there was a slightly funny almost electrical smell as I was vacuuming the first time. I had not thrown the scent tab in the bag and also I think maybe the motor lubricants were just starting to work their way through the motor on start up? But I vacuumed the entire condo and the smell seemed to get better, not worse.ASSEMBLY: I am not handy and I am less handy as I am getting older. But this was actually pretty easy to do. I don't think Oreck could have made it any easier unless they included a screwdriver and silicon spray. Easy open box. PIECE ONE: Vacuum motor and zipper bag and lower half the handle. PIECE TWO: the top half of the handle including the bright electric cord all rolled up (and heavy). Remove the protective small cardboard tube over the two screws near the top of the metal handle of PIECE ONE . Carefully use a Philips screwdriver to unscrew the two black screws in the metal handle in PIECE ONE You don't want to put weird pressure on the screws, or turn them at a weird angle and bend them. As you remove the two screws the white plastic disposable piece comes out and the important metal piece that reinforces and secures your handle comes off. That piece is flat at the top and curved at the bottom. Now I found it easier to release the heavy electrical cord and let it fall to the floor as I carefully lined up the two halves of the handle. Be sure you keep the on /off switch to the front of the vacuum. It was okay to get the PIECE TWO into PIECE ONE, but tricky to carefully maneuver them down tightly together. They fit together so far and stopped but the screw holes weren't aligned and I could see the top part needed to go down further. The main thing is not to twist and bend anything as you push these down together. Possibly you could use a little oil or silicon spray as mine did not easily slide together. But really not as hard as I am describing--probably pretty easy for those who are handy. It didn't take long for me to see I had the pieces going the right way and the top just had to go down further and it did. Then the holes were perfectly aligned to carefully put the screws in. I keep saying carefully as some amazon reviewers complain about the handle coming apart as they are vacuuming--uugh--not what you want. So if you get this little part done right and do NOT bend the screws by not having the handle pushed all the way in but forcing the screws and thereby bending them-- then especially with the metal reinforcement piece that goes over them--your handle should be in great shape, and even though all you did was put in two easy screws and didn't even put the dust bag in -- you will feel like you built the whole machine!I don't know why they don't tell you this part in the Manual, but after your handle is done and secure, you will notice a thin black plastic clip for the electric wire next to where you just secured the handle. I recommend using the vaccuum a little and deciding exactly how you want you electric cord clipped--I found that I needed to have the cord a bit more controlled (but not pulled tight) from the bottom motor part to the clip and leave it a little looser from the clip to the handle. The blue bag that was installed inside my new XLCommercial 2100RHS was "9 PACK REORDER NO. PK80009"and "25 PACK REORDER NO. PK800025". Finally, so you can wind the cord around the two hooks, you many need to gently rotate the top blue hook to the upward position.So far, so good. Will update as needed.

This is a great upright vacuum cleaner! I had one years ago, and I loved it then.I sold it when I moved (combining households). My partner had a Dyson, so w used that one bc it had attachments. What a piece of junk it was! It was very bulky. The ball “swiivel” is huge. It wouldn’t fit under most of our furniture, it was unsteady when upright, and the attachment hose and tools were not simple to use.I really like my Oreck upright. It’s exactly what I need to do a thorough cleaning.We also have the small Oreck canister vac, which I like just as much. It’s a small canister with handle, a long hose, extension pieces, and attachments. It’s super simple. I’m glad I’m back to my old set up.I’ve had the little canister vac for more than 15 years without any problem.

So I bought this vacuum in 2019 and it's been great. It's lightweight and has a very long cord. I can plug it in in the living room and vacuum the entire 1700 sq feet of house from that outlet. While it's not as powerful as our Kirby it's way easier to use and does nearly as good a job. Lugging the Kirby up and downstairs is a hassle and since we have this we rarely use it. This vacuum has been trouble free this entire time. We still have the extra belt it came with because we've never needed to replace it. It gets weekly use is a home with kids and probably too many pets and has done it well.

I like the vacuum it works well. The only issue for me is not having hose attachments. The suction power is about average.

Product secrets: After a few uses the beater that is included with this vacuum has a rubber part on the inside of the ends that melt causing the beater to seize up which makes it appear the motor has burnt out but that is not the case! This can be rectified by using a beater from older models or ordering a cheap wooden replacement beater that does not have rubber parts on the inside of the ring where the metal pins spin. The way to open the vacuum to service it (another secret not divulged in the instruction literature) is with Torx T-20 long bit. Knowing this info will avoid a very expensive trip to an authorized dealer.