Oreck XL

Ah the folly that is the Oreck XL! We had one for several years after my Dyson collection series (DC01 to DC03) broke down and my dad was fed up having to use uprights which were too heavy to push around. Enter Oreck’s XL upright. The Oreck XL has quite a lengthy marketing skill behind it; build a vacuum which has the same power ratio as Hoover’s old Junior, fit a high filtration bag to it and build lightweight plastic around it and...Well that’s it. Oh and then put it on sale in the commercial market selling it to hotels and hospitals as a lightweight no nonsense upright; that way like Numatic’s Henry it will get noticed as well as build a good reputation ...  Read the complete review

You must have seen the cheesy TV adverts for the Oreck XL where David Oreck sits under a bowling ball being suspended by one of his vacuum cleaners. If so, you'll probably know that they offer a no obligation 15 day home trial of their cleaner. We decided to take them up on their offer when our trusty Dyson committed suicide by throwing itself down the stairs (hint to Dyson owners: never carry your Dyson upstairs by the detachable handle!) We have a particularly tricky set of stairs and four stair loving cats and to be honest, the Dyson was a bit awkward to use, which is why we decided to give the lightweight Oreck a go. The big selling point of the XL is ...  Read the complete review