I had my last Oreck for 21 years. So, of course when I broke it, I bought another. I broke my old Oreck, it didn’t break itself. The motor was still running strong. I had replaced a couple parts over the years, but once again, things that we broke … puppy chewed through power cord, etc. Okay, on to my review of my new one! I love it just as much and believe there is no other vacuum on the market that could keep up with pet hair in our home. We have three German Shepherds (very heavy shedders, over 100 lbs each) that live inside with us. We also have two twenty pound, long haired cats. I thoroughly vacuum with my Oreck daily, and run my robot vac in between. This new Oreck sucks the pet hair and sand (we live in rural Florida on dirt road and driveway) out of our rugs like a champ! People who are saying this is not like the old Oreck quality are mistaken. I used my old Oreck one day and this new one the following evening, and the new one is actually stronger! I vacuum so often, I know exactly how my rugs look after on pass with each. To address some other negative reviews - It’s not too loud! It’s equally as loud as any vacuum. If you want silence, use a broom. I prefer to vacuum all hard floors, as sweeping throws a lot of dust particles into the air to breathe, and I have dust allergies and asthma. As a side note to that, owning an Oreck has vastly improved my quality of life, as it vacuums so deeply. My asthma has been under control since owning one - 21 years. Another complaint I read is that the cord is too stiff and thick. Well, it’s a powerful vacuum, the cord needs to be heavy duty to be safe! And over time, it relaxes, making it quite easy to wrap. Other people are saying this vacuum is heavy! It’s not heavy at all. It only starts to get heavy with all the crap it pulls out of your carpets and off your floors - much more than other brands. You are only supposed to let the bag get about 1/3 of the way full before changing. And by that time, it contains quite a few pounds of dirt, dust, sand, hair, and whatever else. If my grandma self, with some physical disabilities can lift it, anyone can. And finally, I have read that the cord it too long. This was the most shocking because it’s something I always loved about my Oreck. I don’t have to change outlets as often. In my opinion, the long cord is a pro, rather than a con. I did wait a week before writing this review, and I will absolutely update it if, for some reason, things go south with my new Oreck. I also absolutely adore the patriotic colors! I hated to see my pretty yellow one go, I was very happy to not have to get plain gray. I also like that the bag on the new one is a dust proof material, unlike the old fabric ones. Great improvement! Unlike most people, I love vacuuming. I am sort of a vacuum connoisseur. I have tried out many other vacuums, as my adult daughters purchased them. They all own Orecks now, after going through lots of others. And I was older when I got my first Oreck, so had used plenty others in my life. Here is a test to do that originally sold me on my first one - Thoroughly vacuum your home with your old vacuum. Get the floors, carpets, and rugs to the place where you think there is nothing left down there. Put a brand new bag in your Oreck and go over it all again. You will be shocked at what comes out of a “clean” floor!
