Oreck Commercial XL Pro 5 Super Compact Canister Vacuum Cleaner, Portable

I'm a home improvement contractor and I've been looking for a small vacuum for quite some time now. I've always looked at the 1 gallon shop vacs but never liked the size or the reviews. One night I entered small vacuums in the search and just kept clicking page after page after page and eventually saw this little Oreck. Read the reviews and it seemed like it was a good little machine. I wasn't looking for a big shop vac to do major cleanups. I have that and it's just a pain to have to take it out of my shop, load it into the truck and bring it into a clients home. I have a Fein dust extractor that's quiet, but it's big. It'll take care of the big jobs if I need it. But I have to be conscious and make sure to bring it. I wanted a vacuum that I could always have in the truck, so I wouldn't have to remember to pack it up. The rectangular shape and small size allowed me to find a permanent spot in the truck boxes so I'd always have it with me. Now the main use for me is cleaning up after installing cabinets and moldings. These type of jobs produce sawdust and small wood shavings. I usually put down tarps or other types of floor protection but no matter what the dust finds it's way onto the floor or carpet. I use the vacuum during and after the job to keep the site clean. I guess the only real complaint I have is the small bag. It's not really that bad except when the tablesaw is used because it produces quite a bit of sawdust. The bags are very inexpensive, under 40 cents each. Usually I'll dump the sawdust out 1 or 2 times before swapping out to a new bag, just because I'm frugal. I've learned that you can store 2 extra bags inside where the vacuum bag goes on either side of the machine. Makes it nice so I don't have to go out to the truck when it needs replacing. My first major use of the vacuum was installing casings for doors and windows and baseboard in a house that had been gutted and redone. The floors were all hardwood oak and stained a walnut color. White sawdust on a dark floor just sticks out like a sore thumb. The Oreck with it's larger floor attachment does the trick. I use the brush function on the floor attachment to clean the dark floors and it just picks up everything so nice. If something is a bit ground in then you might have to make a back and forth pattern to get the dust up, but usually one pass in an area was enough to clean it up perfectly. The round brush is good for getting the tops of baseboards, window sills and inside of freshly installed cabinets without leaving marks or doing damage. I had the same problem as others with the strap coming loose and the vacuum dropping to the floor. I used the twist tie that came with the machine and wrapped it around the strap to keep it from pulling through, solved the problem. This is definitely something Oreck needs to remedy. It's uncalled for. As for storing the vacuum in the truck I built a small plywood box that holds the vacuum and all the tools securely with a very small footprint. So far I'm pretty impressed with the vacuum.

I bought this as an alternative to hand-held vacs like the Dirt Devil Scorpion and other corded, hand-held vacs. I use this type of vac to vacuum dust from furniture. I bought a second-generation Dirt Devil for half the cost of the Oreck and immediately regretted it. Among other things, the tab on the turbo brush broke off within the first month, rendering it nearly unusable. Contrast with the Oreck: the noise is on par for a vac of this type. The Oreck remains cool (I wear it cross-body) while I'm vacuuming for extended periods. The tool carry port remains convenient yet doesn't get in my way. The cord is super long. The attachments are great. The dusting attachment makes a good seal and takes the dust away. This machine is worth every penny. I do have a wish list of improvements: a longer flexible hose; taller cord nodes to wrap the cord around; and a turbo-type attachment for upholstery. I love this vacuum. Thanks Oreck for making a quality product. I would love to hear if you sell a longer flexible hose.

Before I get to the shortcomings, I want to say that this is an excellent machine. It is not perfect, but it is a powerful, and well accessorized unit, and one hell of a value at the current price. Now for the relatively few shortcomings: (1)The weakest link is the shoulder strap. It is actually made from a high quality webbing , but the STITCHES that secure the strap to the metal attachment clips are extremely inadequate. Mine lasted less than 1 minute before failing, and allowing the vacuum to fall from my shoulder. The FIX is relatively easy, and should be completed BEFORE the strap is attached to the machine. TIP: fet a couple of wooden spring-loaded clothes pins (a packet of these will cost you under one dollar at Dollar Tree). Spray the "business ends" of two clothes pins with WD-40 (super glue will not stick to WD-40). place each clip over the folded-over web ends so as to hold the "flaps" very close to the main webbing. Run a bead of SUPER GLUE along the end of the flaps so as to reinforce the stitching. (Do this far away from the machine itself, or you will wind up with drops of super glue where you don't want it. Allow the super glue to dry for an hour or so... just to play it safe. (2) The cradle that holds the accessories can easily be installed upside-down by mistake.Pay close attention to the (very small) pictorial in the assembly instructions. The semi-circular "blades" should be "sticking up" (top-side) when correctly installed. To my mind this is counter-intuitive,.. but this is correct. The caddy is difficult to snap into place, and you may think that you are going to break it, as much force is needed. Position one end into its proper "socket", and snap the other end into place. BE SURE to first thread the puwer cord through the caddy correctly. I did it "upside down" and had to do it over. NOTE: the ONLY WAY to get the cord into the right slot in the caddy housing is to push it downward between the two semi-circular blades of the center accessory boss. The assembly instructions are VERY sketchy in this regard. (3) Number three will only affect fellow left-handed owners: the side-mounted electrical cord "caddy" interferes with your hip if you hang the unit on your right side. The only practical use is to hang the unit (from your shoulder) at your left hip, and hold the "wand" with your right hand. I put the strap over my right shoulder, and the strap crosses my chest diagonally. This provides the most secure body-mounting. (4) Lastly, the unit is a bit heavy, and somewhat clumsy to tote... but that is a function of how well-built it is. The vacuum is very powerful, and very well made. I would buy it again in a heartbeat.

I don't understand why this vac doesn't get more attention here on Amazon. I kept dismissing it because there was very little info and the one star review. It was three times the price of the Eureka 71B that I was considering as my top choice. Eureka 71B Hand-Held Vacuum After some availability problems for the 71B I came to realize I didn't really want or need the roller brush on my quick use hand held vac. We have a lot of long hair in our family and I would be always cutting it out of the roller brush, like I have to do with our large main carpet vac. I reconsidered my price range and looked at the Hoover Porta Power and the Oreck XL Pro that I am reviewing here. Hoover Commercial Portapower Vacuum Cleaner, 8.3 Lbs, Black Once I looked at the online owner's manuals for both of these I chose the Oreck because there is a replaceable filter for the motor (comes with a package of filter bags ) that is not owner replaceable on the Hoover. Another consideration is the way the motor/fan is to the rear of the filter bag on the Oreck rather than on one side and bellow on the Hoover; that made sense from an engineering perspective. On the Hoover the dirt flies into the bag and ends up as a layer that the motor has to suck air through thus restricting the flow as the bag fills rather than on the Oreck the motor is on the opposite end the dirt comes into so at least the majority will fall out of the stream of air which can pass over the top of the pile of dirt and have less restriction until the bag fills up. The housing of the Oreck is smaller because of this and it works better, at least in theory, so seems like sound design to me. Speaking of sound the Oreck is plenty quiet. That was one of the most important factors for me. I am adament I will not have another vacuum that is so loud I must wear ear plugs to protect my hearing. I depend on my hearing for work and want to do all I can to gaurd against damage. I am pleased with the Oreck. It has a quite tolerable sound level. I had read here the Hoover Porta Power is on the loud side. I have not actually heard one so I can not say for sure. Some mentioned the short hose and the awkwardness of using this vac. I can see what they ment. Hmmmm. I am still learning to work around this. Then I realized the Eureka 71B would have been more awkward to do the same things and could not have been as versatile as my Oreck. My Oreck. Yes I am keeping it. I like it. The awkwardness is the shortness of the hose I think. I will put on a longer hose from another vac and report back. For wall vacuuming using the wider smooth floor attatchment ( which works on carpets too ) and the extension wand ( which is quality and works great ) the short hose seems just right and no problem. Cleaning up small messes with the hose and the small floor tool goes very well. It is just that with the same set up I mentioned for walls but used on the floor the hose is just a bit too short. The short hose is good for dusting shelves, books, displays etc using the REAL horse hair brush. Quite a nice brush with lots of bristles. Makes all the plastic bristled brushes I have had look like a different animal. Dustiing in this manner is one of the main reasons I bought a handheld and this would have been silly to do with the Eureka 71B. I realize this now but couldn't see it when I was ordering. Oreck has a shoulder strap the 71B does not. One advantage the Hoover Porta Power seems to have is a loovered door over the exhaust to help dispers and direct the blast of air down rather than straight behind the vac. The Oreck has a tube that is bent so you can decide which direction you want the blast to go by rotating this dog leg tube. I think perhaps a better way to go is put a small cloth bag over the exhaust to diffuse the stream. I supose this has been done and found lacking. In theary a person could rubber band a sock over this exhaust tube on the Oreck. I have yet to go there. About the accessories rack and the accessories not staying on : No problems here ! The brush fits loose on the outboard holder but fits fine on the middle one which has the ability to flex and so accommodate it; the small floor tool fits snug on the outboard holder and the crevice tool drops into a rectangular hole in the holder and so that is just fine. Once you get it you will see it is obvious the floor tool goes on the outboard because it is too wide across the floor/dirt entry end to be in the middle of the holder anyway. Bottom line : I think this Oreck vac gets ignored and people should really take another look, I would recommend it, keeping in mind this is a compact cleaning tool with some limitations. The hose is short but that makes it compact when you don't want loops of hose to gather up or flop all around in a tight space with delicate objects that could get knocked off a shelf etc. I would buy it again. I tend to first look at how well a product will work for my particular needs and how well made it is then I look at price. It is the economies I regret not the extravagances. If I learn to hate it I guarantee I will update this review. by the way I did NOT get the narrow turbo roller brush tool listed here as one of the eleven accessories but I think it is not a great design (needs an electric motor in the brush ) so I am not disappointed. PPS:2-20-11 well so much for quiet. The Oreck has developed a high pitch two note whistle. The motor sound is quiet enough if it wasn't for this whistle. I have checked for causes and tried different combinations of tools and it does it with no tools. The door is shut correctly, the little flap on the door is correct ( I even took the flap off to no avail ). It doesn't do it for about ten seconds when I turn on the vac then here it comes. Barely tolerable in a small bed room; intolerable in a small bathroom with a glass wall. Crap. I guess it is back to the old ear plugs. 2-27-11 put in a new Oreck brand bag and the whistling stopped. Vac is quiet again. I used it for a half hour or so then put the first bag back in ( first bag wasn't full; only 1/5th full but I wanted to find out what was causing the high pitched whistle ). With the first "whistle bag" back in the whistling was back. I see no cause for the whistle. Perhaps I sucked up some object with a hole in it and the air going through whistles. It is encouraging that it isn't the vac but the one bag or something in that bag 3-25-11 high pitch two note whistle is back. It may be that once the bag gets enough in it to fill the pores, by no means even a fifth full, then it stresses the motor enough to produce this high pitched auditory irritant. Too bad. Down to four stars. As far as the awkward short hose : The short hose is great on stairs to my surprise. For floors with the wand I find if I have the vac on the shoulder strap to my left side, arrange the handle on the wand so the angled part is turned toward me some and hang on to the other end where the hose goes into the vac it works pretty darn well (keeps the vac from swinging all around and the hose isn't too short or otherwise being a problem. Works great in a cramped bathroom with this set up. For adding a longer hose you may need to get an adapter rubber hose which comes in handy for using other tools you may have on hand from other vacs . Fein 921069A13 1-1/4-in Flexible Connector I have wound up with two of these over the years. It is just a hunk of stretchy rubber hose. Is more versatile than the hard plastic adapters. One of mine is a bit larger than the other. I mention this because if you order one and it is a bit too big get another hunk from a hardware store or industrial supply that sells to the public.

My house is a rambling rancher, with vinyl plank flooring throughout. This vacuum has powerful suction, you can hear the dirt pinging in the tube as it’s captured. The cord has ample length that allows me to cover a lot of area with one use. I prefer to use the adjustable shoulder strap but it’s easy to carry around by the handle as well because it’s so lightweight. I’ve spent way more $ on Shark and Dyson but this thing blows them away. The upright models and even the canisters cannot compete with this machine in terms of maneuverability. I can get into small crevices, behind things, under things, and in all the corners, it’s a powerful tool with unmatched capabilities when it comes to cleaning floors.

Goes together quick and easy. Very powerful especially for small canister vac. Floor attachment has both bare floors and carpet settings. Works great on both . Doesn’t make too loud of noise and noise not irritating. Great product !

UPDATE: my husband somehow re-threaded the strap and added a small wooden dowel to prevent the strap from coming away from the vacuum. In the meantime, I ordered the simplicity sport. The differences are few, in my opinion. My husband likes the oreck cord winder which the simplicity does not have. I did find an aftermarket cord winder apparatus that I will try but it does not bother me as much as it bothers my husband. The oreck cord is 30 ft vs 25 foot. Simplicity replacement bags are a tiny bit cheaper. I like the simplicity better. The cord is a smaller gauge which I like and the hose is longer. I also do not have any issue with the attachments coming off the simplicity. Not sure how they got the friction thing right and oreck did not. Boxing up the oreck to return Pros: lightweight, not ridiculously loud, portable Cons: The attachments use a friction-based system which does not work as well as it should and after the 3rd use, the shoulder strap came away from the vacuum. I like this vacuum. However, the attachments don't stay on very well due to using a friction-based system. It would work better if there were some type of locking mechanism. I could have overcome that obstacle had the shoulder strap not come undone. To me, that is a deal breaker. It has excellent suction and is relatively quiet. As it is a small vacuum, it has a small bag which doesn't bother me. I also prefer a vacuum with a bag. Others have commented about the odor that develops and when I put a new bag in, I vacuum up some laundry scent booster beads - problem solved!! Regretfully, sending it back.

I had an older model of one of these years ago and I loved it. I used it until it died. When I saw this, I was super excited that it was still around and at a decent price. It probably has better suction that my Shark vacuum. I actually wish you could adjust the suction so it doesn't try to eat my rugs, but I found a work-around for that. The only thing I kind of have an issue with is the cord. I feel like it's overkill for such a small vacuum. I realize this is a commercial model, but the cord looks like something you'd see on a lawn mower. Thick and heavy. It makes it a little hard to maneuver and wind up for storage and I find myself getting tangled up in it. In conclusion....just buy it. Overall, it really is a great vacuum with some handy attachments. I used it on the car this past weekend and it did a super job. Better than my shop vac.

It's really hard to find a vacuum with bags. Those canisters bagless vacuums are just awful. This model sports exceptional suction, decent bag size and acceptable bag price. During two years of almost none-stop abuse, which most recently included accidentally vacuuming in some water (don't try it though, a short and fire might result, or worse, it's not a wet vac!) it survived and still going great. I fashioned additional seal between lid and bag flange which improved suction even more. On the "con" side, the cord is tad too long and hard to handle and could be rubber rather than plastic which hardens a lot during cold months. Did not use any of accessories

What an easy way to re-order vacuum bags!

Cumple con su trabajo.

So much easier to clean the car, I should have bought long ago

Product received exactly as the posted picture.