Oreck Commercial XL Vacuum Review

Do you need a vacuum for your office? Or maybe just want a powerful upright vacuum for home? Oreck may be the answer to your needs.

The Oreck Commercial XL upright vacuum contains a basic design, but is known for its powerful performance on hard floor surfaces and low pile carpets.

Will this Oreck vacuum pass our performance tests?

Continue reading below to discover if the Oreck Commerial XL is the right vacuum for you.

Pros

• This Oreck performed well on both of our carpeted surfaces.
• One of the longest cord’s we’ve tested to date at 35′

Cons

• Hardwood floor performance wasn’t as great as we expected.
• 0° turning radius isn’t ideal for maneuverability.

Table of Contents

• Accessories
• Cleaning Performance
• Maintenance
• Value
• Specs
• Summary

Oreck Commercial XL Upright Design

The Oreck Commercial XL upright vacuum offers one of the most basic designs we have seen to date. Although, that is somewhat expected from a vacuum that is designed for commercial use. To keep costs low, Oreck had to go with a more simplistic design.

This Oreck uses a large dust bag, as opposed to a plastic dust bin.

The front of the handle is home for the power switch and the back has a hook for the cord to wrap around.

Moving down the vacuum, the floor head is square and connects directly to the handle of the unit.

Aesthetically, this vacuum is nothing to write home about. Once again, the commercial design is not made for looks, but rather performance.

How Oreck Cleans

The Oreck Commercial XL upright vacuum cleans through agitation from a brushroll and strong suction power. Brushes along the outside of the brushroll help to sweep dirt and debris into the cleaning path of the vacuum, meaning less is missed with each pass made.

There is only one cleaning mode with this specific Oreck model. Therefore, you do not have to worry about changing the cleaning mode as you switch floor types, the vacuum will automatically make the adjustments for you.

How big is the Oreck XL Commercial vacuum?

The Oreck Commercial XL vacuum offers a fairly standard upright size. The height is 47″, the width is 12″, and the depth of the unit is 9″. Overall, this Oreck weighs 8.2 pounds.

• Length – 47″
• Width – 12″
• Depth– 9″
• Weight – 8.2 pounds

What accessories come with the Oreck vacuum?

The Oreck Commercial XL upright vacuum does not include any extra parts or accessories. Everything included with the vacuum is already housed on the unit itself.

As a commercially designed vacuum, there is not much of a need for extra parts and accessories. This vacuum is designed to clean on the ground and do that well. Therefore, extra tools, such as a crevice tool, would not make sense to include with this particular style of vacuum.

If you want an upright with more bells and whistles and accessories, see our full list of upright vacuum reviews or check out our Shark Navigator review and Bissell Pet Hair Eraser review.

Cleaning Tests

The following vacuum cleaner tests are designed to show how the Oreck Commercial XL upright vacuum performs on different surfaces, picking up a variety of debris types.

We test on three different floor types, including hardwood floors, low pile carpet, and high pile carpet.

• Rice – 3 ounces
• Dry Cereal – 1 ounce
• Kitty Litter – 3 ounces
• Sugar – 3 ounces

Each of the aforementioned debris types was spread across our testing lane. The base surface of our testing lane is an engineered hardwood floor. For our carpet tests, we slide in a low pile and high pile carpet insert on top of the hardwood floor.

Our vacuum cleaning process strives to be as consistent, fair, and true to real world use as possible. Our tests utilize the following procedure:

1. Measure the weight of the testing debris and the weight of the empty vacuum debris container.
2. Spread the respective debris type evenly across the central portion of the testing lane.
3. Run the vacuum cleaner over the testing lane.
4. Measure the weight of the now filled container and take notes on the cleaning performance.

Hardwood Floor Cleaning

The Oreck Commercial XL had some issues during our hardwood floor tests. Although Oreck claims this vacuum is designed to perform well on hard floor surface types, we saw a different result.

Rice was no issue, but as we moved onto kitty litter, cereal, and sugar, we noticed some flaws.

For starters, the kitty litter and sugar were both pushed forward / dragged by this Oreck. The unit was not able to suck up most of the debris until we pulled the vacuum backwards. After doing so, the brushes on the front of this Oreck helped keep the debris within reach of the suction power.

Cereal, the largest debris, was the most difficult for the vacuum to clean up on our hardwood floor test. The cleaning head of the Oreck Commercial XL was simply too low to the ground, which simply pushed the cereal forward instead of underneath the unit. This resulted in less than 10% of the debris being cleaned up.

See here for our list of the best vacuums for hardwood floors.

Low Pile Carpet Cleaning

The low pile carpet tests were the easiest for the Oreck Commercial XL. Each of the four debris types were cleaned up at a level of 99% or higher.

These tests were a major improvement over the hardwood floor tests.

High Pile Carpet Cleaning

Our high pile carpet tests were better than the hardwood floor test, but not quite as good as the low pile carpet tests. Cereal was the biggest issue, once again, as the Oreck was only able to clean up 48% of the debris.

Contrary to the wood floors, the head of the Oreck Commercial XL actually sank into the carpets, which allowed the unit to grab some of the debris and force it under the head into the suction path.

Rice, kitty litter, and sugar were no match for this Oreck on our high pile tests, as each scored at least a 94%.

Oddly enough, Oreck notes that this vacuum is best suited for hard floor surfaces and low pile carpets. We found that this specific Oreck performed better on the high pile carpet than it did on the low pile.

See here for list of the best vacuums for carpets.

Is the Oreck Easy to Use?

Using the Oreck Commercial XL is as easy as it gets. Plug it in and go. There is no way to manually change the floor settings, as this vacuum is designed to that on its own.

ASSEMBLY | There is a short assembly process required before you are able to use this Oreck vacuum. The included user guide shows clear directions on how to assemble the unit, but long story short, you need to screw in the handle to the connection point on the back of the vacuum. After doing so, you can then attach the cord to the cord clip and you’re ready to rock and roll.

CLEANING MODE | The power button is located on the handle and is a simple on/ off switch. Again, there is only one cleaning mode associated with this vacuum, so all you have to do is move the power switch into the “on” position to begin using it.

Overall, using the Oreck Commercial XL upright vacuum is among the easiest we have tested to date.

Oreck Commercial XL Maneuverability

Maneuverability of the Oreck is good, but not great. On the plus side, it is lightweight and has a low profile, allowing it to get under most furniture.

• Weight: 8.2 pounds
• Power: 35′ cord
• Height: 47″
• Turning: 0°

CORD | Additionally, the cord is 35′ long and made of durable material. This is a major plus for a commercial vacuum and certainly for one with a 35′ cord.

TURNING | On the downside, the turning radius of the Oreck Commercial XL is below par. It has a 0° turning radius. Although this vacuum was not necessarily designed to make sharp turns, it would’ve been nice to see Oreck give the unit a bit more in this area.

Unless you’re only going to make straight passes back and forth across your home or office space, this Oreck may not be the most appropriate choice.

FLAT LAY | One positive note about this vacuum cleaner, it does have the ability to lay almost completely flat on the ground before the cleaning head begins to lift up. This is a plus when trying to get under obstacles.

Oreck Maintenance Tasks & Costs

The following table indicates the frequency at which you will likely want to replace the various parts and components of the vacuum. However, your individual experiences may vary

Being such a simple vacuum, there is not involved with maintaining this Oreck Commercial. The only major tasks to complete; change the filter bag once it’s full and replace the belt once it is worn down.

FILTER BAG | The filter bag should be disposed once it hits the indicated fill line. Going past this line could result in poor performance, per Oreck.

BELT | With regard to the belt, this part does not need to be changed as frequently. Users should pay attention to the performance of the vacuum. If the unit seems to be struggling to suck up, the issue could be with the belt not propelling the brushroll. If this is the case, a new belt should be installed.

One of my biggest complaints with this vacuum is the fact that you have to change the belt. While this is not a difficult process to complete after you have done it a time or two, the first few times can be much more difficult.

BRUSHROLL | Aside from changing the filter and replacing the belt, clearing the brushroll of any tangles or snags is the only remaining maintenance task.Annual maintenance costs for the Oreck Commercial XL land around $12. This includes replacing the bag once a month and the belt twice a year.

How Noisy is the Oreck Commercial XL?

All vacuum cleaner reviews on Modern Castle are put through our standard noise test. For this test, we use a sound meter to measure noise in terms of decibel level approximately 3′ away from the vacuum.

The Oreck is easily one of the most loud vacuums we have tested to date.

If the loudness is a turn off for you, you may want to check out the Dyson V7 and Miele Compact C1, both of which are around 17 dB quieter. If you want a quieter upright, see the Shark Rotator and Hoover Windtunnel T-series, which are 7-8 dB quieter.

Is Oreck a Good Value?

The Oreck Commercial XL upright vacuum offers a pretty solid value.

CLEANING | During our cleaning tests, the Oreck had no issues on low pile carpets. However, it struggled significantly on hardwood floors and slightly on high pile carpets. The low cleaning deck resulted in cereal being pushed around (and not sucked up) during our hardwood and high pile cleaning tests.

USABILITY | Both usability and maneuverability leave something to be desired. The 0° turning radius and lack of attachments isn’t great, but again, this should be expected with a commercially designed vacuum.

MAINTENANCE | Maintenance costs are among the lowest we have seen to date, which definitely earns value points.

As we look at warranty and returns, Oreck falls in line with most others. The warranty lasts for one year and the return period is 30-days (via Amazon).

Specifications

Below is a complete list of important specifications and features included on the Oreck Commercial XL:

Who Should Buy the Oreck Commercial XL Upright Vacuum?

The Oreck Commercial XL vacuum is an okay vacuum for some and a good vacuum for others. The price is not too high, but the high pile carpet and hardwood performance leaves something to be desired. For home use, I think there are definitely better choices (ex. Shark Navigator, Dyson V8, Miele C1), but for commercial use the inexpensive annual maintenance costs and long cord make it a more desirable.

I would recommend the Oreck Commercial XL if you’re looking for the following features in an upright vacuum:

• Want a basic upright vacuum – This Oreck is a simple vacuum, no extra bells and whistles. If you’re in need of a vacuum that has a decent level of performance and is affordable, this could be a good option to explore.
• Need a vacuum for a commercial use – If you’re vacuuming an office space or own a cleaning business that does serious volume then this is a good fit. The no bells and whistles approach, simple design, and low maintenance are great if you just need something that can get the job done over long periods of time.
• Don’t need a highly maneuverable vacuum cleaner – The Oreck Commercial XL has virtually no turning radius. Therefore, this is not an ideal option for those who need to maneuver around furniture or other obstacles while cleaning. Again, this is another reason it’s more ideal for commercial use.

For more information on the Oreck XL visit here.