Oreck U2000R-1 Commercial Upright Vacuum

 

Avg. consumer rating = 92/100 

This is a no-frills upright vacuum designed to clean large areas of both carpet and bare floors.  It is a commercial unit but is frequently used by owners for residential cleaning as well.  It is very lightweight and quite powerful.  In addition the U2000R-1 has an ”industrial” length 40 foot power cord, but like many commercial machines it is loud.  Most owners feel the vacuum provides very good value for your dollar.

Consumer ratings for this machine are not easy to come by but some were found (see table below).  These 299 ratings provide an average score of 91.8 out of 100 which is really quite good.  You can compare this to other machines in our upright vacuum ratings list if you like.  

 

A review of owner comments provides the following common vacuum likes and dislikes:

PROS
- Very lightweight
- Powerful suction
- Long power cord
- Cleans right up to baseboards

CONS
- Quite loud
- Long power cord can get in the way
- No tools included

The Oreck company started about 50 years ago and cut its teeth manufacturing upright vacuums for the hotel industry.  As many commercial vacuums at the time were heavy, their competitive approach was to provide lightweight, powerful and durable machines – which they did fairly successfully.  Oreck commercial uprights continue to be popular with many hotel chains today.  The company now has a wider range of products including air purifiers, steam mops, power scrubbers and orbiters, etc. which are sold in the US, Canada and Europe.  Although Oreck, along with Hoover and Dirt Devil, are now under the umbrella of industry giant TTI, Oreck still have their principal manufacturing facilities in Cookeville, Tennessee, USA.  You can check out the company site at https://www.oreck.com/.

There are many owner comments highlighting that their older Oreck vacuum(s) lasted a very long time (5-20 years in some cases).  This is a good sign and it says something for the longevity of these vacuums.  There are also several folks that feel this vacuum - the U2000R-1 - is good “bang for your buck”.  We would suggest shopping carefully for this machine however as costs vary widely from retailer to retailer.  We’ve seen it for over $300 and also as low as about $150.

It is important to understand just what you are getting if you purchase this vacuum.  It is very much a no-frills machine and it doesn’t have a hose or any fancy attachments for above floor cleaning or cleaning curtains, upholstery, lamp shades, etc.  You cannot dial down the suction and it doesn’t have a headlight or brushbar on/off controls.  However what it does provide is powerful suction (airflow of 108 cfm), up to the edge cleaning, a very long reach, and lightweight design.  Consider your cleaning needs before you take the leap.

Most U2000R-1 owners report that the vacuum transfers seamlessly from hard floors to carpet and back.  However there are some that indicate the unit struggles with long shag-type carpet.  This is likely because it does not have manual nozzle height adjustment and you cannot lift the nozzle enough for this kind of carpet.  It does have what Oreck calls automatic height adjustment which, in this case, means that the unit has a free floating head that moves up or down depending on the floor surface.  It seems to work well enough for bare floors and low to medium pile carpet.

You can read more customer reviews on Amazon if you wish.

The Oreck U2000R-1 is designated a commercial vacuum but it is widely used in residential settings as well.  It is a bagged upright and it uses very large (630 cubic inches or 10.3 liters) paper dust bags.  The bags are also very easy to remove and replace.  Filtration in this vacuum is provided by the bag itself and you will sometimes see them called “disposable filter dust bags”.

Most vacuums will start to lose suction power as the bag fills and Oreck highlights that it is very important to replace the bag when it hits the fill line.  In addition to the dust bag the U2000R-1 has an outer bag (the large outer bag with the Oreck logo on it).  Some of the literature we’ve run across when investigating this vacuum indicates that the inside of this bag should be vacuumed or hand-washed and dried when it is dirty.  This will help the vacuum work more efficiently.

Oreck reports that their bagged uprights have a very direct path between the nozzle intake and the vacuum bag which increases the efficiency of the machine and results in less stress on the motor.  This efficient design purportedly allows them to use a smaller motor which helps keep the overall weight of the vacuum down.  Indeed the U2000R-1 is powered by an 870 Watt, 4 amp motor.  Many full size uprights today have 9 to 12 amp motors but bear in mind that amps have little do with cleaning power and relate to how much electricity the motor uses.  And, as we have seen in numerous owner comments, this Oreck has more than ample suction power.

The brushroll on the vacuum has rows of bristles in a double helix pattern (see image to right).  This design is supposed to optimize cleaning (why and how is not clear).  The brushbar also spins at between 5000 and 6500 RPMs (again, an interesting fact but it doesn’t really prove cleaning ability).  It should be noted however that the brushbar cannot be turned off – when the vacuum is on the brushbar is on.  This is generally ok but if you have hard floors with a very delicate surface it could result in scratching.  For most hard floors this isn’t a problem and we have not read of anyone who has had their floor surface scratched with this machine but it is something to consider.  The vacuum also has soft wheels to ensure they do not mar hard floor surfaces.

The power cord on this unit is something of an anomaly.  It is 40 feet in length which is very long for a vacuum cleaner – although commercial machines often have longer cords than residential machines.  The power cord also has cord guard which helps protect it from inadvertent damage.  Finally, the main length of the cord is not hard wired into the machine and it can be easily replaced without the need for repair/rewiring.

 

The U2000R-1 is very lightweight at only about 8 to 9 lbs.  There are many comments from owners that the vacuum can be lifted and moved very easily.  A built in carry handle makes this even more effortless (see image to left). Bear in mind however that the vacuum weight of 8 to 9 lbs is quoted without the power cord.  The power cord on this unit is somewhat heavy duty and it alone weighs a fair bit.

 

The grip on the 2100R-1 handle is comfortable and ergonomic having received an 'Ease of use" commendation from the Arthritis Foundation.  The handle itself can lie horizontal making it easier to get the vacuum under low furniture.  The power on/off switch is conveniently located on the handle.

Additional features include wraparound bumpers on the nozzle which ensure no scratching or scraping of walls or furniture, a 12 inch wide cleaning path, and a commercial 1-year limited manufacturer's warranty.  You can read more about the warranty here.  Also, when you buy the U2000R-1 it comes with 1 vacuum bag and an additional vacuum belt (this extra belt can be found in a storage area in the vacuum nozzle).

The Oreck U2000R-1 has been accredited with the CRI green seal of approval.  CRI stands for the Carpet and Rug Institute.  The CRI claim approval indicates that the vacuum is a superior cleaning vacuum that has passed stringent testing for soil removal, dust containment and carpet appearance retention.   You may also want to view the full list of CRI approved vacuums.

Manual
A manual for this vacuum is not easy to come by but with a little digging we found one available through Home Depot.  Click here to check it out.

	Nigel Russco has been writing for Vacuum Cleaner Advisor for years and has a background in business and engineering, as well as a keen interest in anything related to vacuum cleaners. Connect with Nigel on Google+