Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)When I originally reviewed this product I gave it three stars. After using the product for over a year now I would take away two of those stars if I could.
I purchased three Oreck purifiers at the same time and notice very little difference in the air quality in my home.
Things I like:
The "silent" mode is great for sleeping (when the unit isn't popping and snapping). The design is attractive.
Things I don't like:
1) The rapid popping/snapping sound (like a bug zapper) the units make when the cell starts getting dirty. As another reviewer wrote - the rapid popping scared his poor dog so badly that it wet the floor. The noise is VERY annoying. You either clean it right away or turn it off because the snapping persists until something is done. Oreck recommends thorough cell cleaning every two weeks, but between the three units I have to do "quick cleanings" on at least one of them almost every day. Quick cleaning requires pulling the main cell and running a Q-Tip over the wires in front of the collection plates.
2) The Oreck infomercial misrepresents the product; the consumer pays a healthy price for this purifier believing there will be no additional costs associated with the purchase. They advertise "No Filter Replacement" - yet there is an "optional" charcoal odor absorbing filter that does need to be replaced if the unit is used to control odors. The cost of that filter at the Oreck site is $49.99.
According to my local Oreck store, the cell doesn't get real clean if only soaked in soapy water. The "optional" cell cleaner is strongly recommended to optimize the cell performance and extend the cell life. Each can of cell cleaner is $14.99. The local Oreck store recommended cleaning with cell cleaner, soaking in soapy water, and then cleaning again with more cell cleaner.
3) The collection plates in the main cell don't hold a lot of dust, and the odor absorbing filter is too small to catch much. I question how much dust is being pumped back into the air after it is "purified."
*Note: Several reviewers have suggested I use the units in extreme conditions. However, I live in a brand new residence; I don't smoke and have three cats so the operating conditions are far from extreme.
14 MONTH UPDATE:
After using the units for about 14 months, two of the three original machines I purchased died and are happily disposed of. The one remaining unit seems to be working well and actually goes weeks without popping and snapping. I no longer purchase the Oreck cell cleaner, following the advice of another reviewer I now use Clorox Cleanup.
I replaced one of the failed Oreck units with a Honeywell 50250 99.97% Pure HEPA Round Air Purifier. I replaced the second failed Oreck with the Honeywell 18155 SilentComfort Permanent, True HEPA Air Purifier - this unit is quiet and works so well I purchased two of them. They are all larger floor models that require some space, but they outperform the Oreck units in every way, and are a great value at Amazon. The charcoal pre-filters cost $9.00 to $10.00 to replace and are well worth it when I see the garbage the Honeywell pulls out of the air.
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Oreck XL Professional Air Purifier
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