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 $10.00 to replace and are well worth it when I see the garbage the Honeywell pulls out of the air.
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I didnt buy this from Amazon, I bought it directly from Oreck about 3 yrs ago. The main reason why I think you should not buy this is because of the trouble cleaning it. It is practically impossible to get it clean of tar. I bought this primarily to clean the air of cigarette smoke. The late night commercials I saw before purchasing this showed people just rinsing it under water and they were done. WOW I wish! I paid full price a few years ago ( I think I actually paid 500$ and was supposed to get a free small vac with it, I never received the Vac). I have tried just about every thing to clean the tar out of the collector cell, for example bathroom cleaners of all sorts, laundry detergent, oven cleaner, degreaser. I have tried soaking the cell all day in hot water and with full strength cleaning products, and even tried washing the cell in the dishwasher, but nothing works very well. And you cant use a cloth to clean between the fin's of the collector cell because of some hair thin wires and the very close spacing of the fins.
This air cleaner works ok when brand new, but cleaning this thing is a major pain, because you also have to completely dry the cell(as mentioned in the manual or you could damage the unit), I use a fan to help dry the cell after cleaning, and it takes all day because there are places on the cell where water gets in that are covered. As other reviewers have mentioned the cell HAS to be cleaned OFTEN, or else you get the very loud bug zapper noises(and sparks) that get worse and worse the dirtier it gets.
Humidity also affects the unit, the more humid it is the more it makes the zapping and electrical buzzing sounds.
I actually came here to the Amazon website to look for a new air cleaner, and I saw this model for sale, and I felt I had to give a review. I dont usually bother giving reviews(I think I am going to start giving more reviews because of this thing), and I hardly ever return items but I wish I could return this, it was a big waste of money and TIME trying to clean it. I have learned to always look at product reviews by other customers (like this one) before making a purchase if at all possible. Hopefully this helps someone else with making a decision between products.
Best Deals for Oreck Air Purifier Tabletop XL Professional (Silver)
Four years ago, I suddenly developed allergies. The allergies caused severe breathing problems (I couldn't draw a full deep breath without effort) and because of the allergies, I also has chest pains whenever the breathing issues started. While I did start daily medication, I found that the symptoms frequently overrode the medicine. My allergist recommended an air purifier for my home. A friend recommended Oreck, and I went to a local Oreck store for my purchase. I ended up buying the silver tabletop model and a tower floor model. I have a two story home, and I use the tower model on the first floor (1800 sq ft) and the table top on the second floor (800 sq ft). Both units covers their respective areas without problems.
The units come fully assembled and ready to use. Just take them home and plug them in. I purchased them one evening, and by the next morning, I could tell a huge difference in my breathing within my house. The models are quiet and unobtrusive. You can hear them running, but its background noise like your refrigerator or air conditioner would make. They're sleekly designed and don't stand out, however, the table top models are large, so they do take up some space. I use my tabletop model in my bedroom, and it sits on top of my dresser and pretty much covers the whole top.
Both units contain what Oreck calls a Truman cell, and this cell is what cleans the air. The air passes first through a screen, then through the Truman cell, and finally, through a carbon filter. All three of these parts remove easily for cleaning. The Truman Cell should be cleaned with Oreck Cell cleaner. One can of cleaner will set you back $15, but you can clean your cell five times with it (I spray one end of the cell, let it set for five minutes and rinse, then turn it over and spray the other side and let it set for five minutes, then rinse the whole cell thoroughly, then I set the units in front of a table top fan to dry). The units comes with a red indicator light that shows when the unit needs to be cleaned. The unit usually averages needing cleaning every two to three weeks.
The units are so easy to clean and disassemble. The Truman cell lifts out, the carbon filter lifts out and the screen lifts out. All of that filters the air before it blows through the motor and out the top of the unit through the adjustable fins (tabletop model). If you properly clean the Truman cell and the screen, you can blow out the carbon filter with canned air, and the unit will run perfectly until it needs cleaning again. I also take a damp paper towel and wipe the unit down as it does get covered in fine particles (almost like a powder). Once a year, I take both units to the Oreck store for cleaning. My tower model came with five free yearly cleanings, and my tabletop came with none. Last time I checked, the cleanings cost $39, and they replace the carbon filter when they clean the unit.
Oreck guarantees all their units for years (different periods of time for different units), but anything that goes wrong they will fix without question during that period. I've had both of my units for four years now. The tabletop model has been totally problem free. The tower has had the Truman cell replaced once and has one wire on the Truman cell replaced...both times without charge or fuss.
These units saved me, literally. Once the purifiers started running, all, and I mean ALL of the symptoms left. Yeah, the machines have to be kept clean, and the cell cleaner costs a lot, but being able to easily breath in my own home is worth it.
Honest reviews on Oreck Air Purifier Tabletop XL Professional (Silver)
The Oreck XL is a passable air purification device if the operator is willing to maintain it properly. I've owned Orecks since the early 1990s and have had good luck with these units, unlike many unfortunate souls based upon on-line reviews. The first unit lasted about 9 years after 24/7 continuous duty before it died no complaints here. I purchased two Oreck XLs around 2000 knowing what I was getting myself into. Both units are still in service to date after near continuous use so I can't complain about reliability. Nevertheless, I give it only three stars. One star is taken because the TV infomercial is rather deceitful IMHO. Specifically, when David shows the black dirty water from cleaning the Truman cell, I call BS: your Truman cells will never get anywhere near that dirty it will be arcing like mad and the red {"clean me"} light will illuminate long before such an accumulation. He loaded that cell probably dipped it in mud (I'm kidding, maybe) to create that deceptive image. This speaks to a major limitation of the Oreck XL: these electrostatic plates just don't hold that much filtrate before performance starts to degrade and cleaning is needed. For this reason, the Oreck XL is no good in a high traffic, high reintroduction environment as it can't handle the load. You will quickly tire of the weekly or even every-other-day cleanings. I use it in my study low traffic already clean air to maintain pure air quality and remove fine particulates (i.e. 0.01 0.1 microns) to protect my electronics and computer system. The small amount of ozone emitted is negligible (to me anyway) and freshens the air. I clean the machine monthly it does accumulate some stuff, but nothing like the infomercial leads you to believe.
I took one more star because these units are overpriced, even at $199 (I paid more back then). Do yourself a favor and buy a Honeywell HFD-120Q or Airgeniusthese are vastly superior to the Oreck, cheaper, more energy efficient, much much easier to clean and maintain and use IFD electrostatic filtration, which is vastly superior to classical electrostatic precipitation. IMHO, IFD filtration is pure genius and the future of air filtration. Properly executed, it is superior to the HEPA performance standard. The HFD-120Q implementation falls short (no doubt the engineers were targeting a consumer price point, not performance perfection) but it is still excellent and a superb value. I have four and they work flawlessly and the air quality in my home is pristine, fresh, clean and has never been better. If you are concerned about the adverse health effects of ultrafine nanoparticles (0.01 0.1 microns), either from internal combustion engines, or from CHEMTRAILs/Geoengineering (nano aluminum and barium salts very toxic long term these particles readily pass through the tissue barrier of your lung alveolar cell membranes and nasal passages and accumulate in your tissues, including your brain), then you need electrostatic precipitation air filtration. HEPA is only partially effective against these ultrafine particles which accumulate in your home air and stay suspended for hours and days (until you breath them in!.
The Truman cell is difficult to clean. Because of this, its useful duty cycle is greatly shortened. The problem is not the stubborn buildup on the plates per se, but accumulation of tarry soot in the crevices between the plates and the insulators (yellow plastic mounts). You can't see it but it's there. Now, for the first time on the internet, I will reveal my secret for cleaning the Truman cell. It costs only 99 cents and one bottle will provide about 8-10 cleanings. Are you intrigued? Over the years, I tried various cleaners with varying but suboptimal results. The latest cleaner has been Scrubbing Bubbles which worked the best to date. Based on a hunch, per some stellar comments on the internet, I went to a local dollar store and picked up a bottle of Awesome Orange (AO)cleaner/degreaser for 99 cents (). To test it, I applied it to a previously `clean' and dry (post Scrubbing Bubbles) Truman cell: I sprayed it on front and back, allowing excess to dip into a basin (to my amazement, the AO was coming off the cell black, as in filthy!). I let the cell sit horizontal for five minutes to give the cleaner time to work. I filled the basin containing the dirty excess AO with hot water high enough to just cover the Truman cell which I then placed in the water to soak (30 minutes). The water turned black and opague enormous amounts of crud were coming out of this seemingly clean cell I was amazed and very pleased. Needless to say, the cell, after rinsing and drying, looks spanking new like the day I bought it. And, I expect it will run a lot better and longer before it needs another cleaning. I believe this may be the solution to a problem that has plagued owners of the Oreck XL: how to clean that pesky Truman cell?!
Please do not buy Oreck's obscenely overpriced activated carbon VOC absorbers. Here's what to do. The plastic holder with the charcoal pads comes apart. Go buy an activated charcoal-impregnated foam filter for $7 (http://www.amazon.com/Cut-to-fit-Carbon-for-Air-Purifiers/dp/B000U204W2). Cut it into 3" X 3 1/8" rectangles, insert three into your plastic holder, and you now have a fresh new VOC absorber. One foam filter should easily last for years if you change them out every three months. Enjoy! Yes, they do make a difference with odors and such.
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I bought 2 of these at the same time, one for each floor of my house. Paid top dollar also, as these units are expensive.
Problems:
1. The cells cannot be cleaned no matter what you do. I 1st tried the soap/water.....cells still dirty. I then was scammed into buying their foam cleaner......2 bottles of it. Still didn't clean the cells. Then I tried soap/water, then cleaner, then soap/water. Didnt work at all. On top of that, the foam cleaner bottle is empty after a few cleanings. Extremely expensive!!!
Here is an easier way to imagine these cells. If you've ever had an Ionic Pro, or something with blades that needed cleaning, you know that you have to put manual force into them, along with some serious household cleaners. Now imagine trying to clean them with NO manual force. Impossible.
2. When you give up and put the 90% dirty cell back in. It will snap/pop/crackle after a day or two. And it is extremely loud! Enough to wake you up or overpower a movie with surround sound.
This is an extremely flawed product that should have never been on the market. I'm surprised that an authority on business practices hasn't looked into this.
When I saw a few of the good reviews, I had to speak up. I'm not going to allow sockpuppets mislead other people.
