Reviews on Oreck XL Professional Air Purifier Oreck XL Pro Air Purifier__Final Update 31 Oct. 2006

Oreck XL® Tower Air Purifier Product MPNMPN:AIRTB Key FeaturesQuiet Operation:With Quiet OperationFilter Change Indicator:With Replace Filter...

Reviews on Oreck XL Professional Air Purifier Very Very Poor Cleaning from Oreck XL Ok, I had an older model Sharper Image Quadra purifier, which caused me some throat irritation. I Bought 2 Oreck XL air purifiers because of...

It was 3 a.m. and instead of being sound asleep, I was sneezing and my sinuses were clogged. The only thing left for me to do was get out of bed and take an antihistamine. I turned the TV on and settled into my recliner, waiting for the caplets to do their thing. At that time of the morning, there isn’t a big selection of things to watch and I kept flipping through each channel looking for something interesting. Well, there it was….The XL Professional Air Purifier infomercial with old Dave !

I watched intently as he demonstrated the quietness of the XL Professional Air Purifier. I was amazed at how easy to clean the unit is, how inexpensive it is to operate and that it would reduce allergen levels. Plus it had the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America seal of approval. Wow, this is some machine. Then old Dave said he would pay for shipping and that if I wasn’t satisfied, he’d even pay the return shipping. Woohoo, that’s not a bad deal…….but wait, there’s more; Dave is throwing in the Cord Free ElectrikBroom for me to keep no strings attached. Heck, I had my hand on the receiver and was letting my fingers do the walking across the dial pad, when old Dave said I could have the refrigerator doohickey too, if I kept the XL Professional Air Purifiers.

The operator was on the line and I was placing my order, when she tells me that if I purchase two units, I will get the second at half the price! Is this my lucky day or what?

The Arrival

A few days later, UPS arrives with both XL Professional Air Purifiers. I ripped open the boxes and got to work setting these puppies up. Just slip in the charcoal filters and plug them in. The units came with a little packet containing a small scented thingy, that can be inserted into a slot of the . I didn’t use them…..I was more interested in fresh, clean air.

The Adjustment Period

Turning the units on high, I noticed that they weren’t exactly quiet, so I reset them to medium and turned on the ionizer, well, medium is an okay setting while awake, but it got on my nerves when I attempted to catch some Zzzzzz’s. It sounded like a water leak. Yes, weird, but that is what it sounded like to me. I then set the bedroom unit in silence mode and went to sleep. *Cough* cough* cough* awake again. After experimenting with the settings, I realized that as much as I disliked the sound of water leaking, that the medium setting was the only way to get enough air cleaned and re-circulated.

Cleaning

Easy to clean; well, I guess that depends on how much time you have on your hands. It takes me well over an hour to get those metal plates cleaned in the cell and it is a far cry from being the simple water sprays that that the infomercials show. I even bought the spray cleaner that they recommended and though it did do a better job at cleaning the plates, than the simple water spray; it did not clean gunk. The cost of the cleaner is expensive and so are the replacement filters. I clean the units and change the filters every 3 weeks, so between cleaners, filters and electricity, theses units are not a bargain. Oh, while I am on the subject of cleaning; the ionizer will attract dust and gunk to the nightstand or table that it is sitting on. For that reason, I chose not to buy the optional wall mounting brackets. I am not fond of having to scrub my walls.

Dust builds up on the grids located just under the directional fins and it can get pretty ugly in there. So, how can this be cleaning the air if built up dust is being blown back into the air?

I clean the grids the best I can, considering this surface is not removable for ease of cleaning. I have tried vacuuming, using a small toothbrush and even q-tips, trying to get as much dust as possible, out of those nasty grids. Gee, Dave, couldn’t you have at least made the grid accessible for cleaning?

The Disappointment

There are thin wires that run across the top of cell plates; I assume that these wires are what produce the ionization. On one of my units, 3 of the wires snapped and the others started sag, causing an arc of blue lights and crackling noises. This is not the Disney Light Show, folks, it’s kind of spooky.

That unit is not in use now. So, what happened to that great warranty on the cell?

I had no luck with customer service. I have yet to receive any response concerning the repair or replacement of the cell.

Since I can only measure the allergen levels by how often I sneeze and/or have headaches, or wake up in the middle of night coughing; I’d have to say that not much relief has occurred and I am still taking the same dosage of antihistamines now, as I did before I purchased the XL Professional Air Purifiers.

Hey Dave! How about letting me be one of the lucky people that gets to talk to you on those infomercials? I have got a lot to say.

Thanks for reading this review of the XL Professional Air Purifier.

RC

* Second Update: 27 Aug. 2006 *

Since recently updating this review on 13 July ‘06, the single working unit has had a motor failure. Just before it went belly up, it sounded as if someone was using a jigsaw in the house. I turned it off and unplugged it to inspect the unit. There were no blockages and the filters were fine. The unit has always been on a Belkin surge protector and there is no indication that the surge protector failed.

*I have removed the cell from this unit and installed it in the one that I had originally packed up, in order to have one operational unit.

RC

** Final Update: 31 Oct. 2006 **

This evening, the last of the air purifiers quit working. Like the first machine; it too groaned and died. Followed same procedure as the first re: troubleshooting.

I have given up trying to get to repair and /or replace the units. Education always comes with a high price tag and after this experience; I’d consider myself well educated.

To say that I am extremely disappointed in the XL Air Purifiers would be a gross understatement.

RCJones

My new Air Purifiers.

Reviews on Oreck XL Professional Air Purifier Bad filter! Great service! I bought TWO of the Oreck XLs because of an asthmatic child. I had been using regular HEPA filters but thought the expense of the Oreck was...

Reviews on Oreck XL Professional Air Purifier Don’t waste your money! I have allergies and we have a lot of dust in our home. An air purifier seemed like a wise purchase. We purchased the Oreck XL tabletop puri...

Reviews on Oreck XL Professional Air Purifier Impossible to Maintain by Owner This air cleaner works, but is too expensive and cannot be maintained by the owner. It will work only so long before it must be brought in ...

Reviews on Oreck XL Air Purifier Oreck XL Tabletop Air Purifier We bought two of these units at the same time as we bought two Oreck vacuum cleaners. Purchase decision was based largely on the perceived ...

Oreck XL® (AIRPS) Air Purifier Product MPNMPN:AIRPS Key FeaturesSq. Ft. Coverage:900 Sq. Ft.Quiet Operation:With Quiet OperationFilter Change I...

Reviews on Oreck XL Professional Air Purifier Do not be fooled by the hype. To be honest, I was swayed by the Oreck XL Professional Air Purifier infomercials which is the first time that any infomerical has ever comp...

Oreck XL Professional Air Purifier

Reviews on Oreck XL� Tower Air Purifier Oreck Tower has a lot Power! Better than expected.

Tags: Elk, ESP, Oreck, Rival

You must be logged in to post a comment.