Clean carpet is a place to walk bare foot, play a game, wrestle, or just lounge. We spend quality time down on the floor with the kids and grandkids.
In my 3 decades of keeping a home I have owned my share of vacuums: used ones, heavy- really heavy – clunky ones, simply designed lightweight Oreck’s with long cords and slim profile to get under the furniture easily, styles with or without bags and whatever the latest rage in vacuum efficiency.
About the Oreck Platinum Pilot
Recently I received the Oreck Platinum Pilot (aff)– the package comes with both an upright and a handheld vac perfect for the stairs, treasures under the couch cushions, drapes, fan blades and all the high and low things you want to reach as it comes with a nifty array of attachments for the hose.Hubby even used it to clean the van seats and carpet (and if you knew my van that would make you gasp). But the queen bee of the package is the Pilot upright!
The literature says, “To make cleaning more effective, faster and easier, Oreck Platinum Pilot Vacuum engineered with 360° Glide so vacuum tilts, twists, turns, moves easily to go everywhere dirt goes. Pilot makes cleaning practically fly. Powerful, pile-lifting roller brush moves through carpet more easily, pulls out deeply embedded dirt, dust, allergens, dander, pet hair. Brush grooms the nap as it cleans to help maintain expensive carpeting.”
How the Platinum Pilot Vacuum Worked For Us
A vacuum that practically flys, get real. Yet, it does!This skeptic has been super impressed! I actually giggled the first time I used it as it seemed to go on its own with just the slightest touch. My kids have actually been fighting to use the sleek, contemporary designed machine.
We have expansive carpeting, carpeted stairs and landing, and a lot of carpet! It is thick plush and we also have a dog and five kids. And during my testing time we had a winter storm come through and lay snow outside (which meant lots of action from the kids going in and out to enjoy that treat), then I hosted a party with 20 teens here going in and out, and most recently had the toddler grandkids (five of them) here also.So the show-every-blade-of-grass-and-speck-of-dust carpet, and the vacuum, got a real work out.
What I Loved About the Platinum Pilot
At only 10 pounds it is easier to carry up and down the stairs than the toddler grandkids! The way it swivels and still works, even laying flat it can do the bedrooms under bunk beds and trundles easily, and my kids will actually do their own rooms with this.
Now spring is here with my front yard covered in blossoms from the flowering pear tree and my planters are a bloom with spring buds. This time of year can be tough on those with allergies, but for allergen control, the HEPA filtration system in the Oreck Platinum Pilot traps up to 99.9 percent of dust and allergens down to 0.3 microns. With a Self-sealing, no-mess vacuum bag locks in dirt, dust and allergens, unlike dust cups in bagless vacuums that can leak particles back into the air when emptied. Oreck bags help eliminate pet odors, other stubborn smells. For bacteria and odor control, anti-microbial agent built right into key points of vacuum inhibits growth and reproduction of bacteria, mold and mildew in and on vacuum.
Readers Will Want to Know
The only negative found is that when we did have an issue (after running over and sucking in a leaf from an artificial tree) the belt came off (my hubby was impressed it didn’t break). So we had to open up the bottom (using a screw driver) to put (thankfully not replace) the belt back in place. This involved removing the bottom plate from the vacuum with actual tools.
Final Thoughts About Oreck’s Platinum Pilot
Oreck Platinum Pilot Vacuum(aff) available at $599 at 450 Oreck Clean Home Centers across the country and at oreck.com. I must confess that if we were robbed and the thief were smart enough to snatch this treasure from my home I would save my pennies (and dollars) to get a new one! It is that good. You will love the speed of clean carpet and the ease of reaching the tricky places with this vacuum, and the features that make the job faster and simpler and more effective than ever, give you time for the really important things…like sitting on the floor and playing a game with the kids.
What kind of foot print does this machine leave? Are there ridges in plush carpet after using the Oreck XL?
In our carpet, which I would call a thick plush, we have no ridges or tracks when we use it – only clean carpet. I use it also on a large living room area rug that has contours to it within the design. This vac keeps my rug and carpets looking good – which in a family of one large dog and five active kids at home is a feat.
What can I say, five months after writing the review we still love the vac and the hand vac that came with it for our stairs.
This may be the vacuum I’m looking for, right now I’m using a canister vacuum from Dirt Devil Vision but I need a fullsize vacuum as well.
ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT….
Works like a charm….amazing strength and you can carry it anywhere. Vertically placed, it can fit anywhere in the house….
Does anyone have a problem with the light?
I received the Platinum Pilot as a gift and I am sorry to say the jury is still out. I have always used a canister vacuum. While the Pilot upright does seem powerful, it does not get under the furniture as well as a canister vac. In addition, the hand held canister is heavy and clumsy to use. The wand attachment kept falling off. It definitely is not worth the price.