A few months ago, my old Hoover gave one final death rattle as the bottom fell completely off.  Which was a good thing, considering we had electrical tape holding the cord together & it was only a matter of time before our house burned down during my weekly cleaning session.  I tweeted out for suggestions, got a few but ended up going the expected route by purchasing…well, I can’t really do a call out because it’s just not nice or fair to any party involved but I will say that it rhymes with the guy on the right.

& I was pleased.  My vacuum did it’s job, did it well, but when Oreck approached me to review their new Forever Series Gold vacuum, I hopped on the chance.  Mainly because when I was vacuum shopping, there was very little reviewing or comparison.  There was a lot of “I love my Hoover!” but no explanation.  & everyone out there claimed “WE SUCK THE MOST!” but there was no real comparison as to who sucked in a good way & who just…sucked.

I was a little surprised when I unpacked my Oreck vacuum & realized it was kind of old-school looking.  & that the attachments weren’t for the upright vacuum, but for the Ultimate Handheld Vacuum Cleaner.

Remember how your momma always told you to not judge a book by it’s cover?  YEAH.  THAT.

Short & sweet?  While it’s awkward having two different vacuums where most combine the two, there is a huge difference & advantage.  Because the upright doesn’t have the extra parts, it is super-light.  It almost seems to propel itself & both Doug & I prefer it to our old vacuum.  It lies almost flat in motion to reach under beds, which means that the dog hair under the bed has finally met it’s match without me having to lift the mattress.  Because it’s lacking the bulk of the attachments, there’s space for an extra-long cord (35 ft!) so that I can make it through the entire floor level without having to switch outlets.  Also, the HEPA bag is excellent for my asthma, meaning that nothing gets kicked back into the air – it’s all trapped in the bag.

& the Ultimate Handheld?  HELLO, MY NEW LOVAH.  No more lugging a vacuum up & down stairs, balancing it on stairs while trying to find the right attachment.  I just sling it over my shoulder & hop up & down the stairs.  The attachments hook right on & the extra-long cord means that I can tackle the windows & drapes in the dining room, move up the stairs, & get the fan blades in the loft without any readjustment.

So how does it compare?

The Oreck & rhymes-with-bison are comparable suck-wise.  My floors are wonderfully clean.  The Oreck Forever Series Gold is lighter & has a longer cord, which makes it easier to pull it out for a quick clean after dinner. On the rhymes-with-bison, it is all in one package, so it is heavier & bulkier with a shorter cord.  On the other hand, the maneuverability of the Ultimate Handheld cannot be beat.  I’ve found myself gravitating towards the Oreck every time, even though I had once been so stoked to join the rhymes-with-bison club a year ago.

(I kept my mouth shut & handed Doug the Oreck to see which he likes & hands-down, he prefers the Oreck.)

So here’s the lovely part for you!  One of you will win an Oreck Forever Series Gold vacuum & the Ultimate Handheld, valued at $599.

To enter, please visit Oreck & tell me one thing you’ve learned about the Oreck Forever Series Gold vacuum.

Overachiever?  That’s okay.  I have more ways for you to enter.  Just leave a new comment for each task:
1)  Follow Oreck on Twitter
2)  Like Oreck on Facebook 

Rules:  The giveaway winner MUST reside in the 48 United States contiguous states.  Sorry, Canadians & Sarah Palin.

legality:  oreck graciously provided me with an oreck forever series golf vacuum & ultimate handheld vacuum at no cost to me.  i was not compensated for my time or opinion.  i am the sponsor of the giveaway while oreck supplies the prize.  however, i am so in love with the product & company that we have started an awesome new relationship.  boom!