Thread Number: 40372  /  Tag: 80s/90s Vacuum Cleaners
Oreck Buster B / Canister Vac History 		[Down to Last]

Vacuumland's exclusive eBay Watch:
scroll >>> for more items --- [As an eBay Partner, eBay may compensate vacuumland.org if you make a purchase using any link to eBay on this page]
Post# 428757   7/19/2020 at 15:56 (1,368 days old) by romnempire (US)        

When I was growing up, we bought a refurbished BB870 "Oreck XL" branded compact canister. I thought it was very handy and kept it around! I was cleaning out a closet, and I found the original packaging and accessories as well, so I decided to look into it. I was surprised to find there is a healthy resale market for this device on E-bay, and a cosmetically similar device is still sold and marketed as the Oreck XL PRO 5. Even though it is now "commercial," it still advertises itself as a 5lb device, so I suppose the motor could not have changed a lot.

However, I could find little about the model history of the device! There are a couple E-bay listings of Oreck Buster B. (BB-180) devices, in red and blue, that are being sold as "original." Eventually, potentially corresponding to the XL "extended life" branding, they began selling them in black and white instead. I believe this would have happened in the mid-80s?

My understanding is that these vacuums were sold as accessories to floor vacuums originally, which may account for their weak history.

Aftermarket vacuum bags for this design advertise compatibility with about 20 different models. It seems like a cosmetic update corresponds to the BB-1000 model that takes off some of the device's hard edges. Based on the look of it, they may have attempted to use a cheaper plastic. It seems ugly now, but maybe it will become vintage in time. The XL PRO 5 seems to have returned to the stylings of the BB870 device that I own.

I was wondering if there was a magazine or catalog collector that could verify some dates for the timeline of this design. When was it introduced to the market? What floor vacuums was it sold with? When did they abandon the red and blue stylings?

There are plenty of general questions to be answered as well! Are there enhancements to the design that weren't cosmetic over the years? Have I missed any significant iterations to the model?

In an era where robots can take care of floor work, I have found that battery powered hand-vacs leave suction to be desired. I think this once "accessory" device still can play an important role in home care, and look forward to using some of the accessories I thought were lost!

Post# 428767 , Reply# 1   7/19/2020 at 17:45 (1,368 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)        
Gold

 lesinutah's profile picture
It was usually sold with I believe the oreck gold or silver in the late 80's.
They sell their bags on Amazon. They have attachments similar to the mighty mite.
Les

Post# 428769 , Reply# 2   7/19/2020 at 18:36 (1,368 days old) by RegularRett69 (San Clemente California, USA)        
Special

 regularrett69's profile picture
These little carry around vacs were sold with a lot of uprights, we got a black one with my first Oreck upright, probably sometime around 2012 from Costco. I still have the original box for it (I think), and wish I hadn't gotten rid of both. At some point, they made a yellow one that I've seen somewhere, and a pink breast cancer awareness version, that probably came with the pink upright.

Post# 428832 , Reply# 3   7/20/2020 at 20:30 (1,367 days old) by romnempire (US)        

I did a bit more digging, and I think I have a model timeline! (but still no dates) And, after looking at a lot of E-bay posts, they do seem to experiment with the motor a bit!

- BB180, (red, blue) (~4A)
- BB280, (white, grey, black, green), XL rebranding (~5A)
- BB850, (black, white), power cable moves from side of handle to back (~6A)
- BB870, (black, white, maroon, pink) (4A)
- BB880, (black, white, powder blue) "super deluxe?" (4A)
- BB900, (black) "pro 5" branding on sale today (4A)

I didn't see many BB850s on the market, so maybe at 6A people stopped complaining about suction and started complaining about noise.

Could not find any posts about a yellow one!

Post# 428860 , Reply# 4   7/21/2020 at 11:13 (1,366 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)        
I just found an Oreck portable vacuuum in my basement

 gottahaveahoove's profile picture
in the box, with the manual and a tool or two. I'll research it more. It would be available to someone who'd be interested.


Forum Index:       Other Forums:                      


Comes to the Rescue!

Woops, Time to Check the Bag!!!
Either you need to change your vacuum bag or you forgot to LOG-IN?

Discuss-O-MAT Log-In



New Members Click Here To Sign Up.



                     

automaticwasher.org home
Discuss-o-Mat Forums
Vintage Brochures, Service and Owners Manuals
Fun Vintage Washer Ephemera
See It Wash!
Video Downloads
 Audio Downloads
Picture of the Day
Patent of the Day
Photos of our Collections
The Old Aberdeen Farm
Vintage Service Manuals 		Vintage washer/dryer/dishwasher to sell?
Technical/service questions?
Looking for Parts?
Website related questions?
Digital Millennium Copyright Act Policy
Our Privacy Policy