Oreck and Simplicity are similar in design since both are about 8 lbs, are easy to push and clean better than most vacuums on the market.
Both brands use a direct-air fan motor. The fan pushes huge amounts of air into the hypo-allergenic bag and a brush spins to agitate the carpet to loosen embedded dirt and pet hair.
The typical vacuum found in most stores, like Dyson,Hoover,Eureka, use a suction motor that pulls air through a series of filters into a dust containment bin.
The problem with this design is that the filters quickly clog with dirt ,reducing the cleaning power. Dyson does a better job and is considered the best
bag less design on the market,yet it still won’t clean like a direct-air type motor.
Other brands you may have heard of use a direct air motor are Kirby,Royal and Eureka commercial vacuums.
Simplicity vacuums have a larger motor and fan and have tested to clean 38 percent more than the basic Oreck model. The air path from the carpet to the bag is also larger than Oreck with less twist and turns, enabling a more efficient air-flow.
Another huge factor in carpet cleaning is the belt and brush roll.
Most vacuums use a cheap plastic brush roll and slip belt that needs frequent replacing. The plastic is prone to melting,warping and seizing up if too much thread or hair gets wrapped up into the brush. The means a 25.00 replacement,if you can find it.
Oreck uses a quality maple wood brush roll made by Cleavland Wood Products
It is much better balanced and makes less noise than an unbalanced plastic brush roll. It does have slip belts that will need changing and is not to hard to do with the proper tools. The brush roll itself will need changing after a few years because it wears and softens,like a tooth brush, and will do a poor job of carpet agitation.
Simplicity goes all out by making it’s brush roll of chromium steel with replaceable brush inserts.( F3700 Freedom model). The extra weight of the brush roll imparts greater kinetic energy to the carpet which vastly improves cleaning power. The steel won’t melt or imbalance,the bearings can be lubricated and the brush strips cost a mere 12.00 as opposed to the 49.95 an Oreck brush roll will cost you.
The belt on the F3700 is a serpentine,multi-grooved type like the timing belt on your car. It is protected by a Hall sensor. This device shuts down the motor the milli-second it detects something jamming it up. Your belt will not wear,burn or break and is guaranteed for life!
All of these innovations allow for Simplicity to out clean the Oreck and give you less service headaches. The Simplicity,although more powerful, is louder. So if noise is an issue ,consider an Oreck as a quieter option.
Before buying any vacuum, you owe it to yourself to visit an Oreck dealership and a vacuum repair store that features Simplicity and test the both out yourself. You will find that either brand will do better for you and the service is vastly superior to anything you will find at a Box store or an X club!