Death by Oreck?

We have used an Oreck vacuum cleaner for the past several years now. I'm sure you have heard the commercials on TV and on the radio proclaiming the mighty power of the Oreck that is packed into one little 8lb. unit. I can tell you that the commercials are all true. It is a great vacuum cleaner and seems to be every bit as powerful as advertised.

That begs the questions though, just how much power to you really need to have in a vacuum cleaner? Is there a point where the power is too much? What exactly are you trying to suck out of that carpet?

This past Friday evening we were at my dad's house doing some of the routine cleaning to help him out with some of the chores that are difficult for him to do himself. While Valerie was doing some bathroom scrubbing, I decided to do the vacuuming.

At some point I ran over what I later learned was a clear marble that I'm sure one of the grandkids at some point left on the floor. The vacuum started making that familiar rattling sound, the same one you get when you run over a coin under the couch or something. There are those couple of seconds when the vacuum cleaner contemplates if it will be sucking the item into the bag, ejecting it back out the bottom or just breaking the belt.

Apparently I caught this particular Oreck in a bad mood because suddenly I just hear "bang" and then ricocheting. It turns out that this little marble had shot clear through the vacuum cleaner bag and through the vacuum itself leaving a hole as if it had been shot by a .22-caliber handgun. The marble then went ricocheting off of the wall in front of me and landing down the hallway 20ft. behind me.

It was funny at the time but seriously, what if that thing had shot out the back of the vacuum towards me instead of the front? Would paramedics have been able to keep a straight face long enough to offer proper aid? Now I know why dogs and cats all hide when the vacuum comes out. Somehow humans are always the last to know when disaster is immanent.