- Powerful “Bag” Canister with 12 Amp Motor, 28 foot Power cord w/Cord Reel
- OptiFlow System with separate large bag caddy for easy emptying of dust and 20% more use of bag
- Power Nozzle with Overload Protection reset, Bare Floor switch on handle
- Tools on-board which include: Upholstery, Floor and Combo brush, crevice tool, motorized mini power brush and (2) chrome wands
- Measures 21.5″ (L) x 12″ W x 8.75″ (H), Twilight Green finish
Panasonic “OptiFlow” Full Size Canister “Bag” Vacuum Cleaner with Power Nozzle, OptiFlow Bag Chamber w/Large Caddy and 20% bag usage, Powerful 12 Amp Motor, On/Off Bare Floor switch on handle, Motor Protection System, On/Off on handle, Tools on-board include: (Floor brush, Dusting / upholstery brush, crevice tool, motorized mini-brush) and (2) chrome wands, 24-Foot Power Cord with Cord Reel, Dual Active Edge Cleaning, Headlight, HEPA Filter, 4-position Carpet Height Adjustment, 360 Degree Swivel Hose 14-inch Cleaning path, Twilight Green finish, Replacement accessories: Replacement HEPA (MC-V194H), Replacement Belt (Type CB-6 or MC-V330B), MC-V150M Replacement Bag, 25 lbs. BONUS: 3 Bags included
Nicely built, excellent performance. Just a few minor issues.,
Overall I’m very pleased with this vacuum. It excels in the areas that are most important in a vacuum – it picks up dirt very well and it is solidly built.
I find the second factor (build quality) to be something that’s becoming harder to find these days. For example, I had a Hoover bagless canister that performed very well, but lasted less than 3 years before calling it quits. Along the way it started shedding pieces, such as a cracked hose, an on-again, off-again working status for the power head, and so forth. The Panasonic, however, feels very substantial, especially the hose. I know you’re not supposed to pull it along by the hose connection, but I do (and I suspect that many others do as well). The hose is made of thick plastic and the end connectors seem very well up to the task of being stressed now and again.
This is my second Panasonic vac – the other one is about 2 or 3 years old and works (and looks) as good as it did on day one (albeit some scuffing here and there). Given my past good experience with the brand I expect this model to have a decent life span as well.
The power head works very well on all types of carpet that I’ve tried it on, ranging from a very thin throw rug to a thick pile. The height adjustment is easy to do, and I had no problems finding a setting that cleaned a thin throw rug without having the vac try to consume the rug.
This is a bagged unit which I normally don’t care for due to the ongoing replacement costs. But, the bag is substantial and holds a lot. Most important, the suction power keeps on going even when the bag is very full. On the plus side, bagged vacs are less messy than bagless, and the exhaust is cleaner due to more filtration. While I don’t like having to spend on bags, the pros offset the cons.
I’ve had no problems at all with it picking up pet hair, which for me is 90% of what I use a vac for. Noise levels are decent. It’s loud, but not excessive.
The main downside for me is that the wand. While it is adjustable, it is just a bit too short for my comfort. It’s not a huge problem, but I do feel it in my lower back after using this for a while and having to stoop a bit. (As a comparison point, I’m 6′ 2″.) The wand grip is solid and comfortable to use.
I also find it irksome that the wand with the power head attached is not all the stable – tends to fall over rather than stay in place. It does have a “docking” ability so it stays clipped onto the base when you’re not using it (very helpful for minimizing storage space), but if you take a break while using it you need to take care that it does not fall over.
Neither of these issues are significant, however, and I see this as easily being a 4.5 star product (rounded up to 5). Highly recommend.
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|Excellent Vacuum,
January 2013 UPDATE: It’s been a year that I’ve owned and used this vacuum. I thought it important to add an update so here it is: This is an EXCELLENT vacuum and works as well a year later as it did upon purchase. I have no doubt that it will last for years to come. One word of caution: DO NOT USE THE POWER VAC DIRECTLY ON ANYTHING BUT CARPETING! I know that sounds stupid but I used to cheat and use my old Kenmore power vac (the heavy duty part used for carpeting) on my furniture if I was in a rush… never had a problem with the Kenmore (which tells you that the suction wasn’t that great). HOWEVER, the Panasonic’s power/suction is so terrific that it damaged my upholstery fabric… pretty much chewed it up! I mean it really did some damage! This is not a negative for the vacuum… it just goes to show what a powerful vacuum this is and what a GREAT job it does on my carpeting! It was such a dumb/stupid thing for me to do but I certainly learned my lesson and that couch cushion will only be used on one side now! LOL! Anyway, I love this vacuum and HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!
My old Kenmore Progressive needed replacing and, let me tell you, it was exhausting researching the world of vacuums! Found out that Kenmore’s reputation isn’t what it used to be, so I decided on an LG Kompressor canister but couldn’t find one available anywhere to try out or even to buy. Called LG directly and they weren’t helpful, plus I asked why they are so difficult to find if they are so good? No answer. Ratings are outstanding but if you can’t buy it what good are those ratings? So then I tried out a Miele and loved it until I found out they’re not great on carpeting or cat hair. Also, very expensive since when I would have to add the heavy duty powerhead for floors (about $900 for what I wanted/needed). Then I thought about the Dyson canister but reviews weren’t what I expected. Also, I know some professional house cleaners who hate them for many reasons. Scratch the Dyson! So, then I came across this Panasonic canister on Amazon… didn’t even know Panasonic makes vacuums! Furthermore, Panasonic now manufactures Kenmore vacuums BUT the Panasonic vacuums are rated much higher than the newer Kenmores. I found that very curious. As for the reviews for this Panasonic model, they are excellent everywhere I checked, even better than the higher priced, fancier Panasonic canister. Decision made. I actually paid less for this new vacuum than I did for my Kenmore 15 years ago! Well, I got my vacuum, put it all together and got a kick out of how similar it is to my old Kenmore. Even the attachments are identical! It’s a lighter version, a little more plastic, maybe feels not as solid. I decided to test it out on my family room carpeting. My old Kenmore was having trouble vacuuming against the nap so I had to vacuum in the same direction in order to get a smooth, vacuumed look. Plus, my carpeting has grooves left by furniture that has been moved… couldn’t get those out by vacuuming or even rubbing the spots with a damp cloth and then vacuuming them. I got the Panasonic vacuum ready, started to vacuum… okay, not as loud as my old vacuum but still scares the cat! Really has fantastic suction. Handles really nicely like my old Kenmore. Then I went against the nap and VOILA it worked beautifully! Kept going back over it and before you know it, the carpet looked brand new (it’s 5 yrs. old). Took the end of the nozzle and applied it directly to the bothersome grooves… another VOILA! The grooves didn’t disappear (they’ve been there awhile) but they certainly look better! I’m sure that after vacuuming a few more times over the next few weeks that they’ll be gone. You know what I love about this vacuum? It’s almost identical to my old Kenmore Progressive which was an excellent vacuum. The suction is much better on the Panasonic (it’s new, it should be) and it’s just such a great design, especially for carpeting and pets. And you cannot beat the price! I hope it lasts me as long as my old Kenmore. If it does, I’ll be a very happy consumer!
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|This thing REALLY SUCKS! (In a good way!),
In shopping for a vacuum, most people have a relatively short list of requirements. Most importantly, machine needs to perform well when it comes to cleaning, and it needs to have enough features to make it easy to use. Sadly, many vacuums fail to deliver on most of those things – especially if you fall for the $9.99 products found during this past shopping season.
Thankfully, the MC-CG917 delivers on everything you need. Lets run down the list:
Usability
Top scores here – the machine features a handle positioned switch, which lets you turn the unit on, and switch between bare floor and carpet. When on carpet, the powered head is enabled. There is a large handle on the top of the vacuum, a storage compartment for the various components and a long foot operated button for the retractable cord. There is no power switch on the vacuum itself, so you need to use the hose switch to turn on or off.
Using the vacuum proved a slight challenge in my home – unless the cord is fully unwound and stretched straight, it has the ability to trip a fuse. Our circuits are mostly 15 amps, but the 12 amp motor in this, along with a cord that is wound up a little, is enough to overload the circuit. Make sure you use the vacuum on a circuit with enough capacity, and unwind the cord as much as possible. When it is new, it tends to stay wound up a little on the floor.
Cleaning power
The MC-CG917 sucks and sucks – extremely powerful vacuum, a very effective high power motorized brush head and a bright light make for easy cleaning – but it’s most impressive feature is the ability to clean edges. Many vacuums claim to have special edge cleaning powers, but most of them leave my baseboards dusty – not this one. It cleans all the way up to the corner with the most impressive results I’ve ever seen. Better than the just released Electrolux Nimble or any Dyson.
Carpet cleaning is also impressive – this is a high power brush on the front, and it REALLY whips up the dust and cleans things up.
Noise
Yes – it is loud, but a good 10dB quieter than the Electrolux Nimble or Dyson animal. Quite impressive.
Ergonomics
This really is the only point where the vacuum doesn’t deliver too well – the massive powered suction head and heavy hose don’t stand up too well – there is a plastic catch on the back of the vacuum to make it stand up, but when slide into the main unit, the whole thing just topples over. When retracted, the metal tube won’t stand up either, and the best way to store it is as pictured above – with the tube fully extended.
On the power nozzle, there is a foot operated release latch, which is designed to let you uncouple the tube from the suction unit – I’ve had a hard time making that work right, and even after daily use, it isn’t working right.
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