Panasonic MC-CG937 "OptiFlow" Canister Vacuum Cleaner - Corded

Good unit, could use a couple improvements. After trying a popular all plastic British Based bagless brand that broke after only a year, we tried this Panasonic starting June, 2014. Now its late Nov. 2014 and we've used it enough to have an informed opinion.PRO: We like this a lot. Its quite powerful, reasonably quiet for its power and works well. We REALLY like the controls located on the operation handle - very nice indeed. And the ELECTRIC MOTOR powered beater bar is powerful and excellent - works far better than any suction powered units we've tried- and its headlight is a boon. The hose is nice and long, the suction wand is sturdy and very nicely adjustable. The tube locks work easily and the joints don't leak air that weakens suction like some I've tried. The chord is nicely long and we really love the recoil storage on board. We like the bag system. After trying the bagless style we prefer using bags and wonder why in the world anybody likes the nonbag system - gak!!! - the view alone....... We have dirt roads and driveways, lots of road dust, a long hair cat, an ever-shedding big Labrador dog, 2 teen boys, wood stove. Lots of sources of real dirt, wood chips, pet hair. This unit has bags that allow us to fully vacuum our 1800 sq ft house without emptying the unit mid-chore. In fact the bags, especially the Yellow C-5 Style are good for quite some time. Bag attachment system is pretty good and quite simple. This unit is pretty tough and well made, even survived one of my teens vacuuming a bunch of water - DON'T DO THAT ITS DANGEROUS - but somehow he didn't get electrocuted and the unit dried out and works fine - maybe some built-in baffles saved the day (kid) A+ for that anyway. The canister rolls around the floor pretty easily and isn't very heavy.CON: I think the little bag carrying basket isn't all that useful - I never use it. I'd prefer trading the basket for more space and even bigger bags. Actually I feel the basket interferes with using the bags to full capacity - but I haven't tried going without the basket - hmmmm.... I like the on board tool storage but would trade more bag space for less tools on board. Where the bags become an issue are the really good but thick walled and expensive HEPA bags MC- V295H. These bags work very well but are hard to jam into the allowed space and hence can't be used to full capacity. More bag space would be great. The first time I wanted to change bags I was baffled how - now that I know how, the latch works well but instructions and labeling were sparse and I was afraid of breaking things at first. Bags can be expensive, esp the HEPA ones but I'm finding myself happy with the moderate C-5 versions for most work. Instructions say to replaces some internal filters but it can be hard to find or buy them. I had to call Panasonic, talked to a CS person for a while and they finally figured out what I needed - part # AC37KAKTZ000. Panasonic needs to make those more readily available - they are easy to install and aren't very expensive - I ordered 5 once we found the right one. I also got a couple spare MC-V199H filters as those are recommended for replacement occasionally. While the canister rolls easily it tends to hang up around corners. As a kid we had a vacuum that followed me around corners easily - this unit could benefit from a more circular -larger radius - front rim/carry handle design - I think that would make it corner easier tho it wouldn't be as streamlined. Also that forward rim/ carry handle has a grippy type of rubber/plastic that tends to "grip " walls, furniture etc. - I think something extremely smooth and slippery like teflon or HDPE plastic on a larger radius rim would let the canister slide around corners yet not damage walls or furniture - and I wouldn't have to stop work to reposition the canister -I just finished vacuuming and this issue motivated this review - but isn't a deal stopper for this unit. The canister doesn't balance well on our admittedly narrow stairs. It would be nice if it did - we have a pretty long flight of stairs and its a little tricky vacuuming them - but the beater bar works VERY well here.Given all the very good points I only dropped 1 star for the CONs. Overall we're very pleased and given it survived the water abuse, expect it to last a good long while. I would buy another if I needed 2.

I've used the vacuum now for about 6 months and am still very impressed with its features and how well it works. This machine replaced a nearly 15 year old Hoover canister vac which was so much louder. I can finally vacuum the house without wearing earplugs to preserve my hearing. The suction is excellent and the power/suction can be modulated so it's possible to vacuum on and around lighter objects without pulling them up. The overall function of the machine is excellent and the house is always very clean after vacuuming. Here are a few of the salient points of the vacuum:Machine weight is reasonable. I tend to grab the handle and carry the vacuum around rather than letting it roll. I find I can get a room done much faster using this method. It's light enough that this is very easy. For those who pull it behind, the wheels roll very well and the machine tracks easily behind you.Good (adequate) cord length and the cord retractor mechanism works well.Internal tool storage on top of the machine is effective but the latch can be bit hard to open and the door doesn't operate very smoothly. Bottom line it works and you can get the tools in and out without too much trouble.Power bare floor / carpet attachment works well and is not overly clumsy. Beware if the attachment is at its lowest height, small stones (like kitty litter stones) can be trapped between the attachment and the floor resulting in small scratches. I use the non powered hard floor attachment most of the time since nearly all our floors are hardwood. The width of the non powered piece is a bit narrower but it works very well on the hardwood floors and is easier to move in between furniture and into small spaces. Overall function is great.Large bag capacity is a plus. We have cats and dogs in the house and can fill bags up quickly. This machine has an extra large capacity bag which allows for a couple more trips around the house. The bags are HEPA and a bit pricey for two but that's part of the cost of having a clean house. Everything that's pulled into the bag stays there. The bags are available from Amazon.Bottom line: this is an excellent vacuum. Why only 4 stars? 1) the tool caddy is a bit difficult to access making the changing out and restoring attachments a bit awkward; 2) the non powered hard wood floor attachment is a bit narrow requiring more passes across the floor to clean the room; and 3) the user needs to disconnect the hose going into the vacuum to check to see if the bag is full. I run the vacuum through the house frequently and these items tend to be the ones that make the process just a bit slower. The machine still works great though. Highly recommended.