Customer Reviews

Panasonic Jetspin Cyclone Upright Vacuum Cleaner, Red Metallic, MC-UL915

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I am an Oreck girl, I have used their machines for years; but I was starting to get a little curious about all the new technology out there and was wondering how they were going to improve on a relatively simple piece of equipment.

Panasonic has really impressed me with this vacuum.

First of all, this monster is heavy so the idea of hauling it up and down stairs will not appeal to most users. With that being said, it is my only complaint.

I decided to put this new fangled machine to the test, I hauled out my Oreck, vacuumed the living room, it looked pretty good, no complaints, then I brought out the Panasonic. I darn near vacuumed up a small dogs worth of fur and dirt. Actually, I do not know where the dirt came from unless it was down in the pads somewhere. Just makes you wonder what you are walking on in your bare feet.

That was impressive. Now, on to the next test.

Power cord. Finally, a cord that is long enough that I do not have to keep repositioning it around the house.

The attachments snap on and off easily, and with the right tool for the right job easily accessible on the machine itself and not needing a small mini vac that is now coming with Oreck vacuums, why would you not complete the job the right way the first time.

Suction power is unbelievable whether you are using the easy to control carpet or bare floor adjustment or the hand tools, so be careful of what you are using the attachments on.

No vacuum bags, the built in canister is easy to empty, though the instructions do call for it being rinsed from time to time with water, I cannot see the need for this too frequently even with two dogs in the house.

And last but not least, even though this machine is on the heavy side it does its job well, everything is there where you need it. No need for vacuum bags, no need to move cords constantly and no need to have someone else do the little vacuuming attachment type of jobs. A good overall vacuum that does what it is supposed to do the first time. What more could you ask for?

This vacuum has some really nice features, a little technology over the competition, but it is a major pain to empty.

This Panasonic vacuum cleaner is a direct competitor to Dyson's never loses suction vacuum cleaners. Panasonic had the Dyson DC14 and 28 models in mind when it built this vacuum. They did a pretty good job at imitation. The cyclone dirt separator works very well. The whole bag less design, the clear dirt basket with all the cyclone parts exposed, the size, the weight, and all the plastic are direct decedents of Dyson. I'm using a Dyson DC14 for comparison to this Panasonic.

Where the Panasonic excels is with the motorized beater bar - it really moves and really beats your rugs hard - the whole wand arrangement with a height adjustable handle, and the electronic dirt sensor. That electronic dirt sensor is one very cool piece of technology, as you vacuum and the IR sensor sees dirt flying in, the light is red. As soon as the air stream is cleared up, no more dirt is flying in, the light turns green. That sensor works really well. I had to vacuum a very old rug for quite some time to finally get it clean, and yes it is very clean now. A dense oriental wool carpet took a lot less cleaning. High traffic areas lit up red for a much longer time than low traffic areas. It is pretty useless on hardwood or tile floors, there just isn't that much fine dirt on those surfaces.

Panasonic fails miserably with the canister design. My first emptying of the canister, I spilled dirt everywhere. There is a large opening near the top of the canister and if you carry the canister at even a 45 degree angle with that hole pointing down (it is actually a pretty natural angle given the canister handle design), dirt spills out everywhere. So I got to try the dirt indicator on a hardwood floor again. If you rotate the canister around unnaturally, and hold that hole up, no dirt will ever escape. The other problem is with the trap door latch to empty the canister; it is very oddly placed, and has a little thumb rest to improve leverage. It's actually kind of a pain to use. The Dyson, one big button to remove the canister, and the same one to flip open the trap door. I never read the Dyson instructions and in 3 years have never spilled any dirt with that vacuum.

July 6, 2010 update: Did a little refrigerator cleaning this weekend. The good news, that wand extension helps get down to the coils underneath a refrigerator. The bad news, that red inner 'pre-filter' inside the unit, clogs super fast with medium sized dust. I had to empty and clean off that filter 6 times while cleaning my refrigerator coils. Once plugged, the vacuum loses suction. And you have to mostly peel off the crud from that filter. The Dyson does nothing like this, you can vacuum away for days and it won't lose suction.

The other sad design choice is all the complex molded plastic parts. The canister is a dizzying number of parts, a main tube, a funnel, a lock ring, another tube, and the cyclone innards. At some frequency these are supposed to be pulled apart and cleaned. For reassembly don't lose the owner's manual - I actually forgot one part and ran the vacuum for a while without it. The HEPA (super fine particle filter) is below a molded plastic cover. There's a foam filter you are supposed to wash monthly located behind a very complex clear plastic panel. The panel looks like it could break over time. The headlamp is behind a brittle styrene plastic headlight that is not very easy to remove. The beater bar belt is behind a fairly thin plastic panel held down with three one quarter turn screws. That panel is very flexible plastic, but really doesn't look very sturdy. The beater bar belt is fairly easy to replace. The belt is a nice design, a six V groove style that looks solid. The beater bar is made of wood.

The wand handle is very adjustable. I'm six foot two and appreciated that I could raise the handle to a very comfortable height, much higher than the Dyson. I have no basis for this, but trying to twist the vacuum over obstacles on the floor, I'm convinced I would eventually bend the wand tube and then basically ruin the vacuum.

This is a pretty heavy vacuum cleaner, about the same weight as Dyson. I could see how it might be fatiguing if I were vacuuming a lot of hours in a day. The wheels are smaller and tend to follow the carpet nap as opposed to where you guide it. The Dyson rolls exactly where you point it. The Panasonic wheels sound really cheap on hardwood floors. The Dyson sounds solid and rugged, mostly due to the much larger wheels.

When lowering the vacuum to push it under beds or other obstructions, it is possible to go too far and lift the vacuuming end up off the floor. I'd say the lowest obstacle this can navigate is around 18 inches. The Dyson gets under much lower things, and it never lifts off the ground.

The wand pops off fairly easily. Attachments pop on and off easily and fast. The air turbine attachment is really nice - sort of a small beater bar vacuum attachment that cleans area rugs or mats well. The trouble with the design, pushing the expandable hose back into it's holders is a pain in the neck. The wand extends really far; I was able to clean walls up to an eight foot ceiling.

The vacuum is a bit quieter than the Dyson. It's still not a quiet vacuum cleaner.

Overall, this vacuum cleans, it sucks up the dirt. The canister design is what ruined this vacuum cleaner for me, it is small (doesn't hold a lot of dirt), a pain to open, prone to spillage, and has way too many parts. (December 19, 2010 update: That cyclone cleaning device plugs up much faster than expected. It is a pain to clean and requires the owner's manual to disassemble.) I really liked the dirt monitor that is a fantastic bit of technology. And I loved the color, the metallic red is handsome. My honest view of this vacuum cleaner, if you are going to spend this much, why not save up a bit more money and get the genuine deal, a Dyson? (December 19, 2010, contrary to what a commentor has stated, I do not work for Dyson)

Dyson DC14 All-Floors Cyclone Upright Vacuum Cleaner

Panasonic has always been one of my favorite brands for electronics. Nearly everything I buy with their name on it is reliable and performs well. This vacuum is no exception. I had no idea that Panasonic even made a product like this, but based on past experience and the reviews on Amazon, I decided to take a chance. I was not disappointed. This vacuum completely blows away my old bagless Hoover. The suction is excellent, and like other reviewers have stated, the status light that tells you when dirt is actually flowing through the unit truly helps you to get the whole house clean. The attachments are awesome. I also found cleanup to be really simple...just detach, dump, and place back on the unit. Some others complained about cleanup, but I have yet to make an accidental mess while doing so. I highly recommend this vacuum if you're in the market for a new one, and don't want to pay for the Dyson. This does the job just fine.

I honestly didn't own high end vacuum cleaners (like Dyson) before. However I can say that this is the best vacuum I have ever had. It's robust, works very very well. I can see the difference of my carpet now. So far this is my experience. "Pros" far out weigh the "Cons". I definitely recommend this item.

Pros:
-Robust
-Five star cleaning
-Doesn't spit dirt even you run for long time
-Emptying the dust tray very easy & clean.

Cons:
-I am not sure if the dust indicator works as advertised, but I couldn't careless.
-When you use it as "Canister" vacuum, maneuver the base is little uncomfortable as I don't see a handle. Not a big deal either

I am writing this review from the perspective of a user who has never owned an upright vacuum cleaner before. In my lifetime I have been spoiled by owning two Electrolux canister vacuum cleaners , which I love, but which are becoming rather expensive for my taste. However, I have used several uprights over the years owned by friends and family, and have never been very impressed with them.

This vacuum has changed my opinion of uprights. It has taken a bit of getting used to and learning how to use, but I love it. When I received this vacuum, I cleaned the main floor of my home and then carried it upstairs with no problem, and I am a senior citizen. I did not find it extremely heavy, maybe a tad awkward, but I think taking any vacuum up and down stairs is a bit of a task. I have continued to use this in my upstairs only, which is not used a great deal and does not get very dirty.

I find that this vacuum does a great cleaning job. It picks up everything and I absolutely love the dirt sensor. I noticed the sensor came on just a couple of times in high traffic areas. The long cord makes this very handy to use as I can plug it in out in the hallway and clean a couple of rooms. After having this for two months, I find that this vacuum is a great vacuum for the price. Today I took it apart to empty it, and clean the pre-filter and other parts. I definitely need the user guide to do this. I think that after I have done it a few times, it will become much easier. With my canister vacuum, I do not have to take it apart to clean, but I do have to buy bags and filters. Given that this upright cost a whole lot less than my canister, I can deal with a little extra maintenance.

I am a bit puzzled by the legal disclaimer I just noticed on Amazon's page: "We do not in any way represent that any part we sell is legal to possess in your jurisdiction. Check with you local authorities to ensure it is legal for you to possess before buying!"

Being that red is absolutely my favorite color; I love the look of this vacuum. Whoever thought that a vacuum cleaner could be pretty?

Over the past few years, I've owned a basic bagless Hoover, midline bagless Eureka, and a basic commercial Oreck (which requires bags). They are all very different and different still from this Panasonic vacuum cleaner. Honestly, I probably would have bought this vacuum cleaner a year ago if my mom hadn't introduced me to Oreck. But, I would have ended up frustrated because after having it for three months it doesn't work very well anymore.

One of the factors that I've realized over the years that makes a vacuum cleaner really expensive is the replacement HEPA filters. The filter on this vacuum only costs $10 when I looked it up on Amazon. My hoover, on the other hand which was only a $65 vacuum required two filters that cost a total of $25 or $30 a year. The Eureka (a $175 vacuum) was similar and required two filters that cost about $30 a year. My Oreck (a $300 vacuum) does not have a filter, but it does have bags that are supposed to help with allergies. (The cost of the Oreck doesn't come in the filters, but rather in the bags which have to be replaced about every month and a half and run about $25 a year.)

The other factor I've realized that varies a lot among vacuums is the weight of the vacuums. This vacuum weighs 27 lbs. To give you a comparison, the comparable Dyson weighs 25 pounds. Because of it's weight though, I would recommend this vacuum for a single story home or for someone who is strong. My Oreck only weighs 9 lbs. So, if you have carpel tunnel sydrome, I'd definitely recommend an Oreck over this one. The weight is important for not only carrying up and downstairs but also for going back and forth on the carpet. This vacuum almost feels as if it's self propelled when it goes forward but it's heavy (compared to my Oreck) to pull back. I don't think it would be that heavy to pull back compared to a Dyson, though.

At first, I was very pleased with how well this vacuum vacuumed my carpet. I was amazed at how much it pulled up from just my downstairs! It was pretty quiet, not too loud. The clean/dirty sensor is a funny thing. I experimented a bit. It made me wonder if my carpet is dirty! I made 2 passes in some places and it would be clean, but in others it would take 6 or 7 passes. I'm not sure how much I trust the sensor--I think it's more of a gadget. It is easy to press the button to switch from bare floors to vacuum and it doesn't have a beater bar if you're concerned about that for hardwood floors. The beater bar is something that vacuums had a long time ago and the top Oreck has one, but the lower ones don't. The handle isn't especially easy to maneuver, but it isn't horrible. But, when you go back to carpet after bare floors, make sure to switch the switch back or else it won't vacuum the way it needs to. It has two distinct settings. But, recently it stopped working very well. The stick works fine, but because of how the vacuum is made, it's hard to figure out what is wrong.

One thing I do love is how easily the vacuum stick comes in and out when you need to get into small places. It clicks in so you know it's in there. It's very easy to click it up and down to make it shorter or longer. I also have been warned that the tube on the Dyson vacuum is very stiff and hard to maneuver, but the one on this Panasonic is not. If the stretchy tube doesn't seem to be retracting enough, it's just because it's twisted. I pulled the pole out and untwisted it and then it retracted so I could pop it back into place very, very easily. My Hoover also drove me crazy becaus the vacuum tube was always coming loose and I'd look down and then I'd realize what I was vacuuming was going into the air and not the canister! Ugh! That vacuum was a pain. So, the clicking feature on this one really pleased me! I was also very pleased with how close it vacuumed to the edge of things. It really does a much better job than my Oreck.

Thoughts on assembly and cleaning... When you assemble the vacuum and take the stickers off, they may or may not come off easily. Mine didn't, but I used my nails. If the stickers don't come off easily, you can use a damp rag and a bit of baking soda to rub it off. It will even take off the gumminess left by the stickers if you've gotten some of it off, but not all of it. Also, when you go to empty the canister, the red funnel has be pushed in and at first I only felt/heard one click. It had go far enough in so that the bottom of the canister could slide in and twist. I just wanted to mention it so you don't get frustrated with it the first time you're figuring it out. I thought the funnel/canister contraption was great and it was really easy to slide/lock back into place!

Really, I think there are two camps in vacuums. Bags and Bagless. So, basically, if you are looking for a bagless vacuum, I'd definitely recommend this one and I'd give it 4.5 stars. It works really well! At a little over $200, it seems like a good value and it's far cheaper than getting a Dyson (even if you don't have to replace the filters on the Dyson). I'm not sure what is wrong with my vacuum, but until recently it did really work well.

If you need a light vacuum and don't mind bags, I'd go with an Oreck (but get a middle of the line one, not the top or the bottom).

This vacuum was easy to set up straight out of the box. There are plenty of attachments that fit every cleaning method desired. It did a good job overall.

The Panasonic makes it easy to switch between vacuum head and attachments. The handle easily slides out of its holder to place an attachment at the end. The attachments do not have strong suction. The vacuum worked well on a rug that has to withstand 1 dog and two cats lying on it. The cyclone effect inside the canister looked impressive. It picked up all of the animal hairs and miscellaneous stuff on the rug. It appeared clean but the canister showed little dirt so I tested the area with my Dyson DC17 Animal Cyclone Upright Vacuum Cleaner. No contest. The Dyson picked up an obscene amount of fine dirt that was already vacuumed by the Panasonic.

Please note that this vacuum is heavy to push around. The weight is mostly in the handle area and you can feel it in your arms after a couple of swipes. I would not recommend this for elderly customers. This vacuum has a sticker on the front which is very hard to peel off and leaves a sticky residue but leaving it on covers most of the collection canister.

If you aren't prepared to spend more money for a Dyson, this one is a good choice. It performs better then the Hoover it replaces. It has the convenience of no bags (empty the canister with a push of a lever) and very little maintenance.

Excellent vacuum for hard floors and carpet. The only flaw I notice is the back wheels need to be larger. The small rotating head attachment brush works great for dog hair on the couch. Purchased this vacuum instead of a Dyson(pricy) and glad I did.

I have owned a number of vacuums in my life, both the bag type and the bagless
newer versions. I have been shopping for a new one trying to keep under $250.00. I ended up at Amazon.com where I most often do. I selected the Panasonic model MC-UL915,A very well thought out vacuum with features you'd expect on a more expensive vacuum. After a minor amount of assembly I proceeded to vacuum everything I could. What a great vacuum for such a low price. I do not have enough space here to tell all the great things about this
vacuum just buy one and experience it for yourself. I have owned other Panasonic devices and have been well pleased, I think this will be another.

The machine was purchased for a household with two cats and two dogs. It replaces a 20-something noisy upright bag-type vacuum.

The machine is well designed for our purposes. The power switch, and the latch to allow the handle to move down from vertical, are conveniently located and easy to operate, as is the latch to allow removal of the wand for use with the attachments. The attachments easily snap on/off, and (except for one) are stored on the machine. It is easy and fast to empty the dirt.

Compared to the old noisy machine this one replaces, this machine is much quieter. I can carry on a conversation with someone in the room, at a normal speaking volume, while vacuuming. Even the more excitable of our dogs, who used to go berserk when she heard the old machine, coexists peacefully with this one. The machine does a wonderful job of picking up the animal fur -- and the attachment with whirling brushes makes picking up fine cat fur from the upholstery a snap.

We have been using the machine only about a month, but our impression to date is that it is a fine machine, and that our money was well spent.