Customer Reviews

Panasonic MC-V3900 Canister Vacuum, Blue

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I initially was looking for a stick vac for lightweight, quick everyday clean-ups of our kitchen and hardwood floors. (More specifically, I have one toddler and one baby, who is at that curious age where anything on the floor is fair game to eat.) After buying and then returning a bagless stick vac, I realized what features I wanted or did not want:
1) I did not want the mess of bagless cups and filters (the mess from kitchen food/crumbs and dust/lint from heavy traffic hardwood areas did not interest me). This Panasonic has bags that can easily be found on Amazon or other sites.
2) I wanted manueverability. This vac is very portable at only 8 lbs. and is small enough to follow you wherever you go.
3) I wanted vertical storage. This cool blue vac stores just like a stick vac, and for more compact storage than the picture shows (without the bend in the hose sticking out), you can disconnect the hose and neatly tie it around the standing extension wand.
4) I wanted long reach with a power cord OVER 16 feet. 16-feet really isn't enough. If you have read other stick vac reviews, you already know this. The stick vac I tried and returned was 16-feet -- more proof 16 isn't enough (manufacturers probably researched that going longer than 16 to 18-feet would make cord storage and manual cord "wrapping" a hassle). Furthermore, I don't trust rechargeable vacs because you will either end up needing your vac when there's little charge left or if you keep it in the charger the battery will be burnt out in a year. I was happy to see that this Panasonic mini-canister had 17. OK, what's one foot, but the true beauty of a 17-ft cord on this baby is that with the hose and extensions wands, my reach ends up being more like 23-ft+!

I got a total convenience package with this Panasonic 3900.
- it's mess-free (bags are still popular for a reason)
- it's lightweight with long reach
- it stands in a corner
- it's available every minute of every day because you don't have to worry about a charge
- it has an automatic cord reel for quick putaways; Panasonic incorporates this great feature on many of their vacs
- it has rubber bumpers so that when you pull around chairs and table legs, there is no harm done to the legs or to the beautiful blue casing
- it has small wheels on the sweeper head, making it really easily to glide across floors and area rugs
- it has excellent suction...perfect for bare floors and small rugs and the occasional touching-up of surface dirt on carpeted areas (don't expect it to really clean your carpet)
- it's awesome!

It is hard to find Panasonic vacuums to check-out in person, but after seeing and trying a similar but heavier bagless Kenmore (which Panasonic makes for Sears) I felt very comfortable with this purchase. I also own a 20-lb Kenmore upright made by Panasonic and love it as well.

I love my new Panasonic mini-canister vac and am looking forward to using it everyday. I got this from Amazon during a promotion that reduced the price a little but even for its everday price it is a great value, and I love that it looks so cool.

This is a great little vacuum cleaner that takes up so very little space. When you compare its price level with some larger models it becomes very attractive, as long as your needs match what it offers. I wouldn't recommend it if you have a heavily carpeted area to vacuum. But for bare floors, the odd rug, and all those dust-catching nooks and crannies, this certainly does the trick. Part of its appeal is certainly its light weight which makes carrying it up and down stairs and holding in one hand while vacuuming ceiling edges with the other trivially easy. Just keep in mind that this is a minimalist vacuum cleaner. No bells and whistles; just what you need to get the job done well and with a dash of style. Never yet been disappointed with a Panasonic product.

I ordered this little blue marvel based not only on the strength of its reviews here, but also on my affinity for Panasonic products in general. On very rare occasions I have been disappointed, but this was not one of them.

There are many sterling (and accurate) reviews here already. So here's a few details that have not been mentioned yet:

Panasonic's website claims a capacity of 1.8 liters... yup, less than a 2-liter soft drink. Not a problem for me, but knowing that may help with your expectations if you're unable to try one out in person.

The ONLY thing I'd change is the hose. It's pretty short, and made of plastic, rather than rubber or vinyl or whatever. It's not as flexible as you'd expect. You say, "Big deal," and if you're shorter than six feet, you'd be right.

I'm over six feet, and have a proportionally long stride and reach... longer than the hose, in fact. Thus if I take my accustomed long sweeps when vacuuming the floor, the tiny canister flails back and forth behind me. No harm in that, really, because it doesn't weigh squat, and it's plenty sturdy. But if I want to control the canister, I must resort to shorter (and more frequent) strokes. It's not a priority, but I'm considering a visit to the local vac shop to see if there's a better hose that fits.

Lastly: comments about noise level are so subjective. Suffice it to say that in a small room, I can sustain conversation with only a slight raising of my voice.

To summarize, there is nothing in this little guy's price range that touches it in terms of performance and design. In fact, I paid nearly double for a clever-looking competitor from a local chain that was underpowered and poorly designed under the covers. Basically, this blue Panasonic leaves everything else... (wait for it)... in the dust.

This is the first Amazon.com review I've written.

I've read many reviews by thoughtful folks and decided to it's pay back time. This Panasonic vacuum is perfect for those like myself who has an upright vacuum but need something that can handle crevices, is lightweight for car cleaning, pretty, powerful, has a retractable (but slightly shorter) cord, made by a solid company, and sells at a reasonable price.

I've had this vacuum for two months and have used it weekly. So far, every positive review on this model has been accurate. I did take people's advice and ordered extra vac bags from Amazon.com just to be safe.

Virtually all my electronics equipment in my home, including the tv, dvd player, vhs player, home theater equipment, and cameras are by Panasonic. Now I know why.

I got the Panasonic MC-V3900 Canister Vacuum Blue, after reading these reviews and I have to agree that this little machine rocks. I have an upright vacuum - the Hoover windtunnel - which is so heavy and bulky for me. So for every day cleaning of my wood floors the Panasonic canister is perfect. A little noisy but nothing unbearable. Now I only use the Hoover for the rugs and the terrace, because the Panasonic does not work well on rugs or carpet. There is only one attachment : the crevice cleaning tool and for me is just what I need. I use an extension cord that facilitates my moving around. What a difference after having to schlep the hoover all over the place! I wrote this review after the first time use, I'll edit if it burns out or breaks. BTW, I got it at buy.com, I have found out that they have much better deals than amazon and almost always w free shipping.

Don't search for C-13, but instead search for AMC-S5EP on the internet. Then the bags will show up. I found them at theallergyreliefcenter

I really love this little vacuum.. I have hardwood floors and 4 cats and it does a really good job...plus its so small and just follows you around so easily... I bought it after reading the one review.. picks up kitty litter that gets tracked everywhere and also gets cat hair off upholstery easily..

I bought this as a gift for my parents to use at their summer cottage. It works great. It is light weight and durable. Great suction from such a small vacuum. It is perfect for what my Mom needs it for. When she first bought the cottage she was lugging her Kirby up there to clean and now she doesn't have to. This tiny little vacuum does what she would need the Kirby to do and is small enough where she can tuck it away any where. She really likes it. We are very pleased.

I love this product. I got it when my baby got big enough to make a lot of messes and I was tired of hauling the big Kirby out of the closet all the time. The canister is light enough to hold in one hand while you climb stairs or vacuum spider webs off the ceiling, the suction is plenty strong, and unlike little cordless vaccums it never runs out of juice. The retractable cord is great because it's a snap to pack up, and it even stands up by itself in the closet. The Kirby only comes out now twice a month for the carpets only, and I use my little blue vacuum for everything else. (My baby is now almost 3 and she likes to use it too.) I wish it had a brush attachment, but oh, well. After 18 months of pretty much daily use it looks like the on/off switch is broken, but I more than got my money's worth out of it and if I can't fix it I'll probably buy another one. I haven't had a problem finding bags online, though you can't find them in the stores. I last got some from www.onlinevacshop.com.

First, let me defend this piece of equipment by saying that ANYONE with wall-to-wall carpeting should NEVER expect the same cleaning capabilities from a canister vacuum as you get with an upright! To say this did not clean your carpet well is like saying your vehicle did not run well when you put sugar in the gas tank - some things are NOT meant to go together and carpeted floors & canister vacs are two of them.

Second, this is THE best vacuum for hardwood, linoleum, tiles, stairs, ceiling fans, ceilings/walls, cobwebs, etc. As the owner of two dogs who shed NON-Stop and year-round, there is no comparison between the "bare floor" setting on my upright vs. this vacuum. For the first time in two years (since moving from an all-carpeted home to one with 99% hardwood floors), I finally feel like I'm able to stay on top of the dog hair, dust and miscellaneous fuzzballs that show up so well on hardwood floors.

While the bags may be small (it took me two and half bags to do an initial cleaning of my house), once you do the first thorough cleaning, there is no reason it should ever take that much again if you are diligent in vacuuming on a regular basis.

I am seriously considering buying a second one for my upstairs. NOT that this is difficult to carry or maneuver up the stairs, but so I can task my kids with vacuuming their own bedrooms while I work on the downstairs. The bang for the buck cannot be beat on this vacuum!

P.S. if a dust brush is *that* important to you, Wal-Mart sells them as I'm sure many other places do as well.

P.S.S. I bought extra bags online by searcing for AMC-S5EP vacuum and had NO problem finding them! Don't fault the vacuum for a user error!