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Panasonic makes vacuums?!

August 11, 2005 › Sandy McMurray | comment

What does the name Panasonic mean to you? Does it make you think of TVs, stereos, VCRs, and telephones? Maybe it reminds you of the company's rugged Toughbook portable computers.

Did you know that Panasonic also makes vacuums? I had no idea until recently, when I noticed the MC-V7720 upright bagless vacuum on Panasonic's list of 2005 consumer products.

(The company also makes microwave ovens, air conditioners and massage chairs, but I was interested in the vacuum.)

At my request, Panasonic Canada loaned me a new MC-V7720 to try out for a couple of weeks. I don't usually review appliances, but I made an exception because, well, our place is dirty. Our old vacuum died a few months ago, and we haven't replaced it yet. There was dirt to spare.

The short review: it sucks. Really sucks. In a good way, I mean.

The main features of the MC-V7720 are:
- Dirt Detector (red light turns green when floor is clean)
- Power-on-Demand (reduces power when less suction is needed)
- Bagless design (uses filters and dirt cup)
- 30 foot power cord

The Dirt Detector seems to work. It certainly shifted the power up and down when I encountered different types of dirt and floor surface.

Power-on-Demand is a nifty feature that you may never use. I found myself using the manual override most of the time, in order to select high or medium or low speed.

Vacuum cleaners have come a long way since our dear departed Singer vacuum cleaner was made. (Yes, Singer. I hear they also make sewing machines.)

The canister design of this old vacuum was simple: suction pulls dirt inside where it becomes trapped in a paper bag. The clean air is blown back into the room. When the bag gets full, you replace it.

If the company eventually abandons its vacuum cleaner division and no one makes a replacement bag that will fit, you're out of luck. You can only cut the bag open, empty it, and tape it shut so many times. I speak from experience here.

Although some modern vacuums still use bags, many new models use a bagless design. Dirt is sucked into a chamber where a cyclone of air flings the dirt and dust into a separate compartment. This dirt trap can be removed and dumped when it gets full. Many vacuum cleaners also have a HEPA filter that prevents dirt and dust from being flung back into the room.

The Panasonic vacuum cleaner I reviewed has both a HEPA filter and a second filter in the cyclone chamber. During my tests, I emptied the dirt trap several times and attempted to clean the secondary filter by tapping and turning the built-in filter cleaner (a hand crank that turns like the top of a pepper mill). This took a bit more time and effort than I expected. The dirt really collects in the secondary filter.

Although the vacuum did a great job of cleaning, I found myself wishing for a bag that could be removed and thrown away. The secondary filter almost requires a second vacuum cleaner to keep it dust-free.

Finally, the 30 foot power cord was more useful than I though it would be. It's nice to clean several rooms without running back to unplug and replug into a closer outlet.

Lessons learned:
Bagless vacuum cleaners save you money on bags, but you will eventually have to replace at least one filter. Make sure you know how much they will cost before you commit yourself to a bagless vacuum.

Automatic power adjustment is nice, but you may not need it.

A long cord is very useful.

Outdoor carpeting that's more than a decade old should be thrown away, not vacuumed. Not only will a shiny new vacuum take it apart, but it will pulverize what's left of the underpad, creating more dust than it collects.

Would I buy this vacuum? Maybe if we had less hardwood and more carpet. It's more power than we need. The brush motor did an impressive job on carpet inside, and on the porch outside (until it ate a chunk of the threadbare outdoor carpet). My only hesitation would be concern about the cost and convenience of finding replacement filters in the future.

In summary, the Panasonic MC-V7720 bagless vacuum sucks. In a good way.

August 11, 2005 › Sandy McMurray | comment on this item