Canister Kitchen

Panasonic OptiFlow Lightweight Canister Vacuum Cleaner, Bagged, MC-CG885
From Panasonic

List Price: $449.99

Price: $242.54 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com

25 new or used available from $231.94

Average customer review:

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39562 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Color: White
• Brand: Panasonic
• Model: MC-CG885
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 9.40″ h x
  12.20″ w x
  19.30″ l,
  30.00 pounds

Features

• 12-amp canister vacuum cleaner with a 14-inch quick-release power nozzle
• 4 height settings with bare-floor switch on handle; 360-degree swivel hose; 4-position chrome wand
• Motor-protection system; 3-stage HEPA filtration; OptiFlow bag chamber
• Automatic cord reel; headlight; on-board upholstery tool, crevice tool, and 2 wands
• Measures 19-2/7 by 12-1/5 by 9-2/5 inches

Customer Reviews

The High Cost of Maintenance

Panasonic MC-CG885 OptiFlow Lightweight Bag Canister Vacuum Cleaner

This vacuum cleaner sucks. There I said it, now that that’s out of the way let’s get down to the nitty gritty the down and dirty. For the past five years or so I’ve only been using bag less vacuums. I have three. A Eureka upright, a Panasonic small canister and a DustBuster. Bag less vacuums are a breed unto themselves. You get to save the cost of the bags but you have to figure out how to empty them without making a bigger mess than you just cleaned up. You have to supply a bag of some sort so you can contain the dirt and dispose of it neatly. With a bag vacuum like the MC-CG885 that’s not a problem. What IS a problem is the bag inside is quite small and very costly. As Amazon doesn’t sell it (yet??) I found it on the Internet for about $6 per bag. For a bag as small as it is, that could be quite an expensive proposition to maintain. My first thought is if you have new carpet, they usually shed for quite a while (my bag less upright pulled up a lot of blue fuzz) and you’ll fill these bags very quickly. Going back to my first sentence, this “OptiFlow” has a lot of suction power. That’s good it pulled up dirt like nobody’s business.

To begin back at the beginning, assembling this vacuum was relatively easy. The hose attaches to the body with an easy twist and the wands also go together with positive latching mechanisms that are quite secure. Just make sure you connect the outboard power line so the beater bar and light get their power. It’s a simple, one way is right, positive connection. When it’s all together I noticed a few issues. There is a hook on the body to support the wand and head in an upright position for storage or rest. It sometimes tips over. If the head is set to anything other than extra low it always tips over. It won’t park as easily as an upright. It on the other hand isn’t as heavy as a typical upright. It’s fairly maneuverable too. It has three free spinning casters on its bottom and they roll easily on carpet or floor. I have both. The power cord is VERY long so you can plug it in and clean a large area or maybe two rooms. It retracts easily with the press of the large button on the top of the canister. Under the “hood” it has hidden storage for the crevice tool and small brush. Both work as expected. The business end of the hose has a pistol type grip and sliding on off switch. This is where you can attach the tools or by disconnecting the head end power cord you can use one of the rods for an extended reach. The power switch is an Off, Floor, Carpet three position switch. It also controls the beater bar on the head piece. It operates smoothly and efficiently.

I experimented with different heights for the head end. At its lowest setting it has a tendency to want to pull you forward, It’s very strong and digs into the carpet. As I raised it that corrected the situation and still got the cleaning done. Just be careful to get the right height setting. As for cleaning a floor, not so good. Light or loose dust is fine but for heavier grime you’ll need something better for that. It’s not a mop.

Changing the bag is easy and neat. It rests in a basket that has a handle to lift it out of the body. It’s all under the big hood that opens easily. That the bag is small and expensive is the biggest most damning strike on this otherwise fine vacuum. It is also relatively quiet for one that is as powerful as it is. I would love to see Panasonic come up with an emptyable cartridge that would go where the bag is, but that’s not going to happen.

To sum up. It’s strong, quiet, easy to use and does a very good job. I just can’t get over the fact that you will be running up serious expenses on bags.

UPDATE: March 14: I would raise the Star level to 4 now that Amazon is selling the bags and at a reasonable price (4 for $10). It ends my biggest gripe.

Will thrill the clean freak in you!

Update March ’10: I just wanted to say I’ve had this vac for over a year now, and still use it at least twice a week(and look forward to using it) to maintain my hardwood floors. I absolutely love it!

Original review: I am a self professed clean freak. We have 2 cats that I am allergic to, so the floors being clean is especially important to me. This Panasonic vac has made me very happy! I live in a 2nd floor apartment with a carpeted hallway & stairs, the rest of my apartment is hardwood floors with linoleum in the kitchen and tile in the bath. I’ve used it everywhere and it’s AMAZING! As someone described it to me, it will ‘suck chrome off a tow hitch’, which sounds a little funny — but that is the power it has.

Putting it together is easy and will take a matter of minutes, but be careful that you put the metal poles together correctly, otherwise you won’t have power to the vac head that you push on the floor. It took me a bit to figure out that I had made this error in my hast to get it together and use it.

The power button is on the handle, which I thought was an absolutely must have feature. There would be nothing worse then trying to find a button on the unit behind you. You can also switch it from carpet to bare floor with this button, so it’s an seamless transition. That button makes it effortless for me to vacuum my little area rugs that are on my hardwood floors and in the kitchen. When using the carpet setting the light comes on the vacuum head and it self propels on its own making it very easy and lightweight to use. The canister was gliding along behind me no problem. I took care of my entire apartment in about 15-20 minutes.

Another of my favorite features is that the cord goes inside the body of the canister and can be sucked back in with the push of a button. No fiddling around with getting it raveled back up, which is something I particularly hate about my upright. This one also adjusts heights with a little foot pedal from x-low to high so if you have short carpet or tall shaggy rugs, it should work amazingly.

I right away took care of my front carpeted stairs, since they haven’t been done in some time. We only had an upright vac previously and I found it impossible to do the stairs with that. My boyfriend tried it once or twice, but it honestly just does not get the nooks and crannies. With this new Panasonic vacuum, I maneuvered it around and then went back and got the nooks after easily removing the vac head. I was even able to hold the canister while I did it, which makes it extremely lightweight and not at all cumbersome to vacuum in odd locations.

The only cons for me — I would love if this was a bagless vac. I hate having to find bags. That feature would make this the absolute star of vacuums to me. Also, if I could strap this baby on my back and not have to roll it around(especially for doing stairs!), that would be thrilling, but it’s not a make or break, just something I’d personally like.

I’ve never had a canister vacuum and after using this one, don’t know how I existed without one! Thank you Panasonic for helping me keep my house clean with ease!

As Powerful As They Come

I’m simply thrilled by how well the Panasonic MC-CG885 cleans! At 12 Amps, this vacuum cleaner is as powerful as they come! The powerful suction helps in tackling large areas with amazing speed and ease. It works very well on both bare floor and high pile carpets. On carpets, the motorized beater brush provides plenty of torque to quickly loosen any deeply embedded dirt or pet hair. It should take at most a couple of passes to clean an area, even on very dense carpets.

Attachments

———–

- Cleaning Attachments:

The only fault I can find with it is the lack of an upholstery tool and a floor brush. Besides the main bare floor/carpet attachment, the unit comes with only (1) a small dusting brush and (2) a crevice tool. For the most part though, the lack of a floor brush attachment is not a big deal since bare floor/carpet attachment is really light and maneuverable. Besides, I use my Shark Cordless Hand Vac in conjunction with the Panasonic to tackle the hard-to-reach areas. For upholstery cleaning, I suppose the dusting brush will have to do.

Pluses

——

- Lengthy Power Cord

The length of the retractable power cord is 28 feet, so it provides PLENTY of slack for even the largest rooms. It can be quickly retracted by pressing a button.

- 4 Adjustible Heights

The height of the floor/carpet cleaning attachment can be adjusted for vacuuming bare floor and low pile to high pile carpets. There are 4 height settings: XLO, LO, MED, HI.

- Quick and Easy Assembly/Dissembly

The unit can be quickly assembled for use and quickly dissembled for storage after use.

- Easy-To-Clean Beater Brush

The motorized beater brush, unlike those on some vacuum cleaners, can be easily cleaned — no more impossibly tangled mass of hair and filth on the brushes.

- HEPA Air Filter

The tiniest amount of dust in the air can trigger my nasal allergies (that’s why I use a Honeywell Air Filter). If you’re an allergy sufferer like me, you’ll appreciate the Hepa filter on this vac, which traps the smallest dust particles to prevent them from being released back into the air.

- Economical Replacement Bags

The replacement bags are easy to replace without causing dirt and dust to spill out and make a mess. A brand new bag may look small, but the slightly elastic material will stretch out as needed to contain the dust and dirt as it fills up. Each bag can actually hold a lot. The vacuum uses the Panasonic AMC-J3EP replacement bags – they come in a 4-pack and are very affordably priced. (Note: this vacuum comes with a vacuum bag included.)

Ergonomics

———-

- The Power Switch/Slider has 3 modes: Off, Floor, Carpet. It is conveniently located on the handle and is designed to be operated with the thumb of the hand holding the handle of the unit. This makes it possible to maneuver the wand while freeing up your other hand to reposition the cannister when needed.

- For those who are right-handed, the handle is free to rotate up to 90 degrees counter-clockwise to help accommodate the natural position of the wrist. Sorry, lefties, this ergonomic feature is designed only for those who are right-handed.

Conclusion

———-

Last but not least, I must mention this thing is a beauty, so it won’t be an eyesore when it’s not tucked away in a closet. It’s well-designed and looks to be very well-constructed – I’m looking forward to using it for many years to come. For me, the only drawback is the limited cleaning attachments. Still, I have rated it 5-stars based on its impressive cleaning ability, ergonomic design, and looks. Yes, the price is steep, but price aside, if you’re looking for a powerful vacuum cleaner that’s easy to use and maintain, the Panasonic MC-CG885 OptiFlow Vacuum Cleaner is it.

Product Description

OptiFlow Canister Vacuum Cleaner, 360 Degree Swivel Hose, Easy Grip Handle, On/Off switch on body, Bare Floor Switch on handle, Performance Indicator, Power Nozzle Overload Protector, 24-inch Cord with Automatic Cord Reel, Powerful 12 Amp Motor, 3-Stage HEPA Filter System, Tools on-board include: Dusting Brush, crevice tool, 14-inch Nozzle, Headlight, 4-Position Chrome Wand, 6-inch Hose, Removable Outflow Bag Caddy, Replacement accessories: Dust Bag (AMC-J3EP), HEPA Filter (AMV95K5J0H0P)

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