Panasonic MCE4013

I totally endorse the previous two reviews. Bought this model because our then recently purchased 953 model was too big and cumbersome for the bedrooms. Initially ease of use was great - until the bad points were revealed. Now after a couple of years frustration, both machines are going to the tip (the Panasonic Icon MCE593 continually blocks up and is very difficult to unblock). Never again will we purchase a Panasonic vacuum cleaner. If anyone is thinking of purchasing a Panasonic - DON'T.

Although cheap (I paid about £75 for it, I think), and powerful when it was new, emptying the clear plastic dust box was a fiddly and messy job, and the filters needed very frequent cleaning. The build quality was pretty poor, with the entire cleaner, including holding clips etc, being made of plastic. Once the clip that held together the dust box cracked, the cleaner was fit only for the skip.

This was my first bagless cleaner, and I am about to revert to bags - I have just purchased a Sebo, and we'll see if it lives up to the excellent reviews on this site!

Admittedly the Panasonic MCE4013 vacuum cleaner is not the most expensive cleaner at £79.95 on the market, but it is utterly useless.

It boasts about an overheating cutout, but this tends to kick in after about 20 minutes, and then you have to wait 30 - 40 minutes for it to restart, so cleaning a whole house could take all day.

The hose is too short to reach to an average ceiling, and the angle of the brush attachment is no good for stairs or corners.

I bought it in Comet, and they do not supply any replacement parts, belts, or filters, so I had to wait for delivery for several days.

When the brush stopped spinning as soon as it hit the floor, Panasonic do not supply an engineer to my area unless it is under extended warranty, and I had to return it to the original shop 15 miles away and wait 10 days for it to be fixed, then pick it up again.

I do not recommend it, but then again you get what you pay for.