26.9.2014

I have been saying it for years online at other sites and I am saying it here too - Every Home Should Have A Henry - provided of course you can lift your average shopping bags!The new EU law that has come in to lower vacuum cleaner watts means Henry has been on a cost saving diet - in more ways than one.The old 1200 watt motor has been replaced by a 580 watt motor (current models now slightly redesigned have 620 watts) which means even by 2017 when vacuum cleaners will require to lower their motor outputs again by 900 watts, this vacuum cleaner will have already walked past with flying colours! Out of the box you get the usual three/four set cleaning tools such as crevice tool,round dusting brush and a slip on brush or upholstery combination tool but BE AWARE that those who buy the new Numatic Henry/Hetty and other standard models, will receive a plastic combination sole plate suction floor tool designed to be used on hard floors and carpets.I was quite taken with my new Henry. His two speed hi/lo suction speed is no more - its fixed high suction all the way and whilst it is all good and well to see a "RED LED" indicator light constantly on at his back, I'd have liked to have seen a bag full indicator change light incorporated into the light indicator. After all, when SEBO have been doing the same kind of light on their K1 series for the past ten years, Numatic should at least be able to offer a better on board indication to the user when something gets clogged other than a whistle or that discerning noise when "something is wrong."Henry travels around my home with relative ease due to the long 10 metre power cable length and all of it lightly rewinds back into his cute little bowler hat if you have a hand that can wrap around a cord rewinder. The weight is a little lighter than before, so pulling him around is near effortless helped by his front castors and two fixed wheels at the back - rubberised to protect hard floors.The suction tubes feel a little thinner than before but they are still made of stainless steel and are easy to remove or put together, compared to the lighter aluminium set which are lighter in the hand but more difficult to twist off for shorter height and cleaning above the floor line. Suction power is tremendous for such a low powered motor and the noise level is even quieter than before, especially if you have ever used the fixed speed or high speed on the old 1200 watt models.HOWEVER! When it comes to carpet performance, I find the new "Wessel Werk" derived floor head isn't as good as the old. The old one used to get stuck in between legs of my furniture, so at least the length has been improved here and edge cleaning is also possible.This newer plastic one seems to scrape against my wool carpets and doesn't provide the same kind of light gliding that the old floor heads with the metal sole plate used to provide. I wrote to Numatic asking for a solution. Their technical department didn't even KNOW about the new floor heads supplied to John Lewis.I stumbled across a forum on Facebook where several new owners have purchased a Nilfisk floor head instead and where it actually fits the new Henry models. The one supplied by Nilfisk is actually the same as the one that Numatic have cheekily made an exclusive floor head with a metal soleplate provided on the 150th Anniversary of Numatic "John" and Numatic "Lewis" vacuums for John Lewis stores - a slip in quality standards where cleaning efficiency is concerned, Numatic - one star off there!Like Numatic's plastic sole plated Wessel Werk floor head that you do get, has a handy pull of clip on the neck of the floor head, the Nilfisk also has one, making it great to swap over and park onto your machine. Now I'm happy to lightly push the floor head over my floors and carpets, getting the same kind of excellent pick up on hard floors and super light gliding push ability on carpets due to a metal sole plate that has a smoother edge compared to the angular edged plastic sole plate provided as standard! You can pick up any generic 32mm floor head from Amazon UK (the old ones for Vax are better because they have super smooth gliding metal sole plates even if you lose out on the park stub at the back).Otherwise, the Numatic Henry is stable around floors and carpets although sometimes when going over my rugs, he will fall over. Also, due to his round shape, it is impossible to put on stairs unless you leave Henry at the bottom stair looking up at you and his long hose being the provision of stretch when cleaning with just the hose and a cleaning tool. This is the main difference between a round tub vacuum and a sledge. The sledge type like Miele or SEBO cylinder vacs are flatter, far more compact, easier to move around, but the Numatic Henry series (and Hetty, James, Charles, George, Harry etc) offer greater reach and massive dust bag capacity are compromises - plus of course a lack of tool storage for ALL of the cleaning tools supplied and only one hook at the side for the one small cleaning tool you will most likely use all of the time.This is where I have used an old combination Vax Mach Air crevice tool with a slip down brush and a lint picker upholstery brush on the other end. This 3 in 1 combination tool happily sits up on the tool storer clip around the back of Henry. I may buy other tool clips in the future to install "Non-Numatic" 32mm tools that can also be optionally purchased if you don't get led by Numatic's high prices. You can use any cleaning tool you like - even a 32mm turbo brush for stairs from another brand like Wilko's turbo brush/Electrolux Risor Visor small turbo brush.Storage outwith tool use can also be problematic due to Henry's round shape and awkward way the tubes and hose park when no longer required. As you will see from the photo I have provided, when compared to the Miele S8340 Ecoline or SEBO Felix upright, Henry's main problem is where to put the excess hose and tubes. There may well be a park position for the floor head to slide onto but the excess hose and height of the tubes don't compact down easily enough in smaller storage spaces after use.Although Numatic's friendly vacuums have now been put on diets, not all consumers can flock to John Lewis to benefit from the super gliding metal soleplate suction floor tool. The plastic one scrapes my precious wool carpets and I had to buy another floor tool to get the best out of the eco Henry. That said, Henry is still great at suction, still great for picking up lots of dust and keeping it all in his massive 7 litre dust bag. I even got spare dust bags with my Henry to get me started and I know that this machine will last me for life - compared to so many others on the market that cost an arm and a leg to buy. Thanks for reading. (c)NR2 2014.Images that Amazon UK fails to show on here can be found at [...]

6.3.2015

*Please don't take this 100% seriously, this is a bit of light hearted fun.*What can you say really, its a set of hoover attachments for a very naughty Henry hoover that loves to wind me up. They fix our old friend so Henry lives to see another day, and another battle!He eats socks and gets blocked and despite any amount of poking with a wire coat hanger, blowing, or more poking, you still end up banging the pipe mercilessly against the floor in a vain hope that it may still come out despite your other thwarted attempts to remove the offending blockage.Hair from the pack of hairy dogs that have invaded my home and punish me, by shedding hair all over the place till I'm sick of finding it on my bed,and in my eyes, gets stuck inside him in clumps till you are, yes you guessed it, once again banging the pipe against the floor mercilessly, in the vain attempt to get one more life out of henry the hoover 'cat' that does not have nine lives. Well, I blame henry but its just as much the pipes fault too. They taunt me just as much.Sometimes Henry likes to get stuck next to door frames as your trying to pull him into another room and your left there, exhausted by the effort of moving Henry's quite considerable weight around without him getting stuck on seemingly unobtrusive objects, like door frames, AND YOUR SCREAMING !HOW DOES HE EVEN GETS STUCK WHEN HE IS ROUND?" It's beyond comprehension. Your standing there, in a door way, you have run out of that annoying rock hard hose to stretch any further into the room and your yanking and yanking at henry until at last, with one long and hard yank, he comes tumbling into the room on his side and you resign to leave him there as punishment for getting stuck and continue the hovering with him toppled over in a miserable pile of failure.Henry is also such a heffer that the average stairwell wont hold him so your halfway up the stairs, dodging a minefield of socks and feral hairballs desperately hoping he wont block before you get to the end of the hovering, praying for him to last just long enough to temporarily win the everlasting eternal battle against crumbs, hair and dust, annnnnd he topples down the stairs, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, SPLAT he goes, onto his arse at the bottom of the stairs. And you would, once again, resign to leave him there as punishment but you have to get the rest of the hovering done, so down you go, even more exhausted from your battle with Henry and the war against socks/dust/feral-hair-balls and you drag the actually surprisingly heavy sod back up the stairs and plonk him down again, only to find that one stretch on that rock hard and not at all stretchy hosing sends him tumbling to the bottom of the stairs again followed by a few curse words.Another of Henrys great points is his windy cord thingamajig, at which point you are so happy that you have finally finished your ordeal with trying to manoeuvre Henry around doorframes and furniture and having told him off for refusing to eat socks/feral hairballs/crumbs and you are so excited that you are putting him away, you wind that cord wheel around so vigorously and it works great, until you get to the last little bit and he whips you in the elbow right on the funny bone and YOU LAUGH SO MUCH... Henry also likes to try to kill you, his death plots are not always subtle though, for instance, that last little bit of cord that never quite goes in and dangles down the side of Henry, eventually it gets pulled or works itself out enough to dangle on the floor, and on a fine summers day, your casually walking past the hoover to get something and BAM.... you stand on the plug.. heaven. Even winning £1000 on the lottery isn't as fun as Henrys murder attempts.Henry is a lovely hoover. As you can tell, I love him to bits. He is heavy, smelly, and a LOVELY shade of post box red. It would break my heart to throw my beloved hoover away and invest in a slightly newer, smaller, lighter, more flexible, hair friendly machine that doesn't tumble down the stairs or get stuck on corners, or ambush me with well placed upturned plugs or find socks where no one knew they existed. One would think that I hated Henry!On a more serious note - HE DOESNT SUCK LIKE HE USED TOO. My old henry never faltered at any feral hair, objects, or anything. Only the odd socks could falter my old Henry. Half the power = half the suction = twice as long hovering = twice the blockages as he is not powerful enough to suck hair into the bag, just into a ball in the hosing. I loved my old Henry but this new one just doesn't compare, and after a few other brands of hoovers I just can't find anything as good. The long and short of it is if you have an old Henry, repair him. Especially if you have pets, as that's where it really starts to let me down compared to my old reliable Henry! Don't upgrade if you can avoid it! Long live the old Henry's! I wish I had never gotten rid of mine!

12.10.2017

Got this machine after much research on the basis of brand reliability, simplicity of design and reading many reviews and watching YouTube videos.This is the 2017 design. Comes with three tools. Soft round brush, upholstery tool with detachable brush, you can use with or without and a crevice tool.After the EU regulations had been implemented, I did wonder if the power of this machine would be less than older models which has a 1200 watt power rating. This one is 650 watts I think.The manufacturer has redesigned the motor and by changing the hose design, so that it is slightly narrower at the business end, than it is at the end where it attaches to the machine. This enables this machine,to match and probably exceed the suction levels, delivered by older models.The wheels and base are also more stable. I dragged mine over a draft excluder, that I forgot to move and it didn't tip over.It also has two slots at the rear of the machine, where you can hold two of the three tools supplied. There is also a little adapter tube supplied, to enable the tools to be fitted directly to the narrower end of the hose, when the main metal extension tubes are not being used. For higher reach, you can just attach these to the metal extension tubes, without it. I just leave this adaptor plugged into the tool I use most and put it in one of the tool holding slots on the back of the machine, so it is always to hand if you require it.This machine is very powerful and also very quiet.. I did worry about it being difficult to push, as the suction is so strong but it does have an air release, twist on the handle, that can be turned to release the pressure. There is a technique to pushing it, that you soon get the hang of. And you can always just pull it backwards, if it gets stuck to the carpet. If you go a bit quicker it doesn't stick to the floor. It is easier to handle, than my old upright Samsung was. It cleans right up to the edge with no problem whatsoever. The upright always use to miss bits, that I would have to get with the crevice tool later and it also goes right underneath our settee, where the upright couldn't reach.If found, that I could reach the whole if a 13 step, flight of stairs with the main floor cleaning tool and metal extensions in place. This was obviously a bit cumbersome to use on the front face of each step but for a quick zoom over, it is quite handy.I then tried a more thorough cleaning if the stairs, with one of the tools attached straight to the hose. This meant, I had to carry the machine up a few steps to reach the top ones. This was surprisingly easy. It is no trouble, to either hold the machine balanced on a lower step with one hand, while hoovering with the other or even stand on one step and with the machine a step or two above where you are standing and resting against your legs, to prevent it slipping off the step, have both hands free to hoover the steps above where the hoover body is resting. You can buy a longer hose, if you find this difficult, so that you can leave the machine at the foot of the stairs, if you find that preferable.I did try it on carpet tiles and it is powerful enough to actually lift them from the floor, if they are not stuck down. Again a speedier hoovering technique and adjusting the air release, stops this happening. Smaller bath or toilet mats it will just lift off the floor, so you have to do those with a one of the other tools. It follows you around very easily and smoothly, going over rugs and carpets, it also has has a rubber bump strip round the middle to prevent damage to paint work, should you bang it off of a door frame or furniture. The chord winder/dispenser, is very good and doesn't snag. I tend to pull out just as much chord as I need, and as I go further away from the socket by pulling the hoover along with me, I found the the chord fed out by itself, without me having to go back to the machine and pull more out manually. Rewinding the chord is a doddle, with the rewinding knob on the top of the machine. The chord is about 10 metres long, so you don't have to change sockets too often.This one came with three spare bags and one already fitted in the machine, so 4 in total. They are very easy to replace and quite cheap. You pull out two clips on either side of the machine, lift off the top, lift out the big lightweight motor protection fiiter and pop off the old bag which has a press down seal to stop any further escaping pop on the new one and off you go. You can buy a permanent bag with a zip, so that you can empty and replace, rather than using disposables if you prefer.So far, very pleased with this machine and assuming it's reliability is as proven as earlier models, it will probably see me out.

2.4.2015

This is the iconic Henry vacuum cleaner. This is the newer 620W HVR200-12 model that Numatic recently changed. I bought this after seeing my builder use one and decided to get one so I can use it for cleaning up after the building works and DIY jobs. The Henry comes with the usual assortment of attachments in the form of the AS1 kit, 4 x 9L HEPA dust bags (one is already attached), and an instruction leaflet.The main unit is very sturdy and robust and the plastics are of high quality. The hoses and attachments are well made and also good quality. The wheels have a good grip on them so will not slip or damage hard floors. There is a power button (but no light) and a separate "lo/hi" speed selector.There is also a built-in cable winder and folding carry handle. Henry's "bowler hat" can be detached and inside is a large filter (that looks like a basket) and underneath is the HEPA dust bag.The features that set it apart from domestic vacuums is the voluminous 9L capacity, 10m cable and much fatter 2.4m hose. Large fragments of detritus get sucked up without being stuck which is a definite bonus on a building site. The 10m long cable is very handy indeed. It means you can clean a whole floor level of an average house without the need to unplug and the Henry will happily follow you around like a little robot. It weighs about 8kg though, so may be a little heavy for some.Being a Dyson owner I didn't think this little vacuum was up to the job. I was wrong. Even though it is relatively low powered compared to the Dyson or other makes, the Henry holds its own. The suction is surprisingly good and admittedly not as powerful as a Dyson, it's good enough. It is also very quiet in operation - even on the high setting.Some may be put off by the fact that this is a bagged system. But the main advantage is a much cleaner disposal of rubbish once the bag is full. It does lose a bit of suction when the bags are nearly full though, but that is a small downside. The original replacement bags are also quite cheap so running costs are low.There is no bag full light though, so the only way to see if the bag needs replacing is by inspection. But since the bags are so big it could be months before a replacement is required.I use the vacuum on a combination of hard floors and carpets. It excels on hard floors without a doubt. But on domestic carpet the combination floor tool has too much friction and you end up just scraping the carpet using a pulling action to clean it. It's a shame the floor tool was not better designed for carpet. But for very short pile carpet such as the ones you see in offices this may not be an issue. Some have suggested getting a replacement floor tool with a metal sole plate which can help it glide. I will stick with the Dyson for carpets for now.The other tools work as advertised. But to use them on the main hose a separate tool adapter is required (included). I don't understand why Numatic didn't design everything to fit without the need of an adapter. It's seems superfluous and a design flaw. There is also not much on-board storage for the tools. There is only a single hook on the side for your most used tool. If all the main pipes and floor tool is attached then the Henry gets quite bulky for storage in a small cupboard. So the only practical solution is to disconnect all the attachments before storage.Overall a very capable little machine and at a very good price but with some minor shortcomings. I can see why this little machine is used in offices and building sites up and down the country.

28.6.2015

Not had a lot of luck with vacuum cleaners recently- my old Dyson cylinder works but it's a 2 person job to empty the canister (unless you want to spend your first cleaning job after emptying refilling the canister with what just got spilled out of it) and my partner's health issues mean he can't bend over far enough to give me a hand.So I blew £250 on one of the cordless Dyson's , which worked after a fashion for a year or so then mysteriously just stopped- it was no good on carpets anyway so I mostly used it to sweep up cat litterThen earlier this year I got a VAX upright, lovely and light and apparently got for people with pets (We have 2 cats-the youngest of whom is suspected of having an angora rabbit for a father as she is VERY fluffy)worked 3-4 times then the beater bars jammed and emptying the canister was impossible!So I thought about a Henry, every time I've encountered a professional cleaner they use them. I did ask the guys I used last year to help me with a deep clean of our flat why they used a Henry and they said they're reliable and do a good job so I figured people who earn their living from cleaning use them they must be good but for some reason I assumed they must be in the Dyson league cost wise..Then I checked and they are not I could get one for less than £100 so I did! (I confess not from Amazon) and I've been living with Henry for a month now,,,,,Henry is not the easiest cleaner to use (The Dyson cordless was but it didn't exactly clean anything) First time I used it I made the mistake of switching it on then stopping- getting the head off the carpet when I'd set it to full on turbo made me consider a truss!I soon found a useful trick- don't push the cleaning head in front of you- put it away from you then pull it back it's a lot easier on your back. Henry is quite happy trotting behind you as long as there's enough lead out and there's a lot of lead in there I can do the whole flat without needing to change socketsHow does Henry clean? Well when I first let him loose- I'll be honest, the living room carpet due to the useless Vax hadn't been properly cleaned for a good few weeks....10 minutes later even if it did involve the sort of effort that saves on gym membership- carpet (And this carpet I inherited when my dad died 22 years ago and he had that 10 years or so before that) carpet came up like new apart from some awkward bits I missed and on top I switched over to the hard floor setting and it swept the bathroom floor clean of cat litterSecond time out I realised the plastic hose section ends with a crevice tool so you just unscrew the metal part of the hose and there it is so I cleaned all the awkward bits and even managed to get round the bathroom and clear all the spilled litter around the cat tray then I put the metal hose back on and did the rest of the carpet but after the first time I didn't need the turbo so muchIt does take a bit of getting used to and in a small flat it's hard to find somewhere to put Henry- he is currently by the washing machine but if I need to use it I just push him to the other end of the kitchenMy carpets haven't looked this good in years (Even my cheap 30-year old bedroom carpet has come up lovely) Henry is also surprisingly quiet for the amount of power involved5 times into using it-my only question is how to dispose of all the other cleaners?

5.10.2014

I have to admit I was worried that Henry would have lost some of his pulling power with the new reduced wattage. I have used the old henry 1200W/600W model that has the switch to switch between economy or supercharge suction power and it is probably the best vacuum I ever used. I have tried various bagless vacuums including 3 models of Dyson (and I have to say I am not a fan of those - they are all hype and way overpriced). I was a little reluctant to go back to a vacuum with a bag but the kids kept begging me to get a Henry because he looks 'cute'. Well he ain't just good looking, he is actually practical, strong and works like a horse.I need not have worried about this new model,

7.3.2015

What a brilliant machine.All I can say is when I first got our Henry, I liked him, but it was a love/hate relationship - I wasn't sure or completely convinced - he had great suction but was lacking in fancy features and his 'head' was too much like hard work, especially on pet hair. I decided as it was a relatively cheap vacuum I would splash out on a 2nd hoover and keep little henry upstairs.Two 'VAX' Hoovers later, might I add, Henry is STILL the favourite in our house, especially now we've bought a different head, the 'Airo Brush', which has made a huge difference to cleaning up after our forever malting Labrador. Our carpets come up like new and now it's our Vax that is left in the dark.A lot of building works and DIY projects have come and gone,

4.7.2015

My last Henry died after 27 years of use. I am relieved to find that this new one (HVR 200-12) appears to be much the same as the last in most respects. It is now only 620W max or 580W on a choice of either Hi or Lo settings but I find the Lo setting is quite adequate for most jobs. It is not that easy to carry up the stairs while vacuuming & the hose with attachment does not quite reach the top of the stairs if I leave the machine at the bottom which means I have to unplug it & plug it in upstairs. However, the extended length of cable means I can vacuum the whole of the upstairs areas from the one electric socket which is great. Suction is excellent & I am amazed at the amount of pet hair (from one small dog)

16.1.2015

I have owned this numatic henry for over 18 months now and I'm still as pleased with it as the day I got it!!I have used many other different companies over the years and have been really disappointed with them.It is robust, strong and will suck up anything in its path, great for pet hair!!!I have had other machines that have been designed to pick up pet hair and have been rubbish!!If you do accidently suck something up and it blocks it up,you take the extension tube off and there is a small piece that helps to stop it blocking up properly and most things get caught in that. you take that part off and pull out what ever is stuck then put it back together and its great to go again!!!

21.7.2015

I am chuffed to bits with this purchase.Over the years, I've succumbed to the (IMO) myth that "bagless," was the way to go and bought one about 3 years ago.The thing was a nightmare; it needed cleaning after each use and if you didn't, attempting to clean it unleashed a total dust storm which then had to be cleaned up.It ended up picking up very little and with next to zero suction.Like others, I've known cleaners in various places I've worked who swear by their "Henry," and we have them where I work now and they get a lot of use.So, I decided to take the plunge and buy one and I'm so glad that I did.This version is lighter (perhaps designed for home use?) than the ones we have at work,

9.6.2017

Over the course of my life I have owned many vacuum cleaners. I don't have a good track record with them. I inevitably end up getting something jammed in them or I break them unbelievably quickly. Ive tried bagged/bagless and corded/cordless etc and all have died. I thought I would try a Henry having been told most tradesmen use them due to their efficiency. Well, I can tell you its true. Henry is awesome. I put it together easily and actually enjoyed whizzing around my house which is now spotless. Suction is formidable. Access under furniture is excellent.The bag has a huge capacity. I have 3 hairy dogs and I could barely tell there was anything in the bag after I did the whole house.

13.3.2015

I switched to this Henry after killing my third Dyson upright. I wasn't sure I was doing the right thing but the price was so much cheaper than a new Dyson that I felt it was worth trying out. I have been pleasantly surprised. The suction is massively better than my Dyson DC14. So much so that Henry has managed to dislodge some of the filler between my floorboards and suck it up. The head has two positions, brushes down, or brushes up. With brushes up the whole head sticks to my wooden floors and is virtually impossible to move - now that is what I call suction! With brushes down, it whizzes around. I did buy an Airo Brush to use for dog hair, as the standard brush doesn't seem to shift hair from low pile carpets that well.

22.1.2016

Henry (and friends) have long been considered the kings of hoovers in my family. We have never had a problem with them. However after saying that i am getting keen on the Gtech range as they are lightweight and are cordless. Dysons are a big no no as i feel they are heavy and blister the hands.Heres to the Henry:> It is very powerful and can at times be difficult to pull along the carpet, but there is 2 settings so the suction be turned down.> It comes with numerous attachments which can be useful when cleaning the car and the skirting boards in the home or spiders webs in the corners of the ceiling.> The handle is long so hoovering with Henry does not strain your back.> The cable is very long

29.4.2015

PLEASE NOTE: Please read the available comments below this review of mine before making your purchase. An important point has been raised about my review of this item by a customer - to which I have responded - and I feel strongly that to ensure your absolute satisfaction and to prevent error it is best you read these comments. Thank you.If you want maximum suction power and amazing versatility then just call on 'Henry'! I have found this little hoover to be a real asset in cleaning a Victorian four-storey house. Henry comes with a range of attachments and three spare bags (one is already included inside him) and has a long 'hose for a nose' which is great for hoovering the stairs with.With two different suction powers to choose from,

21.9.2014

Never mind cider, Somerset should now be famous for Numatic, the brilliant British firm that has become a household name with `Henry' and now his siblings Harriet and Harry, plus his big brother the commercial version.This smaller domestic Eco model packs as much power and efficiency as those other brand greedy energy guzzlers who are being officiously chased out of town by the EU. No worries, Henry will clean up in their wake, with gusto and a grin.His shiny smiley face, that for some reason that have now made to unclip, why would anyone want to dehumanise the chap; Henry is a friend always to hand, and very welcome in my home.The instruction book is a lesson in how to produce one - all in English for the UK (have you gathered I am keen on British goods?

Numatic HVR 200 ECO Henry - Reviews

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