My grandchildren like to copy me and are always more than interested when I am cleaning. My 2 year old granddaughter likes to follow me around when I'm hoovering and wants to do it herself so when I saw this pretend Henry Vacuum I couldn't resist it especially as it 'works' insofar as it picks up small items so it makes children feel as though it's actually a real vacuum and not just a toy! I'm really glad I bought it for them as they get so much fun out of this vacuum and considering it cost £25 it was quite pricey.

It is a scaled down version of the well known Henry Vacuum cleaner, it has the big eyes and smile with the long nozzle looking like a trunk/nose. it comes with a dustpan and brush too so you can really get your children running around after you cleaning up!

It is powered by batteries ( 4 x C) but it does had a lead which is made to look real. The lead is a little odd, it's designed so that safety comes first which is important with children. Children may be tempted to pull the lead out and wrap it around their necks and so it is made in sections which are just joined together by magnets so if your child pulls on this too hard or twists it into an awkward shape it will fall apart. This is a great idea but it does mean that it is frequently coming apart and this seems to frustrate my grandchildren who don't want to spend time messing around fixing it back together but want to get playing. The lead pulls out and can be reeled back in by winding it using a winding handle on the top of the vacuum. This is quite fiddly to do and my grandchildren do struggle with it, again it is a safety feature used with magnets, I presume it's so that children can't suddenly reel it in too quickly if it's caught around something so it will come apart again. This is really frustrating and the worst feature this item has, it would be nice to just not have a plug.

The vacuum comes apart with the lid coming off and the hose pulling apart so you can fit an attachment. You can see what you have picked up through the hose when you take the lid off. It picks up small items like sawdust and the odd bit of paper and what not, anything much bigger then it doesn't even attempt to pick it up bu that's fine, I don't expect this product to actually be cleaning and vacuuming up 'properly' this is a toy afterall! I think it's quite enjoyable for the children to be able to feel as though they have actually sucked up items though so it's nice that it will pick up some very light, small bits. Everything is stored in the drawer which is easy to access. My grandson likes taking this apart and then putting it back together whilst my granddaughters prefer to get on with the cleaning! It's amusing to see their roles splitting!

The hose bends around corners and things but it is fairly flimsy and it has actually split in one place so it is a bit poor in terms of quality. The actual hoover itself- the body and lid- is very robust though as it's a strong plastic so when the grandchildren carry this around and bash it into things it will withstand it and is still looking in fairly good condition. It is just a shame that the hose isn't very good quality and also that the lead is poor.

This doesn't create a lot of noise which is a good thing- you can actually hear yourself think as your little one hoovers! It is, however, not good for my grandchildren who seem to want it to be noisier "like a real vacuum!" so it would be nice to have a volume control so it could sound louder like a real machine or you could alter it to be quiet if you're wanting to do something.

My grandchildren get a lot of joy out of this. They like dragging it around with them and pretending to be busy which is really amusing to watch and it's nice to see them engaged in using their imaginations. The fact it comes apart and goes back together easily is another bonus as it means that children are able to enjoy doing this instead of it being an adult job, it just provides children with another entertainment option! One of my grandchildren loves this toy so much she is always carrying it around and it's fairly light so practical for little children like this.

I know that some people won't like this because of the few low quality features it has which concerns the poor lead, the winding mechanism and the nozzle but I personally think it's great for my grandchildren as they seem to really enjoy playing with this and it's really nice to see a product which reflects the real thing- so many pretend vacuums don't have the sucking mechanism that this one does so it's nice to see one which does actually work to an extent. It cost me £25 which is quite pricey for a child's toy but it's worked out well for us as it provides lots of entertainment. At the moment you can buy it on Amazon for £20 which I think is quite a good price. If you're looking for something that's high quality though this may not be the right item for you and you may find yourself disappointed.