How to Give Henry & You a Clean Bill of Health! (Numatic Henry HEPA-FLO Vacuum Cleaner Bags)

Member Name: Nar2

Product:	Numatic Henry HEPA-FLO Vacuum Cleaner Bags
Date:	09/12/08 (829 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good idea - at last - 10 synthetic disposable dust bags HEPA standard, strong and won't tear

Disadvantages: Currently only at John Lewis or EBay

When it comes to paper dust bags for bagged vacuum cleaners, most shoppers wouldn't be able to tell the difference between copy versions and genuine parts let alone bags that promise to seal in the dirt and odour thanks to extra layers or have seals that come with the bags to ensure no dust leakage once they are taken out of the machine. Whilst a few manufacturers have been producing the humble dust paper bag, a few brands have started to copy Miele who have been making material disposable dust bags for years that cover all the same promises but also don't burst or tear upon contact making the art of disposing of dust a healthier proposition. Synthetic bags seem to be a newer kind of substance that has more of a trusting nature universally whilst claiming to last longer by 10 to 15%. The material/synthetic bag however is usually higher in price, even though some companies such as UniFit make bargain copy material bags that do the same job at a quarter of the price. However, whilst UniFit are a company who produce millions of copy dust bags, filters and belts for vacuum cleaners, their soft material bags are not always available for every vacuum cleaner.


Miele have been making genuine branded material dust bags for years, promising to lock in the dust, odours and allergens with the help along the way of the filter built into their vacuum cleaners. As a result it's only been this year that other manufacturers are starting to catch on with synthetic type dust bags and the use of the HEPA filter to combat allergens and dust odour as opposed to paper dust bags and secondary filters on the machines. First there was Bosch who copied Miele's material bag for their BS series of cylinder vacuums, then Electrolux who fitted the same type of synthetic bag to their bargain budget Powerlite upright vacuum as well as the Eco Vac. Now however Numatic have hopped on the gravy train of filtration giving the owners something cleaner than disposable paper bags as well as offering stronger filtration effiiciency and dust sealage.


Unlike Sebo, Miele and others who use similar fabric/cloth properties for high filtration bags, the HEPA-FLO bags can be used in any Numatic model that picks up dry dirt only. Although they are supposed to be used purely only in the Numatic Henry model shown on the back of its large green packaging and white wording, since "Hetty," "James," "Basil," "Edward," and "George" are all based around the same model, the bags can actually be used on all of these models - and they don't need a HEPA filter on the same vacuum to offer odourless dust disposal. Numatic claim that these synthetic material bags offer 30% extra filtration over the standard paper bags; quite a claim so how do they perform?


In use in my James model I found a marked difference of filtration, the odours of monthly dust and pet hair odour kept to a minimum, similar to the kind of performance from my Sebo vacuums and Miele even though they have HEPA filters fitted as standard and suction is still as strong as ever. Infact over the justification of keeping my little Sebo K1 on for another year, there makes little difference in keeping this model for the easier to maintain and bigger dirt capacities offered on the Numatic model. Not just concerning dust disposal, the standard filter on my James model reveals a cleaner smell to the air even though it doesn't have a High Efficiency Particulate Air filter, it does make a good attempt of masking odours with the HEPA FLO bag installed compared to the old faithful paper dust bag.


The HEPA FLO bags are available from John Lewis at a cost of £6-00 for 10 bags. Each bag has the same paper capacity of the paper dust bags - so you're not missing anything out here and rewarded with 7 to 9 capable litres of dirt in one bag. Infact the only downside to these bags are the fact that they are not available everywhere and are slowly coming on the market even though EBay sell copy items that have ironically just come on the market for sale too. Over the dust bags general performance is still the same - the suction from the bag is just as strong as my James model is with a paper dust bag. However some Numatic models - Henry models in particular that have the 1200 watt motor - have a tendency to allow paper dust bags to burst creating a lot of mess and a lot of dust to clear up once the machine has been opened up.


Well, of course being made of material and white in colour, the HEPA Flow bags minimise bursting open. Thanks to their green grids and rubber seals, they are also extremely easier to put onto the dust channel mouth that leads to James' nose - I found it a lot easier to put on these bags than the paper ones which can be a bit of a trial and patience due to their card collars compared to the green plastic on these bags. Once they are ready to be taken out, there is also a handy seal cap located on the green grid of the bag collar and can be pushed over the hole for complete dust sealage.


However if there is one advantage of these material bags over the paper dust bags, then it simply must be down to the fact that when it comes to odour sealage the HEPA FLO bags retain the smells. In terms of pet hair for example which can make an awful stench from the paper bags unless you have the additional HEPA filter ring fitted to your Numatic model, there really isn't any other way you can escape the smell of rotting oily pet hair. However the HEPA FLO bags change this downside; whilst it is possible to perfume the filter of your own choice, the material bags hold back pet hair odour which is a great welcome against not owning a default Numatic pet HEPA filter. Over the cost of £20 to £30 for a HEPA filter ring, these material bags are worth the £6 in lieu of using with the standard filter supplied by Numatic and 10 are included in the box. Strong and very long lasting, they make an ideal bag for owners fed up with smelly paper bags in their Numatic cylinder vacuums as well as prolonging the use of just one bag. Thanks for reading. ©Nar2 2008

www.johnlewis.com
Product code: 85662102

Summary: Better than the paper bags that can burs inside the cleaner due to various traffic dirt.