Hooray Henry (Numatic HVR200-22)

Member Name: offy

Product:	Numatic HVR200-22
Date:	23/04/01 (2996 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Commercial grade for a domestic price, light to carry, long tubes and lots of attachments

Disadvantages: May be too powerful for some, can leave fluff on carpets

OK, I admit it, I abuse my vacuum cleaners. Report me to the authorities if you like.

I don't use vacuum cleaners to remove the odd bit of dust on my carpets, no, I expect them to suck up everything... guinea pig poo, sawdust, hay, rubble, soil, grit, dead leaves, cat and dog hair to name but a few. Basically, I expect the performance of a commercial cleaner for the price of a domestic one.

I used to have an Electrolux Chic 1300 cylinder vacuum cleaner. Unfortunately it didn't like the abuse I gave it. It finally decided it had had enough when I used it to hoover up the rubble in my attic (before laying loft insulation). This vacuum cleaner cost about £70 and lasted 4 years.

About the time I blew my Electrolux up, my mother in law bought a Henry as this had been recommended to her by her decorator who had one himself, using it to hoover up the mess he had made in customers' houses. After she used it a few times, she asked me if I would like it as it was too powerful for her. I jumped at the chance!

The Henry HVR200 cylinder cleaner is a friendly little red chap with a permanent grin and two eyes (see picture of product to see what I mean). My mother in law was right - he is powerful! I'm not sure quite how Henry manages to be so powerful as it (well 'he' to his friends) is only 1000 watt (bearing in mind my previous one was 1300 watt), but somehow this cleaner manages to pick up heavy items others leave behind.

Henry's total cleaning range is 76 foot (23 metres) and he only weighs 6.6 kg using a handy carry handle. The hose is about 6 foot long, so with the addition of the extension tubes, you should be able to clean most staircases without needing to carry Henry up the stairs. The wheels run very smoothly and I find this cleaner falls over very infrequently (unlike my previous one). There is a manual cable rewind facility which is very easy to use and Henry comes with quite a few to
ols to cope with every job. The main attachment has the usual setting to use the brush and to hide the brush. It also has a setting to reduce power (oh, I forgot to tell my mother in law that - tut tut). The extension tubes are made from stainless steel and Henry has a crush proof hose. You can probably already appreciate why professionals use this cleaner.

The dust bags are cheaper than most others at £4.99 for 10 (rather than an average of £4.00 for 5). The bags are quite easy to change, but as they have a rubber seal you have to push hard to get them on. They are not reuseable. Henry has a commercial grade filter system which you get to by unclipping two plastic clips around Henrys middle and lifting the black lid. Henry has a two year guarantee and costs £108.00 from Argos.

I have been impressed with this vacuum cleaner. It has handled most tasks I have given it with ease, but strangely the only thing it is not brilliant at is normal, simple hoovering of carpets. I have found it can leave fluff on the carpet. This does not bother me too much as I have mainly wooden floors and hoovering up rubbish is more important to me. It rarely clogs up (which my other one did ALL the time) and it is very manoeuvrable. Henry is slightly more expensive than some cylinder cleaners, but if you demand a lot from your cleaner, it is well worth the money. I used to help out with a dog club and they had a Henry too, proving how many commercial outfits actually use this little chap.

My mother in law found Henry a bit too strong for her liking, but she was used to a clapped out upright and didn't get the hang of the power adjuster. I would only recommend this hoover for people who are going to work Henry hard, it will not be worth paying the extra if you want a quick, easy tidy up round the house.

If you do buy a Henry, be nice to him!

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