The hoover that doesn't suck! (Numatic Henry)

Member Name: JJJJ

Product:	Numatic Henry
Date:	16/08/08 (314 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very Powerful

Disadvantages: too smiley!

The Henry Numatic Hoover has been around for years. Whilst not being massively advertised to the extent of rival Dyson products, it's popularity has spread in many instances by word of mouth.

For around £80 - £90, you get the Hoover and a variety of useful attachments. This is really good value, when you consider it has an efficient 1200w motor which produces a great amount of power - it can clean both hard floors and carpet really effectively and pet hair is no problem for this red sucking machine.

There are a few different nozzles for Henry, including a circular contraption with a soft brush-like end. This is really useful and soft enough for dusting things like DVD players and stereos. The main attachment designed for floors has a handy lever which brings forth a soft brush round the perimeter of the sucking head - this adds a sweeping option and prevents the scratching of wood surfaces.

Henry features a folding handle which is useful when you're carrying the hoover up or down the stairs. The total (empty) weight is around six and a half kilograms, which is not light, but definitely carry-able.

Although this product is easy to wheel around, if you pull too hard on the hose, or get a little over excited when cleaning, Henry can topple over. This isn't really a factor when you're hoovering a big flat room, but you should keep it in mind when vacuuming around stairs.

On the top near the handle is a green 'Hi - Low' switch which alters the overall sucking power. This is useful for situations where you're hoovering items like curtains, and you don't want to suck too much fabric in.

Changing the dust bags is really simple - the bags themselves are nice are big, so they don't need replacing often. For those of you who don't mind getting Henry dirty, he... (when a vacuum cleaner has a face and a human name, you feel like you have to call it 'he') can be operated without a bag. If you want to go down that route, the white filter which sits on top of the bag will need cleaning frequently - although it's easy to do.

I used this product to suck up rubble when I knocked down a wall, and tonnes of brick shards and building dust passed through it without any problems - although having said that, it should never be overfilled - Henry is listed as having a 9 litre capacity. You can get third party bags for around 5 or £6 from places like Curry's or online.

The power-cord is long and well designed, apparently offering a cleaning range of up to 31.8m. When you've finished hoovering you can simply wind the handle on the top of the unit to pull the cable back inside the hoover body.

Henry normally comes with manufacturer's 2-year warranty - Although i've been using this product for years without any hassles.

This is a great product in all departments. I would comment especially on its toughness and reliability. Henry can probably survive knocks that would destroy other Vacuum Cleaners - I once pushed him down some stairs, (by accident...) and he was still smiling.
There are other vacuum cleaners on the market with more powerful motors, offering ridiculously high wattage - but numbers aren't everything - efficiency of design is what makes Henry special.

If you decide to buy a Henry, watch out for sellers offering the older model with the 1100w motor - it's still a good product, but not as refined. Don't buy this product if you're at all paranoid - because having a hoover constantly smiling at you can be a bit disconcerting :)

Other info: Dimensions: 340 x 340 x 370mm.

Summary: Rugged and efficient

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