Henry Hoover

High efficiency filter system

Very strong construction

Powerful motor

Cable rewind and storage.

Stainless steel tubes

My vac gave up the ghost recently and so I spent hours on the internet looking at all the available vacuum cleaners, all the latest fancy Dysons, the Hoovers, the whole lot of them. I was suffering from information overload from comparing all the specifications.

I suddenly stopped and thought "what am I doing? Why don't I just get a replacement for the vac we've had for over twenty years?" That vac was a Numatic HVR200A Henry A1 Vacuum Cleaner
I really don't know why I wasted time looking at other vacuum cleaners, maybe I'd been swayed by the adverts. But when it comes down to it a Henry does exactly what it says on the tin.

So we got a new Henry and hopefully it will also last over twenty years.

I'll tell you why I finally saw sense and got a new Henry. As I said we had the old one for well over twenty years, my daughter used to sit on it and get pulled around the room when she was small. They are very simple, by that I mean they don't have lots of "whistles and bells" which in my opinion are usually more things to break.

A Henry is basically a good old fashioned cylinder vacuum cleaner. It might be a different shape but it's the same under the skin. A motor, a dust bag and some hoses and tools. Couldn't be easier.

I've never been a fan of upright cleaners but I admit I did briefly consider a Dyson, though I had used one in the office and was not really very impressed. They always felt flimsy, too many bit's of brittle looking plastic. Maybe I was impressed by the "multi dimensional vortex" or whatever it is and the supposed super suction power.

I can tell you this for a fact, unless the dust bag in my Henry is full to bursting it will lift the carpets of the floor and that's good enough for me.

Another reason I should have just got a Henry without even thinking about it was the fact that (this is a confession) I blew up the old Henry at least twice.

I was sanding the wooden floor in the dining room and as it didn't need much work there was no need to hire a heavy duty sander, so I used my DIY one which you can hook up to the vacuum cleaner. It worked a treat, great sanding job and minimum dust. I'd nearly finished the job when the where was a loud bang and a flash of electrical sparks from Henry and everything stopped working.

"You've killed Henry!" Shouted my wife, actually I don't think she was that polite but I was still recovering from the shock and can't recall her exact words. Naturally she wasn't very impressed and there was still the floor to finish sanding, so apart from being a cheapskate and not wanting to hire a sander I just can't admit defeat by household appliances.

So I took Henry outside, let him cool down a bit then stripped him down and removed all traces of wood dust, cleaned everything and put him back together with a brand new dust bag. He sprang back into life and did a sterling job though the same can't be said of the sander which limped on to finish the floor then gave up the ghost.

I can't remember the exact details of the second time I blew Henry up but it was very similar to the first incident. (I don't learn from my mistakes). At least Henry recovered and soldiered on to about the age of twenty four. I decided it was about time we let him rest in peace.

More info here Henry hoover review

I'm obviously a Henry fan but don't just take my word for it. Henry got over 200 five star reviews on Amazon.co.uk

A very well made solidly built vacuum cleaner. The only negative points I can see are that the hose can be a little fiddly to attach to the body of the cleaner (other vacuums usually have a push on fitting with a latch), the Henry Vacuum has a screw on hose which needs to be lined up before screwing on the collar. The electrical flex is wound manually rather than having a spring driven self-winding mechanism - I would have prefered if there was a self winding feature. It's got a large capacity dust bag so shouldn't need emptying too often, the manufacturers replacement bags are very cheap (especially if bought from an online seller). It's quiet when running and comes supplied with a good range of fitments for most tasks. A nice thing, especially in this day, is that it carries a big 'Made in Britain' tag - yah !

Have had a succession of vacuum cleaners and just haven't found anything that works consistently well. First an AEG cylinder cleaner -Which? best buy. Lasted 18 months then motor stopped working. Then a Miele - Which best buy. Lasted 14 months and motor stopped working. Samsung upright - cheap and cheerful, but inneffective and deafeningly noisy. A Lidle bagless - well, what do you expect for £30? And now, finally, Henry.
I just love everything about this device. It's really well made and finished, it moves around easily and you can drag it with the tube and it has a nice rubber bumper so it won't mark your furniture. It has a whopping capacity so you don't have to empty it every 5 minutes. But most of all it performs brilliantly. And I've still not had to use full power!
A really well-made vacuum that does it's job. Will it last? Well, I'm a schoolteacher and I've watched our cleaners drag, bump, knock and kick these around our classrooms and corridors for years. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. A*!

This is the best vacuum cleaner on the market. There is a reason it is the highest selling and most adopted by cleaning firms!

More customer reviews