NUMATIC HVR200-11 VACUUM CLEANER

great suction, great filter. in love

Got this machine after much research on the basis of brand reliability, simplicity of design and reading many reviews and watching YouTube videos. This is the 2017 design. Comes with three tools. Soft round brush, upholstery tool with detachable brush, you can use with or without and a crevice tool. After the EU regulations had been implemented, I did wonder if the power of this machine would be less than older models which has a 1200 watt power rating. This one is 650 watts I think. The manufacturer has redesigned the motor and by changing the hose design, so that it is slightly narrower at the business end, than it is at the end where it attaches to the machine. This enables this machine, to match and probably exceed the suction levels, delivered by older models. The wheels and base are also more stable. I dragged mine over a draft excluder, that I forgot to move and it didn't tip over. It also has two slots at the rear of the machine, where you can hold two of the three tools supplied. There is also a little adapter tube supplied, to enable the tools to be fitted directly to the narrower end of the hose, when the main metal extension tubes are not being used. For higher reach, you can just attach these to the metal extension tubes, without it. I just leave this adaptor plugged into the tool I use most and put it in one of the tool holding slots on the back of the machine, so it is always to hand if you require it. This machine is very powerful and also very quiet.. I did worry about it being difficult to push, as the suction is so strong but it does have an air release, twist on the handle, that can be turned to release the pressure. There is a technique to pushing it, that you soon get the hang of. And you can always just pull it backwards, if it gets stuck to the carpet. If you go a bit quicker it doesn't stick to the floor. It is easier to handle, than my old upright Samsung was. It cleans right up to the edge with no problem whatsoever. The upright always use to miss bits, that I would have to get with the crevice tool later and it also goes right underneath our settee, where the upright couldn't reach. If found, that I could reach the whole if a 13 step, flight of stairs with the main floor cleaning tool and metal extensions in place. This was obviously a bit cumbersome to use on the front face of each step but for a quick zoom over, it is quite handy. I then tried a more thorough cleaning if the stairs, with one of the tools attached straight to the hose. This meant, I had to carry the machine up a few steps to reach the top ones. This was surprisingly easy. It is no trouble, to either hold the machine balanced on a lower step with one hand, while hoovering with the other or even stand on one step and with the machine a step or two above where you are standing and resting against your legs, to prevent it slipping off the step, have both hands free to hoover the steps above where the hoover body is resting. You can buy a longer hose, if you find this difficult, so that you can leave the machine at the foot of the stairs, if you find that preferable. I did try it on carpet tiles and it is powerful enough to actually lift them from the floor, if they are not stuck down. Again a speedier hoovering technique and adjusting the air release, stops this happening. Smaller bath or toilet mats it will just lift off the floor, so you have to do those with a one of the other tools. It follows you around very easily and smoothly, going over rugs and carpets, it also has has a rubber bump strip round the middle to prevent damage to paint work, should you bang it off of a door frame or furniture. The chord winder/dispenser, is very good and doesn't snag. I tend to pull out just as much chord as I need, and as I go further away from the socket by pulling the hoover along with me, I found the the chord fed out by itself, without me having to go back to the machine and pull more out manually. Rewinding the chord is a doddle, with the rewinding knob on the top of the machine. The chord is about 10 metres long, so you don't have to change sockets too often. This one came with three spare bags and one already fitted in the machine, so 4 in total. They are very easy to replace and quite cheap. You pull out two clips on either side of the machine, lift off the top, lift out the big lightweight motor protection fiiter and pop off the old bag which has a press down seal to stop any further escaping pop on the new one and off you go. You can buy a permanent bag with a zip, so that you can empty and replace, rather than using disposables if you prefer. So far, very pleased with this machine and assuming it's reliability is as proven as earlier models, it will probably see me out.

This is the iconic Henry vacuum cleaner. This is the newer 620W HVR200-12 model that Numatic recently changed. I bought this after seeing my builder use one and decided to get one so I can use it for cleaning up after the building works and DIY jobs. The Henry comes with the usual assortment of attachments in the form of the AS1 kit, 4 x 9L HEPA dust bags (one is already attached), and an instruction leaflet. The main unit is very sturdy and robust and the plastics are of high quality. The hoses and attachments are well made and also good quality. The wheels have a good grip on them so will not slip or damage hard floors. There is a power button (but no light) and a separate "lo/hi" speed selector. There is also a built-in cable winder and folding carry handle. Henry's "bowler hat" can be detached and inside is a large filter (that looks like a basket) and underneath is the HEPA dust bag. The features that set it apart from domestic vacuums is the voluminous 9L capacity, 10m cable and much fatter 2.4m hose. Large fragments of detritus get sucked up without being stuck which is a definite bonus on a building site. The 10m long cable is very handy indeed. It means you can clean a whole floor level of an average house without the need to unplug and the Henry will happily follow you around like a little robot. It weighs about 8kg though, so may be a little heavy for some. Being a Dyson owner I didn't think this little vacuum was up to the job. I was wrong. Even though it is relatively low powered compared to the Dyson or other makes, the Henry holds its own. The suction is surprisingly good and admittedly not as powerful as a Dyson, it's good enough. It is also very quiet in operation - even on the high setting. Some may be put off by the fact that this is a bagged system. But the main advantage is a much cleaner disposal of rubbish once the bag is full. It does lose a bit of suction when the bags are nearly full though, but that is a small downside. The original replacement bags are also quite cheap so running costs are low. There is no bag full light though, so the only way to see if the bag needs replacing is by inspection. But since the bags are so big it could be months before a replacement is required. I use the vacuum on a combination of hard floors and carpets. It excels on hard floors without a doubt. But on domestic carpet the combination floor tool has too much friction and you end up just scraping the carpet using a pulling action to clean it. It's a shame the floor tool was not better designed for carpet. But for very short pile carpet such as the ones you see in offices this may not be an issue. Some have suggested getting a replacement floor tool with a metal sole plate which can help it glide. I will stick with the Dyson for carpets for now. The other tools work as advertised. But to use them on the main hose a separate tool adapter is required (included). I don't understand why Numatic didn't design everything to fit without the need of an adapter. It's seems superfluous and a design flaw. There is also not much on-board storage for the tools. There is only a single hook on the side for your most used tool. If all the main pipes and floor tool is attached then the Henry gets quite bulky for storage in a small cupboard. So the only practical solution is to disconnect all the attachments before storage. Overall a very capable little machine and at a very good price but with some minor shortcomings. I can see why this little machine is used in offices and building sites up and down the country.

My last Henry died after 27 years of use. I am relieved to find that this new one (HVR 200-12) appears to be much the same as the last in most respects. It is now only 620W max or 580W on a choice of either Hi or Lo settings but I find the Lo setting is quite adequate for most jobs. It is not that easy to carry up the stairs while vacuuming & the hose with attachment does not quite reach the top of the stairs if I leave the machine at the bottom which means I have to unplug it & plug it in upstairs. However, the extended length of cable means I can vacuum the whole of the upstairs areas from the one electric socket which is great. Suction is excellent & I am amazed at the amount of pet hair (from one small dog) it picks up which I had not noticed on the floor or furniture. It works very well on most carpet but would not work well on shag pile. The worst bit about Henry is the maddening way the attachments & metal tube keep coming apart. After 27 years, I would have hoped the manufacturer might have come up with a simple twist & lock method to prevent this. The best aspects of Henry are that it reaches the parts other cleaners don't. The cleaning attachments reach under the bed, chairs etc & very close to the walls & into tight corners. All those annoying little bits of fluff or cobweb disappear from along skirting boards with ease. The carpet/hard floor attachment is excellent & does a certain amount of dusting on furniture too as I go around the house so I only use the one attachment on the whole. Removing the attachment, I can also clear any cobwebs from the ceiling as I go. The Instruction Manual is basic - mostly illustrations which are not that instructive but having owned a Henry before, I had no problems. It is fairly basic anyway. If this new Henry lasts half the time my old one did, I shall be very happy indeed. A very useful & competent all-round cleaner.

Certainly the best vacuum I've ever had. Very simple and well-made construction. Low electricity consumption (620W on high setting). I was astounded by how quietly the machine operates even on full power, you can still hear the television above the motor. Despite the wattage being lower than most other machines I have found the suction to be consistently strong, perhaps even a little too strong as on low setting my kitchen lino is pulled up. The 10-metre cord is very handy, I plug it into a socket in the hall and and that covers the whole flat. There are a few (small) negatives. The main floor cleaning attachment can take some getting used to, it's quite hard to push across coarse carpets. Also, dust seems to get trapped in the joints of the hose extensions, so when swapping an attachment you get a small amount of debris falling on to the floor. That being said, on the whole I find Henry to be a very robust and trustworthy little character. Very good value for money.