Numatic Recensioni 103

The Henry vacuum cleaner has got worse and now falls apart when using it. The tubes become so smooth they literally fall out of each other when vacuuming. Another problem is the brushes are shorter than they used to be so when using it on a vinyl floor it sticks to it with unbelievable suction.
Please Numatic so these problems out.

I bough my first Henry in 2007, and I loved everything about it. It was built like a tank, powerful, reliable, versatile and extremely serviceable. Spares are readily available. The operating radius is massive thanks to its long hose and cord, and the manual cord reel is actually much better than automatic spring-loaded reels. Sadly, I had to part with my old Henry in 2009 when my employer relocated from the UK. I'm back now and I need a new vacuum, so I went for, again, a Henry, this time it's a Henry HVR200-11. The product is basically the same size and shape and shares all the good stuff as my 2007 Henry but Numatic has cut some corners lately and the quality has suffered, as follows:

1. The cord is too stiff. The old cord used to be very pliable and didn't prefer any specific shape. The new one is so stiff that as soon as I lay it on the floor it springs back into a coil. When I twist it around it makes cracking noises like cheap cables do. Where it attaches to the plug, a common point of failure, the cable bends awkwardly and doesn't look like it will last long. Luckily the cable is easy to swap out but it's a hassle and an additional cost, when before it used to be a good cord out of the box.

2. The included floor tool is of lower quality. It's bigger but the plastic feels cheap and hollow, is entirely made from plastic, and the lever is awkward to toggle as it overhangs out the back, which causes the front of the floor tool to rise when the lever is pressed. The old one used to have a smaller footprint, felt much more solid and featured a steel plate on the underside to prevent wear. The levers were easer to use as instead of just having one it had two one on each side, and you just had to press one or the other depending on whether you were vacuuming tiles or carpet. Luckily better compatible 32 mm floor tools are available for not a lot of money from Amazon and AliExpress but, again, this adds to the cost.

3. The tubes used to be made of chrome-plated, now they are raw stainless steel. I prefer the old ones because they were more resistant to scratches, though they were perhaps a bit heavier. The new ones, look cheaper for two reasons, one, the angled tube has marks where the tube bending machine exerted pressure, and it's profile is not round but oval near the middle, and two, the ends of all three tubes are rough and sharp (you can literally cut your finger on them). These should have been sanded smooth at the factory. I used fine-grit sandpaper to smooth those out. The weird shape tubes are tolerable.

4. The new model features just an on/off switch, while the old model had two switches: an on/off one and another to toggle between full and half power. New regulations limit domestic vacuum cleaners power usage, and supposedly the new motor delivers the same amount of suction at approximately half the power, making the power selection switch redundant. However, there are situation where less power is needed, so the switch is missed. The place of the missing switch has now been taken by a pilot light that remains lit as long as the plug is connected to the mains, which I don't see the need for. If I wish to leave the vacuum plugged in for convenience, I don't need any lights to be on wasting any amount of electrical power no matter how small. The light was not put there for functional reasons but rather to cover the hole left by the missing switch. No biggie I guess, it'd probably grow on me.

5. Less powerful than a smaller bagless Rowenta vacuum I recently borrowed from my parents, presumably due to the 620 W motor in the Henry vs a 750 W motor in the Rowenta. I tested them side-by-side. There is no remedy for this unfortunately, besides accepting the lower suction.

6. Motor noise is similar to the other vacuums of similar power rating, but this one makes an unbearably loud high pitched 11,420 Hz noise. The noise comes from the plastic attachment at the free end of the hose. I am guessing this is down to bad luck and could be fixed by identifying the bit of plastic that whistles as air is forced past it or plugging the leak if that's what's causing the noise. If it's a leak it may be harder to fix if the leak is at the rotating seal.

7. This is only a nitpick but the new detachable smiley face on the front of the vacuum was unnecessary, and it will have increased not production costs but also the use of resources (one more pointless bit of plastic to pollute our planet). The old model was simpler, just one solid chunk of plastic with the face printed on it. Simpler is better. It's the product logo, why would they want people to be able to remove it?

I used to be a huge Henry evangelist, but I can no longer recommend this product due to the above problems. I'll be returning my unit and getting something else. Hope this helps someone.

over 6 weeks past - no refund - called - emailed no response - horrible company

The suction on Harry hoover makes it very difficult to manoeuvre and it actually lifts my rugs and mats off the floor, even when using the different setting. I find I can only hoover them by standing on a corner and pushing brush in one direction!
Even when vacuuming room carpets I feel like I've done a workout at the gym and because you are having to bend so much, it's very uncomfortable to use
I'm pretty fit, but struggled with this hoover and it definitely would not be a good buy for an elderly person or anyone with joint or back problems
I'm very disappointed and regret buying it Thankfully I have another "stick" hoover

Great vacuum cleaner so sturdy and a massive lead means I can do the whole downstairs from one plug. Bags are cheap and easy to change and better cleaning than my dyson previous I find . Made in UK Too!

I was having a slight problem with the metal tubes on the machine & although it's outside its warranty Numatic are sending replacements FOC.

Going the extra mile is the way to keep your customer happy. Thanks Numatic.

Suction too fierce, even on the lowest setting I can barely push the hose, and then it doesn't pick up hair and debris. Far too hard for older people.

After many years of Producing these Henrys, why haven't the designers improved the design? I find that the long stainless steel tubes, when joined together, just WON'T come apart!

I have had my new Henry for two days. I connected up all the tubes but found that the length was ridiculously long. It was unwieldy and difficult to use, knocking into all the furniture. I just needed to remove one section of tube and it would be fine. I could NOT separate the tubes at all. I emailed Numatic because I had purchased direct from them. Their reply came quite quickly - I must try heating the joints which would not disconnect with a hairdryer, or try WD40!! I don't really want to make my new vacuum greasy. I tried both methods but nothing worked.

I emailed them again and said it was not fit for purpose if the tubes were too long and I could not reduce the length. I asked them why they hadn't deigned a click fit. No reply to that. I asked them to send me one length of tube so I could actually USE the vacuum. I would abandon the double length that would not disconnect and just use the one length they might send me.

Their reply was to ask for the 9 digit serial number! I sent them that, and a copy of the order invoice, which was 3 days old. I got an automated reply saying they would reply 'shortly'. I DON'T CONSIDER 5 HOURS TO BE 'SHORTLY'. After 5 hours with no reply we were into weekend time so I probably won't hear from them now until Monday. I'm considering asking them to collect their piece of rubbish becasue I'm now thinking that all the other end connections may also be difficult to remove and change.

I don't think I will be buying any other of their products. I did have a small aerobrush for my old Hetty but when it became jammed, there is no way of fixing it, and that was only covered under guarantee for 3 months. Not cheap either.

They are a pain to lug around but if you want the job done properly, nothing beats a Henry.
I've tried Dysons that cost 5 times the price and they all either don't have the suction or simply break.
My Henry, how about making a new Henry that's oblong like a tool box, that would be much easier to carry.

I have bought many “high end” vacuum cleaners over the years, & have increasingly become frustrated by complicated design, poor suction power etc. I thought I’d give Henry a go - and I have to say, I’m impressed! It’s a real work horse, with good suction and a lovely simple design.

I wish I had done my research before spending money on this Henry vacuum. I bought my vacuum only this year and it smelled terrible right from the start. I looked online and a lot of other people are experiencing the same problem - it is a 'wet dog' or 'sick' type of smell and it smelled like this right from the start. We had to put a few drops of lavender oil on the bag to make it usable but it really didn't help. The entire flat smells so bad after vacuuming and the smell lingers for a few hours - just what you want right? I contacted the manufacturer for help and/or a refund because I have had to fork out more money for another vacuum. No help there -- did not acknowledge problem which they must be aware of. Despite the cuteness of these machines and the fact that the suction is good you will not want the smell trust me!

I bought a Henry Cordless. Suction so poor I vacuumed my lounge, hall and kitchen and after running for 20 mins the bag contained a few dogs hairs and a small amount of fluff. I do wonder if the tubing is far too long for the power of the motor. I didn't expect miracles but neither did I expect an empty bag.

Best hoover I have ever had. My dog malts so badly! The henry is the only hoover that doesnt lose suction & gets all the hair up. Would never go back to any other now. Quick delivery too

I bought my Henry numatic in 2003 with my first ever catalogue account. In this time Henry has almost become a member of the household and has always been reliable and never lost suction. For a few years I owned a Dyson, using this downstairs and my Henry upstairs. Henry has outlived the Dyson by about 10 years and still going strong. When my Henry finally retires (maybe after 20 years), I will certainly be buying another Numatic product.
There are plenty of genuine spare parts available everywhere - I have only ever replaced the plastic hose due to wear and tare.

Henry not good anymore more I am using henry for 10 years. I purchased henry on Sep/2021 as a back up . Last week old one stopped working so i stat using it . Hoover stopped working after 3 days. I sent it to service centre to be repair ( still under warranty) . But unfortunately they tried to blame me for damage . Water never go true to engine if hoover suck bit water accidentally . Hoover bag and filter stopes water.

Henry just isn't what he used to be, he's still good just not the amaizing powerhouse he used to be before the regulations stripped him of his workhorse 1200w motor, Our cleaning business swore by henry until the change, after knowing how good the original one was we were so disappointed.

Having had a Dyson for sometime- and getting angry everytime I used it- I've finally swapped over..... it's like going from a bubble car (no offence to bubble cars!!!) to a Ferrari!!!!

I've now purchased a Henry for downstairs ! So Hetty lives upstairs and Henners lives downstairs, they share the same hose and flat hard wood tool, I've kept the new hose and tools in the box , I purchase the pro kit too so I am delighted with the airbrush and the hard wood tool, my house has never been so clean, I love their little faces , brightens my day on furlough! Thank you Numatic

years ago Numatic units used the 1200w lamb motor. These motors were almost indestructible and would give you years of service with the occasional brush change. Roll on to the 2020's and we have a 600w motor possible made by Amtek. Am getting more and more failed motors on these machines. its not uncommon to strip one to find the brushes have jammed in the holder because the motor has got too hot, I assume. to free them off you have to heat them with a hot air gun to melt whatever is jamming them then wipe off the liquid till it sets again. if its really bad it melts the motor casing pushing the brushes out of line and destroys the armature and hence the motor is scrap
I am scrapping more of these units than I ever have (3 this week) whereas if its the older units the most common faults are switches and flexes. Come on Numatic why ruin one of best little cleaners on the market by fitting a substandard motor

I just want to take this opportunity to thank 3 individuals at the Numatic team that helped me out of a very difficult situation with Argos. I had bought a hoover from Argos and wished to return it. Argos made this very difficult. Emily, Neil and Isabel were absolutely amazing. Sorry if i have spelled anyone's names wrong. Thank you Isabel for staying on the phone with me for over an hour so that i could deal with the terrible rude staff at Argos Chadwell Heath. You have no idea how much of difference you have made to my day today. I wish there was more ways to say thank you than this review, I genuinely do. You are an amazing individual and I want to ensure this review is seen by as many people as possible, I'll be posting it on my social media! Numatic, if you are reading this review, please take the time to recognize these 3 individuals, these are the kind of staff that bring success to any company. I wish them all the success and good fortune that life can bring.