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Henry PET200 Vacuum Cleaner review: see how it coped in a two-cat household

The classic Henry Hoover has had an upgrade. Specifically designed to tackle hair from your four-legged friends, we put the PET200 to the test to see how it fared in a house with two cats. Here's our verdict.

By Jenny Wonnacott | Last updated Aug 19, 2025

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Henry Pet PET200 Bagged Cylinder Vacuum
Our rating:

Price on writing: £139 | Buy now from Amazon

What we like
  • Effective on pet hair

  • Easy to use and set up

  • Strong suction

  • Doesn't need emptying frequently

  • Long cleaning reach

  • Charcoal-activated odour control feature

  • Includes lots of tools

  • Great value for money

What we don't like
  • Bulky

  • Hard to manoeuvre - particularly up the stairs

  • Struggled to remove hair from sofa linings

Key specs

Type: Cylinder vacuum, corded | Cleaning range: 26m | Weight: 8kg | Capacity: 9L | Dimensions: 34 x 36 x 37cm

Our verdict

Henry Pet200 in use
  • Ease of use: 4/5

  • Effectiveness on pet hair: 4/5

  • Suction power: 4/5

  • Ease of emptying: 5/5

  • Value for money: 4.5/5

I like the Henry PET200. As a mum of three and a cat owner, having a good vacuum cleaner that is portable, effective and efficient is essential. We have two cats, one of whom is ginger so his hair shows up quite clearly on our navy blue sofas. He sheds a fair amount of fur during the summer so it was particularly useful to try out the Henry PET200 during these warmer weeks. 

While I found the Henry PET200 effective at removing cat hair from the surface of my sofas (it was particularly great at cleaning the cushions), it did struggle to remove 100% of the hair from the lining of the sofa, even when using the bespoke EcoBrush attachment. 

I was impressed with the suction and overall performance of the Henry, though it is quite heavy and bulky so I didn't like using it on the stairs. I’ve actually owned an original Henry in the past and I prefer the PET200 as our original had a problem with the nozzle coming apart during use. The PET200 is also a better vacuum for removing cat hair (and people hair!)

I’d happily recommend the Henry PET as a decent day-to-day hoover for families with cats, especially with its RRP in mind. The brand name is recognisable as a trusted floor care brand and I’ve read a lot of really good reviews, so I’m confident that the Henry PET200 will last well, making it an excellent budget vacuum cleaner.

What’s the difference between the original Henry and the Henry Pet?

Henry Hoover Original vs Henry Hoover Pet

Chances are, you've probably seen the classic Numatic Henry HVR160 at some point. Well, aside from the standard colour, the main differences between the two are that the PET200 has a larger capacity (nine litres to the original’s six) and is slightly bigger in size (34 x 36 x 37cm vs 32 x 34 x 35cm). The Henry PET also weighs 0.5kg more at 8kg, so the original is a slightly more lightweight vacuum in comparison (though both are quite hefty).

In addition, the Henry PET200 features an EcoBrush tool which has a charcoal-activated MicroFresh filter to reduce pet odours. The cleaning reach of Henry PET is longer too - its range is 26m as opposed to the original Henry’s 13m. The power and suction remain the same across both models. 

Related: The best carpet cleaners according to Mumsnetters

Henry PET200 Bagged Cylinder Vacuum: what’s in the box?

Henry Pet200 being unboxed

The Henry PET200 came well-packaged in a box with the main body of the vacuum already assembled. There were also a variety of parts, ranging from the obvious (nozzle, main floor tool) to the more obscure (I’m never quite sure what all the different ‘tools’ are for!)

Having owned a Henry cylinder vacuum before, it was fairly easy to work out where everything went, but there were illustrated instructions included as well, which was particularly helpful to see how the tools can be stored on the main body of the vacuum.

The box contained the following parts:

  • Main vacuum body with bag installed

  • Main metal piping in three parts

  • Nozzle

  • Combi floor tool

  • Crevice tool

  • Dusting tool

  • Upholstery tool

  • EcoBrush tool 

  • Spare bag

Related: The best steam cleaners for every budget

How easy is the Henry PET200 to set up?

The main vacuum body came pre-assembled, but I had to put the pipe and nozzle together, screw them into the vacuum and attach the floor tool. This was all very easy to do without instructions, but they were also simple enough to follow. There was a QR code on the instruction leaflet with an installation video attached, but I didn’t need to use this.

The vacuum was very simple to use the first time; I simply needed to unwind the cord, plug it in and switch on!

Related: The best robot vacuum cleaners, tried and tested

How easy is the Henry PET200 Vacuum Cleaner to use day-to-day?

Henry PET200 Bagged Cylinder Vacuum

It was very easy to use day-to-day - but it is a hefty vacuum (particularly compared to the Hoover Cylinder) which made it a bit cumbersome, particularly when used on different levels. 

It was simple enough to switch between the various attachments, I just twisted one tool off and popped another one on. The hose is long enough to use for day-to-day vacuuming, but it’s not quite long enough to reach more than halfway up the stairs, so I needed to take the whole vacuum upstairs if I wanted to do the first floor. The power cord is pretty long - I could do the vast majority of our ground floor from a central plug socket and the same with a similarly placed socket upstairs too. 

In terms of portability, the vacuum rolled along quite well, but it is bulky and sometimes got stuck in doorways. It’s also heavy (8kg when empty), which made it a bit of a pain to heft up and down the stairs (although this was made a lot easier when I discovered the main floor tool hooks onto the vacuum body!) To make things easier, I tended to just use it on one level at a time.

Although its size is a downside in terms of manoeuvrability, it does mean that it stores an awful lot in its bag and I haven’t needed to empty it yet, which is pretty impressive after a month of using it. Another good feature is the EcoBrush which I found was particularly useful for vacuuming pet hair, and thanks to the charcoal filter, I felt like it was really cleaning surfaces where the cats had been, rather than just taking the top layer of hair off.

In terms of storage, the nozzle attaches to the main body of the vacuum when not in use, so it tucks away well despite its chunkiness. During testing, I kept it in a cupboard under the stairs. The main body has slots where you can put the different tool heads, but there are only two of these so you have to store the additional tools separately, which was a bit of a pain.

How does the Henry PET200 perform on pet hair?

Henry PET200 effectiveness on pet hair

As mentioned, it’s the EcoBrush which makes the Henry PET200 stand out for hair removal. It’s narrower than the main floor tool so it's better for vacuuming upholstery, and the charcoal filter is useful if your pet is particularly whiffy (probably more of a dog thing than an issue with cats, but it’s good for the reassurance that it properly cleans fabric rather than just surface cleaning).

During testing, the EcoBrush tool particularly excelled at removing cat hair from the surface of sofas and cushions - you can see the before and after shots from my cat's favourite cushion above. However, it didn't remove all of the hair from the sofa lining (under the cushions), even when using the EcoBrush tool.

Henry PET200 hoovering hair on sofa

How well does the Henry PET200 perform on carpets?

It has a combi floor tool with a switch on top that you press to raise and lower the brush head for use on both hard floors and carpet (raise for carpet, lower for hard floor).

It worked OK on carpets, but I prefer to use a vacuum with a rotating brush head as I find it picks up better. However, I did like that I wasn't constantly having to cut hair out of the rotating brush, so swings and roundabouts.

Related: The best carpet shampoo for a deep clean

How well does the Henry PET200 perform on hard floors?

I tried the PET200 on engineered wood, tiles (ceramic and Travertine) and laminate floors. It performed very well on all of these with the brush head lowered on the main floor tool. It didn't scratch the wooden floors during testing (always good!) and it picked up well.

Related: The best upright vacuum, as recommended by Mumsnetters

How easy is it to empty the Henry PET200 Vacuum Cleaner?

To change the bag, you just pull out the two tabs on either side of the main body of the Henry, remove the top half and the filter lid and take the bag off the nozzle. The bag comes with a self-seal tab which helps prevent dust escaping. It’s exactly the same process as our old Henry, so I found it very easy to do. I haven’t had to empty the bag yet after a month or so of regular use, which is great as the bags can be expensive to replace. 

Does the Henry PET200 Bagged Cylinder Vacuum offer good value for money?

Henry PET200 Bagged Cylinder Vacuum

Yes - it’s a good, solid vacuum that does what it is supposed to do. I didn't find that the main pipe detaches from itself mid-vacuum as I’ve had with previous Henrys. However, it was a pain to heft up and down the stairs. I’d be happy to have this as my main hoover for one level of the house only.

Henry Pet PET200

"I have the green pet Henry. I used to have the red Henry before in my last flat - they’re both bloody brilliant! Mine fell down the staircase - 15 steps - and still worked perfectly. Can’t recommend them enough."

Mumsnetter NatriumChloride

Recommended product

Henry Pet PET200 Bagged Cylinder Vacuum
Now just £139

Buy now from Amazon

How we tested

I tested the Henry PET200 over a period of four weeks. During testing I used the vacuum cleaner approximately twice a week on a variety of different surfaces, including engineered wood floor, carpet, stone tiles and laminate, as well as fabric sofas. We have two cats and I used the PET200 as both a means of removing cat hair from furniture and as a general day-to-day vacuum cleaner during this time.

About the author

Jenny Wonnacott is a Content Editor for Mumsnet, specialising in writing, editing and optimising parenting-related content. As a parent of three primary school-aged children, Jenny is passionate about making Mumsnetters' lives easier through rigorous research of all items recommended in reviews, features, and buyers' guides.

Jenny is also a best-selling sci-fi author (writing as J M Briscoe) and parenting blogger.

About Mumsnet Reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real people after extensive research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.

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