Henry Quick vacuum cleaner review 2024

Price: RRP £300 | Buy now from Argos

What we love

Handles pet hair really well
Quieter than some vacuums
Quick to set up and empty

What to know

Up to 70 minutes of run time
Charges fully in 2.5 hours
Two-year warranty included

Buy now from Argos

Our verdict

The much-loved Henry has had a cordless makeover – and yes, the iconic smiley face is still there. Enter the Henry Quick, a stick vacuum cleaner that brings a good dose of power and practicality to the cordless game.

Assembly is straightforward, and day-to-day use is refreshingly easy. Emptying the bin is also simple, with no dust clouds in sight.

However, while it’s described as lightweight, it does feel a bit heavier than expected, especially in handheld mode. That said, when used upright, it’s easy enough to steer around furniture and corners.

I also love the boost mode which gives an extra kick just when you need it – especially helpful for lifting pet hair from carpets and upholstery. Overall, Henry Quick is a great buy and is more than deserving of a place on our best vacuum cleaners list.

Key specs

What's in the box?

Henry Quick vacuum cleaner 26 pods Crevice tool Motorised brush head 2-in-1 combi tool Extended-use handle Wall dock Charger Battery

Henry Quick vacuum cleaner
26 pods
Crevice tool
Motorised brush head
2-in-1 combi tool
Extended-use handle
Wall dock
Charger
Battery

We were also sent a selection of Quick Scent Pods to test. These can be bought separately (RRP £10 for a pack of 10) and are available in rose, passionfruit and vanilla.

Does it come with a docking station?

Yes, the Henry Quick comes with a wall dock for easy and convenient storage.

How does it feel to hold?

Red Henry Quick cordless vacuum cleaner next to a blue Shark cordless vacuum cleaner

The Henry Quick, just like its corded cousin, is a sturdy machine. As a result, it feels a bit on the heavy side, particularly when compared side-by-side to our four-month-old cordless Shark Anti Hair Wrap Pet (model IZ202UKT). But in reality, Henry is comparable in weight to other cordless vacuums on the market, but it does have the advantage of a larger capacity.

The push-button controls are located on the top of the vacuum and are straightforward to operate. Unlike the Shark, there is no ‘trigger’ to activate the power mode. Although this makes no real difference to the performance of the Henry Quick, a trigger would have felt more intuitive. That said, once the power mode is activated, the jump in suction on the Henry Quick leaves the Shark standing.

What's the Henry Quick like to assemble?

Quick by name, quick by nature. Just charge up the battery, slot the pieces into place and off you go. It’s a struggle to see how assembly could be any easier. The instructions were clear and easy to follow.

Using a Quick Scent Pod is also an absolute doodle. A rubber stopper comes off the top of the vac and the scent pod is popped inside before the stopper is replaced. Easy peasy.

What's the Henry Quick like to use day-to-day?

Henry Quick with the 2-in-1 combi tool being used to hoover down the side of the sofa

The Henry Quick takes 2.5 hours to charge and once up to full power, you get a whopping 70 minutes of vacuuming time, if used on the normal mode. This was more than enough time to whizz around a four-bedroom family home. Of course if you have a particularly mucky job for Henry, the power boost button can be activated, but this does seriously drain the power. If left on continuously, the runtime is slashed to just 16 minutes. A series of lights next to the controls indicate how much power is left before the vacuum needs recharging.

The floorhead is incredibly manoeuvrable, so the Henry Quick glides around table legs and the like with ease. An LED lights the way effectively so there’s nowhere for crumbs and dust to hide. It’s also very quiet, which was particularly noticeable when compared side-by-side to our rattly Shark.

The Henry Quick tackles pretty much all surfaces with ease, but its bulky body made it difficult to get into some nooks and crannies when used as a handheld.

One big, chunky slide button allows for quick and easy emptying. The Henry Quick pods have a multi-layer filtration and seal the dust in, meaning there’s no risk of getting a faceful, which is always a possibility when emptying a bagless cordless vacuum cleaner.

The pods themselves are made from up to 65% recycled material, and although the makers of the Henry Quick say they’re carbon offsetting all of their pods globally, it was hard not to feel a pang of eco-guilt as the pod disappeared into the wheelie bin.

Buy now from Argos

How well does the Henry Quick clean carpets?

The brush head of a Henry Quick hoovering up porridge oats off a light brown carpet

The Henry Quick performed well on carpet, gobbling up everything in its path - sock fluff, porridge oats, cat hair, dried mud, you name it. It also did a great job of cleaning right up to the edges.

We gave a thick, heavy rug the Henry treatment, with similarly pleasing results. However the Henry Quick proved a bit too powerful for our cheap and flimsy Ikea rug, even on normal mode, so this is something to bear in mind.

How well does the Henry Quick deal with hard floors?

The 2-in-1 Henry Quick combi tool being used to hoover a white skirting board, sitting below a lime green wall and wood-effect floor

The Henry Quick performed well on hard floors. Unlike some other cordless vacuums on the market, the Henry Quick does not automatically switch between carpet and hard floors, so you’ll need to change this setting manually on the brush head.

Dust, crumbs, hair and other small debris were dealt with quickly and efficiently and once again the manoeuvrable brush head meant it was easy to clean right up to the edges of the kitchen units. The 2-in-1 combi tool easily removed the dusty layer from the bathroom skirting boards.

However one word of warning - do not attempt to vacuum up Cheerios from a laminate floor with the brush head. All this succeeded in doing was crunching them into pieces before firing the shrapnel an impressive distance all over the kitchen. I fully accept this was user error - replacing the brush head with the combi tool quickly dealt with this particular breakfast time drama.

How well does the Henry Quick cope with pet hair?

The brush head of a Henry Quick vacuum cleaner being used to hoover pet hair off a rug with a colourful button design

If you have a perpetually moulting cat, then the Henry Quick could be your saviour.

Clumps of cat hair and strands left behind from a long-haired breed didn’t pose much of a challenge and were vacuumed up from the carpet, hard floors and rug without a problem, and without the need to keep moving the vacuum over and over the same patch of floor.

Switching the brush head with the combi tool helped to remove this unwanted pet hair from upholstery and pet bedding, albeit a little bit more elbow grease was required. A puff of passionfruit from the scent pod left the bedding smelling nice and fresh.

How effective is the Henry Quick at vacuuming stairs?

The Henry Quick performed well on the stairs. The crevice tool and 2-in-1 combi tool helps to make the job easier, but it still feels a little bit too bulky as a handheld.

Does the Henry Quick offer value for money?

A close up of the smiley face on top of the red Henry Quick vacuum cleaner

We feel the Henry Quick does offer very good value for money when stacked up against its competitors.

At the time of writing, the £299 Henry Quick is more than £200 cheaper than the Dyson V11 Absolute, which has a smaller capacity and much longer charge time, although admittedly being more lightweight and boasting a strong suction.

The Henry Quick also compares favourably to the Shark Classic Anti Hair Wrap Pet Cordless Vacuum Cleaner (£280 at the time of writing). Both vacuums have the same power, but the Shark is heavier (4.1kg), with a smaller capacity (0.7 litres), shorter run time (up to 40 minutes) and longer charge time (3.5 hours). So for an extra £20 more, you really do get much more for your money with the Henry Quick.

At the time of writing, the Henry Quick in graphite (exactly the same vacuum but in grey, minus Henry’s cheery smile) had £50 off the recommended retail price, so it’s worth keeping an eye out for special offers.

Another expense to be taken into consideration is the pods. The Henry Quick comes with 26 of these bags, which the manufacturer says equates to one year’s supply. But after this initial batch runs out, you will need to pay out £12.99 for a pack of 10, which will last roughly less than six months.

How we tested

Reviewer Laura lives in a four bedroom house with her husband and two kids, aged four and five. The house is a mixture of carpeted, wooden and laminate floors. The vacuum was also tested on stairs, rugs, skirting boards and down the sides of the sofa. The Henry Quick was tested on its ability to vacuum up dust, dried mud, long hair, porridge oats, sock fluff, crumbs and glitter. And Cheerios, but the less said about that, the better.

Laura also tested the Henry Quick at her sister-in-law’s house, home to cats Terry, Dobby and the beautiful long-haired Cosmo. Laura tested the vacuum on a mixture of carpet and laminate floors, rugs, upholstery and fleece pet bedding.