Numatic Henry HVR160 review

Pros

• Exceptional at removing pet hair
• Tools easy to attach and remove
• Easy to keep clean
• Great for both carpets and hard floors
• Excellent value

Cons

• A bit awkward on stairs
• On/off switch position means lots of bending down – not ideal if you have mobility issues
• Lever to switch between floor types is quite stiff

Key features

• High efficiency, long-life motor
• Six-litre capacity and long 10-metre cable
• TriTex Filtration System – protects the motor to ensure maximum performance and to prolong motor life
• HepaFlo filter bags – High Efficiency Particulate Air Filter (HEPA) traps really small particles making the air cleaner and safer for dust allergy sufferers
• Versatile accessory kit

Specs

• Type: Corded cylinder
• Weight: 7.5kg (machine and kit)
• Capacity: 6l
• Cleaning reach: 13m
• Suction: 2300 mm H20
• Power: 620W
• Dimensions: 32 × 34 × 34.5cm
• Warranty: Two years
• RRP: £139.99

What’s in the box?

• Numatic Henry bagged cylinder vacuum cleaner (model HVR160)
• Multi-floor head
• ASO kit – upholstery nozzle with slide-on brush, crevice tool and soft dusting brush

What is a Numatic Henry?

Also known as Henry Hoover, the Numatic Henry is sold by Numatic International.

Usually found in the classic red, it's just one of 12 different Henry hoovers on the market. Other models include the Henry Cordless, the Henry Extra and the Hetty.

How easy is the Numatic Henry HVR160 to assemble?

It’s really quick and simple to unpack the Henry Hoover, and it took our tester, Alison, just five minutes to put everything together.

The whole process is generally self-explanatory, but the accompanying manual is also very clear with step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow.

To assemble the Henry, you simply attach the wand to the main body and the cleaning head to the wand.

Numatic's website is packed full of information, including contact details should you need to get in touch. The Henry also comes with a two-year warranty.

What's the Numatic Henry Hoover like to use day-to-day?

The Henry HVR160 has all the features of the original Henry 200, but in a lighter and more compact package.

It’s really manoeuvrable when cleaning floors. Wheels mean that he rolls along with you, but watch out that he doesn’t accidentally crash into doors, down the stairs or into sleeping dogs.

Handily, the cord spools out as you go so that you can focus solely on positioning the vacuum head when cleaning. The cord is stored inside the Henry, but doesn't wind in automatically like we saw on other cylinder vacuum cleaners we tested (the Hoover Telios Extra TX50PET, for example). As such, you'll need to wind it up manually after vacuuming.

It's a good long cord though. At 10 metres, it's long enough to tackle the ground floor and then the whole of the upstairs (and will reach into even the furthest of corners) from a central plug socket on each floor. No mean feat considering Alison lives in a large three-bedroom house with no less than 10 different rooms. The hose also stretches up to 2.2 metres.

When it comes to tools, you'll find them easy to attach and remove. Two of the three tools can also be attached to the main unit, which means you can transport them with you as you move around the house.

To switch between floor types, you'll need to press a lever on the multi-floor head, but Alison found it quite stiff to operate. The on/off switch is also positioned on the machine itself, which may be problematic if you have mobility issues as you have to bend to reach it.

There’s only one power setting, but Alison didn’t find this an issue as the Henry was powerful enough to vacuum consistently well regardless.

When it comes to storage, the Henry's new design means it's compact enough to be stored away easily – although you will need to find room for the wand.

Alison stored the equipment in her utility room, but the Henry should also fit in most under-stairs cupboards. Cylinder vacuum cleaners generally take up much less space than uprights, so your available storage space will be something to keep in mind when deciding on the right vacuum cleaner for you.

Does the Numatic Henry have any other special features?

Numatic make cleaners for industry too, so they’ve leaned on their experience to provide the domestic Henry with a professional-specification power cable and a bin capacity of six litres – plenty to enable you to vacuum an average-sized family home multiple times before emptying.

With three dogs and a cat around, Alison vacuums her house every day. During testing, she found there was still a good amount of space left in the dust bag even after three weeks of vacuuming, which we found extremely impressive.

The Henry also has a high-efficiency, long-life motor, which means it offers great longevity for any household.

How well does the Numatic Henry vacuum carpets?

This little vacuum does an excellent job on carpets. The head gets really close to the edges (much closer than the Miele Complete C3 PowerLine cylinder vacuum cleaner) and successfully picks up everything in its path.

With large debris, such as spilled cornflakes, and smaller debris, like toast crumbs and washing powder, it took Alison just one sweep.

Rugs too were an absolute breeze – the Henry cleaned them thoroughly and completely without sucking up any of the material.

How well does the Numatic Henry vacuum hard floors?

Henry Hoover also works very well on hard floors, with the multi-floor head effortlessly sucking up large and small debris from tiles, wooden flooring and lino.

If you want to get right into corners, then the crevice tool is helpful here. It’s also easy to vacuum skirting boards – just attach the crevice tool or dusting brush to the main wand and away you go.

Alison experienced no loss of suction power on any floor type when using each of the Henry's additional tools.

How does the Numatic Henry cope with pet hair?

As a pet owner, Alison fights an ongoing battle with pet hair. As such, she was eager to find a vacuum cleaner that was up to the job of regularly and effectively cleaning it all up.

For that, the Numatic Henry was an absolute lifesaver. Although there are supposed to be rules regarding sofas, Alison's dogs tend to ignore them. The Henry's upholstery brush, however, made vacuuming her sofas a breeze.

All the hairs were lifted quickly and easily, and the crevice nozzle dealt effortlessly with dog hair and dirt that found its way into creases.

Pet bedding was also left clean and fresh. Alison’s cat refuses to use his cat bed if ever it is washed, so keeping it clean with a vacuum is essential – the Henry made the bed look as good as new during our test period.

It was the same with carpets and hard floors, including clumps of hair that accumulated in corners or became buried in carpet fibres. Compared to similar cylinder vacuum cleaners, like the AEG VX8, the Numatic Henry worked a treat.

Alison also walks her dogs on the beach near her home, which means they are often covered in mud and sand. The car boot is usually filthy and caked in dog hair, so she couldn't believe the difference the Henry made to the inside of her car – not only with pet hair, but also with sand, dirt and crumbs.

How does the Numatic Henry manage on stairs?

This is the one disappointment with the Henry. It’s tricky to use on stairs as the shape of the main body means it is hard to balance.

Alison's house also has 16 stairs with a deep quarter turn and the Henry didn’t quite reach the top despite its long cord.

At 7.5kg, it's also heavy to lift, although not as heavy as some of other cylinder vacuums we tested, including the AEG VX8.

That said, the tools work efficiently. There’s such a huge amount of power and suction in this little machine that, regardless of the extra effort, Alison's stairs were clean in no time.

How loud is the Numatic Henry?

At 72 decibels, this cylinder vacuum cleaner is on the quieter end of the spectrum.

While it isn’t as quiet as the Hoover Telios Extra, the AEG VX8 or the robot vacuum cleaners we tested (especially the iRobot Roomba 966), the volume level didn’t bother our tester or her dogs at all, one of which is particularly nervous when it comes to loud noises.

How easy is the Numatic Henry to keep clean?

Henry Hoover is really simple to empty. Pull out two clips on the side of the machine then take off the top to access the huge filter and HepaFlo bag.

The Henry boasts a two-stage filtration system and the dust bag is a filter in itself so there's no need for any washing – you just brush the dust out to leave it looking clean.

It's also easy to remove and replace the bag. A self-seal tab locks the dust in place so, when it becomes time to empty, the bag leaves no mess whatsoever – great news for allergy sufferers.

The huge capacity means you don't have to empty the bag very often either. After three weeks of testing every day, the Henry's dust bag still wasn’t completely full.

Is the Numatic Henry good value for money?

Absolutely. At £139.99, the Henry HVR160 was the cheapest cylinder vacuums we tested and one of the top-forming cleaners overall.

It may not have any special features, lights or particularly fancy tools, but there’s a reason the Henry Hoover has been so popular for so many years – it's a good, affordable vacuum cleaner that offers great longevity to families.

And take it from us – if you have pets, you need this vacuum cleaner in your life.

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All prices correct at time of publication

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