suckolux
Well-known member
Well I know I wasn't feeling they were smaller!
Help to me to understand smaller...
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alexhoovers94
Well-known member
Haha, I actually find it very aqwqard with most older UK vacuums and certainly Hoovers, the handles were pretty short and I am 5ft 11 so nearly 6ft and I find I have to stoop with a lot of British vacs as the handle is not tall enough, most modern vacs nowadays are the right height but for some reason vacuums in the 70's,80's and 90s were very short indeed.
suckolux
Well-known member
ahh, same height here too.
1950 English living room-That poor man or boy laying on the floor watching TV looks miserable!!!I wouldn't try to pick up dried cat barf with ANY vacuum-this is a job for an extractor machine!!!You will permanently stink up ANY vacuum in this case.Don't ask me to use it or you will have to clean up MY barf!I have to leave the area if someone or an animal "technicolor yawns" or Laughs at the Carpet"The odor triggers me to do it!!!
vintagerepairer
Well-known member
Who knew how many times I'd have to read the word "serial" before I understood it to mean cereal.
I don't think what Turbo500 said was in any way an exaggeration. Yes, Great Britain does have it's fair share of enourmous homes, of course it does, but houses built in cities en-mass have always been small, whether it's the type of home in the pictures we've already seen, or the pre & post war "traditional" semi with it's postage-stamp sized kitchen.
Many UK homes have now been extended in some way, but that's usually to make one or two rooms bigger, or to add an extra room. It doesn't usually make every room of the home bigger. New build homes have generally become smaller and smaller too, with living space often compromised to allow for a bigger kitchen area to cater for modern living. Bedrooms are shoe-horned in, but I must say that I disagree that most new homes have utility rooms as time & again I have seen pictures of new builds with all the appliances in the kitchen albiet intergrated behind cupboard doors.
I don't think what Turbo500 said was in any way an exaggeration. Yes, Great Britain does have it's fair share of enourmous homes, of course it does, but houses built in cities en-mass have always been small, whether it's the type of home in the pictures we've already seen, or the pre & post war "traditional" semi with it's postage-stamp sized kitchen.
Many UK homes have now been extended in some way, but that's usually to make one or two rooms bigger, or to add an extra room. It doesn't usually make every room of the home bigger. New build homes have generally become smaller and smaller too, with living space often compromised to allow for a bigger kitchen area to cater for modern living. Bedrooms are shoe-horned in, but I must say that I disagree that most new homes have utility rooms as time & again I have seen pictures of new builds with all the appliances in the kitchen albiet intergrated behind cupboard doors.
turbo500
Well-known member
Alex, of course there are bigger homes in the UK. Certainly most new builds are bigger than what I posted*. I was more addressing the root of our love for smaller vacuums, which comes from our traditional houses being much smaller than in the US. So at the time that vacuums were becoming a popular, must have household item, lugging a huge vacuum around your typical British house at that time would've been VERY difficult. Hence the Juniors were so popular.
House sizes may have changed, but our love of inexpensive, lightweight and compact vacuums, as a country, hasn't.
*I think Benny has hit the nail on the head with this. New builds aren't getting any bigger, but are using more open plan spaces. So there's less rooms but bigger rooms. A 4 bedroom detached new build property will often be smaller square foot than an older 4 bed semi detached.
House sizes may have changed, but our love of inexpensive, lightweight and compact vacuums, as a country, hasn't.
*I think Benny has hit the nail on the head with this. New builds aren't getting any bigger, but are using more open plan spaces. So there's less rooms but bigger rooms. A 4 bedroom detached new build property will often be smaller square foot than an older 4 bed semi detached.
sebo_fan
Well-known member
New builds to me in Scotland means loads of bloody narrow stairs. Try lugging any vacuum up and down and you'll be rubbing the wall paper off.
From some of the new builds that some of my friends live in where London is concerned, they all seem to have wide and safe-ish shallow steps and carpet that has just been thrown over them, which often becomes a dangerous slide - more appropriate when rushing for work in the mornings.. A few have hand held vacuums rather than hose, tools and cylinders.
From some of the new builds that some of my friends live in where London is concerned, they all seem to have wide and safe-ish shallow steps and carpet that has just been thrown over them, which often becomes a dangerous slide - more appropriate when rushing for work in the mornings.. A few have hand held vacuums rather than hose, tools and cylinders.
vintagerepairer
Well-known member
There have been programs on TV where owners of new homes could not get the furniture up the stairs.
delaneymeegan
Well-known member
I find this thread.......
<span style="font-family: helvetica;">...An interesting confluence with "somebody really hates there (their) henry". .... and with some of the same participants, too.</span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 10pt;">On the one hand, there is all this discussion of the more limited square footage (square meters) that Brits (and supposedly other "Europeans") have in their homes, AND THUS, don't have room for elaborate vacuums.....</span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 10pt;">Yet</span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 10pt;">Henry is 'SO LOVED', by 'SO MANY people', and for a time in the 90s, Brits were going to vac stores and buying commercial versions of Henry until Numatic decided to branch out into consumer goods and created this cartoon character-like line of vacuums named after British Kings. </span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 10pt;">Let's review: A Henry vac is essentially a Shop vac that is roughly five times the size of something like a Eureka Mighty Mite which is a little bit larger than a large clothes iron, and about as heavy. The Mighty Mite even stores some of it's attachments on it's self, something Henry apparently does NOT do.</span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 10pt;">A Mighty Mite, or it's equivalent would seem the perfect match for a typical flat, 2up-2down, semi-detached, or even a nice estate home.</span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 10pt;">Why then this love affair with Henry? ..... AND WHERE does Henry sleep since Brit homes often do not have more than one </span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 10pt;">closet/wardrobe?</span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 10pt;">Much like numerous other things that people (of any nationality, gender, or socio-economic level) </span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 10pt;">do, this defies common sense. And I find it, like Henry and his compadre's, endearing.</span>
http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?30525
<span style="font-family: helvetica;">...An interesting confluence with "somebody really hates there (their) henry". .... and with some of the same participants, too.</span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 10pt;">On the one hand, there is all this discussion of the more limited square footage (square meters) that Brits (and supposedly other "Europeans") have in their homes, AND THUS, don't have room for elaborate vacuums.....</span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 10pt;">Yet</span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 10pt;">Henry is 'SO LOVED', by 'SO MANY people', and for a time in the 90s, Brits were going to vac stores and buying commercial versions of Henry until Numatic decided to branch out into consumer goods and created this cartoon character-like line of vacuums named after British Kings. </span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 10pt;">Let's review: A Henry vac is essentially a Shop vac that is roughly five times the size of something like a Eureka Mighty Mite which is a little bit larger than a large clothes iron, and about as heavy. The Mighty Mite even stores some of it's attachments on it's self, something Henry apparently does NOT do.</span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 10pt;">A Mighty Mite, or it's equivalent would seem the perfect match for a typical flat, 2up-2down, semi-detached, or even a nice estate home.</span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 10pt;">Why then this love affair with Henry? ..... AND WHERE does Henry sleep since Brit homes often do not have more than one </span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 10pt;">closet/wardrobe?</span>
<span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 10pt;">Much like numerous other things that people (of any nationality, gender, or socio-economic level) </span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 10pt;">do, this defies common sense. And I find it, like Henry and his compadre's, endearing.</span>
http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?30525
vintagerepairer
Well-known member
"Let's review: A Henry vac is essentially a Shop vac that is roughly five times the size of something like a Eureka Mighty Mite which is a little bit larger than a large clothes iron, and about as heavy. The Mighty Mite even stores some of it's attachments on it's self, something Henry apparently does NOT do."
No, Henry is not a shop-vac and never has been. And whilst bigger than the cleaner you describe, Henry is still very small and easy to store.
Another point about the Hnery is that the quality of it was equal to that of the mid-range Electolux cleaners of the late 1980's, however, whereas the quality of all cleaners sold in the UK has steadily but drastcially declined, the Numatic cleaners haven't. They have also managed to come down in price too, at least the price tag has not moved much, meaning that with inflation the cleaners are cheaper than ever.
Henry did also come with a clip at one time to hold one of the tools. They also had a bag to put the tools in but I think that has stoppped.
No, Henry is not a shop-vac and never has been. And whilst bigger than the cleaner you describe, Henry is still very small and easy to store.
Another point about the Hnery is that the quality of it was equal to that of the mid-range Electolux cleaners of the late 1980's, however, whereas the quality of all cleaners sold in the UK has steadily but drastcially declined, the Numatic cleaners haven't. They have also managed to come down in price too, at least the price tag has not moved much, meaning that with inflation the cleaners are cheaper than ever.
Henry did also come with a clip at one time to hold one of the tools. They also had a bag to put the tools in but I think that has stoppped.
delaneymeegan
Well-known member
So Benny, do you mean, if one took out Henry's bag and cloth filter, it could NOT then be used to clean up water/liquids?
vintagerepairer
Well-known member
That's right - Henry is a small dry vacuum cleaner. The wet vac is the Charles. The next one is George, and he wet cleans carpets as well as sucking up water.
vintagerepairer
Well-known member
delaneymeegan
Well-known member
ah well, I'm bemused by this realization. I thought for certain, one of Henry's benefits was that he could do double duty. In the event that during the rainy season(s), there was a problem with damp, Henry could clean up any mess he was served with.
And THIS tid-bit was enough to make Henry's bulbous presence a worth while investment.
But no........
And Henry is only a few inches smaller than my shop vac. This makes Henry about the size of a Filter Queen. The likes of which is very quiet and does an EXCELLENT job of filtering BUT; is very cumbersome, heavy, and would also not store on the top shelf of a wardrobe.
Frankly, I would much rather use Henry, than a Filter Queen.
Benny, where does Charles get the water/liquid that he uses to wet-clean carpets?
Does he have a reservoir with a pump that sprays the fluid through the tubing on the hose, or does he need to be connected to a water source like a tap?
vintagerepairer
Well-known member
Hello again. It's George that wet-cleans, and as you say he has a built in tank to hold the cleaning water. You fill it from the tap.
delaneymeegan
Well-known member
I like this commercial for George.
Frankly, I've had the equivalent of George, quite a while back actually.
It was called the Sears Cleanmore or the earlier versions were simply called the Kenmore carpet cleaner.
Bissell also had a crappy carpet cleaner in the 90s..... there's a reason they don't make these anymore.
As much fun as they were to me, to most people a canister style carpet cleaner is just too much work, for mediocre results.
http://https//youtu.be/-cn91FJBbOg
sebo_fan
Well-known member
Delaney - respectively Numatic are a commercial company by trade and reputation. The Henry concept was to provide a dry only vacuum cleaner tub for commercial areas. The domestic versions were only brought out by customer demand and from there the company brought out specific editions to deal with domestic home mess. Numatic also sold an upright back in the early days but they no longer sell it.
In other countries Numatic have SEBO uprights under their name.
2 in 1 or 3 in 1 vacs do exist; they offer a similar design to what you have supplied here in terms of that Bissell. I for example, own a Vax tub vacuum and was only bought a few months ago after putting up with a Bissell carpet washer. When Vax came to market, UK owners had to deal with the size of adding those machines to their homes. Id hasten to add the size alone made owners realise the similar dimensions of a Numatic should they ever choose to buy one.
My late parents owned a Vax 3 in 1 model for 23 years. It does have its downsides; far more bulky to store than Henry (ours lived in our garage) but it offers a lot more power and 3 in 1 cleaning applications such as dry dirt suction, wet & dry function or washing carpet function.
There used to be other brands available in the UK such as Hoover, Electrolux and Goblin who all offered 3 in 1 machines, but they have gone out of popularity or production now. Hoover still sell a tub vacuum but it isn't all that well made.
Have a look at Numatic history on here - again there are archive threads. The first link (below) shows a lot of the old Numatic models and brochures.
http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?17289 (first given as a link)
http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?18959
http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?17289
In other countries Numatic have SEBO uprights under their name.
2 in 1 or 3 in 1 vacs do exist; they offer a similar design to what you have supplied here in terms of that Bissell. I for example, own a Vax tub vacuum and was only bought a few months ago after putting up with a Bissell carpet washer. When Vax came to market, UK owners had to deal with the size of adding those machines to their homes. Id hasten to add the size alone made owners realise the similar dimensions of a Numatic should they ever choose to buy one.
My late parents owned a Vax 3 in 1 model for 23 years. It does have its downsides; far more bulky to store than Henry (ours lived in our garage) but it offers a lot more power and 3 in 1 cleaning applications such as dry dirt suction, wet & dry function or washing carpet function.
There used to be other brands available in the UK such as Hoover, Electrolux and Goblin who all offered 3 in 1 machines, but they have gone out of popularity or production now. Hoover still sell a tub vacuum but it isn't all that well made.
Have a look at Numatic history on here - again there are archive threads. The first link (below) shows a lot of the old Numatic models and brochures.
http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?17289 (first given as a link)
http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?18959
http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?17289
turbo500
Well-known member
Sorry totally off topic, but isn't that actually a really great thread? It's informative, it's interesting, there's debate with no arguements and a definite clear perspective from US and UK members without any "I'm right, you're wrong".
Bravo, vacuumlanders!
Bravo, vacuumlanders!
sebo_fan
Well-known member
Yes it is Chris - well may it continue.
Also Delaney - both Charles and George can use a 15 litre dust bag compared to the 7 litre bag on the "smaller" Numatic vacs.
Also Delaney - both Charles and George can use a 15 litre dust bag compared to the 7 litre bag on the "smaller" Numatic vacs.
turbo500
Well-known member
@delaneymeegan, the comparison you made above to the FQ is pretty accurate. A friend of mine has a FQ which he comparably paid a crazy amount for brand new. He wasn't happy when my reaction to trying it was "well apart from the powernozzle, it doesn't do anything a Henry doesn't!" lol. The size is very similar, although I would say the Henry has far more suction power, even with a lower power motor.
I have relatives in Ireland, who always had Hoover Juniors
Those houses were always smaller than ours. My cousin came over to visit, saw my 140 yr old house. "It's a fine house", was his comment. He nearly died when he saw the basements, a brand new idea to him. His wife asked how we clean these monsters. I like the Juniors, and have a few of them. A "Dirtsearcher" is on my list of 'must gets'. THey now have a "Henry". I saw it when I was over there.
I haven't posted much recently. A lot has been happening, plus, many of you saw in Miscellanea that my beloved cat, arthur, died Nov 13.I didn't really feel like posting much.
So much to do before Christmas.
I keep on using my Hoover Convertibles, or, 'seniors", as they are known 'over there' .
Those houses were always smaller than ours. My cousin came over to visit, saw my 140 yr old house. "It's a fine house", was his comment. He nearly died when he saw the basements, a brand new idea to him. His wife asked how we clean these monsters. I like the Juniors, and have a few of them. A "Dirtsearcher" is on my list of 'must gets'. THey now have a "Henry". I saw it when I was over there.
I haven't posted much recently. A lot has been happening, plus, many of you saw in Miscellanea that my beloved cat, arthur, died Nov 13.I didn't really feel like posting much.
So much to do before Christmas.
I keep on using my Hoover Convertibles, or, 'seniors", as they are known 'over there' .
alexhoovers94
Well-known member
To be honest the Juniors are even too small for many British homes.
vintagerepairer
Well-known member
Juniors
I think the consumers of the day were happy enough with the size of a Junior, Alex, given the millions of Juniors & other cleaners of the same size that were sold over the years. If they weren't happy about the size, I guess they simply loved the colours.
I think the consumers of the day were happy enough with the size of a Junior, Alex, given the millions of Juniors & other cleaners of the same size that were sold over the years. If they weren't happy about the size, I guess they simply loved the colours.
sebo_fan
Well-known member
When you consider the Junior had a fill capacity of 7 to 10 or so many litres of dirt, they're nothing like the small and slim compact uprights you can buy nowadays. Ironic really given that Juniors are supposedly smaller given the footprint of a Dyson ball upright. How times HAVEN'T changed.
Photo taken from Sam / beko's video of the old 119 Junior. The Junior seems to be faster to me on pick up.
http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3CPA0dxXEo
Photo taken from Sam / beko's video of the old 119 Junior. The Junior seems to be faster to me on pick up.
http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3CPA0dxXEo
alexhoovers94
Well-known member
No I am talking about the time it takes to clean a carpeted area with a Junior, for most UK homes it is still on the small side. Takes a while since the cleaner head is only about 9 inches wide and not the regular 12 inches.
sebo_fan
Well-known member
Perhaps all those years of owning a Hoover Turbopower has taught you that. I on the other hand don't find a huge difference between size widths of upright floor heads let alone combi floor heads on cylinder vacs. Infact from what you're suggesting, if the 12" size is quicker, it's more likely to get stuck in the path of cleaning under chairs. Not exactly quick then.
All I'll say is....................
3 inches CAN make a world of difference.
3 inches CAN make a world of difference.
alexhoovers94
Well-known member
Indeed it can but size doesn't matter, it's how we use it.
vintagerepairer
Well-known member
And with what, who, and how often also.
Without
question.
question.
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