I've been..

[kirbymodel2c]

Hi, I've been asked a question by someone but I don't know the answer...

"Who designed the face to the numatic international's Henry vacuum cleaner??"

Any ideas??

James

 

[arh1953]

I'd like to know too

I don't know, but I'll show you this cute little desk vacuum my brother got in the meantime.

 

[tolivac]

Its CLEVER!!

 

[twocvbloke]

No idea, but I have one of the desk vacs too...

I think that Numatic sells more vacuums because of the cute, cheeky little smile of the Henry (and other related Numatics), but I think it's only recently that they have actually gotten better, I've used Numatics in the past and always found them to be very weak with poor airflow, but the current motors they have (I have a pair of them, one in the Tristar and one unemployed and unable to find a job) are pretty powerful for their size and wattage, being double-veined and tapered, so, yeah, they are improving as the years go by...

I just hope that TTI don't buy them out...

 

[godfreys_guy]

It was....

The customers!

I read whilst unpacking one at our store that the face idea came from customers who said they wanted to brighten their moods when vacuuming as it was such a mundane activity, and hence it was put forward that a face on the vacuum would help to brighten the users day.... problem solved.

 

[rob_89]

The face of Henry...

Another theory I'd heard was that due to the rough nature of commercial cleaning, when the Henry model first launched (without face, and presumably with the Numatic logo instead of a name), a fair few were returned with trivial faults such as damaged floortools, cables etc.

By adding the face and personifying the vacuum, people treated them with more care, and so the return rate went down!

And from there, people seeing them in offices/schools/hospitals etc wanted one for their home..

I have to say I've always found Numatic cleaners to have strong suction and airflow..mine is from the early 80s, and there is no noticeable difference in power compared to a brand new model I had recently. The newer cleaners are quieter.

Perhaps models you had used previously had clogged filters/bags, David? I have to say the synthetic bags are a big improvement over the old paper ones.

Rob

 

[DysonAnimal]

From an article about British manufacturing, published a few

'The name and the face were both [company founder] Chris Duncan's ideas, put there (in his charming account) because the lonely cleaning armies of the early morning and late night liked to use an object they could address as a friend.'

 

[scvacuumguy]

I like the idea of personifying a vacuum cleaner. Many customers refer to their vacuum cleaners as a person. Perhaps in addition to the silly "vac covers" that are on the market, we could create a stick-on applique that would turn any vacuum into a silly character. I'm not holding my breath on this one.

 

[kirbysthebest]

Name my Vacuums?

Herby the Kirby will be glad to hear there are others out there.