As the owner of the Eco-Henry with 580 watts, the suction is just as effective as the older 1200 watt ones. Numatic have no worries - their sealed suction AND sealed dust bags seem to keep the power going.
It makes no sense to me why more cylinders will come to the UK with powered brush rolls though. Fine if the hose and brush roll are jammed on permanently; that way the brush rolls would have to deal with hard floor cleaning as well - but I think that defeats the purpose of a cylinder vacuum in general.
The easiest way of seeing how it would work is if brands are afraid that their pick up tests will be finally investigated and results fairly shown. I can forsee that a 500 watt cylinder vac with a powerful brush roll would justify a good enough rating, but one forgets that it isn't just carpet performance that these vacuums must excel in.
