Numatic vacuums

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absolutepurple

New member
Joined
Oct 25, 2015
Messages
3
Location
Nottinghamshire
Hi guys been on this group before but locked my self out a while back. Used to be a big dyson fan but im all about numatic at the moment. Who else is a fan of them on here and what machines do you have?

:)

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I love Numatics, Henry's in particular, even though I don't have one! I should get one TBH, they are one of the best cylinder vacuums, if not the best IMHO. I heard good things about the Airobrush in particular and would love one of them aswell.
-Tayyab
 
I honestly think Numatic vacuums are boring as sin, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The basic design works in their favour - a nice, simple, straight forward tub vac. And the lack of frills means they tend to be more reliable than a lot of other brands.

Definitely one of the best cleaners on the market today.
 
"I honestly think Numatic vacuums are boring as sin"

I agree. I think that's why they are so succesful as it's a perfect match for a fairly boring job. Cleaning is damn hard work, and I beleive for many it's not especially interesting either.

Because of that, you'd think that someone might have invented a vacuum cleaner with and on-board DVD or MP3 player device. Something to get one in the mood for cleaning perhaps.

The sucess of Numatic is steeped in the realisation that cleaning is what it is. As some people come round to that idea and reach the end of the road with their jazzy vacuum cleaners, the likes of Numatic are on hand to sell them a machine that does what is pretty much needed. In the modern day it is easy for young people to think everything can be improved upon by wiring it up to an i-phone or similar. I can see why they would think that. However, some things in life have already reached their peak.
 
I have a 620w single speed james 2014 model and a 2013 henry 1200w autosave with airobrush. Like people say boring design but practical and simple to use. Has anyone used a hairo brush? Been thinking of getting one but seen some quite bad reviews on them. Comments would be much appreciated regarding the hairobrush.
 
The hairo brush is smaller than the Airobrush, it's about 15 cm I think, bigger than a handheld turbo brush though
 
The Hairo brush is similar to the one that Hotpoint equip with their Trolley vacs. I don't like it. The pivot neck has a constant "down" angle and it is awkward to use. So much easier to buy the Wilko turbo brush which is an Electrolux turbo brush with the risor visor OR a Wessel Werk turbo brush since they are 32mm sized.

BTW I did have a Henry HVR 200-A eco version. But it has now been sold. It was good at the time. I've had a few Henry models but I have a soft spot for the more basic James model fitted with Henry tubes though as the aluminium ones are hellish in my experience.
 
I used to have one...

But i sold it to a fellow collector during a major downsizing. It was a nice machine, though i never had the right bags so i'd use it with Riccar H bags as they fit snugly on the bag tube. Even so it was powerful, and fairly quiet.

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I have the above pictured Henry-presently use it with Kirby bags-what I had on hand.The machine works quite well-a no nonsense vacuum-the machine just gets the job done-a simple suction only canister.For a household with hard floors-a Henry would be a good choice.Would like to get some orig bags for it,though.The vac place here gives me a funny look when I asked for Henry bags.Kinda like the looks you get when I go to the Rainbow place here and ask for Rainbow Bags!
 
IMHO, Numatic has the best cord winder on the market. Unlike many automatic winders, it won't whip the plug against the machine, nor does it require you to coax the last few feet of cord in manually. Because you crank it yourself, it just winds reliably every time.

The tools are another strong point. I have read criticism once (can't remember where) that they are too basic and not "ergonomic" enough, although I'd counter that by saying many cleaners past and present have had hose ends that were over-designed to the point of being an absolute PITA to use for above floor cleaning. With the Numatic kit, you can configure the straight and curved tubes in any combination you like, or dispense with them altogether and attach the tools directly to the hose end if preferred. Makes it a lot easier to attain exactly the right angle and amount of reach needed, so you don't have to perform contortions when cleaning in tight areas.
 
Well I wouldn't go as far to say that the plugs dont whip off the side of Henry and associated Numatic models. Certainly in the schools that I have worked in, you can see the obvious scratches that the plugs have bounced off the rubberised body. I've also seen the way tired and stressed cleaners wind up the cable very quickly without even thinking about the last precious seconds of how the plug is going to bounce off the body and it always does. I think it is more to do with the rather clever way in which Numatic have retained the rubberised bowler hat body on top to prevent that part of the machine at the very least to withstand scratches etc.

I think it may well have been me in my product reviews where I have slated the tools. They're durable and I find they are far better than the nonsense that Bosch use for their own small cleaning tools, but despite how versatile and durable Numatic's tools actually are, I'm surprised that Numatic hasn't taken the time as yet to develop a suitable storage area on board for the tools to go to. Again I know it points to the commercial origins of the basic vac's design, but if you're going to sell to a domestic market, on board tool storage would give Henry at least a more modern and accessible advantage.

I was a bit disappointed to find that when I bought my last Numatic Henry (only last year) that it no longer came with the funky red fabric tool bag that Numatic used to supply machines with. In some ways having the tool bag actually makes sense in lieu of no tool storage at all.

Also there are plenty of Henry owners who just whip off the tubes and use the bent part of the metal bent pole for cleaning corners etc. It inevitably gets scuffed and in some cases the end gets bent making replacement necessary if the tubes need refitting.
 
Maybe I should have qualified that statement with "provided the user isn't heavy-handed". Some people could tear up an anvil, particularly if they're not the ones paying for it. Point I was trying to make is that the Numatic winder at least gives one control over how quickly the cable winds.

For tool storage, Numatic could quite easily fit slots between the rear wheels as Kerstar have done. They've already modified the tub in the past to add the rear guard and later the parking bracket, so it baffles me why they didn't do something like this on either occasion while they were at it:

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I suspect that having slots in the machine would either cause cracks on the underside or other damage if and when Henry vacs fall over. They may be stubby but sometimes they do fall over.
The tool compartment in the Karcher VC6000 vac is impressive but I dont think these cool looking machines ever made it to the UK. Pip locking tools that are stored in a top opening side door slot.



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I would like to SEE a Henry

I have never found one here in the South East...I think I might like one.
 

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