NV200 Numatic help
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vintagerepairer
Well-known member
There were two types of floor tool with these Basil cleaners. One was not too bad, it was the narrow depth version of one supplied with the Vax 2000. The other tool was diabolical and only really suited for carpets. It was all plastic and looked like a small, very old upright cleaner. I am sure Polti used to have the same tool on one of their water filter cleaners. These two floor tools on Basil did not seem to apply to particular ages of machine, as I remember they were on sale together and it was pot luck which type you got. I must say that I do not remember Basil ever having the drop-down curved handle like in the picture there. I always remember it being rectangular and fixed.
vintagerepairer
Well-known member
Yes that is exactly the one I was talking about. Thank you. Were these black or colour-matched to the cleaner? I don't know why Numatic used these terrible tools, I know the plastic strip underneath came off within no time at all. I also don't know why Basil had two different floor tools like I mentioned.
If I remember rightly, when Basil came out in 1995 it came with the free-flo floortool and the drop down handle, they were only initially available in red. The floortool was black. It changed in 1996 when they got the fixed handle, a choice of colours and the vax style floortool. I also remember them having a Vax 121/Premiere style floor tool too. Heres one of 2 Basils I had, they were the very last from about 2007. I Had them in green and orange
vintagerepairer
Well-known member
What you say does tie in with my memories of the Basil, in terms of red cleaners and that floor tool. I never stocked the Basil, only Henry, so I am reliant on memories of brochures and seeing them in other shops.
well I might be wrong because I was only 8 in 1995 lol but i'm pretty sure, from visiting vac shops and seeing brochures of the time that thats how it was. Actually I remember getting a leaflet posted through the door in 1995 from a local electrical shop offering the 'new' Basil for the special price of £99 which I thought was odd since the Henry was £99.99 anyway lol
vintagerepairer
Well-known member
Well Ryry, this was the issue, you see. Basil was not that much different in price from Henry. I cannot recall the wholesale prices of the two machines, but there was not a good deal of difference, that I do remember. Maybe I was just not able to secure them at the best price. Whatever the case maybe, Henry offered a good deal more for what little extra the customer had to pay, which is why I only bothered to stock Henry.
Fascinating stuff this, many thanks for all the info'.
Has anyone noticed that the standard floor tool on the upright Swift looks very similar to the standard floor tool used on the cream/beige & brown Henry? I have this colour of Henry with its original floor tool & always wondered why it was a different shape/ design. It looks like it's because it was shared with the Swift.
I really like the pictures of the ones at work, when my Girlfriend & I go anywhere we always try to spot Numatics out & about doing their duties. It's incredible how many are around when you start looking.
They are proving for me rather addictive though, I seem to have acquired 5 Numatics in the space of a year !
Cheers
Dave
Has anyone noticed that the standard floor tool on the upright Swift looks very similar to the standard floor tool used on the cream/beige & brown Henry? I have this colour of Henry with its original floor tool & always wondered why it was a different shape/ design. It looks like it's because it was shared with the Swift.
I really like the pictures of the ones at work, when my Girlfriend & I go anywhere we always try to spot Numatics out & about doing their duties. It's incredible how many are around when you start looking.
They are proving for me rather addictive though, I seem to have acquired 5 Numatics in the space of a year !
Cheers
Dave
That style of floor tool first came on the original Swift, then in 1985 when they introduced the 1000w motor they briefly started putting that style of floor tool on henrys etc too. I think it mentions in one of the brochures that they introduced the wheeled floortool due to the extra power of the new motor. My Hoover commercial C2702 has the same floortool
vintagerepairer
Well-known member
Though I am a great advocate for Numatic, their choice of floor tools has been somewhat questionable as the years have passed. The very fact that they always revert to the same few plain black pedal tools in the fullness of time is proof that the alternative cleaning heads did not live up to the outstanding reputation of the cleaners. That floor tool pictured there with the Hoover was one of the very worst I have seen or used as it was almost impossible to keep it flat on the carpet. I was glad when Numatic dispensed with it.
yeh I've got to agree with you there, it was awful. I did a pick up test many years ago using the various floor tools that Numatic have used over the years. The one i found to be the best at picking up hair and fine dust on carpet was the original single pedal floortool. That one was made by Wessel work too i believe. I still think that one was the best of the lot. The mid 80s wheeled one pictured above was by far the worst but it was easiest to use. Although if I'm using the Henry or a Numatic I tend to use it with an airobrush or TurboElectric head anyway
This was an interesting one though from the earliest days of Henry, it had a brushroll driven by the wheels on the bottom. A bit like an old carpet sweeper. It did do a good job funnily enough and groomed really well. Shown here on my old HVC200 I had a while back
vintagerepairer
Well-known member
I remember a cleaning coming into the shop with one of those stuck to the end. As you say, you push it like its a carpet sweeper.
Those Hoovers are great, look like small sc-fi type robots -they're screaming out for 2 big eyes (sorry, it's this damned Henry obsession, I put faces on everything- lol )
I like the carpet cleaner type head - something else to now look out for
I have the Airobrush & it works very well but I do find that there's not much articulation on the neck joint of the tool so if I raise the pipe it tends to come off the carpet & make a heck of a din ! (might just be poor technique on my part though).
Conversely I find the Numatic Hairo brush excellent in this respect, as the articulation is great, although the head is by design quite small.
Can I just ask, are the aftermarket filters worth getting? The genuine Numatic ones are quite dear, so if the cheaper option is worthwhile getting those would save me a few quid.
Cheers
Dave
I like the carpet cleaner type head - something else to now look out for
I have the Airobrush & it works very well but I do find that there's not much articulation on the neck joint of the tool so if I raise the pipe it tends to come off the carpet & make a heck of a din ! (might just be poor technique on my part though).
Conversely I find the Numatic Hairo brush excellent in this respect, as the articulation is great, although the head is by design quite small.
Can I just ask, are the aftermarket filters worth getting? The genuine Numatic ones are quite dear, so if the cheaper option is worthwhile getting those would save me a few quid.
Cheers
Dave
