Talk to me about Henry vacs in the U.S.A.

[wadenels]

I've been looking to get a new vacuum for around the house. Mostly medium-pile (pyle?) carpet, probably 2000 sq ft.

Why do Henry vacs in the U.S. appear to cost about 2x what they cost in the U.K.? I can order a Henry shipped from the U.K. for cheaper than I can get one here, but as far as I can tell it wouldn't run on our power system. What is the difference between NaceCare and the Numatic Henrys?

How are the Airo-Brush heads on medium-length carpet? Is it worth trying to track down a Henry Turbo with the powered brush head? Is there any other way to put a powered brush head on a normal Henry / Henry Xtra?

I've heard they're coming out with a new Henry this year with a smaller motor but more suction. Any idea what I should expect them to cost or if they'll even be available right away in the U.S.?

Lastly, for about the price of a new Henry in the U.S. (~$300) I can probably get a used FilterQueen Majestic or Kirby upright off of Craigslist. Without starting a Henry vs Other war, would I be better off going that route, or even getting a mid-range Bissel or something like that off of Amazon?

Thanks!

 

[parwaz786]

You can order a British Henry and get a Step up Transformer if it suits you.
I personally think the older Henry's are slightly more reliable with great suction. The very old models also have a PN socket so you can plug in the electric PN for the Henry

 

[dys0nb0y]

I think it would be best to try and track down the Henry turbo it is probably the best For cleaning. And In Englandq you can actually get them in 110v .try and find someone in England to buy one For you Then get them to ship it to America

 

[super-sweeper]

forget the Henry!

Don't fuss with tracking a Henry down, you'd be WAY better off on carpets with a Filter-Queen or Kirby! I would recommend a Generation series model, with self-propulsion. It would be perfect for your plush carpets!

 

[sebo_fan]

The Airobrush is a Wessel Werk design and was fitted to the Maytag/Hoover Constellation that was out on the market a few years ago.

 

[turbo500]

was fitted to the Maytag/Hoover Constellation

well, yes and no. The turbobrush on the Maytag/Hoover Satellite had very soft bristles, the one in the Henry Airo brush is much stiffer.

 

[eurekaprince]

I once owned that great Stainless Steel retro Hoover Constellation. It came with a black version of the AeroBrush sold with some of the Numatics. I am not an expert on turbo nozzles, but I have to say that this Wessel Werk design is excellent. It worked very well on medium pile carpet. I just moved it slowly over the carpet and let the whirling roller brush do its thing. Combined with the strong airflow of the Constellation, it really did an amazing job of removing surface litter. I'm sure it was not getting to deeply embedded dirt, but I did not expect it to do so. And the nozzle was relatively quiet for one in its category. I recommend it as a great turbo carpet nozzle!

 

[panofan]

Is the henry turbo brush a Wessel Werk one or a Swiss Dupro?
http://www.duepro.com/index.php?id=11&L=1

Look at the "Turbo Brush TBA" - first page in the turbo brush pdf (http://www.duepro.com/fileadmin/documents/Standard/Turbo_Buersten.pdf )

 

[alexhoovers94]

"Don't fuss with tracking a Henry down, you'd be WAY better off on carpets with a Filter-Queen or Kirby!"

Typical, I thought a comment like this would appear as soon as I red the title.

 

[alexhoovers94]

Read*

 

[sbakerde]

I love min but he has a power head

Here is a picture of my James with wessel power head kit. I use him for cleaning house and he is great. Much easier and lighter than the rainbow I was using. I will say without the electric head he isn't much good on wall to wall carpet. Sadly here in the US there is a lot of wall to wall ( just gross to me, much rather have hardwood). To my knowledge nacecare still sells a larger commercial unit with a Sebo power head. However I think it's over $600. From what I have seen of the new Henry's it appears that they no longer have the power jack for an electric nozzle. Depending on your budget, you may be better off buying a Kirby or filter queen. A nacecare unit with a turbo brush would be inadequate for any more than a small area rug. And to locate one with an electric head could mean spending some big bucks.

 

[sebo_fan]

Is the Dupro company responsible? Yes - and Thank you for bringing me this company to my attention - it would appear they were also the company Hoover used for the excellent visor adjustable Telios turbo brush floor head I still own.

 

[eurekaprince]

Indeed, it looks like my stainless steel Hoover Constellation included the Dupro turbo nozzle shown above. I too thought it was made by Wessel Werk. Numatic sells a red version of that same tool with one of their canister vacs.

 

[super-sweeper]

Hey other Alex.

The Henry would've been an excellent candidate if hard floors were in question, But how well do you think it will stand compared to the Kirby on plush carpets? If this is the flat style of plush we're talking about, the Filter-Queen will be excellent provided it has a powered nozzle. Combined with the availability of Filter-Queen and Kirby in the United States, which one is now the better option?

 

[turbo500]

you may be better off buying a Kirby or filter queen

Not everbody wants a. to spent over $2000 on a vacuum cleaner, b. wants a vacuum cleaner that weighs a tonn and c. wants to own a vacuum cleaner that requires the user to take half the cleaner apart just to use the tools.

Having owned a Henry and used plenty of Filter Queen's, I'd much rather use the Henry. The suction is considerably better and the Henry's are nowhere near as messy to empty.

 

[alexhoovers94]

A Henry is a commercial vacuum cleaner designed for flat stuck down carpet where even an upright wouldn't clean it better for love nor money.
it was never designed for domestic use.

 

[turbo500]

it was never designed for domestic use.

Quite true, Alex.

However, the new models that are due next month are now using Wessel Werk floortools, very similar to the Miele S5 floortool, which is more better for domestic carpeting. And, of course, the AiroBrush is great (as far as air-driven turbobrushes go) for all carpet types.

 

[alexhoovers94]

The commercial "Numatic" labelled cleaners also use that new floor head, I think the performance will be better but I think it does not suit them aesthetically.

 

[sebo_fan]

Are you on something that we don't know about, Alex?

When has it mattered to commercial cleaners when something looks aesthetic? They're after durability, performance, functionality and above all reliability.

 

[alexhoovers94]

No all I was saying was I THOUGHT it doesn't look eight and surely a lot of you agree that it looks out of place on a Henry. STUPID is also a word I would use to describe the look of that floor tool on a Numatic cleaner...

 

[ultimatevacman]

<a name="start_25376.285379"></a> <span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">sbakerde, do you have any more pics of your James? That's a very rare model! </span></span>

 

[sebo_fan]

Thoughts without experience...

The "Henry" model was so-called because it was given a face and sold on the domestic market in 1981. Prior to that Numatic just had round red tubs dependent on the model and the NV250 steel tubs. Specs were slightly different to the commercial models. Even in the 1990s when I worked as a contract cleaner, I used a lot of those old red metal tubs - worlds away from the plastic, softened Numatics of today - the newer ones are so much lighter to carry for a start!

The new floor tool isn't about aesthetics at all. It is designed by Wessel Werk and supplied to a lot of the German brands including SEBO. If you weigh that floor tool you'll find it is often twice as heavy or close to, than a standard lighter suction only floor head. This is because the weight of the floor head adds more grip when motor power is lower. Miele started this trend in the UK with their S4 Ecoline and have continued the theme with their S6 Ecoline featuring the double pedal floorhead, which for the moment is a unique design to them.

However the single pedal model can still be found on a number of brands and in my experience they are far better built and last a lot longer.

Hoover, Electrolux, Nilfisk and Morphy Richards have also used the same floor tool. It ain't about the looks, but rather the performance and durability bonus it offers.

 

[henrydreyfuss]

"you'd be WAY better off on carpets with a Filter-Queen or Kirby!"

Meh. I own all three of those vacuums, and my Henry is by far my favorite. Henry is way easier to use than both, lighter, quieter, and the huge bags don't lose suction quickly like those horrible FQ cones.

In the US, if you look online, Henrys can be bought for around 300 dollars on Amazon or ebay. I think they're worth it! I love mine! They have a long pliable hose, and you can cover a ton of area before you have to pull the canister around. Henrys come with a great set of attachments, excellent filtration, and I love the long cord and cord reel. I just had to have one years ago, and I never regretted the purchase! A true low-maintenance workhorse.

 

[turbo500]

because it was given a face and sold on the domestic market

Sorry, Nar, but that's not entirely true. It was given a face because the designer thought that cleaning was a very lonely job and wanted to characterise the equipment used by cleaners in offices and schools etc.

Numatic were purely a commercial brand and only through word of mouth did they become popular in domestic settings. They weren't sold in Currys, Comet and Argos until the late 90's. Prior to this, they could only be bought from mail order suppliers like Viking Direct and via commercial cleaning retailers.

 

[henrydreyfuss]

This was the video that sold me on the Henry

 

[turbo500]

^That is such a great video.

It's hard to imagine just how popular they are here if you haven't seen it. It's rare to go to any kind of public place - a shop, a school, an office - and for them not to have some sort of Numatic. My office is absolutely full of them. I pass countless shops and bars etc on my way to and from work that are all out with Henrys too.

 

[sebo_fan]

Oh yeah, sorry Chris - I forgot about that.

Maybe I was getting mixed up with the fact that I used a lot of NV250 models with the red tops. Forgot they had faces.

Crucially though, and a nod to those who have bought the new lower watt Lewis or John models - it would be good to know how heavy those new floor heads are alone.

 

[alexhoovers94]

I heard that the face was a mistake and someone from Numatic sketched it out quickly and consumers liked the idea and therefore Numatic started producing the face kits.

 

[hi-loswitch98]

That Wessel Werk floor tool is the best floor tool I have ever used on a vacuum cleaner. It also comes supplies with Vax's TOL Cylinders too.