What do you think of the new numatics?

[numaticrule29]

Hi all
So I was wondering what do you think of the new numatics. Now I personally think they are not as good as a 80s or 90s model, but they still are good. The only thing I don't like is the floor tools on the new ones as there all plastic where as the the ones that came with the john and the Lewis where metal based. I have 2 of the new numatics, a James and a Lewis.

Please share your thoughts

Thanks

Daniel

 

[vintagerepairer]

How would you define "not as good"?

 

[matt8808]

I think they are superb. I've got a new style Henry that was made at the start of 2016. It's my current daily driver and has seen some heavy use since I bought it.

The new floor tool is superb. And if you don't like the plastic base of the floor tool you can always buy the steel base floor tool as an optional extra from Numatic.

I tend to use the Airo Brush 90% of the time anyway.

 

[numaticrule29]

My floor tool on the under side has gone sharp as it has had a lot of use. It picks up well but it plastic and I like the metal ones better as they glide over the carpet better.

 

[vacuumlover]

I can't give my opinion on the newer models as I don't have any experience was th older models. (with the exception of my old nuvac.)

Personally I really don't like the new floor tools.

 

[citroenbx]

I like the older ones

a nice 1200w motor and a simple HI&LOW rocker switch

the last henry I had was made in 2008

 

[turbo500]

I really don't like the AutoSave models at all, but I absolutely love my current Henry. I find the new floortool gives far greater performance over the old one. Even in low power mode and with a plastic based floortool, the current models pick up way more than the autosaves I owned ever did.


 


In my experience, the best models Numatic have made are the first NVR machines from 1985 into the early 90's and the current models.


 


I've also noticed in conversations that a lot of people who say they don't like the new floortool, do so because it doesn't feel "Numatic" enough, as though it's somehow taking away from what they associate with the brand rather than actually basing an opinion on the performance.

 

[vintagerepairer]

The floor tool certainly has that domestic look and feel about it, unlike the previous tools which although are very much like the sort most domestic vacuum cleaners had for years, are without too much styling and retain an utilitarian feel about them.

 

[numaticrule29]

I think with a lot of commercial use the new style floor tools would wear out. I don't know why numatic didn't use the free flo style floor tool with the new lower wattage machines. I brought a non genuine one off eBay for £6 something! It picks up much better than the one that came with my James.

 

[turbo500]

I found the freeflo tool was fine for carpet use, but useless on hard floors. It stuck to the floor way too much.

I've not used the current James, but aren't they single speed? I've never had to use Henry in high power, infact I'd say it works better in low power.

 

[sebo_fan]

I have always adored the James model, probably because it was the first Numatic I ever bought. Simple, robust and so easy to use. I didn't mind the single speed to be honest as it was hardly noisy. I eventually sold it on and bought the first wave of Numatic Henry vacs under the eco tag. It is just as good if not more convenient as James with Henry's bowler hat cord rewind.

I eventually sold Henry off to a friend in need. Mine originally came with the plastic sole plate Wessel Werk derived floor head but much prefer the metal sole plate as it glides better.

 

[numaticrule29]

Yes the James is single speed

 

[vacuumlover]

To expand

To expand on my original reply ~

Personally I don't like the new style floor tool as I find it a bit "clunky" and I find that it sticks to the carpet far too much. Could be because the carpets'piles are quite flat now. Where as I didn't have that problem with the older style.

The new floor tool is ok on hard floors though I find bits of dirt (mainly cat litter) get stuck under it quite easily.

And to be fair, it doesn't look quite fitting with the main machine. The new floor tool looks too domestic and the machine looks quite commercial like. No, I'm not saying that "it doesn't look Numatic enough." I'm just saying it looks kind of out of place.

Now, keep in mind I'm only basing my opinions off of my (now long gone) Nuvac and the Henry HVR-200-A2.

And just for the record, I'm not wanting nor trying to start an argument, though I feel like people are going to ignore this statement.

 

[vintagerepairer]

The reason for the "clunky" feel is that the tool is double-jointed. This means that when the user pulls the tube back, the very first thing which happens is that the the middle section is pulled up, and only then will the tool move across the floor. It is one of the strangest sensations I have found, and German cleaners such as Rowenta and Meile often favoured this design way back in the 80's.

 

[sebo_fan]

Good point, Benny.

The beauty of the older floor heads is that they are a touch longer, so they can clean expansive areas quickly. At the end of the day though they're all made by Wessel Werk and go under the following model numbers:

61061 (double pedal)
61065 (single pedal)
61066 (grey with blue colour pedal)

62066 roller style single activation with single pivot wheel underneath.

The newer single pedal ones are designed in such a way where when the floor head is pushed forward, the rear single wheel at the joint of the neck underneath pushes forwards but on the return, only the sole plate and lint pickers pull back on the flooring, so as not to leave wheel marks. It's quite ingenious and its a design that was added to the roller bar style single "pedal" after the 2 way pedal floor head that Numatic used to add with their vacuums before the Eco tagged machines that came with the single pedal floor heads.

The 62066 was added to a few German brands including that of SEBO with their C cylinder vacs.

All of these floor heads are still available to buy.

 

[numaticrule29]

If I was going to use a particular head with my numatics I would use the single pedalled one that can with the 80s/90s machines as they are a joy to use and the biuld quiliaty is amazing

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

I dont discriminate. Build quality of numatic products has not deteriorated. I think the new head design is superior to what they have been using and more suitable for home environments not to mention actually performing better. That new head which a we know is from Germany probably doesnt cost any less than the older one which was pretty generic anyway, despite having a metal base plate.

 

[spiraclean]

First thing I always did with any Numatic up to now was ditch the floor head it came with. The original style was OK on glued down commercial carpeting, but around the house I never cared for them much. Seemed to me that all the suction was focused in the centre, and they could be an absolute bear to push. Not keen on the way they sometimes flip up and lose contact on the backstroke either.

My preferred replacement was the Wessel Werk RD275, which most of us would recognise as the same head supplied with the Vax 2000/4000 series. One of the best I've used on hard floors, and worked well on carpets too without giving the user a workout.

The current head is more or less the same as that supplied with the Sebo K series (to get a stainless steel baseplate, you had to step up to the D series). Never thought there was much to choose between them, both performed fine for me with the only difference being the plastic version was lighter.

 

[turbo500]

Build quality of numatic products has not deteriorated

Not true, the quality has absolutely deterioriated, but the same could be said for all brands. Not just vacuums too, the quality of many household items has dropped across the board.

I've got a late-80's HVR in the garage. Granted, it's in need of some repair work, but the build quality of the body is far better than the current model. It's most noticeable in the handle and cord rewind.