Which Henry Hoover Is Most Powerful?
These days the iconic Henry hoover (HVR160-11) is joined by a whole host of other effective and powerful vacuum cleaners in the Numatic Henry collection. But which Henry hoover is most powerful? In this post, we took a close look at all the currently available Numatic Henry hoovers to determine which was the most powerful.
In order to determine which was the most powerful Henry hoover we looked at the motor power and suction capacity for each model to determine the most power vacuum cleaner available from Numatic. It’s important to note though that these two factors alone will not determine the cleaning ability of a vacuum cleaner in isolation.
Henry Hoover | Price | Power | Suction |
George   | 1060w | 2400mm H20 | |
Charles   | 1060w | 2400mm H20 | |
Henry Wash   | 1000w | 2400mm H20 | |
Henry   | 620w | 2300mm H20 | |
Hetty   | 620w | 2300mm H20 | |
Hetty Yellow   | 620w | 2300mm H20 | |
Henry Allergy   | 620w | 2300mm H20 | |
James   | 620w | 2300mm H20 | |
Henry XL Plus   | 620w | 2300mm H20 | |
Henry Xtra   | 620w | 2300mm H20 | |
Harry   | 620w | 2300mm H20 | |
Henry Pet   | 620w | 2300mm H20 | |
Henry Eco | 420w | 1750mm H20 | |
Henry Cordless | 250w | 1200mm H20 |
Though the power rating and suction level of the motor do not tell the whole story but they tell the most important part and that’s why when looking at the most power Henry hoover we focus specifically on (i) the power rating of the motor and (ii) the suction capability.
(i) Power Rating of The Motor
Vacuum cleaners work based on the airflow from the operating end (brush head or cleaning tool), through the hose and vacuum cleaner, the air filter and bag/canister and then through the exhaust end/port. The air flow which is so critical to the operation of the vacuum cleaner is created by the vacuum motor (sometimes also referred to as the suction motor).
The vacuum motor is typically comprised of an electrical system attached to a single fan or several fans. When the fan starts to turn/spin a partial vacuum is created and the pressure inside the vacuum cleaner drops to a lower level than that of the existing pressure in the room. As the air pressure inside the vacuum is lower than in the room, air rushes into the vacuum cleaner starting from the operating end (brush head or tool).
As such you can see why the power rating of the motor is so critical; the higher the power rating of the motor, the greater the pressure difference between the vacuum cleaner and outside environment resulting in more suction power and air flow. This is why when you see talk of cleaning cability for vacuum cleaners, the discussion typically centres on the power rating of the motor.
(ii) Suction Capability – Water Lift (Sealed Suction)
The sealed suction of a vacuum cleaner describes its ability to lift up dirt, dust and debris from the floor as it moves around. The airflow, provided by the motor, then moves these items into the dust bag/bin.
This ability to lift (sealed suction) is measured in inches of water lift. The rating is taken when the motor is completely sealed and then the height at which the motor can lift a 1-inch column of water is taken. The higher the water lift level, the better the vacuum cleaner will be at picking up heavier material from floors. This is why this is such an important metric when gauging how powerful a vacuum cleaner is however, look around and you will see that it is hardly ever mentioned in vacuum cleaner product descriptions which leaves many to rely on the motor power in isolation.
The water lift level of a vacuum cleaner also helps to indicate how well it can deal with resistance as the hoover is being operated. Remember the power to lift items comes from the motor but between the motor and the actual item you typically have:
- Brushhead/tool picking up the dust
- Hose(s)/vacuum tube(s)
- Dust bag or dust bin
- Filter(s)
- Motor
Thus the vacuum motor needs to have enough suction to be able to effectively pull air through all those layers to keep the dust pick-up going. The higher the water lift, the better the indication that the vacuum cleaner can continue to pick up effectively even as the system becomes more clogged with dust.
This is particularly important with the Henry hoover models as the HEPA dust bag works in tandem with the air filter to create resistance within the system.
The other important measure for determining the cleaning capability of a vacuum cleaner is the airflow which determines the force of air being created by the vacuum cleaner as it operates. It is useful as it takes into account both the motor power where the suction comes from and the resistance within the vacuum cleaner coming from the bag and filters. As important as it is though it is seldom mentioned on vacuum cleaner product descriptions. As such we are left with the motor power and when available the water lift (suction).
Which Henry Hoover Is Most Powerful?
Based on our analysis, the most powerful Henry hoover are the George and Charles vacuums cleaners both coming in at a noticeable motor power rating of 1060w and a suction level of 2400mm H20.
Numatic George (GVE370) Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner
The Numatic George Wet & Dry vacuum cleaner has a motor power rating of 1,060w and a suction level of 2400mm H20.
George makes use of this significant power to act as both a wet and dry vacuum cleaner with the ability to clean carpets as well as deal with emergency spillages and leak around the home.
To get the various jobs its capable of done, George has a 15L dry capacity; 9L wet capacity and 6L extraction capacity. To get through all of this work though George requires a 14.68kg unit.
Being a wet and dry vacuum cleaner, if you only intend to use it for hoovering your floors then this machine is probably over-powered and over-priced for what you actually need it for.
Numatic Charles (CVC370) Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner
Sitting alongside the George, is the Numatic Charles Wet & Dry vacuum cleaner with a motor power rating of 1,060w and a suction level 2400mm H20. The Charles vacuum cleaner is designed to switch from wet to dry and back again with ease.
You get 15 litres of dry cleaning capacity and 9 litres of wet capacity giving you more than most vacuum cleaners in the market, never mind the Henry range.
Numatic Henry Wash (HVW370)
The Henry Wash is the 3rd most powerful Henry hoover after the Charles and George, with 1,000w of motor power and 2400mm H20 of suction.
Note the Henry Wash is only a wet vacuum cleaner designed for washing carpets, and upholstery in your home and car as well as hard floors.
Note the manufacturer states the following on their product description: “REACH Regulation 1907/2006 Article 33
This product has components which contain Lead CAS no 7439-92-1 above 0.1%”.
Numatic Henry HVR160-11
Next up on the list is the one and only original Henry (HVR160-11) hoover with a 620w motor and 2300mm H20 of suction. Though this is a big difference from the most powerful in the Numatic range, it is more than well-powered for its dry-only application. With no wet cleaning involved, the motor does not need to be as high-powered as the Henry Wash, George or Charles.
From our own experience with the Henry, the 620w and 2300 H20 of suction provide incredibly powerful cleaning across carpets and hard floors.
Numatic Hetty (HET160-11)
The Hetty is essentially a clone of the Henry HVR160-11 which comes in either pink or yellow as such the motor power (620w) and suction (2300mm H20) is the same as that of Henry.
Hetty Yellow (HET160-11)
The Hetty in yellow and pink provide you with a different aesthetic to the original Henry but offering the same level of power and overall performance.
Numatic James (JVP180-11)
The Numatic James (JVP180-11) comes in at 620w motor power rating and suction of 2300 H20 which is the same as the Henry HVR160-11. The big advantage though.
Numatic Henry Allergy (HVA160-11)
Numatic Henry Allergy which provides added benefits for those with allergies also comes with a 620w motor and 2300 H20 of suction.
Henry XL Plus
Though the Henry XL Plus offers 150% more storage capacity it still has the same 620w motor and 2300 H20 of suction as the main Henry
Henry Xtra
The Henry Xtra which provides an additional 3litres of cleaning capacity is another unit with 620w motor power and 2300 H20 of suction.
Harry
The Numatic Harry follows the same path as the Henry HVR160-11 with a 620w motor and 2300 H20 of suction. The significant distonguishing factor between classic Henry and Harry is the fact the latter is designed for homes with pets.
Henry Pet
The Henry Pet, which as the name suggests is designed to tackle homes with four-legged friends and has the same 620w motor as well as 2300 H20 of suction.
Henry Eco
The Henry Eco is the lowest powered of the corded bunch at 420w motor and 1,750 H20 of suction. The Henry Eco is billed as being 30% more energy efficient than the standard Henry though you do lose around 32% in the motor power and around 24% in suction.
Henry Cordless
Henry does also come in a cordless cylinder variety which as you can imagine has a lot less motor (250w) and suction power (1200 H20) than its corded cousins.
Conclusion: Which Henry Hoover Is Most Powerful?
As we can clearly see, the most powerful Henry hoover are the Numatic George and Numatic Charles models which are significantly more powerful than their next-best counterparts. Depending on what you need done around the house these two may well be far too overpowered if you don’t intend to regularly use their extra features. If you have standard vacuum cleaning requirements then either the standard Henry model or one of its many varients will give you more than enough power to get most cleaning jobs done around your home.
