Vacuums



One of Numatic's most popular products is a vacuum cleaner called Henry, which is easily distinguishable by the large smiling face on the front of the canister (there are two eyes and a mouth, and the vacuum's hose forms its nose). The idea for the name and design of the logo and smiling face with bowler hat was conceived by Graphic Designer, Michael Walsh FCSD and adopted by Numatic. Since the introduction of Henry in 1981, over 10 million units have been sold worldwide.

In 2008, Numatic produced a female version of the Henry, called the "Hetty" and came only in pink until 2020, when Numatic produced a yellow version. Other Numatic cleaners produced over the years include;

James - Introduced in 1985, this model was initially grey with a metal bucket. In the late 80's, James was discontinued but was brought back in 2002 with a large purple bucket and coloured aluminium wand. In 2003, he was recoloured yellow and sold as a "cheaper" version of the Henry, with this version lacking the cord rewind and having aluminium tubes rather than the stainless steel ones. In 2019, he was recoloured blue.

Charles - A larger (15L) wet and dry model. This model was introduced in the 1980s and, similar to the Henry, had had few changes over the years. In 2018, the Henry Wet & Dry was introduced, which is a cheaper, re-badged version of Charles. The Charles is available in blue, and was also formerly available in red, and cream and brown.

George - Introduced in 1990 as a replacement for the original Nuvac, this machine has carpet cleaning capabilities but can also be used as a wet and dry vacuum as well. Like Henry and Charles, this model has undergone few changes since it's introduction. In 2018, the Henry Wash was introduced, which is a cheap version of the George that cannot be used as a vacuum.

Edward - Introduced in the late 1980's Edward was essentially just a larger (15L) version of Henry. This model was available throughout the 90's in red and yellow colour options, but was discontinued in the early 2000's when it was replaced by the Henry Plus!, which was the same machine with a different name. The Henry Plus! Was discontinued after a short time, although in 2020, Numatic released the Henry XL and the Henry XL Plus, which are essentially modern versions of Edward.

Basil - The Basil was introduced in the early 1990's, and was a cheaper version of the Henry that included coloured aluminium tubes, a fixed carry handle and a lack of cable storage. The Basil was available until th late 90's and was available in red, yellow, blue and green. In 2005, he was brought back as a limited edition model in both orange and lime green.

David - A cheaper version of Henry, available only in green. Like Basil, this mode, had coloured aluminium tubes, a fixed handle and no cable reel. This model was only produced for a short time in 1990, and is therefore quite rare to find nowadays,

William - A cheaper version of the Charles, available only in green. This model included coloured aluminium tubes, and was part of the "three musketeers" line, along with David and George. It is unknown if this machine was ever actually produced, as it has only ever been seen in promotional material.

Wendy - This model was Numatic's first "female" machined, and was a Machine Mart exclusive. This model was only available for a short time in the late 90's and early 2000's, and included a metal body, similar to the original James, but with a metal top also. What's interesting about this model is that the "Wendy" name is just a single sticker on the hat. This model was only produced in green.

Harry - Introduced in 2010, the Harry replaced the previous "Henry Hound" model. Harry is green in colour, and includes a floor tool known as the "Hairo-brush". In 2018, the Henry Pet was introduced, which is essentially a re-badge version of the Harry. Both models are still available as of 2022.

Bertie - Introdiced in 2013, this vacuum was a limited edition run, and was available exclusively at B&Q (orange model) and Screwfix (blue model). Both models were discontinued in 2015.

Jack - This model was a Tesco exclusive. Released in 2015, this model was blue in colour and was named after Jack Cohen, the found of Tesco. It was discontinued in 2015. Production numbers were limited, but this vacuum is by no means rare,