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by klelatti 115 days ago
And to prove it is possible to have a profitable vacuum cleaner manufacturing business that makes its machines in the UK - long live Henry!

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/jul/24/how-hen...

And unlike Dyson they are almost indestructible!

4 comments

I had a part-time job as cleaner when I was younger. We used Henry hoovers. They were used and sometimes abused 5 days a week... during the almost 3 years I was there, I think I only saw hoses and the floor head breaking.

So after going through a few hoovers at home from different brands, I bought a Henry for £100 3 years ago. The nose/hose detached after a few months. Not ideal, but I've fixed that in minutes with a bit of superglue. No other issues since then, no indications that it's about to fail.

I don't know if quality is still exactly the same as before, and they're certainly a bit heavier and noisier than some alternatives, but if you want something that lasts, get a Henry, not a Dyson.

Few years back (before covid) I splashed out on a fancy Dyson. Worst vacuum cleaner ever. I'm sporting a Vax now, quite good, even runs VMS.
Ha! Very good and unlike say Windows it doesn't suck.
Dyson is Juicero of vacuum cleaners. So much "tech" for something so simple. A $100 Home Depot shop vacuum works as good if not better.
Miele vacuums are better performers than Dyson, and cheaper too.
Never understood the hype with Dyson. I suspect that like many successful hardware businesses, their story is mainly of brand strength, not of actual product quality.

If you pick up a Dyson vacuum you'll notice that it just feels flimsy in the hand. I think they're aggressively cost-engineered- the material you save by designing molded parts to be minimally thick has got to be like tens of cents to a couple dollars over the whole machine...

The brand is built on Dyson being a super genius inventor. He might be ingenious but he's applied to devices where it's not really needed and with unpalatable trade-offs.

In the UK at least his actions (offshoring, Brexit and tax) have probably significantly devalued the brand with a key part of his core demographic.

What's VMS?
The Vax runs this?!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VAX is also an arch, as well as a hoover ;)
Great article. Especially loved this

> “I love you,” Jess said above his cot one evening before lights out. “I love Henry,” came the reply.

We have a pre-schooler and am happy to confirm that our Henry is a favourite member of the family.

Just as important he's sufficiently strong to withstand our boy's curiosity :)

Our Henry is the moral enemy of both our dogs. They don't like vacuum cleaners anyway, but when it can look at them, it's even worse.
I've been using one of these and it is very good.