Last Updated on 09/05/2024 by Susie Greene
Two iconic British brands, both Henry and Dyson vacuums are the cleaning companions for millions of homes both in the UK and throughout the world. You’d be hard pressed to walk into any electronics store and not have the option to buy at least something from both the Henry and Dyson range.
But which of them is better? It’s not an easy question to answer – they have two different markets, Dyson is much more high-end and premium and Numatic (Henry’s manufacturer) is more no-frills, substance over style.
But fundamentally, a vacuum cleaner is going to be bought by someone who wants to keep their house clean. So is the Henry enough, or is it worth spending the extra money on a Dyson? In this article we’re going to go through an extensive test of two very popular models from both Henry and Dyson, and we’ll tell you exactly which one you should buy.
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The Henry Range
Let’s first dive into the range of cleaners you’ll get from Numatic. We’ve called this the “Henry” range, but really it’s the Numatic range – Henry is just one of the products they make.
In no particular order, here are the most common Numatic vacuum cleaners available on the market in 2023.
|
Model |
Type |
Image |
Our Rating |
Purchase Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Henry |
Corded, Cylinder |
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Henry Allergy |
Corded, Cylinder |
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Henry Pet (Harry) |
Corded, Cylinder |
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Henry Xtra |
Corded, Cylinder |
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Henry Micro |
Corded, Cylinder |
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Henry Wash (Charles) |
Corded, Cylinder (wet & dry) |
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George |
Corded, Cylinder (wet & dry) |
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Hetty |
Corded, Cylinder |
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James |
Corded, Cylinder |
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Henry/ Hetty Quick |
Cordless, Stick |
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There are other models that were sold in the past that aren’t on this list, and you may find some models only available in certain stores such as the Henry Reach or the Henry Turbo, but generally this is what you’ll find available today.
You’ll notice that while these cleaners all have slight variances, and some are carpet cleaners or wet/dry vacs as opposed to normal vacuum cleaners, but they do have two main things in common:
- They’re all cylinder vacuums (except the Henry/Hetty Quick)
- They all need bags to vacuum dust (the Henry/Hetty quick uses a “pod” method but it’s still effectively a bag)
Therefore, if you want a bagless vacuum, a Henry isn’t for you. If you want a stick vacuum, your choice is the Quick and that’s it. This is a deal-breaker for some who don’t want the hassle of changing out a bag every few weeks – and particularly if you have mobility issues or you have a home with more than 2 floors, Henry might not be the best choice. However, in this case, you’re bound to find something that meets your needs made by Dyson.
The Dyson Range
This is the current range of corded and cordless vacuums available on dyson.co.uk as of 2023. Dyson have made loads of different models over the years (far more than Numatic) which are too numerous to list here.
|
Model |
Type |
Image |
Our Rating |
Purchase Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dyson Omni-Glide |
Cordless, Stick |
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Dyson V8 |
Cordless, Stick |
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Dyson V11 |
Cordless, Stick |
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Dyson V12 Detect Slim |
Cordless, Stick |
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Dyson V15 Detect |
Cordless, Stick |
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Dyson Ball Animal Origin |
Corded, Upright |
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Dyson Big Ball Animal |
Cylindrical |
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Dyson Ball Animal Multi-Floor |
Corded, Upright |
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Dyson Ball Animal Complete |
Corded, Upright |
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You may find other cleaners available refurbished or used, but this is every Dyson you can buy new in the UK at the time of writing. It’s also worth mentioning that other models may be available outside the UK.
All of these cleaners are dry vacs only. Dyson don’t make a wet vac – so if you need a wet vac and you’re choosing between Henry and Dyson, you’ll need to go with either the Henry Wash, the Charles or the George. Additionally Dyson do make some robot vacuums which we haven’t included here. Also Dyson don’t make any cylinder vacuums any more – so if you prefer a cylinder you will need to go with a Henry. You may be able to get older model cylinders on places like Amazon and eBay, or maybe if retail stores close to you have end of line stock.
Dyson’s vacuums are all bagless – so if you prefer a bag, you’ll need to go with Numatic. Dyson has never made a bagged vacuum.
Comparing Dyson and Henry – which one is more suitable for your home?
In terms of how popular both Dyson and Henry are, Dyson has done an incredible job with marketing and you’ll likely find a Dyson in many homes across the world. However, Numatic is particularly strong in the UK, with an estimate of 1 in 4 homes having a Numatic cleaner in them. Numatic also dominates the commercial space – every company I’ve ever done cleaning work for has had a Numatic vacuum. I’ve never seen a Dyson used in a commercial space.
However, for the home, we’re going to focus on the most popular Numatic model vs the most popular Dyson model – the Numatic Henry HVR160 and the Dyson Ball Animal Origin. We’re going to rate each cleaner out of 10 for the following criteria:
- Cleaning power and suction
- Ease of use
- Versatility
- Reliability
- Price and value
- Longevity and build quality
In the end we’ll provide you with our objective opinion having tested both these cleaners, which one you should buy to keep your home clean.
Henry HVR160
Dyson Ball Animal
So – which one’s better for your home? Let’s find out.
Cleaning ability and suction
The Henry HVR160 is known for it’s excellent suction and cleaning power. Henry isn’t just a design classic, he is exceptionally powerful and is a brilliant little vacuum. However, his suction is so powerful that it can be a little bit difficult to push him around on carpeting. That being said, we had absolutely no complaints about our Henry’s ability to clean any surface, and actually he left our surfaces noticeably cleaner than some other vacuums we’ve tested in his price range.
The Dyson, on the other hand, is also a very capable vacuum and cleans as least as well as the Henry. In fact, the rotating bristles help get down into the fibres of your carpet and help to dislodge deep dirt. Additionally Dyson guarantee your machine won’t lose suction like a lot of other upright vacuums (although it’s worth mentioning that Henry won’t lose his suction either.)
The Dyson performs well on all manner of surfaces, hard floors, lino, wood floors and carpet – although like Henry, the Dyson struggles on very thick pile carpet and becomes very hard to push around. We can’t help but feeling the Henry with the AiroBrush attachment would perform much better on thick carpeting simply because you have much less weight to push around.
There’s not much in it, but Henry wins the cleaning ability and suction category.
Final Scores for Cleaning ability and suction
Henry HVR160
Winner
Dyson Ball Animal
Ease of Use
This is where the Dyson starts to show why you might want to pay the extra money for it. Now, before we get into which vacuum is easier to use, this is highly dependent on what you prefer and what your mobility challenges might be – for example, I’m quite short, so I much prefer a cylinder vacuum like Henry. However, for someone tall with back problems, the Henry would be a nightmare to use and the Dyson would be much better.
With the Dyson, you never have to bend – all the attachments are kept on the hoover itself within easy reach when you need to use them and it’s very, very easy to store – you simply put it in a corner or in a cupboard out of the way. Unfortunately, the same accolades can’t be given to the Henry. He is a bit clunky, there’s only room for one or two of the attachments to store on his body which means you need to keep the rest in a storage bag or in a drawer (and they will inevitably get lost) and he’s a bit of a nightmare to store – the head does clip onto the back of his body but you’re unfortunately left with a bit of an unsightly mess even when he is stored correctly.
Of course, this may not matter to you – but all things considered, the Dyson gets the better score for ease of use.
Final Scores for Ease of Use
Henry HVR160
Dyson Ball Animal
Winner
Versatility
This was almost too close to call. We had to consider many different aspects and use cases for both hoovers to come up with a decision. The Henry and Dyson are both extremely versatile cleaners – the Dyson has the fancier attachments as standard but we think Henry gives you everything you’ll need out of the box.
What gave this to the Henry was ultimately car and stair cleaning. For example, we tried cleaning out our car with the Dyson and it was a bit of a challenge – extending the hose usually resulted in us pulling the hoover towards the car and nearly causing a great big scratch. Stair cleaning was much the same – any more than about ten steps and you’ll need to carry the vacuum up the stairs with you. While the Dyson does weigh less than Henry, Henry’s cord is longer, and so you’re unlikely to need to carry Henry up the stairs to finish your cleaning. Additionally Henry’s much easier to clean a car, as there’s no danger of him toppling over – he simply slides closer to you.
All in all, both vacuums are very versatile, but Henry just clinches the score for versatility.
Final Scores for Versatility
Henry HVR160
Winner
Dyson Ball Animal
Reliability
Henry and Dyson are known as pretty reliable machines. However, there’s a lot of chatter that Dyson isn’t as reliable as they used to be. Since manufacturing has been moved out of the UK there’s been talk of a decline in quality. This is a shame, as the Dyson is at a slightly higher price point than the Henry, so you would expect a little more in the way of reliability.
The Henry, on the other hand, is probably the most reliable vacuum you can buy. A lot of this is because he’s built well, but he’s also built very simply. He is effectively just a plastic drum with a motor attached, meaning there’s very little to go wrong, and when it does go wrong it’s easy to repair or replace. The Dyson, on the other hand, is a very complex piece of machinery and is likely to need very specialist repair if it ever does go wrong.
There’s nothing on the Henry you couldn’t fix by yourself, and this is why Henry wins the reliability contest.
Final Scores for Reliability
Henry HVR160
Winner
Dyson Ball Animal
Price and Value
This is the first topic we’ve had where there is really no contest. The Dyson is very expensive for what it is, and the Henry is a lot of hoover for the money. That being said, if there are specific reasons you’d want to choose the Dyson – for example, you didn’t want a bagged cleaner, this is where you have to decide whether it’s worth the extra money.
In terms of cleaning performance, versatility and reliability, we feel Henry is better than the Dyson. Yet the Henry sits at a little over half the price of the Dyson. For us, it’s an absolute no brainer – especially considering we can be pretty confident that the Henry will last a lot longer than the Dyson.
All things considered, Henry wins this one hands down.
Final Scores for Price and Value
Henry HVR160
Winner
Dyson Ball Animal
Longevity and Build Quality
Again, this is where Henry clearly wins out. Numatic is renowned for the quality of their product – and Henry is probably the only vacuum cleaner out there whereby you could say with a certain degree of confidence that most of them will be around in ten years’ time. You can’t say that for Dyson.
Additionally, Numatic still make spare parts for every hoover they have ever made, and they’re easy to get hold of – should anything go wrong with your Henry (which is pretty unlikely in my experience) simply phone them up (they’re based in the UK so you likely won’t be speaking to anyone overseas) and they will send you out the part you need, probably for free if your machine is under warranty.
There really is no contest here – the Henry is by far and away the winner of the longevity and build quality category.
Final Scores for Longevity and Build Quality
Henry HVR160
Winner
Dyson Ball Animal
Which is better – Henry or Dyson? Final Scores
Henry HVR160
Overall Winner
Dyson Ball Animal
Maybe we’re biased because we love Henry so much, but we actually found the Dyson Animal Ball to be a really solid cleaner. It’s definitely easier to use in our opinion than the Henry, but unfortunately the high price versus the features you actually get lets it down. The Henry, meanwhile, blitzed most of our test and is in our opinion, one of the best vacuums you can get on the market today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Henry vacuums so popular?
Henry’s very good at his job. A good product that does what it says on the tin is always going to be popular, and Henry exemplifies that – he’s one of the best hoovers on the market. Additionally, his reliability and versatility contribute to his popularity.
I think people are also a bit of a sucker for Henry’s cute, smiling face – people relate with things like this and this is probably part of the reason Henry is so popular. He’s also made in the UK and he’s a cultural icon. A big part of his popularity is also his affordability – Henry wouldn’t be nearly as popular if he was twice the price.
Is Dyson better than other vacuums like Shark, Gtech, etc?
This is really dependent on your personal taste. Shark is probably better-made than Dyson but we would argue that Dyson’s range of cordless vacuums is stronger. It really depends on what you like and what’s important to you – so make sure you do your research before buying.
Or, you could just buy a Henry – that’s what we would do.
How long does Henry last?
There’s a reason that when you buy a Henry today you’ll read this on the box: “we’ve made over 10 million Henrys, and most of them are still working today.” That says it all – Henry’s been made since 1981 and it wouldn’t shock me if 90% of them are still out there somewhere. When I cleaned commercially the Henry I used every day was at least 20 years old and was still going strong. Treat Henry right, and he’ll last far, far longer than any other hoover you can buy.
Is Dyson made in the UK?
Dyson moved all manufacturing out of the UK in 2002 to Malaysia. Some of the Dyson’s motors are manufactured in Singapore. In 2019, Dyson permanently moved their headquarters from the UK to Singapore. By contrast, every Numatic vacuum ever made was made in their factory in Chard, Somerset, and there are no plans to move Henry production out of the UK anytime soon.
Check out some of our other articles on the Henry Hoover!
Henry vs Dyson (and which one you should buy)
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Henry Hoover Not Working and How to Fix It
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Numatic Henry Hoover Review – A Beloved, Reliable Cleaning Companion
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Why does my Henry Hoover smell?
Quick answer – check the bag first. If you have
Susan Greene is a busy mother of two who has worked in the cleaning and vacuum industry for twenty years. Having used Henry hoovers for almost all that time, she's a passionate advocate of Numatic products and this is what led her to start henryhooversonline.com. While she's not seeing which Numatic model picks up dirt the best, she can be found travelling the country with her children and two dogs.