Ged
Whilst i agree that a bag should be used with Henry, it can be used without one (which i would never do cos it's too messy AND you remove one level of filtration by not having a bag) but then agian it comes in handy if you have an unusual job to do like sucking up a huge pile of polystyrene beads etc. You can just chuck it out without wasting a bag etc.
It is a bit of an urban myth that bags need changing when filled to 'X' amount of capacity because principly it is the TYPE of debris in a dust bag and not the QUANTITY that affects the cleaner's ability to vacuum. For instance powdery plaster dust -even a small amount- will clog a new dust bag immediatly and as such will reduce the suction power and cause the motor to work harder.
In commercial situatuions you will find that because the type of dust that is vacuumed up is so fine the vacuum cleaner will only work with full-suction for a very limited time. So whether the bag is a bit full or half full the bulk of the suction will have been lost within the first few uses of a new dust bag.
A lot of people are completely unaware (and there is no reason why they should know really) that Numatic have consistantly tried to make their Henry cleaners less durable because as it was they lasted a very long time AND were made of parts that could be interchanged with their older machines and so there are a lot of 'cut-and-shunt' Henrys out there (i have several that have been cobbled together from other Henrys), which of course means that for every cleaner that has been repaired Numatic have lost a sale of a new one.
So, in an attempt to make these cleaners break down they began -in around 2002, up until recently- fitting a much physically smaller (and poorer quaility) motor, AND for quite a while they stopped fitting the over-heat thermostats. This is why the bulk of burnt-out Hernys are the ones that were built in the last five years. This has since been changed and the new Henrys -those with the rocker switches mounted on top- once again have a better quality motor.
On the subject of the cost of a vacuum cleaner etc. i have always thought that given the amount of service that it does, it was always going to be one of the smallest of expenses over-all. In other words the cost of my Henry vacuum (£89.99 in Jan 2004) has pailed into insignificance when compared to the cost of consumable cleaning products over the same period of time. Not that i'm suggesting it's carte blanche to go breaking a vacuum cleaner for breakings sake, but all the same i thing they are superb value for money.
Stephen
