No matter how much you may think otherwise, everyone loves a cordless vacuum cleaner. At this point, your mind may go straight to Dyson, and I don't blame you. The best Dyson cordless vacuum cleaners are always a crowd pleaser, despite being extremely pricey. However, times are now changing and recent years have seen numerous rivals try their luck at claiming the title of best cordless vac. Well, you wait until you hear about this one...
Last year, Henry launched the Henry Quick, a cordless stick vacuum cleaner that uses disposable bags for dust-free emptying. It was a revolutionary development for the brand, especially after the classic Henry vacuum had been such a household staple for so many years. After being received so well, Henry has graced us yet again with a brand new model. I decided to review the Henry Quick Pet to see how it compared to other cordless vacuum cleaners and of course, the original model. Keep reading to find out my thoughts...
Before you do, check out our top tips on how to clean a vacuum cleaner.
Henry Quick Pet review: price and availability
The Henry Quick Pet has an RRP of £339 and can be purchased from the Numatic website or other big retailers, such as Currys and Argos.
Unlike the Henry Quick, which is available in three colours, the Henry Quick Pet only comes in blue. However, seeing as Numatic only brought out the Henry Quick in pink and grey months after the original red, this may change in the future.
Numatic also offer a three year guarantee when buyers purchase and register their machine directly through them.
Henry Quick Pet review: unboxing and set up
Despite there being a lot of parts, unboxing the Henry Quick Pet was a relatively simple process. I won't like, there was an excessive amount of packaging, but it was easy to overlook this when I saw how much was included.
There are four main parts you come across first: the Main Body, the Brush Roll, the Wand and Mini Motorised Tool. I was happy to see that the Main Body already had one of the pods inserted, which made life just a little bit easier.
The Brush Roll is essentially the same as the original Henry Quick Brush Roll, but the Mini Motorised Tool is a new component for this model. The Wand then connects the Main Body to either of the different heads.
The box also contained a Charging Cord, 2-in-1 Combi Tool, Crevice Tool, Extendable Handle, Charging Wall Mount and Accessory Storage. At this point, I also found the Battery which I just slotted onto the Main Body. I was happy to see that is came about 50% charged, which was just enough to give it a quick whirl before getting stuck in.
Also included in the box were six Disposable Pods (including the one already inserted), 10 Scent Capsules (I'll get onto these in a bit) and an Instruction Manual. Once I figured out what everything was, I followed the Manual and pieced all the components together.
I didn't screw the Charging Mount to my wall as I rent my apartment, but I really liked the way you could attach the 2-in-1 Combi Tool and Crevice Tool onto the bottom of it. This is great for keeping the attachments all in one place, and of course for charging the battery when not in use.
Henry Quick Pet review: design and features
There are a lot of features that make the Henry Quick Pet a great vacuum cleaner, but it probably starts with its dust-free emptying. When vacuuming, the Henry Quick Pet compacts dust, dirt and stubborn pet hair inside a large recycled capacity filter Pod. This means unpleasant, unhygienic and allergy-inducing dust clouds can be completely avoided and the dirt is trapped within a dust-lock seal.
It's also hugely beneficial that each filter Pod offers a one litre capacity, meaning it doesn't have to be emptied after every use. A lot of cordless vacuum cleaners have a small capacity and always need emptying straight after, so this was great to see. Replacement Pods then cost £12.99 for a pack of 10, which isn't bad at all.
When it comes to suction, the Henry Quick Pet is ready to do the job with the power that Henry is famous for. With two different suction modes, it's able to deliver up to 60 minutes of powerful cleaning on a full charge, which is pretty good going for a cordless vacuum cleaner.
The control panel is also pretty self-explanatory. There's a silver power button at the top, followed by a Boost button (+) and a Brush Roll on/off button underneath. There are also four small LED lights that indicate how much charge is left, perfect for knowing how long you've got left when cleaning around the house.
There is also a small LED singular LED light at the bottom that signals when the filter Pod is full or if there's a system blockage. Once again, this is a really useful feature as a lot of models won't tell you this, meaning you can go on vacuuming without actually doing any cleaning.
Apart from the various accessories, the Scent Capsules are also a brilliant addition. They're made specifically for pet owners and can just be popped into the top of Henry Quick Pet (or just the original Henry Quick or Hetty Quick) to leave a clean, fresh fragrance throughout your home.
They are available on the Numatic website in packs of 10 and in three fresh aromas: vanilla, rose and passionfruit. My package included the vanilla scent which was really strong - in a good way!
Henry Quick Pet review: performance
Overall, I was pleased with the performance of the Henry Quick Pet. It took around 2.5 hours to fully charge up, but this gave a strong 60-70 minutes of run time which was more than enough. I did notice that the Boost mode significantly drained the battery, so I was careful to only use it on particularly tricky areas.
After a while, it was also immediately obvious that the suction was really strong, especially when I did use the Boost mode. It was able to pick up hair extremely easily and was evidently making a difference as I made my way around my home.
However, one thing that would have worked well is if the Henry Quick Pet had a 'trigger' that kickstarted the Boost mode. A lot of models are able to automatically detect whether a stringer suction is needed, allowing them to clean more effectively. A lot of people prefer not having a trigger, but it is a feature that I prefer. Whilst this didn't matter too much overall, I think it would have been a nice touch, especially for the price.
The floorhead was extremely flexible and I was able to move it around corners and underneath tables incredibly easily. I was also a huge fan of the LED light - a lot of great vacuum cleaners now have this feature, and I don't think I could go back to not having one. It also worked well on both carpet and hard floors, and the 2-in-1 Combi Tool was great for removing dust from skirting boards.
The Mini Motorised Tool was also brilliant, especially for removing stubborn hair from the stairs. I really liked that it was basically a smaller version of the Brush Roll, but did exactly the same job.
At this point, I was noticing that the Henry Quick Pet was getting heavier and heavier to hold. At 3.2kg, it certainly is on the heavy side, so this may be something to bear in mind if you're looking for a lighter model.
Whilst I won't need to swap the Pod out for a few weeks, I gave it a quick try so I knew what it'd be like when I get round to it. I just had to point the base of the unit down into into bin and slide the lever, causing the Pod to simply slide out. There's also a seal over the hole so the dusty contents doesn't fall out as it goes.
Henry Quick Pet review: verdict
There really is a lot to like about the Henry Quick Pet, especially if you prefer a model with extremely strong suction and a long-lasting battery life. Whilst slightly on the pricer side, it's an impressive upgrade to the original Henry Quick, especially if you struggle keeping on top of pet hair in the house. Unfortunately, it is rather heavy and the suction mode has to be manually activated, but its varying features, different accessories and dust-free emptying make up for it.
Henry Quick Pet review: alternatives to consider
One alternative to consider would be the Dyson V15 Detect. Whilst it's in a completely different price bracket, the design and features of the V15 Detect are incredibly similar to the Henry Quick Pet. The LED laser, multiple cleaning tools and long-lasting battery makes the Henry Quick Pet a great *but cheaper* alternative. Read our full review of the Dyson V15 Detect to find out more.
One more alternative would be of course the original Henry Quick. It is actually a very similar model to the Henry Quick Pet, which has the Mini Motorised Tool and a more powerful suction rate. On the other hand, it is a little cheaper and comes in three different colours, so it depends on what you're looking for! Our full review of the Henry Quick is available if you fancy doing a bit of comparing for yourself!
