Numatic James JVH180 Canister Wet/Dry Vacuum

Confused about Numatic's Henry and the James model? Well aside from a fixed suction against Henry's Hi/Low speed suction switch, the long 9 meter canister vacuum uses the same large 8 litre dust bags and weighs around 6kg which isn't too heavy for robust canister vacuums.

Briefly the James model is slightly different to the more expensive Henry simply because it has an 1100 watt suction motor which produces just as much suction as the 1200 watt Henry but doesn't strain the bag as much resulting in prolonged condition of the paper bag. Having used both cleaners at work, I'm more of a fan of James because of his basic specification. There is no manual cord winder from Henry which I often find painful to my hands and James' cord can be removed separately from the back of the machine for extra storage considerations or simply wound around and placed at the top where access has been made for the cord, cleaning tools (crevice tool, upholstery brush and a flat T shaped tool) or cleaning materials such as dust polish or anything you need whilst you are cleaning around large expansive areas; against Henry, if you are a private cleaner, owning a James model is more user friendly.

Fitting a bag can be difficult to either James or Henry models simply because of their tight rubberised seals on the bags themselves. Once fitted however the bags never come off unless there is human intevention.

Like Henry, James comes with two chrome crush proof pipes that are easy to take off or put on. There is also the same bent angle handle with an air outlet slider to allow suction to decrease. Regardless of this fact, the hose, pipes and large 14" floor head are the same you would find on a Numatic Henry - and because the pipes are 32mm in size diameter, it means you can custom build any Numatic canister tub vacuum with other tools.

In general performance against Henry, James has a slightly wider top but it doesn't compromise the cleaner for storage considerations. Thankfully just like Henry, there is the Tritex filtration basket which comes standard with James and is good at keeping back most odours. For pet owners you can simply buy a HEPA idenfiable filter from Numatic to combat pet hair odours - both of which fits Henry and James.

In short, although James lacks the somewhat user friendly details of Henry and 100 watts less on the motor, he remains just as efficient. I find using James a lot easier and quicker - his top has sturdier extra plastic built in to withstand bumps and scrapes - anyone with a Henry can testify that his dome top can look unsightly in time with paint scrapes and bumps. But with James, he remains true to his commercial origins and appears to be a lot tougher even though he is based on Henry. The 14" floor head is great at hard floor and carpet pick up with extra strong PVC built in and edge cleaning sides on both sides of the brush. The floor head can also be clipped to the machine after use.

The only reason you won't buy James is simply because he comes in a bright yellow colour. Discount the colour and you have a bargain Numatic tub vacuum that will happily suck up all manner of dry dirt.

In terms of a good all rounder, you won't go wrong with a James model and the more consumers realise this, the more the model deserves to sell well alongside Henry models; no wonder already James models are so hard to find.