I tried Henry's largest vacuum cleaner – and it's become the all-in-one solution for my family home's cleaning needs

The Henry XL Plus is yet another formidable addition to Numatic's long-standing roster of floorcare appliances. The brand has taken everything we know and love about the standard Henry vacuum cleaners many of us have grown up with and taken the sentiment of 'go big or go home' quite literally, resulting in an industrial heavy duty model that is sure to last you years to come.

Boasting a very generous bag capacity, a super long cable, and multiple floorheads and tools to fit any job under the sun, these features make the Henry XL Plus a fantastic contender for one of the best vacuum cleaners out there – especially if sticking with a corded vacuum for reliability is more your style.

With so many different Henrys on the market, it can be difficult to decide between the wide selection and figure out which is the right fit for your home. Therefore, to help better inform your decision, I tested the Henry XL Plus in my family's 5-bed detached house for several months and there's good reason why it's become our primary vacuum cleaner for both day-to-day and deep cleaning needs.

Henry XL Plus vacuum cleaner review

Specifications

• Capacity: 15L
• Cleaning range: 31m
• Cable length: 12.5m
• Motor power: 620W
• Weight: 10kg (machine & kit)
• Dimensions: H51 x D36 x W37cm (machine)
• Bagged or bagless: Bagged
• RRP: £179.99

Unboxing, assembly, and first impressions

The Henry XL Plus arrived at the door in a large, neat box that was admittedly on the heavier side to carry inside (but still doable nonetheless). Upon opening the box, a majority of the attachments are wrapped in plastic aside from the main body of the Henry, the vacuum cleaner hose, and the straight and bent metal extension tubes.

The rest of the tools that come in the box are as follows: the combi floor tool, specialist hard floor tool, AiroBrush 140 tool, flexi crevice tool, upholstery tool, and dusting tool. These attachments can easily be stored directly on the back of the vacuum, making for super easy and convenient cleaning if you need to switch between heads depending on the task at hand.

Better yet, a HepaFlo bag is already inside the machine too, so you don't need to mess around with trying to fix one in for your first time using it. Although you will need to buy bags for the Henry XL Plus in the future, it comes with an extra one to help you get started when it's time to empty it. However, having used it for a while now, I'm actually still yet to empty it because of the generous capacity (which says a lot in itself, if you ask me).

As with other Henry vacuums we've reviewed on Ideal Home, setting up the Henry XL Plus was pretty effortless thanks to the instruction manual which comes with illustrated diagrams, and each part just slotted together nicely. Since the vacuum is corded, once you've assembled it all together, it's immediately good to go and start cleaning with right off the bat.

What's it like to use?

Floors

Using the Henry XL Plus is easy as anything. Since you don't have to faff around with charging any batteries, simply plug it into a socket and turn it on using the green on and off switch located at the back of the vacuum. To turn the vacuum off, simply flick the switch to its original position. Simples.

The combi floor tool does a great job at vacuuming both hard flooring and carpet and can be toggled for best results by either setting the brushes up (for carpet) or down (for hard floors). With just a couple of passes, you can already feel the Henry XL Plus' impressive suction power coming into play, picking up dirt, debris, and pet hair very easily and leaving the floors looking spotless.

My family has 3 dogs, so assessing hair pick-up is one of the most important factors I look for in any vacuum, and this model met the expectation and more. I will say that it was tons more satisfying to use on carpet as you can feel the suction kick in a little bit more. However, one of the only gripes I had about using the combi floor tool on carpet is that little bits of hair and fluff can sometimes collect on the edge of the floorhead, so you do have to pick them off occasionally. But, these are easily sucked back into the hose if you just guide them in.

While the combi floor tool allows you to toggle the brush setting for powerful hard floor cleaning, the Henry XL Plus comes equipped with a specific specialist hard floor tool which I was eager to try out on my parent's tiled flooring. As expected, it did a fantastic job at picking up all the crumbs it had accumulated throughout the day, providing a great clean with minimal effort.

It's also really lightweight and manoeuvres easily, letting you get into those awkward corners and even near the edges of furniture and skirting boards without much fuss. It's definitely a nice addition to the Henry XL Plus' toolkit, especially if you've got a significant amount of hard flooring throughout your home.

As far as ease of vacuuming goes with the cord, it's actually really seamless. Since the cord is so long, you can cover a lot of square footage without needing to unplug the vacuum to find another socket. For me, I plugged it in one socket and was able to cover all of the main lounge and kitchen in one fell swoop. This was impressive, and puts the Henry XL Plus on par with some of the best cordless vacuums as it provides the illusion of not being tethered to a cord. However, it's still not enough to be fooled as it's not nearly as lightweight as many cordless models are.

Small tools

Switching heads is pretty easy with the Henry XL Plus, and while they don't necessarily 'click' into place, they're easy enough to secure by just sliding them in and out of the metal extension tubes.

The tool I was most excited to try was the AiroBrush 140 and it's safe to say that it did not disappoint. I used this tool to clean our carpeted stairs, and it provided really impressive suction and pick-up. What's more, the AiroBrush 140 is quite lightweight and compact, making it easy to complete a fiddly task like vacuuming stairs.

I will say, however, that despite this small tool doing a good job at cleaning stairs, you do also have to account for bringing the machine itself up the stairs – which can get heavy. Thankfully, the cord is really long and the vacuum comes with a couple of metal extension tubes to provide a longer reach, so you can sometimes get away with leaving the main unit at the bottom of the stairs while you vacuum.

On occasion, I also use the AiroBrush 140 tool to vacuum mattresses and upholstery, and it also does a fantastic job at sprucing these up with a lot of power.

The flexi crevice tool is especially nifty at getting into those hard-to-reach areas between furniture crevices and hidden corners of a room, and it was actually kind of fun to see all the different ways in which it would bend. Aside from home cleaning, this crevice tool tool (paired with the AiroBrush 140) also worked a dream for cleaning my car and delivering an exceptional clean in those spots that are often missed.

As suspected, the dusting and upholstery tool are also pretty standard and do their respective jobs well.

Storage and portability

This goes without saying, but the Henry XL Plus is nothing less than a big boy in nature. So, if you live in a small flat or only have one floor type in your home, then this vacuum cleaner will admittedly be far too large to not only find storage for, but also to manoeuvre around your home during cleaning. While the Henry XL Plus does a great job at vacuuming and cleaning surfaces, upholstery, and more, it's very heavy to push and lug around. If you're after a lightweight model you can easily pick up and put down, it's probably best to explore other options.

Since my parents have a larger home, the Henry XL Plus lives in its own little corner in the garage because it's a bit too big to sit in our utility room full-time. Although the tool tidy at the back of the main unit is super helpful at keeping the main floorheads and tools close to hand in as compact a way as possible, it inevitably adds to the floorspace and height the vacuum requires to be stowed away neatly. As far as I can imagine, I don't think it's a great contender if your main storage options are in a cupboard underneath the stairs or a tiny corner, for example.

Cleaning and maintenance

One thing Numatic pride themselves on with their Henry vacuums is offering a dust-free emptying system with their HepaFlo bags. Similar to other Henry models we've tried and tested, the large capacity drum traps all the dirt and debris that is picked up in the HepaFlo bag and doesn't require emptying nearly as often as bagless vacuums do.

To access the bag, simply undo the two clips at the top of the main unit and you can simply lift out the bag as such. As mentioned earlier, the generous 15L capacity of the Henry XL Plus means I haven't actually needed to empty it yet (and trust me, I've checked periodically to see how it's holding up), so I'm thoroughly impressed. However, what I do know is that when the time finally comes to change out the bag, it'll be a mess-free and easy process.

The Henry XL Plus does come with another HepaFlo bag as standard when you need to empty it for the first time, but after that you will need to purchase your own for future maintenance. However, these won't set you back too much as you can buy a pack of 10 for £12.99 on the Henry website. Seeing as one bag has lasted us months, a pack of 10 will easily last you well over a year, making for easy care and maintenance for your Henry vacuum.

How does it compare to other Henry vacuums?

Compared to other Henry vacuums we've tested at Ideal Home, the Henry XL Plus is the biggest and most capable of the bunch, offering unmatched versatility with its wide range of accessories. If I had to suggest another Henry model that is equally as capable, it'd have to be the Henry Xtra, which comes equipped with a similar number of floorheads and small tools, with the only difference being that the Xtra has a larger AiroBrush carpet tool whilst the XL Plus has the smaller AiroBrush 140 hand tool.

The Henry Xtra is slightly smaller than the Henry XL Plus, coming in with a 9L capacity and weighing 8kg altogether, but if you're keen on the versatility the Henry XL Plus offers but not the large and heavy unit, the Xtra is a great alternative.

Alternatively, if your main concern is cleaning up after four-legged furry friends and you don't have that many floor types to clean, the Henry Pet200 is also a fantastic option with a dedicated EcoBrush tool for specialised hair pick-up and a special filter to reduce lingering pet odours. Rest assured, any Henry model is sure to offer reliable performance. So, choose one depending on the size of your home and the problem areas you're most concerned with tackling.

Should you buy the Henry XL Plus?

After several months of testing and frequent use, I can confidently say that the Henry XL Plus is an extremely capable all-rounder that is perfect for larger family homes or post DIY and construction clean-up. If you've got the Henry XL Plus in your cleaning roster, it's hard to find a need for any other vacuum considering it comes fully stacked with a wide range of floorheads, hand tools, and accessories for an affordable price of £179.99 all in – making it excellent value for money.

Yes, it's large and definitely in charge; but if you've got the storage space and multiple floor types to accommodate and justify the purchase, then believe me when I say you won't regret opting for the bigger build compared to Henry's other brothers and sisters. Given all the positives, it's no wonder it's quickly become the only vacuum cleaner my family reaches for any task.