Dyson vs Henry vacuums: which is right for you?

When it comes to vacuum cleaners, the Dyson vs Henry debate is a tough one. Both British, they are established brands with plenty to offer when it comes to cleaning your home.

Saga compared the two on eight key criteria to dig a little deeper into what they provide. So from suction power, ease of use, battery life, warranty period and allergen capture to design and build, which will earn its place in your home?

Let the Dyson vs Henry vacuum cleaner battle commence.

1. Price

While Dyson is a premium brand with a price range to match. Henry offers more affordable options, known for hardiness and reliability.

Dyson

Dyson is well known for its engineering clout, investing to create more efficient, robust and powerful vacuum cleaners. You can see that in Dyson’s pricing up front across the range. But we’re talking about value here.

So while Dyson is more expensive, it comes with up to five years of warranty backed by excellent customer support and easily replaced parts on vacuums which are built to last. So spread that higher price across five years or more and it starts to justify the cost.

Prices start at £280 for the corded Dyson Ball Animal and range up to £770 for the cordless Gen5 Detect.

Henry

When it comes to affordability, Henry stands out in this Dyson vs Henry battle. This company has kept its prices low for years yet still offers vacuums known for their hardiness and reliability. You’ll often see them in work environments as companies know this brand builds units made to last.

That said, features are minimal and you have to factor in the ongoing cost of replacing bags.

Prices start at £130 for the basic Henry and range up to £300 for the cordless stick, Henry Quick.

2. Product range

While most of us only need one vacuum cleaner, having a good range available to pick from means we’re more likely to find the model that suits all our needs.

Dyson

Dyson has a large range, especially when you consider that its older models are also available from third parties and still beat most of the competition on features.

The current range offers nine cordless models, with sub-categories each of which offer specific features like tackling pet hair for example, plus four upright corded vacuums. Once you factor in older models too, that range gets up in the twenties.

Numbers aside, Dyson offers a good selection of types with heavy corded power vacuums, lighter cordless models and feature-rich cordless models specifically for tasks like removing animal hair or filtering allergens.

Henry

The range from Henry is plentiful but when you look closer, there isn’t a huge difference across the models in terms of physical appearance.

The classic wheeled hose vacuum model now sits alongside a cordless battery-powered stick vacuum option.

You can also get models to tackle specific things like pet hair, wet surfaces and allergen capture - while not a vacuum cleaner, the firm also produces a carpet-washing machine based on the Henry design.

3. Suction power

If you have a lot of carpet or many rugs you’ll want to be sure your vacuum cleaner has lots of suction power. It’s also worth noting both brands offer lower power modes to avoid sucking rugs up.

Dyson

When it comes to raw power, the Dyson range has superb capabilities, especially for battery-powered handhelds – in fact Dyson now sells these as its core range with the corded models taking a backseat.

The V15 Detect is what the company calls ‘the most powerful, intelligent cordless vacuum’. It even counts and measures dust particles – displayed onscreen – and has suction which adapts automatically to ensure it gets the most up.

Henry

While the classic Henry models offer decent suction, it uses a basic head in most cases and the length of the pipe does limit pull power. The newer stick models offer more power in suction terms but it’s still not as powerful as Dyson.

4. Battery life

Battery life is a big factor with cordless vacuums, but which of these two brands can go the distance all around the house?

Dyson

Dyson, which produces some of the best cordless vacuum cleaners, has been improving its cordless vacuums over the years in terms of battery life and they’re now at that sweet stage where it's so good you don’t even need to think about battery.

You’re going to get a full hour of use on one charge, meaning even for larger properties you should be able to do the entire area in one go before needing to pop it back in its charging dock. The top model, the Gen5detect, can manage a full 70 minutes on a charge.

Some, like the V15 Detect Absolute, come with removable batteries so you can swap out and go even longer – ideal for anyone covering a really large area or using these for work. Expect a battery to take around three hours to fully charge.

Henry

In this round the Henry comes close, as the Quick can also manage just under an hour on one charge.

While they last similar times, charging the Henry is more awkward. The Dyson simply drops into the dock, whereas the Henry has to be manually plugged into the charger each time.

It’s not a massive effort but when done regularly it could become tiresome – although, for the money saving, it may be worth the effort.

5. Filtration

Capturing and keeping are different things, and while the Dyson excels at capture, the emptying process may release some allergens back into the air. By using bags, the Henry model avoids this problem.

Dyson

Dyson prides itself on its ability to capture allergens. Newer models even measure the dust particles captured and show the amount onscreen.

The HEPA filter can capture particles as small as 0.1 microns in size, automatically increasing suction power when necessary to get the largest number possible. All this means that 99.97% of microscopic particles and allergens can be captured, while cleaner air is expelled.

Henry

Henry has a specific model for this task, called Henry Allergy. This uses a HEPA filtration system capable of offering relief from pet allergies and more.

Crucially, though, since Henry uses bags which are closed, they can be disposed of without releasing the allergens back into the room.

6. Pets

When it comes to pets in the Dyson vs Henry battle, they both have vacuums that are pet specific. The Dyson Animal range makes short work of pet hair while the filter takes care of allergens. Henry Pet is specifically for this need too, and works to reduce odours.

Dyson

Ever since the Dyson Animal heads arrived, the amount of pet hair captured has been high and this technology has been included in all subsequent models. As such the current range all capture animal hair while largely not blocking the brushes too much.

That said, the auto de-tangling isn’t on all models across the Dyson range. The HEPA filter captures dead skin cells and pollen from the hair too, for the ultimate finish.

Henry

The Henry Pet is built with a larger 9 litre (16 pint) capacity, odour-reducing filtration and a capture bag that can be emptied without mess. The heads do still suffer hair blockages, but that’s much like most other models.

7. Ease of use

Dyson and Henry are not complicated appliances and are built for ease of use, but each has its own positives.

Dyson

Dyson models have plenty of attachments and features while remaining physically light and comfortable. The Omni-Glide (Argos, £300), for example, an ultra-manoeuvrable cleaner for hard floors, weighs in at just 1.9kg (4lbs 2oz) making it light work even when the dust chamber is full.

There are lots of attachments included with all models, making the work of getting into corners, covering various floor types and car cleaning all simple tasks. Later models even come with lasers on the heads to better illuminate dust and dirt so you don’t miss anything.

Most Dyson vacuums use a trigger that has to be held down. For those who may struggle there is the latest Gen5 Detect (Dyson, from £650) plus the corded upright models – all of which use on and off buttons for power instead. Also the simple emptying for waste disposal is a bonus here.

Henry

There’s no denying the Henry range couldn’t be simpler to use, plus they’re super sturdy. If you’re used to a pull-along style then they’re an ideal model.

They require a bit of tugging along and having to think about cables and the hose, so a little more work than the Quick. But for ease of use and lots of dirt collection, plus no need to hold down a trigger, it’s straightforward to use.

8. Warranty

Dyson is known not only for the length of its warranty but for its customer service and the ease of getting help if needed.

Dyson

With warranty periods starting at two years for cordless vacuums and going up to five years on uprights, Dyson is a standout performer. The point here is that customer support is excellent and you can expect replacement parts right away, to have you up and running again promptly.

Since Dyson guarantees your product while under warranty, if it can’t be fixed you’ll be sent a brand new replacement model – you can even transfer the warranty if you want to gift yours to someone else.

Henry

Henry vacuum cleaners come with a two-year warranty as standard, plus there’s a Henry Tech support team available should you need them. Since Henry is known for its hardiness, you’re unlikely to need help – issues are few and far between for this little vacuum veteran.

Verdict

Winning in six categories out of the eight, Dyson takes the crown. If you can afford it, Dyson is best in terms of build quality, useful features, ease of use, allergen tackling, pet hair cleaning and warranty. However, the price is considerably higher than a lot of the competition.

So if Dyson doesn’t fit your budget then Henry is a decent alternative. It offers robust vacuum cleaners that can store lots of waste before needing emptying, and those bags do mean a sealed disposal for the cleanest air.

But all this comes down to what suits your home and budget – and which of these criteria are the winning factors for you.