Cheap sturdy vacuum cleaner for DIY cleanup

[deed02392]

i know this is an old topic but i couldn't help but respond to this because i'm literally here after my miele cat n dog gave up the ghost cleaning up trash left under the floorboards from a cowboy renovation.

[SteamyTea]

Henry are good, as are Numatic (which is the same but a bit cheaper).

 

We got one of these for general cleaning at work, is good, but heavy and hard to push when on full suck.

https://sharkclean.co.uk/product/shark-anti-hair-wrap-upright-vacuum-cleaner-with-lift-away-pet-model-black-nz691uktdb-zidNZ691UKTDB

[Mattg4321]

V-tuf mini is decent, and it’s M class, so site compliant 

[JohnMo]

I used a Henry attached to a concrete floor grinder, many bags later still going strong. Several years later still no issue. Get one with HEPA filter so no dust makes it's way to the motor.

 

Several years ago used a Dyson to hoover up some plaster dust, 10 mins later it went bang. Not covered by warranty as it was being used for a DIY task!

[Ed21]

Titan from Screwfix at £52  - does all that you want and loads of extras. 

I've got the bigger one which has a seriously good extra and IMO well worth paying for. 
Saws, sanders, drills etc. all have dust management outlets so it can be connected to a vacumn. 

On the £100 odd Titans it has a socket to plug in whatever you are using.
This creates an auto-start soon as you switch on say a sander that reduces dust a lot. 

Use it a lot on my table saw. 

[DownSouth]

Killed Henry this week by sucking water out of some ducting  he was 16 years old and had a busy life 😁

[Beau]

1 hour ago, DownSouth said:

Killed Henry this week by sucking water out of some ducting  he was 16 years old and had a busy life 😁

 

You can get replacement motors for a lot less than a new unit if nothing else is wrecked 

[Super_Paulie]

my trusty, flimsy titan has got me through my build. He's had a rough life so will be out to pasture cleaning the car when he retires. Cost me more for the bags and the filter than the actual vac if i recall.

[jack]

On 26/11/2025 at 11:38, JohnMo said:

I used a Henry attached to a concrete floor grinder, many bags later still going strong. Several years later still no issue. Get one with HEPA filter so no dust makes it's way to the motor.

 

Several years ago used a Dyson to hoover up some plaster dust, 10 mins later it went bang. Not covered by warranty as it was being used for a DIY task!

 

Almost EXACTLY my experience. Wife used new Dyson to vacuum up a tiny amount of concrete dust, it developed a loud squeal, and was never the same again, even after sending it in for a service to address the issue.

 

My inlaws run a plant hire company and hire out Henrys. They last forever. After our experience with the Dyson, we got hold of an ex-hire Henry. It vacuumed up everything we threw at it during the build, including concrete and plaster dust, and is still going strong a decade later.

 

One of the guys onsite during our build had one. Chatting away to him about their reliability, and we learn that he's been running his without a bag, for years, because he didn't know it needed one! 

[sgt_woulds]

I've never used bags in my Henrys (multiple) but then I've never bough one brand new either!  I've currently got 3, and I've given away I think another 5 to friends.  All taken off skips or grabbed at the local tip when no-one is looking.  There is a common problem with his high/low suction switch that stops them from turning on.  Most people just buy a new one when this happens, but being of the 'make do and mend' type (generation cheapskate) I just bypass the switch so it is constantly on full power. 

 

If I'd paid for a hoover I would probably just use it to clean the house and buy the ridiculously small and expensive bags, but otherwise they work fine without as long as you bash the filter regularly into the wheely bin.  You need to do this more regularly with plaster dust and wood fibre as they clog the filter quickly.  I use one of the other Henries to clean the filter and bob's your uncle.

 

The suction is much better without the bags and you can get more dirt into the hoover.  I keep meaning to buy a cyclone attatchment, but until I start paying for hoovers I'm not too bothered.

 

I've just realised that my oldest free hoover (and the one I keep for the worst jobs) came off a skip on the day that I started installing solar, so that would make it more than 25 years old and still going strong. 😀

Edited 3 hours ago by sgt_woulds

[jack]

2 hours ago, sgt_woulds said:

I've just realised that my oldest free hoover (and the one I keep for the worst jobs) came off a skip on the day that I started installing solar, so that would make it more than 25 years old and still going strong. 😀

 

I'm not surprised. The one we snaffled over 10 years ago had already had a long history of being hired out to builders, who you can be sure didn't treat it with any respect.