CVC370-2 Charles Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaner, 15 Litre, 1060 W, Blue, Blue/Black

I was having renovations done to my house and needed to clean up some building rubble and plaster dust. I was then using a Morphy Richards vacuum that I inherited from my sister, it had these two big cyclonic chambers (a la Dyson) however it’s performance was lacking. Despite its looks it would clog up if you even vaguely went near any plaster dust, this is due to the tiny filters and convoluted air path through the machine. Plaster dust is possibly one of the worst things to vacuum as it is extremely fine and sticks to everything. I had always though Numatics must be good as all the professional cleaners use them and I wanted to get a Henry. I bought this instead of the Henry as the Henrys are limited to a lower power due to energy saving regulations, Charles is 1.3kw as it is a wet/dry and falls under a different category. Also the appeal of the wet vacuum mode was a positive, so far I'm super happy with it. What I love about the Numatic stuff is that it is very simple and very high quality. There are no gimmicks or fancy tricks or expensive marketing (l'm looking at you Dyson). Their stuff just works and they wouldn’t be so popular with professional cleaners if they didn’t I also suffer from allergies so am sensitive to dust, I have never liked bagless vacuum cleaners as you constantly have to empty and clean the filters, whereas with bags you just pull the bag off, seal it and throw it. The suction is very strong and the accessories are simple but well made, particularly the brush head which is made with horsehair which keeps its shape unlike nylon bristles which are more common. I hadn’t used the wet feature until recently, my dad was visiting and he dropped his toothbrush head down my sink. I thought it was a goner but remembered Charles can do wet as well. It took less than a minute to change into wet mode and it sucked up the whole sink trap including the toothbrush head. My only criticisms are that it lacks a winding feature like the henry, however I have never liked the self-retracting cords as they always break after a while. Also it’s a bit bulky and large, but the plus side is that it has huge capacity. Overally highly recommended.

First thing i want to do is clear up confusion about Charlies specs - different sellers giving different descriptions so i checked with Numatic directly - He is made in the UK - some of the parts may be sourced elsewhere but hes built in Chard, Somerset. He is 1060watts and his pipes/tubes are aluminium and painted grey. As a dry vacuum he has 15 litre capacity and as a wet vacuum he has 9 litres capacity - he is a wet *or* dry vacuum only. Dust bags are available and some were included in the box along with various attachments - some for making dry vacuuming easier others for wet vacuuming - the Numatic ref for the attachments is kit A21A. Having a taller bucket and the motor being in his shiny black hat, could cause instability but Charlies base is extended and thats where the tools can be stored, with a slot that caters for the main hose and pipe - see photo - theres a hook that the cable can be put on once coiled although some people wrap it around the lid. Before the original Henry was released in 1981, i used to have a VAX the iconic Orange and Black that was also a carpet cleaner and its problem was being top heavy - it used to fall over - The extended base on Charles ensures he is really stable when being pulled around so no falling over. He is really really light - and having had a Basil for 25+ years - the aluminium pipes on Charles rather than steel - make using Charles really easy. As with all of the Numatic family - Henry and all his relatives, including Charles, have a great simplistic set up - the multiple section pipes make removing any blockage really easy.- lego bricks in particular have a habit of getting stuck in any vacuum cleaner. The long black pipe is also easy to unblock because it just unscrews and is straight - and even the internal connector is easy to access. Using a dustbag for regular vacuuming, ensures longevity with the motor - without the dustbag, rubble, wood chips from DIY etc are vacuumed up easily - which is why these machines are so popular with self employed builders. I have the Hairo attachment - which is great not only for pet hairs because it has a rotating brush powered by the force of air sucked into the attachment... but being smaller its great in lots of awkward to get at places. The rise of using rugs with hardwood floors, is where Charlies wet vacuuming is great - no need to wait for the sun to shine so you can dry them outside - because you can get so much water out with Charles - they dry inside really quickly.... If Charles is still going strong in 27 years, like my Basil who ive given to my son - then the £149 is very good value (£5.51 per year). Numatic also sell parts so that every model dating back to the first ever made can be repaired - so for our more eco conscious times theres less to go to landfill.

This is a brilliant vacuum. I use it for its wet functionality as recent roadworks outside my cottage have redirected an intermittent spring so heavy rain now causes it to through my utility room. I am a pensioner and I find the Charles to be quite heavy when full of water but I've bought a Stream SSP Puddle Pump and instead of carrying the full Charles to the back door to empty, I put the pump inside it and it pumps it empty very quickly through the hosepipe I've run through the cat flap.

Firstly, let's get the only negative out of the way - it doesn't have the superb cord storage that the other Numatic hoovers have. Not sure why ?? Right, putting that to one side now I am going to tell you how good it is. I had the Numatic Henry HVR200A (the older model Henry with a high and a low speed setting on it), and to be fair that is a superb Hoover too, but I wanted one that could pick water up too, so i started doing my homework ... It had to be a Numatic as I really rated the ones I have used before. The only thing that was bugging me was that my girlfriend had recently bought the Hetty model, and the suction just didn't seem anywhere near what my old HVR200A was, so I rang Numatic up. I was right, the new ones are much less powerful than the old ones - due to silly new E.U. Laws/Regs believe it or not. So the new one I was going to buy HAD to be better than my old HVR200A; this one is ... If you want my honest advice, DO NOT BUY ANY OF THE NEW MODEL DRY PICK UP NUMATIC HOOVERS AS THEY ARE HALF AS POWERFUL AS THEY USED TO BE - DUE TO THE E.U. - but what I didn't realise is, until I rang Numatic again, is that the new laws on vacs DO NOT APPLY to wet vacs - and this model is classed as a wet vac - so that's the way around it if you are obsessed with the suction power like me; This vac has one suction speed - INSANELY POWERFUL ! My advice, don't mess around with the new models with around 600w of power, when this one is TWICE that, and it's only about £30 more, AND it also picks up water. It is an absolute bargain, and a absolute beast of a Hoover, and for the price I paid off amazon it is so much better than a fancy Dyson. The Dysons are much more technical/better looking hoovers, but the key to this model being so damn good, is its sheer simplicity. These hoovers are pretty much bomb proof and there is very little to them, which makes them so simple, and so brilliant. I hope you trust what you have just read, and thanks for reading my ad.

Having recently sent back a faulty wet and dry vacuum cleaner - a Karcher - i was hoping this one would work - and it does. however, it arrived with a slightly cracked carrying handle. so slight that it seemed not worth the effort to pack it up again and send it back; besides which, i need it NOW. so i thought i'd test the wet function out, and if it worked then i'd ignore the handle defect. happily it sucked water up vigorously, and in no time at all i had a clean kitchen floor - having simply slooshed bowls of water over the floor and sucked the water up again. less effort than a mop, and more efficient. (hopefully it'll perform equally well if i have to clean up muddy flood water, which is what i've bought it for.) i was very impressed with the ease of cleaning the wet filter - which is a lid and a basket-like attachment with a net covering, and a plastic float ball inside. i simply rinsed it under running water, and it was clean in a moment. it dried very quickly, too. the bucket part emptied easily, as it has a handle for carrying, and with a quick rinse round, i left it to dry upside down, outside. shortly afterwards i was able to reassemble the now-dry cleaner with the dry filter and dirt bag (five of these are provided)and it did a very good job of dry vacuuming a wooden floor, a rough stone flag floor and a carpeted staircase. top marks for suction, both dry and wet. one definite point against this cleaner: (i found this with a previous Numatic cleaner, too.) the tubes assemble by pushing into each other, and they are difficult to push into place, and really difficult to get off again, especially if you have slightly arthritic hands. a simple twist and click mechanism would work so much better. the flex is extremely long, which is good, but does not retract into the cylinder, as some of the Numatic cleaners do. the various cleaning heads are well made, although the rubber-edged one for wet cleaning looks a little flimsy; time will tell whether it stands up to rough stone flags, etc. however, all the parts are easily replaceable from Numatic. on balance - and assuming it keeps working as well as it's done so far, i think this is a good buy. i'd prefer the tubes to assemble much more easily, and i also found the top, which houses the motor, quite difficult to fix in place: the push-in 'ears' don't push in easily - they have to be practically kicked into place! these may seem small quibbles, but they all add up to extra expenditure of effort. please take note, Numatic!

- Started off with a nasty high pitch noise at first but it has worn in nicely after a few hours use - Powerful enough to pick up small pieces of rubble and nails - Doesn't get blocked up by very fine building dust - I've been through about 6 bags worth and it has only blocked once or twice where the pipe enters the body, it was very easy to unblock - Fairly lightweight for its size - Tough enough for daily use on a building site - Be sure to use the right bags and not the smaller Henry ones like I did (they split every time)! - The large main filter in the body is great. Even if the bag splits, or you don't use a bag at all, this filter stops any muck getting in the motor. It will need to be bashed clean when you empty, or better still use another vacuum cleaner to remove all the muck and dust. Put it back together and the power is back to like new again - Decent head that cleans right to the edges of skirting boards etc. - Makes my £350 domestic upright vacuum cleaner that sounds like Tyson seem overpriced and under powered Well done Charles, keep up the good work!

This wet and dry vacuum cleaner was delivered next day, so very happy about that as needed a replacement hoover quickly!. It has immensely powerful suction and a generous power cable that extends approx 20 feet, so very useful if wanting to hoover from one room to another without having to unplug the cable!. Comes with all the essential parts such as vacuum bags and parts to do the wet cleaning, so no extra purchase necessary - only the floor cleaning liquid not supplied. What I particularly love about this hoover is the fact that it has a generous long hose assembly that can be adjusted to any height you prefer, and a floor tool brush that glides effortlessly on rugs and carpets. Although I am yet to use the wash tub facility, very simple to put together so no instructions are necessary: parts just slot together with ease and pretty self-explanatory without having to refer to a manual for instance. This brand of vacuum by far the best on the market and they do last years if domestically used and parts replaced every couple of years. The character of the Charles just as stunning and capable of all tasks as the George and a lot cheaper to buy too - you definitely get your money's worth with this vacuum cleaner and because it outstrips the performance of even some of the most top brand regular ones.

This is just a very quick review as I've literally just put it together and have the hall and garage a quick once over. Instructions are very good and the parts you get are plentiful and usefull. My hallway is laminate flooring and the last couple of days we've had tons of leaves blowing in everytime the door opens. I've just given the floor a VERY quick going over and the suction on this vacuum is mental. I could barely move the head across the floor. It got all the leaves without issue and the dust from the edges that our Kirby missed. The garage floor was covered in sunflower seed husks as a sneaky family of mice have hidden away somewhere in there and are nicking our chickens treats. 30 seconds later and the garage floor is spotless with the vacuum never faltering. Not had chance to try the wet function yet but now I've said that you just know my radiators are going to burst when I've put the vacuum away. Anyway, this is an amazing bit of kit. We've got a Kirby (it was a gift-wrapped I wasn't gonna spend that kinda money on a vacuum), and a G-tech handheld and upright which are all brilliant. But this is ideal for the really messy jobs. Worth every penny 👍