There's a fine line between participation and mockery.

Vacuuming your home can be either an unavoidable necessity or a form of therapy. The difference is often the tool you use.

A good vacuum cleaner, one able to deal with all the detritus of life that finds its way across the threshold of your home and from there into carpets, soft furniture and all the hard to access nooks and crannies where dirt accumulates, is more often than not the difference between the therapy of a job well done and the frustration of the task.

Your weapon of choice will depend on your circumstances and who shares your abode – a moulting pet adds the complication of discarded hair, dust mite allergies, a mix of surfaces to access – carpets, curtains & blinds, bed mattresses, difficult corners or restricted under bed spaces, computer key boards; all add complexities in choosing the right machine. Do you need one Swiss Army Knife with a tool for every situation or multiple specialist devices?

In recent years there has been an explosion of choice as manufacturers seek to stand above their competition: Upright or Canister? Bagless or Bagged? Stick or Handheld? Cyclone? Robotic? Pet Hair? Ultra Fine Filtration? Special Tools & Attachments? There are over 46 brand manufactures and countless variations and constructions that purport “perfect solution”. In my experiance most result in disappointment or frustration. In my home 3 Dyson’s and most recently a Vax Air Max Pet have all faced defeat.

Each time we have fallen back on an old friend – Henry.

Each time he has come out of the depths of the garage with a covering of dust and grime. Once cleaned he has accepted the challenge and reverted to his role with a happy thrum from his now decade old motor.

Henry is not the most powerful, nor the most effective but happily passes the 80% rule – proving good enough and to have a tool for every challenge presented . Henry is an old friend following behind , hitting every corner , flipping over at will, frustrating and soothing in equal measure and always with a smile on his face that is in equal part reassuring and patronizing, a look that reminds you that nothing recedes like technological progress which whist real is invariably disappointing. Henry is the only vacuum that owners naturally respond to with personification.

Compared to the Formula One performance of the latest must have machines that boast the likes of AI tech to optimise dust-detection and tune suction for each surface encountered, Smart hair removal, Long life cordless performance, Laser navigation, High power cyclone engines and a near endless continuing features list, dear old Henry simply chugs along at his own pace – a marine diesel in a world of high power cutting edge V8 hybrids.

But the fact is that a Formula One engine’s life is measured in minutes or at best hours and, the whole F1 car it powers is obsolete and discarded in favour of a new, improved, faster, more powerful, better designed replacement within months. Whilst the marine diesel will last a lifetime happily delivering years of service.

Henry may irritate the hell oit of you as he crashes into your furniture and performs his flips and turns at will – but he will not let you down. He will always come out of storage to save the day and do the job - whilst his smiling face reminds you of the failures of your efforts to replace him.

15 million sales and counting says Henry does more right than wrong