Our Verdict: The George is a fantastic wet and dry vacuum cleaner. It’s great for everything from shampooing carpets to tackling dry debris, making it a versatile cleaning tool. However, it’s not the most convenient vacuum, so we only recommend it if you plan to make use of all its features (including the carpet shampooing and wet modes).
Numatic George GVE370
Pros:
- Versatile wet and dry vacuum that provides excellent cleaning performance
- Carpet shampooing and hard floor cleaning
- Huge capacity makes it suitable for bigger jobs
- Powerful suction
Cons:
- Doesn’t include Numatic’s cord rewind system
- Bulky and heavy
- Changing to shampooing mode requires multiple steps
- Floorhead isn’t the best for cleaning up larger debris
Looking for a multi-functional vacuum cleaner? The Numatic George could be great choice! Read our review of this versatile model to find out whether it meets your requirements.
The Numatic George is a multifunctional wet and dry vacuum cleaner that’s designed to be a versatile home cleaner. Along with vacuuming, it’s capable of shampooing carpets and upholstery, and washing hard floors. It’s also a powerful vac that’s built to Numatic’s usual high standards.
We think the George is an excellent wet and dry vacuum – but only if you plan to use all of its features. For example, if you don’t need the carpet shampooing function, then the cheaper Numatic Charles is probably the better choice. But when it comes to versatile home cleaning, the Numatic George is one of our top picks.
Who should consider buying the George though? And how does it compare to similar wet and dry vacuums? Read our full George review to find out.
Please note: This review is of the GVE 370-2 model. When we refer to the “Numatic George,” we are specifically talking about this version of the vacuum. There may be differences in features and design between this model and other versions.
Overview of the Numatic George GVE 370-2’s Features
- A multi-functional vacuum cleaner that’s capable of dry vacuuming, wet vacuuming, floor washing, and carpet/upholstery shampooing
- Highly durable and excellent build quality
- Huge capacity for both wet and dry vacuuming
- 10-metre power cord and 3-metre hose
- Comes with a variety of tools, including an upholstery nozzle and crevice tool
- 2-year manufacturer’s guarantee
Appearance, Features & Design
The Numatic George aims to be much more than a standard cylinder vacuum. Aside from being able to suck up both solid and liquid spills, it’s also suitable for shampooing carpets and even unblocking sinks. We think this makes it an excellent all-round tool for your home and car.
In particular, the George provides the following functions:
- Dry vacuum. At its core, the George is a dry vacuum cleaner with a similar design to Henry.
- Wet vacuum. The George is also capable of sucking up wet spills, such as from a washing machine leak, or unblocking sinks and showers.
- Carpet and upholstery shampooing. Unlike most wet and dry vacuums, the George includes a special nozzle for shampooing carpets. It also has a smaller nozzle for shampooing upholstery, stairs or car interiors.
- Floor washing. Numatic has included a floor cleaning tool which has a dual design. One side has stiff bristles, which you combine with the cleaning solution spray to scrub dirt from the floor. Once cleaned, you can use the other side to suck up dirty water, leaving your floors almost dry.
In terms of design, the George shares many features with other Numatic vacuums we’ve reviewed. Similarities include a cylinder design, four wheels, and the recognisable smiley face. It also has a 9-litre wet capacity, huge 15-litre dry capacity, and 6-litre extraction capacity, so you can clean for a long time without needing to empty it.
One of the things we love about Numatic vacuum cleaners is how durable and reliable they are. The company specialises in industrial products, so it’s not surprising that George Hoover can withstand a lot of knocks! If you’re looking for a vacuum that lasts a long time, then a Numatic is a safe bet.
A drawback is that this is a heavy and bulky vacuum. Weighing 14.68kg with all the included kit, it’s certainly not a lightweight model. Without the kit, it weighs around 11kg, which is still heavy for a cylinder vacuum.
It’s also a bit bigger than the Henry and doesn’t include Numatic’s cord rewind. This means you’ll need to coil the cord manually on the provided clip, which isn’t as convenient.
Manoeuvrability and Ease of Use
The Numatic George comes with a 10-metre power cord and a 3-metre hose, leading to a large cleaning radius. We like that Numatic has added a bit extra to the cord and hose compared with typical cylinder vacuums, as this makes the George a great choice for cleaning large areas without needing to change socket.
We also like how easy it is to use. There are just two switches, one for suction and the other for pumping water (with cleaning solution.) These can be activated separately or at the same time, depending on the type of cleaning.
As it’s a heavy vacuum, there’s always a risk of manoeuvrability becoming an issue. Numatic has included two fixed wheels at the back, along with two swivel caster wheels on the front. This makes it relatively easy to pull around the home, although we would have preferred four casters. It’s also very stable – which isn’t always true with cylinder vacs!
Filtration
The George has a “two-stage” filtration system. In simple terms, this means that the combination of HepaFlo bag and TriTex filter catches most dust and other allergenic particles.
Like other members of the Henry Hoover family, the bags are self-sealing to prevent particles escaping during the emptying process. This makes it a decent choice for people who suffer from mild dust or pet allergies.
Emptying & Cleaning
When in dry mode, the George is a bagged vacuum cleaner. Bags aren’t as convenient as bagless canisters, but they allow George to hold huge quantities of dirt and dust. We also like that they are also easy to remove and empty without letting dust escape, which is particularly important for people with allergies.
There are two clips to unlock the top of George’s “head” (which is actually the motor unit.) This needs to be removed to either unfix the bag, when emptying dry material, or tip out dirty water. A metal handle is provided, which is important as the vacuum can be extremely heavy when filled with water.
Unfortunately, we think the clips can be stiff when reattaching the motor unit. This is because the clips need to provide downward pressure to properly seal the TriTex filter, but makes reattaching the unit more cumbersome than we would like.
Tools & Accessories
Floorhead
The George comes with Numatic’s standard Combi Floor Tool for dry vacuuming. This floorhead has two modes – carpet and hard floor – making it a solid all-rounder. Like most cylinder vacuums, however, it doesn’t have a powered brush bar.
For wet cleaning, the George has the Dual Scrub Floor Tool. This is the dual-sided brush we mentioned earlier, with the squeegee side providing excellent wet vacuuming performance.
Other Tools and Accessories
Along with the wet and dry floorheads, the George comes with a range of accessories as part of Numatic’s “Wash Kit.” These include:
- Crevice tool
- Dusting brush
- Carpet extraction tool
- Upholstery extraction tool
- Mattress tool
- Upholstery tool with a removable brush (great for furniture, cars and stairs)
There’s also a curved metal handle with suction reduction valve, dry hose, and extension tubes.
The huge set of accessories helps to make the George a versatile vacuum cleaner. The only downside is that you need somewhere to store them all!
While these accessories are relatively simple, we like that they are well-designed and easy to clip on and off. The tools are designed to be attached to the curved handle, but if you’re cleaning in awkward places then Numatic has included an adapter to attach them directly to the hose. There’s also on-board tool storage.
In particular, we like that the George has a separate crevice tool. Many modern vacuums have a 2-in-1 combi brush, which leads to smaller crevice tools. The George’s reasonably long crevice tool is great for cleaning in awkward places, like down the side of your fridge freezer or around furniture.
A downside is that there’s no motorised pet tool included with the George. If you have pets, we think you’ll probably want to purchase Numatic’s AiroBrush separately, which is designed for picking up pet hair.
Suction Power & Cleaning Performance
Despite being an all-rounder, the Numatic George provides great performance on almost every cleaning task. It’s not the most convenient vacuum, but it makes up for this with strong performance.
Additionally, as the George is a wet and dry vacuum, it isn’t limited to 900W by EU regulations. Instead, it has a powerful 1200W motor, which can generate excellent suction for both wet and dry vacuuming.
Dry Vacuuming
Converting the George into dry mode is relatively straightforward. You just need to push the HepaFlo bag onto the inner suction tube, then attach the large TriTex filter. The whole process takes less than a minute.
With that said, the fact that you need to convert to dry mode at all makes the vacuum a bit less convenient than “ready to go” vacuums, although we think this is inevitable when buying a multi-functional vac.
Once it’s ready to clean, we think the George does a decent job of vacuuming both carpets and hard floors. It’s also surprisingly effective at removing pet hair, although we still recommend buying the extra pet tool if your dog or cat sheds a lot.
A downside is that the standard Numatic floorhead isn’t great for picking up larger debris. You might need to go over the same patch several times when clearing up spilt cereal or rice. It also doesn’t come with variable suction, which is a feature included with many other modern cylinder vacs. This can sometimes make it difficult to push.
Wet Vacuuming
There are a few steps required to convert the George to wet mode. Firstly, you’ll need to remove the hose from the front, then take out both the TriTex filter and the bag. Once the vacuum is empty, you’ll need to attach the float valve. As the name suggests, this floats as the vacuum fills up, eventually becoming sealed once the vacuum is full to avoid overflowing.
With its strong suction power, the George does a great job at sucking up small spills. It also has a relatively large water capacity of 9 litres, so you can vacuum a lot of fluid before needing to empty the vac. If you need a vacuum for unblocking sinks, vacuuming up wet spills, or dealing with household leaks, the George Hoover is a great choice.
Tip: While you can use the dry hose for vacuuming up wet spills, make sure this is fully dried inside before vacuuming dry debris. If it’s still damp, dirt will get stuck within the hose.
Carpet and Upholstery Shampooing
Converting the vacuum to shampooing mode is similar to the wet vacuum function, although you’ll need to insert the cleaning solution tank before adding the float valve. This tank contains hot water combined with whichever cleaning product you want to use. You’ll also need to insert a small tube into the cleaning solution.
Once the vacuum body is ready, you can then attach the shampooing hose, which has a different design to the regular vacuuming hose. This is actually a combination of two hoses, one for suction and one for applying the solution, so you’ll need to attach these separately to both the vacuum and whichever tool you use.
As you move over the carpet, the solution is applied evenly onto the floor, before being sucked up by the vacuum. This prevents oversoaking and leave the carpets fresh and clean.
A downside is that the setup process feels quite fiddly – especially if you’re used to the click-and-go tools found on modern dry vacuums. There are multiple tubes and attachments required to get the shampooing system running properly, and some of the steps need to be done in a certain order or it doesn’t work.
We think the results are worth the extra effort though. George isn’t going to clean as deeply as a specialist carpet cleaner – and the lack of a motorised brush bar means it’s not as effective as an upright carpet washer. But for an all-in-one tool, it’s great for removing stains and freshening up carpets. It’s also brilliant for cleaning car interiors.
Tip: Make sure you only use cleaning solution that’s designed for machine usage.
Hard Floor Cleaning
Setting up the vacuum for hard floor cleaning is similar to shampooing, although you’ll need to attach the hard floor tool. Once attached, you can use the trigger to spray the solution over the hard floor, then agitate it with the hard floor brush.
Finally you can switch on the vacuum system and suck up the dirty water using the squeegee side of the hard floor tool. We’re big fans of this feature, as many other cleaning tools simply leave the water to dry (or even just push it around,) rather than removing it.
The results are impressive. The George does an excellent job of cleaning hard floors in a relatively short time, so it’s great if you have tiles or laminate flooring.
Price & Value for Money
The Numatic George vacuum cleaner has an RRP of £249.99. We think it provides excellent value for money at this price. It’s also often possible to find the George for sale at cheaper prices, making it an even more attractive option for anyone looking for a multi-purpose vac.
This is only true if you plan on using all of George’s features on a regular basis though. If you don’t think you’ll use the carpet shampooing function, for example, then it’s probably better to get the cheaper Numatic Charles. If you just want a regular cylinder vacuum, then any of the models on our top list is likely to be a better choice.
Numatic George Specification Table
| Ninja Column 1 | Ninja Column 2 |
|---|---|
| Type | Wet and Dry |
| Bag | Bag |
| Filter | TriTex |
| Price Range | £££ |
| Weight (kg) | 11 |
| Dry Capacity (Litres) | 15 |
| Pet Tool | No |
| Hose | Yes |
| Cord Length (Metres) | 10 |
Comparison With Other Vacuums
Numatic George Vs Charles – What’s the Difference?
The Numatic Charles is the company’s basic wet and dry vacuum. It’s still a powerful model with a huge capacity, but doesn’t include the carpet shampooing or hard floor cleaning features of George.
Verdict
If you’re looking for a machine that can be a dry vacuum, wet vacuum, and carpet shampooer, then the Numatic George is probably the best on the market. It’s one of the most versatile vacs we’ve reviewed, plus it also has excellent durability, a large capacity, and a variety of tools.
The George isn’t the most convenient vacuum though. Switching to carpet shampooing mode, in particular, can be a fiddly process. If you’re not planning to use the hard floor or carpet cleaning functions on a regular basis, then the Henry is lighter, quieter, and easier to use.
There’s no doubt it’s a useful tool to have in the home though. We highly recommend it to anyone looking for a vacuum with multiple functions.