Well tbh i've never used a Henry although the wife did years ago and loved it and as for our latest upright Dyson i agree that the hose and flex could do with being a bit longer but being in flat we only have to reposition the plug when we tackle the stairs but on the plus side our latest Dyson only seems to be half the weight of the old one so it's not so bad carrying it while using it when the need arises but i do plan on fitting a longer flex at a later date so repositioning the plug won't be an issue and as for parts breaking on the Dyson well that's never been an issue even with the old one so either you've been a bit heavy handed with yours or just unfortunate ..