Nilfisk Ghibli Numatic and Pacvac: Format Roles Not Just Brand Picks

Two jobs land on the same equipment budget. One is a four-level office block with stairwells, partitions and desks. The other is a hotel back-of-house where the cool room floods every few weeks and the carpeted function room needs extracting after every event. Buy brand-first and both sites get the same machine. Buy format-first and the office gets a backpack with an 18-metre cord, while the hotel gets a wet-and-dry tub and a carpet extractor.

That is the whole argument of this guide. Pacvac, Nilfisk, Ghibli and Numatic are all serious commercial brands, but on Freshway's range they do not cover the same formats in the same depth. Work out the format each job needs, then pick the brand that does that format well.

Pacvac, Nilfisk, Ghibli or Numatic commercial vacuum: the short answer

Pick the format first, then the brand. On Freshway's range, Pacvac is mainly a backpack line, Ghibli pairs its T1 backpack with wet-and-dry tubs, and Numatic covers tub vacuums, wet-and-dry and carpet extraction. Nilfisk spans backpacks, canisters, wet-and-dry and dust-class safety vacuums, which makes it the broadest single-brand option.

The sections below follow a simple decision path: format, then filtration class, then parts and service, then brand.

Stop shopping brand-first

Brand loyalty makes sense for spares and training, but it breaks down when one brand is stretched across jobs it was never built for. A backpack is the wrong tool for a flooded floor. A dry tub is the wrong tool for silica dust from a refurbishment. A wet-and-dry drum is a slow way to vacuum four floors of carpet tiles.

Start with three questions for each site. Is the soil dry, wet or hazardous? Is the floor broken up by stairs and furniture, or long and open? Who carries or tows the machine, and for how long? The answers give you a format. Brand comes after that.

Backpack specialists

All four brands sell a backpack, but the depth differs. Freshway's Pacvac backpack range runs from the Thrift 650 through the Superpro 700, Superpro Duo and Superpro Micron to the VELO and the battery-powered Superpro Go and Velo Go. Pacvac Australia describes the Superpro as built for offices, commercial buildings, stadiums and other large areas, with an 18 m cord and a height-adjustable harness.

The others offer narrower choices. Ghibli's role is the T1 backpack, which Freshway lists in the T1v3 version with H14 HEPA filtration and an 18 m cord. Nilfisk offers the GD5 in dry, HEPA and battery versions. Numatic's backpack on Freshway is the cordless RSB150NX, which runs on the NX300 battery.

Weight on the operator still matters. SafeWork NSW lists sustained or awkward posture and repetitive movement among the risk factors that make a manual task hazardous. Have operators try the harness before you commit a whole crew to one model.

Canister strengths by brand

Off the back, the brands spread out further:

• Numatic is the tub specialist. Freshway lists the Henry HVR200 and Hetty HET200P dry tubs, the Charles CVC370 and WV380-2 wet-and-dry machines, the George GVE370 and CT-series carpet extractors, and the HZ370 H-class vacuum. Numatic's Australian product list shows the same spread, plus NX cordless models.
• Nilfisk covers dry canisters such as the VP300 HEPA TC and VP400, the VL500 35-litre wet-and-dry and the ATTIX range. It also covers M-class and H-class safety vacuums such as the AERO 26 and VHS 42. Nilfisk Australia's dry vacuum page lists its GD5 backpacks next to the VP300 to VP600 canisters.
• Ghibli is strongest in wet-and-dry tubs. Freshway lists the 11-litre ASL7P, the 35-litre AS9P, the 56-litre twin-motor AS12P-CBN with a tilting container, and a 35-litre spray-extraction machine.
• Pacvac has one canister on Freshway, the Glide 300, listed with a 15-litre capacity and an 18 m cord.

Parts ecosystem: where brand really pays off

Brand loyalty earns its keep in consumables. Freshway's listings show several shared parts that make a single-brand fleet within one format easier to run:

• Pacvac lists one H13 HEPA pre-motor cartridge for the Micron, Superpro Micron 700 and Thrift backpacks.
• Ghibli lists one HEPA cartridge for the T1, T1v2 and T1v3, plus separate lids, shoulder straps and waist straps.
• Numatic lists one Tritex filter for Henry and Hetty, a HepaFlo bag pack (604015) listed for Henry, Hetty, Charles and George, and one NX300 battery for its NX cordless machines, including the RSB150NX backpack, NBV190NX Henry and CTB370NX extractor.
• Nilfisk lists paper bags shared by the GD5 and GD10, and another pack shared by the VP300, GD910 and GD1000.

The practical rule is to standardise within a format, not across formats. Numatic is the partial exception, because its tub-based dry, wet-and-dry and extraction machines share that bag. Three Superpros sharing one filter are easy to stock. A Superpro, a Henry and an AS9P share almost nothing, and that is fine as long as each one is doing the job it suits. The earlier Ghibli and Numatic range and support guide goes deeper on those two parts lists.

Service and pickup in Sydney

A format plan also needs a repair plan. Freshway's Service & Repairs page covers backpack vacuums, commercial wet-and-dry vacuums and carpet extractors. It offers drop-off plus pick-up and delivery for commercial clients across Sydney, a quote before work starts, and a 30-day repair warranty. It names Pacvac, Nilfisk and Numatic among the brands its technicians work on. Ghibli is not named there, so confirm before booking a Ghibli machine in.

Electrical testing belongs in the same plan. SafeWork NSW's electrical risks fact sheet points to AS/NZS 3760 and gives commercial cleaning equipment as an example that needs testing more often, for example at least once every six months. Corded backpacks and tubs both fall into that group. Pacvac's backpack range page includes a Superpro school edition that it describes as tested and tagged.

Matching formats to industries

Offices, cinemas and multi-level buildings. Backpacks, because stairs and furniture break up the floor. A Pacvac Superpro or Ghibli T1 with an 18 m cord covers a large zone from one power point.

Aged care, healthcare and day cleaning. A backpack or canister with H13 or H14 HEPA filtration, such as the Superpro Micron, GD5 HEPA, VP300 HEPA TC or Ghibli T1v3. Check the noise figure on the brand's own spec sheet.

Hospitality back-of-house and cool rooms. A wet-and-dry tub from Freshway's wet and dry vacuum range, such as the Numatic Charles, Ghibli AS9P or Nilfisk VL500. Add a carpet extractor such as the George GVE370 if there are function rooms.

Builders' cleans and refurbishments. A dust-class machine, not a HEPA backpack. SafeWork NSW's silica dust clean-up guidance points to M- or H-class rated vacuum cleaners and says household vacuums should never be used where silica dust may be present, even with a HEPA filter. The Nilfisk AERO 26 (M-Class and H-Class versions) and the Numatic HZ370 H-class are the dust-class options here.

Warehouses and large open floors. A large wet-and-dry drum such as the 56-litre Ghibli AS12P-CBN for spills and bulk debris, with a scrubber or sweeper doing the main floor.

Spec compare method for a mixed fleet

Once each job has a format, compare machines within that format only. Work through these steps in order:

1. Lock the class. Decide dry, wet-and-dry, extraction or L/M/H dust class before looking at any model.
2. Use one source per comparison. Pacvac Australia's Superpro page states how the brand tests its machines and lists at-ear noise. Compare figures measured the same way, not a brochure number against a retailer summary.
3. Check reach. Cord length (18 m on the Superpro, T1v3 and Glide 300, 10 m on the Henry and VP300 HEPA TC) or battery runtime per charge.
4. Check capacity and bag type. 5 litres on most backpacks, 15 litres on the Glide 300 and VP400, and 35 to 56 litres on the wet-and-dry drums listed above.
5. Check filtration wording. H13 or H14 HEPA describes the filter. M or H class describes the whole machine.
6. Check parts and service. Confirm the bag, filter and battery are listed, and that the repair workshop handles that brand.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Standardising on one brand across every format, then running dry vacuums over wet spills.
• Reading "HEPA" as "H-class" on a refurbishment job.
• Buying a backpack for a site where the soil is mostly bulk debris or liquid.
• Mixing three backpack brands in one crew, so every van carries three sets of bags and filters.
• Forgetting that corded machines need regular test and tag, and putting machines back into service after a repair without it.

Summary table: give each brand a role

Use this as a starting map, then check the individual product pages on Freshway's Nilfisk vacuum range and the brand collections for current models.

Brand	Formats on Freshway's range	Role to give it	Example listings
Pacvac	Corded and battery backpacks, one canister	Crew backpack standard	Superpro 700, Superpro Micron, Superpro Go, Glide 300
Ghibli	T1 backpack, wet-and-dry tubs, spray extraction	HEPA backpack and wet pickup	T1v3, AS9P, AS12P-CBN
Numatic	Dry tubs, wet-and-dry, carpet extraction, H-class, NX cordless	Tub and extraction fleet	Henry HVR200, Charles CVC370, George GVE370, HZ370
Nilfisk	Backpacks, dry canisters, wet-and-dry, M and H class	Broad single-brand option and safety vacuums	GD5 HEPA, VP300 HEPA TC, VL500, AERO 26

Frequently asked questions

Next steps with Freshway

List your sites, give each one a format using the three questions above, and then shortlist two models per format. Freshway stocks all four brands, with brand collections for Pacvac, Nilfisk, Ghibli and Numatic. Check each product page for current pricing and availability, and ask the Arncliffe team to confirm that the bags, filters and batteries for your shortlist are listed before you order.