OCDetails Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Vacuum-ED500-500-Watt-Electric/dp/B001J4ZOAW]Amazon.com: Metro Vacuum ED500 DataVac 500-Watt 0.75-HP Electric Duster 120 volt: Home Improvement[/ame] Check that bad boy out. I was at a friend's house and he had one in his office. He builds and repairs computers for a living, so it makes sense. Anyway, I watched him use one to blow the dust out of a case and I was blown away! (no pun intended) This thing blows at least twice as hard as canned air does, but that isn't the cool part. I was having visions of blowing water out of gas doors and emblems and everywhere else it hides on a car. Holy cow... this thing would be awesome at drying! Maybe not drying the whole car, but why not? It probably could. with the right attachment it could probably do the job. Anyway, this is next on my list of things to get. I don't know why I haven't looked into one before. I am familiar with the metrovacs, but they have always seemed really expensive and would take a lot of details before it started to pay for itself, but $50 or $60 bucks is easy. It could save me ten or twenty minutes per car if it really works, and that adds up fast. Just getting rid of the frustrating water that always drips out of the side mirrors would make it worth it. I'll keep you posted when I get it. I thought it was cool and figured I'd share. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claw Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Yep, I've been using one for a couple of years. Works very well for blasting away water and cleaning dirt from RC cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claw Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 One of the local detailing shops uses a moar badass version of the same. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfGSLSTaOB4]Metro Vac Master Blaster air dryer demonstration by Auto Obsessed - YouTube[/ame] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Con.Harr91 Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Or you can get an electric leaf blower for around $30! As you said, its really helpful for blowing water out of tight spaces (side mirrors, door handles, gas caps, etc) but you shouldn't use it to try a whole car unless you're using deionized water to wash with, otherwise you'll end up with some nasty water spots! '03 Forester X 5mt - Engine Seized at 262k miles. '05 LGT Wagon 6mt -MotoIQ.com Project Vehicle '13 VW Touareg TDI - Daily Torque Monster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted June 10, 2014 Author Share Posted June 10, 2014 I'd love the big metro vac, but they are spendy mo-fos. I just haven't felt the ROI for that machine exists for what I do. The other nice thing about this machine is that there is a filter on it, so you aren't risking sucking in a bunch of dust and sand blasting your paint. I know it isn't a huge risk, but every little bit of safety helps. It's also a little more compact and easier to throw in the kit if you are detailing mobile somewhere, as I occasionally do. I agree with the leaf blower idea though. That's what I've been using until now, but I'm switching to this little guy soon. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soloz2 Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Metro makes one the same size that is slightly more powerful intended for motorcycles. It's called the sidekick and is only $15-20 more. I've been considering one myself, but wondering if the $200 version would be better since I found it for only $170 Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk Current: 16 Crosstrek Premium w/ Eyesight & 05 Outback XT 5MT Past Subies: 14 FXT Premium, 14 WRX hatch, 06 Legacy 2.5i SE 5MT, 98 Outback wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Con.Harr91 Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 If either of you are interested, I can get the Sidekick (filtered, AND heated air) for $60.70 and the car dryer for $152.74. Wholesale accounts are a wonderful thing. '03 Forester X 5mt - Engine Seized at 262k miles. '05 LGT Wagon 6mt -MotoIQ.com Project Vehicle '13 VW Touareg TDI - Daily Torque Monster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted June 10, 2014 Author Share Posted June 10, 2014 I may take you up on that. I'm sure the DataVac is just lower powered so you aren't blowing your computer to pieces when you try to get the dust out, but I'm not planning on using it that way. I'll take all the air I can get. I'll reach out to you when I'm ready to pull the trigger and see if you are still interested in hooking a brother up. Nice offer! _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnyJagaru Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Just get an air compressor and be done with it. Far more useful for working on cars than some plastic gadget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflystyle Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 ^ prolly not a good idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Con.Harr91 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Theres nothing wrong with an air compressor to blow out gaps on a car for drying, but it is inconvenient for guys like me who do mobile detailing work. '03 Forester X 5mt - Engine Seized at 262k miles. '05 LGT Wagon 6mt -MotoIQ.com Project Vehicle '13 VW Touareg TDI - Daily Torque Monster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chutoyy Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 I use a leaf blower... works well in the engine bay, bumper caps, trim pieces, wheels... Kinda like one of those gas station car washes. And if the car has a good sealant, I don't even need a towel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 Just get an air compressor and be done with it. Far more useful for working on cars than some plastic gadget. The tools we were posting aren't plastic gadgets. Blowing cold air at a ridiculous velocity is far more dangerous than you would think. These are blowing filtered warm air at the right velocity to get the job done. Besides, paying 60 bucks for something like this is a little more practical than paying whatever a decent air compressor costs which will not get used for anything else. Just because something is inexpensive doesn't make it cheap. These are probably the best made blowers you can buy for this job. _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnyJagaru Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Okay, I can see that this moves more volume than an air compressor. But is it really any better than a $20 mini shop vac with the hose reversed? I have to ask Con.Harr how he powers this thing up mobile if it needs 6kW to run? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Con.Harr91 Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 The trick is plugging it into an outlet. '03 Forester X 5mt - Engine Seized at 262k miles. '05 LGT Wagon 6mt -MotoIQ.com Project Vehicle '13 VW Touareg TDI - Daily Torque Monster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCDetails Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share Posted June 18, 2014 The trick is plugging it into an outlet. lol yup. That always seems to work. Mobile guys aren't necessarily always the guys you see with trailers in the middle of the parking lot. Sometimes we are more compact than that. I'm "mobile" but in such a way that I still need access to water and power. I don't bring that with me. My polisher alone uses way more power than I would be able to pull off anything else, so an outlet is pretty important unless you have a fairly high output generator you can fire up. Here's what turns me on about this machine... Ever tried drying your car when it is 50 degrees outside? Water doesn't like to dry in those temperatures. Being able to just blast it off with warm air is far better. That's the other big difference. The MetroVac uses hot air and that is waaaaaay more efficient at drying a car than anything else. I'm going to get one of those big ones and then my buddy and I will race with his electric leaf blower and my metrovac and we'll see who gets the job done first. We'll just wash the same car twice so the playing field will be level. I told him I could beat him standing on my roof if I had access to the metrovac. lol That is one badass machine! con.harr91, you have a PM! _________________________________________ “Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.” O C D E T A I L S . C O M OCDETAILS BLOG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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