Metro Vacuum ED500 DataVac 500-Watt 0.75-HP Electric Duster

I've never been a fan of compressed air in a tin, why buy air when it's all around me? Besides, i can fart with more force than those things. In my view, they are (and always have been) an utter waste of money. The Datavac further shows me why this is true.

So i've owned this thing for a good month and, as you'd expect, this is a very good product - definitely one of my best purchases to date. I was actually surprised to get hold of one within the UK. It can be a rare find but yes, they are available here if you look hard enough.

Anyhoo, I'll start with the pro's first:

Pro's:

Powerful and versatile, it comes with a number of nozzles for each task at hand. Of course, it's not a necessity as even without any attachment it would still blast out any and all dust in sight as it's incredibly strong. Does exactly what it says on the tin and more. It's especially good at cleaning out crud within keyboard keys with the right nozzle.

It's also small, which makes it portable and easy to use with one hand.

Cons:

There's a few here, firstly:

1.it gets hot very fast. This largely depends upon the kind of attachment you use and, obviously, the length of time that you use it. It'll get hotter quicker the more restrictive a nozzle you put on it, which is perfectly understandable. It's certainly not enough to cause any real concern as you shouldn't be using it continuously for long periods anyway. At most i'll have it running for a minute or two and even on the most smallest nozzle it still only gets mildly warm.

2. Noise. To be expected really, so not a big issue.

3. I'd like to have adjustable power. This isn't a big deal but it would've been nice to have a little slider/knob to change the speed of the motor. Also, because of the huge amount of air it throws out you will find you'll be cleaning the filter at the bottom of the vacuum quite regularly.

In particularly dusty environments it wouldn't surprise me if it would require a quick clean after each use - but that just shows how effective this little tool is. The filter is also easily removed and cleaned.

I could also mention the pricetag as you could argue it's a bit steep, but this is such a great little tool it really does justify the price. Although it's steep pricetag is largely because i live in Ripoff Britain.


Overall, you can't beat this product. A definite buy for anyone who regularly maintains PC's, and i'm sure this thing would have many more uses outside the computer environment.

This little blower is a wonderful alternative to the canned air we usually buy to blow away dust. It costs a bit more up front but there is no loss in pressure during use and it never runs it. It comes with a decently long cord and feels very solid in your hand. From what I can gather, you are essentially holding a motor attached to a blower fan. It is built for one purpose and that is to move air.

The blower is rather loud; I'd say it is 30% louder than your average vacuum, though that may be because your face is probably pretty close to it. It can also get rather warm after a few minutes of use, at least warm enough to be uncomfortable. There is a small piece of foam filter in the bottom that works fine and is easily removed for cleaning.

The amount of air this moves is much more than a can of air. It comes with a few different nozzles but I haven't really used them. Another big advantage over canned air is that you can use this upside down with no ill effects. As it is just a blower motor, orientation is irrelevant so no more freezing your parts on accident.

Overall, this thing is a great little device. You'll never need to buy compressed air again for home use but remember that this won't work well in any public settings like an office or store. It is very loud. But if you are tired of buying canned air and don't mind the noise, better pick one up.