Metro Vacuum ED500 DataVac Electric Duster, Safe alternative to canned air?

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Svengali

Limp Gawd
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Mar 13, 2006
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Hi, I've been looking on Amazon for canned air to dust out my dust-prone PC and I found this little thing. The user reviews say they've used it fine with PCs and even the item description mentions it, but I thought I would ask here first: Do you think this thing is a safe, good alternative to canned air? A six pack of canned air would run me 30+, this one machine would run me 45 bucks once. Seems like a good idea, no?

What do you think? Thanks!

Link to product
 
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I've never seen one before.

Eight reviews and all 5 star means I would have no hesitation to purchase this if I needed a new cleaner.

Pretty nifty!

Give us a little review if you decide to go for it.
 
I have something similar... works fine. I don't use it inside the PC very much, though. Did canned air go up in price? I typically get a pack of 4 from costco for $12. Then again, I haven't bought any in the past year or so, lol.
 
Or, if you are a hard core spendthrift.

0002891428317_500X500.jpg

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=11987759

At my local Walmart they sold for $6. About the price of one can of compressed air depending on where you're buying. Just put the slightly larger plastic nozzle on it (comes with it), and you get an even better flow than with a can of compressed air.

Of course, you need to pump to create the air flow, and it's not constant, since it's a pump, but it works very well. Also it's environmentally friendly. :)
 
I know this is way out in left field but air pushed through a pump like the one above or through blowers can cause ESD damage to sensitive computer devices.

Particles in the air rub together and then discharge on contact with electronics. Also the pressure exerted on electroincs shouldn't exceed like 15psi or something if I recall.

They make special vaccums/blowers for electronics that inhibit the ESD issue. The one on amazon may be the case but I didn't see technical specs on it.

EDIT: Just saw the brand. Its probably legit. We use a DATAVac to clean off all of our components @ work and have had no problems with ESD.
 
I have used a air compressor about 30 times now to clean out computer parts and cases. Not once have I ever had issues when re-assembling the computer. If you do have some money to spare this is the way to go.
 
Sorry for the old thread bump, but we all rather an old thread gets bumped then a new one created...

Soo.. I'm bumping this to say that i just bought on of these Monday as its down to just under $45 bucks. I'm pretty excited for it as I'm so damn tired of buying canned air... they never last as long as i need them because i have an attention to detail and i want to get everything. With this device i plan to use the hell out of it! I'm gonna blow the shit out of everything that i see that has dust. lol...

Does anyone else have one of these?
 
^^ glad you bumped it! I've never even heard of this, but it's badass. I'll definitely be buying one instead of Compressed Air the next time the need arises.
 
Warrior said:
Does anyone else have one of these?
Click to expand...

I bought one after seeing this thread and have been extremely pleased with it. I convinced a coworker to buy one and he really likes his as well. Works great, much more convenient than dragging out the air compressor, and nearly as powerful.
 
sounds a like a great thing, and canned air only has enough pressure for 1/2 of the can. After that it's just a really weak air flow that won't clean shit! I probably spend 45 bucks a year buying canned air. So seems like a good investment.
 
I just got mine in yesterday, and lets just say i had a great time breaking the computer down and airing out my system. This little devil is a badass little blower. Its got PLENTY of power for DAYS. canned air has definitely met its match. This thing has cheap, but efficient attachments. but the heavy base feels very sturdy, like it will last a long time. I'm very impressed with this purchase, and after seeing its results, im almost giddy with excitement of how much this kicks ass over shitty ass canned air. Canned air gets extremely cold when used for like 20secs, this gets a bit warm after about 1min of use. And this can be used in a constant airflow, unlike canned air, where you need to press intermittently.

A+ in my book.
 
Glad to hear you guys like your electric dusters! It's definitely a worthwhile investment if you find yourself buying a lot of canned air. Regarding the build quality, mine's taken a couple of drops onto a rock hard surface and it wasn't even fazed. The first time scared the crap out of me; mine arrived with the switch in the "on" position, and I sat it on a table outside before plugging it in. As soon as I plugged it into an outlet it sprung to life and blew itself backwards off of the table, lol. Still works like new. Just be sure not to over-rev those case/CPU fans!
 
don't waste your money on these things. for a few more $ you can buy a real air compressor with a small tank and some accessories. then pickup a cheap compressor filter to keep moisture and debris out of the blowb air. they all come with regulators so you can adjust the air from barely moving to 'HOLY SHIT'. i've gone over some pcs that were previous cleaned with canned air and the blast from the compressor finds a ton more dust.

only downside is the noise, but most everyone I know cleans their pc outside anyway. for keeping the fans in place, use plastic drinking straws and put them in the fan blades.

plus you can fill up tires, inflatables, and run air tools with a compressor.
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This does the same thing as a compressor and you don't have to worry about draining water from the unit so that it doesn't rust. There are obvious pros and cons to each when it comes to PC use:

MetroVac
+ Smaller, lighter, much more portable
+ Quieter
+ Very powerful, but not so powerful that you have to worry about blowing components off of your board
- Won't fill up your car tires or run a torque wrench

Home air compressor
+ Comes with attachments to fill up tires and run tools
- Larger and more cumbersome
- Noisier
- Have to deal with moisture

Obviously, when used for other things the air compressor would be better suited and have more pros and less cons...but for the purposes of cleaning PCs the electric duster works great!

BTW, I have a small air compressor at home and still prefer to use the MetroVac to clean my PCs as it's much less hassle to deal with.
 
Hey sorry to bump this thread again, but hey, the good ones never die.

Anyways, some guys on another tech support forum suggested this to me last month after I mentioned I was looking for a permanent re-usable high pressure air system that wouldn't run me as much as an air compressor and something I can keep around the house discreetly. This looked like the perfect solution so I had myself set on buying this product this month. I went ahead and ordered one for 40$ from: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...Vac_ED_500_DataVac_Electric_Duster_Model.html. They included free shipping and no tax included on the purchase. They even added 3day shipping for only 75cents more. I would have bought it on Amazon because they had the free trial witch included 1 month of Free 2 day shipping, however after tax the duster came out to 48$ and I only had 44$ left on my prepaid card. If you want to avoid the extra tax from Amazon, check out this site. I will let you know the quality when I receive my duster.

Well I actually began a couple weeks ago however to doubt the amount of airflow this thing could put out, but I read a review last night that described exactly what I am looking for in a PC cleaning solution and they even showed a small clip of this duster laid on its back blowing a wiffle ball into the air. Looks like it packs a nice punch for busting the dust issue I have with my case, since I like to clean my PC once at least every couple of weeks this is something I am very excited about having. Look up the RoseWill ARMOR gaming computer case and you will see why I am so happy to have a permanent high air pressure cleaning solution handy.

People laughed at me for buying a vacuum exclusively for my PC, but why have nice equipment if your not going to maintain it? Anybody else purchased one of these recently? I would love to hear anymore positive input.
 
I purchased this from Sears for computer cleaning.

Noisy as hell and you need to buy the little accessory kit with the extra tips to get into small crevices but it does a fine job.
 
Just posting back an update: I received my VAC last Thursday along with my new Motherboard and CPU. The VAC really made the the whole re-build process so much better being able to clean everything thoroughly before I re-installed. The power you get in this little handheld device a great, this come in handy on a regular basis.
 
Ok So I bought one of these but how to i plug it into an australia socket (240V)

I've looked around for voltage converters but can't find anything suitable

Help please!
 
I think I might get one of these, I get tired of buying canned air all the time. Shit gets expensive, especially when I used my laptop all the time, I had to clean it out like once a month or it would start over heating.
 
I have one of these and cleaning out PCs is now a 5 minute job. You just have to wash and rinse the filter on the bottom every now and then. It's sweet!
 
coming back to say that i received mine, and now cleaning my computer is MUCH easier.

It's loud. That is it's problem... It's only problem.
 
chockomonkey said:
coming back to say that i received mine, and now cleaning my computer is MUCH easier.

It's loud. That is it's problem... It's only problem.
Click to expand...

Well, it moves a lot of air. It's going to be loud, especially considering the size of the thing.

Certainly not louder than an air compressor though, so just refrain from dusting your computer at night when people are trying to sleep. :)
 
Ahh man.. this suck... I cant find one in canada for the heck of me lol.
 
imyourzero said:
...so just refrain from dusting your computer at night when people are trying to sleep. :)
Click to expand...

I actually was doing this at 11:30 pm, right as my roommates were rolling off to bed... so it probably did seem louder than it otherwise might have as the house was dead quiet =P
 
OK, I really want one of these now. I'm always buying compressed air to use on my PC, audio system, and even cleaning the inside of my car.
 
If someone know where to order these to deliver in canada plz, post it or send em a pm.
 
Glad I saw this thread. I'm definitely buying this. I HATE canned air, but I also hate a dirty computer. Glad this thread got bumped back up.
 
Order placed. I'm tired of buying 4 packs of air for $20, or the occasional single can for $5 - $7.
 
My new DataVac showed up last night. Seems well built- it's heavy and made of metal. I haven't opened my PC since I got it last summer*, so it was a little dusty inside. I put on the long, straw like attachment and went with that. I didn't put on the tiny angled attachment, as I didn't want to mess with hurricane winds.**

This thing is loud, but it works great. Compared to air in a can, I like how it puts air out in any position, and you don't have to worry about any propellants shooting out. Or any of the freezing or condensation you can get on a can.

There's something odd going on at Amazon. There's a $46.46 version, and a $62.95 version. The more expensive one says it comes with all the attachments (6 black tips). I ordered the cheaper version, and it came with the same 6 tips. Not sure what is going on there.



* I have been blowing out the filters and the external fans at least, but this was my first time opening the case.

** Morries wigs don't come off!
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FnAV1XbfKE"]YouTube - ‪Goodfellas, Morrie's Wigs commercial‬‏[/ame]
 
I watched the video on amazon for this thing. The 500 and 500p models are the same. Don't get it at newegg cause they sell the euro plug version. MAKES ME WANNA CLEAN MY COMPUTER CASES!

On the downside... It was 45 bucks 5 days ago... now its almost at 60.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...Vac_ED_500_DataVac_Electric_Duster_Model.html <---- this still works and is cheaper. Thanks to the poster on page one. I think i'll go ahead and order it now.
 
Just got mine today works great so far! Going to use it all over the house since I don't have a compressor here. It's a sturdy, portable, mini leaf blower with just enough power! Not very loud in my opinion but it sure isn't quiet! Very much worth it if you find it less than $50. Best part.... MADE IN USA! :cool:
 
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