For many years I have used a portable vacuum to clean out my customer's computers when I make house calls. I now have replaced that vacuum and only use the Metro DataVac Electric Duster.
This nifty electric duster is basically one of Metro's powerful vacuum motors enclosed in a small can. It comes with many attachments and outputs a very powerful and consistent stream of air. Unlike expensive air cans which become cold and loose their power after a few minutes of use, the Electric Duster blows hard as long as you need it to.
Some of the cons to using this instead of a vacuum is the fact you will need to take the PC outside to blow it out otherwise dust will go everywhere (you will not believe how much dust comes out of some of them, easily 10 times more than a normal compressed air can would blow out). It runs on standard 120v AC so you will need to have a plug available within range of the (ample) 15ft or so foot cord. If you use it continuously for more than 5 minutes or so the air and can becomes very hot but not so hot that it will burn you or cause problems for the PC. It is also VERY loud, louder than most Vacuums.
The positives vs vacuuming the PC, or using a standard compressed air can, outweigh the negatives. The risk of accidentally damaging a component or creating a static discharge when using a vacuum is higher (although I have never had this happen). A vacuum will do a good job at cleaning the PC, but the force of the air stream from the Electric Duster is very powerful and reaches cracks and crevasses to blow out dust in places I didn't even knew existed! Versus compressed air, aside from the massive savings, you also have no problem turning the Electric Duster upside down or at any angle to position it - compressed air cans will blow ice out if you turn them upside down. The Electric Duster is also much smaller and easier to carry around than my portable vacuum. Finally, the Electric Duster is environmentally friendly compared to compressed air cans or even Vacuums which you have to throw away the bags etc.
While the Electric Duster is a bit pricey, for those of you who buy a lot of compressed air this is a must have replacement.
EDIT: Almost a year later this blower is still working strong! The complaints about the black nozzle shooting off seen in other reviews were listened to by Metro and the newer versions have a button/release mechanism. I still stand behind this 5-star review!
EDIT: Two years now, my original blower is still a strong as day one. I now own two more just for convienance, I keep one in the car for on site work, one at the office, the other at home! The price seems to vary greatly, so look around and you may catch it on sale! Metro Vacuum ED500 DataVac 500-Watt, 0.75-HP Electric Duster
This duster is so powerful! Much more power than canned air. I haven't had to to put the micro nozzles on it yet. I'm guessing you use those if you need to cut through metal! But seriuosly, this is the best solution to canned air. I've been wasting money on canned air for nearly 10 years of computer repair, and just recently was going to by a compressor for my tech bench... Until I found this product. For $50 it can't be beat!
The only issue is that the motor gets warm fast (no warmer than a vacuum motor)... But you only run it for a few minutes at a time and it has a 5 year motor warranty. So I'm not concerned.
Highly recommended!
Bought and received this just a few days ago to replace the crazy amount of canned air we have to purchase to keep our machines and printers dust free. It works very well, with a strong flow of air and good length power cord to help you move around. Puts out the same noise as a vacuum so you'll have to be careful no one is on the phone! If your in IT and looking to save costs on canned air, this is the product for you
Pros :
1) No more buying canned airs. This product works.
2) The air blast is "very" powerful. It thoroughly cleans every corner.
Cons :
1) Black nozzle needs to be somehow secured. This is serious and needs to fixed immediately.
I almost shot the nozzle towards my CPU because there's no way to secure it and the air
blast is just too powerful. Now I tape secure the nozzle to prevent accidental shoot out.
They could've just implemented some kind of locking mechanism like a vacuum hose.
2) Very loud and gets hot too quickly.
* Warning : This will blow a whole lot of dust so USE OUTSIDE of the house.
In conclusion, I had to make adjustments but it does the job. Wish there was something better,
but so far the best find for my use.
I bought this for photography use. Unfortunately, when I pressed the button papers flew off my desk as the curtains reeled back while a wild stream of air came blasting out of the nozzle. The motor became hot after a few minutes and the sound was a bit deafening. Wow. Well, can't fault the company for making a wimpy product.
I wrote to customer service through their website to ask them what type of motor it had and if they had any suggestions on how to tone it down. I never received a response.
Before I tossed the duster onto a shelf of seldom used power tools, I discovered I had another seldom used tool - a Variac. This allowed me to vary the AC voltage from 0-110 volts. Combined with this duster, I discovered that around 10-30vac, I had something perfect for photography use. The motor runs cool and quiet and produces a steady stream of clean, filtered air delicate enough for photography equipment and dusting off slides and film.
Admittedly, I wasn't reading reviews when I bought this... I simply needed a computer vacuum, saw the number of favorable reviews for the "Metro Vacuum," saw that the Amazon "frequently bought together" list included the "micro vacuum attachment kit" and "replacement filter bags," and ordered what I thought was... well... a vacuum. I was pretty surprised when I hooked it up and a VERY powerful burst of air shot out of this thing. Perhaps I wouldn't have been so surprised had I not been trying to vacuum glitter from my son's art table. On the bright side, I now know what figurines in a snow globe feel like.
So, for those who -- unlike me -- are responsibly reading product reviews, this is not a vacuum. It's a blower, and it's pretty amazing the magnitude of air coming out of this little can. The attachments fit nicely (the picture doesn't show it, but there's a little ball "push button" that pops into the fitting hole on the attachments), and the concentrated airflow from the 500-watt motor may startle you. The canister is a very sturdy all-steel construction, weighing just under 3 pounds, and made in the USA. The only drawback, besides Amazon calling it a vacuum, is that it does get quite warm after a short duration of operation (< 1 minute). This is to be expected, according to the manufacturer, but the heat usually makes me limit my cleaning time to about 3 minutes, as I worry that continuous operation might damage something (it probably won't, but that's just how I roll).'
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