Metro Master Blaster

Im a young guy in here. Phil helped me out very much and i have a nice little side business going. I plan to do while im in college. I was wondering if the Metro Master blaster is worth the money? i would be used on my own car ( Bagged Golf R) but also on clients and my dads shelby. Any input would help thanks

 

I use it not only for detailing but around the house.... if you will ever detail vans/trucks, etc you will want to be able to dry fast... I can say I use my Blaster on EVERY detail now... regardless of the size vehicle... I pool/sheet rinse then blow dry... very rarely use a drying towel much these days...

 

This B-Air dryer looks like an alternatives for the Metro Air Blaster. It is for dogs though, similar to the Metro Air force commander.
http://www.amazon.com/B-Air-Dryer-Airmovers-BPD-1-Velocity/dp/B002NXM4X8/ref=pd_cp_hi_1

Will this be too weak?

 

I brought this up recently. And then purchased the 4hp version. Yes it is definitely worth it.

 

I bough the 8HP version from Phill when he had the 15% off deal going as I had been eying one of these up for a while. It's a monster when you have both motors turning. I doubt my neighbors like it too much, but it's dries everything quickly. Even with one motor it's plenty powerful. Most of the noise comes from the air flow going into tight spaces on a vehicle and whsitling, but the motors themselves are actually rather quiet in comparison.

 

I have the vac n blo, works well.

 

I can't speak for the Metro, but I have a 9HP Shop Vac, I put my hose on the blow with a reducer on it, and let me tell you...it ROCKS!!! Personally, if I were you, if you don't already have one, just invest in a REALLY good wet/dry vac, a good HP motor, and one with a water drain at the bottom, best tool you can have! I use it to dust the interior, then vacuum, blow-dry the vehicles, and even use it as a carpet extractor!

And a good one can be had at Home Depot for ~$100

 

comparing the metro to a shop and vac based purely on HP is not a good comparison at all. You have to look at the amount of lift that is associated with the air flow and that tells the true story! Not to mention the air from the metro is warm as well.

 

As I said, I have no experience with the Metro, and I did not say I am comparing...

I am just saying from my personal results, I would not go spending an extra few hundred, because I doubt it would be worth it to me based on blow-drying performance alone, not to mention a good shop vac, as I said you can use to vacuum the interior and use as an extractor as well...

 

The only issue I have with an vacuum/blower setup is that you really need a dedicated hose for each function. Having a filtered blowing unit sends less debris (any blower will shoot-out debris, it's a matter of the level of filtering in ratio to the potential debris size passing through the filter). I've vacuumed some pretty nasty stuff and no doubt some of it has stuck to the inside of the hose so I wouldn't want to use a vacuum hose as a blowing hose.

 

I assume the original poster is inquiring about this tool for drying. Thus I will repeat to you that it is worth it. The heated air is what differentiates it from a shop vac, compressed air, and leaf blower. I've used each of those and can tell you they all suck in comparison to the Metro Vacs.

 

I think only the metro air force blaster and the master blaster will have heated air, not the Full size Vac N Blo right?

 

The heated air is not created by a separate heating element, but rather from the heat generated by the electric motor. And it's only several degrees warmer than the air your are working in that day and at that time. This information directly from speaking with the Metropolitan Vacuum Cleaner Company who makes these products.

 

It is more than "several degrees". I may measure it (at least the hose temperature rise) when I use it next time -- maybe this weekend.

 

I've had my Air Force Blaster model going on almost a decade now. You might get a tad more temperature with the two motor units, but it's just warm air. It was never meant the be a heater as its origins reside in the pet grooming industry where they only wanted to take the chill off a pet while drying.

I spoke with one of the Metro family members prior to making my purchase and he was quite honest about how the motorcycle units came about (there was no psuh into the car scene back then) and what the unit did in the way of heat. I bought it for my motorcycles and that's were Metro first entered the vehicle market, even setup a separate website so that buyers would not associate it with the pet grooming industry. He told me it was the same unit as the pet grooming model, but painted black and with the appropriate accessories; what's inside might have changed over time, I don't know. If I remember correctly he told me the motorcycle model came about as pet groomers' husbands started borrowing the units from their wives to speed-up drying off their motorcycles. When these came about we were reaching the height of the cruiser scene in the US.

 

Cool story.. thanks for sharing! I just can't decide on the 4 vs 8hp :/

 

I like the size of mine, but I'm also not using it in a commercial setting—it's just me and my personal garage. I never given a second thought to including after I wash a vehicle as it's easy to plug-in and go. Here's what I've learned through the years:

• It's great for dusting off engine bays between details.
• One of the hardest areas to dry are wheels. Why? Water will keep collecting at the bottom of the rim where it meets the tire and lug nuts areas are a bit of an art to avoid excessive noise and to get them dry. Wheels are where the larger unit will be an asset.
• Trunk gap areas are also major water collector so this is another are where increased power will make a difference to speed-up the drying process.
• Any area along the bottom edges of a vehicle continue to collect water owed to gravity will benefit from more power for quicker drying.
• The unit falls over like a drunken pet pig if you even remotely tug on the hose; I see no difference with the more powerful, bigger units as this is a design flaw (if you ask me).
• You'll spend time carrying or lifting the unit (especially when blowing-out an engine bay) so the more powerful unit will require more muscle.
• The more powerful unit requires a 20-amp electrical outlet.
• Any time you're moving a high-volume of air you also get the side effect of noise this really reveals itself in confined areas such as recessed lug nuts (imagine blowing across a glass bottle top x100); the more powerful unit will be a bit nosier.
• The smaller unit stores away pretty easily in most nooks in the garage; I don't know how the larger unit will fare when storing.

 

I will second this. I used mine this weekend and the air gets warm. I don't mind though.

On another note, does anyone get water spots from using the Metro blower? I seem to always get some small water spots. I thought it was because of my water however I purchased a water filtration kit from AG. I have only had the Metro blower a little while however every time I use it I get small water spots.

 

I was in the same boat deciding between the 8 horse and 4 horse, but since I wanted to dry the entire vehicle without a drying towel I choose the 8 horse and i couldn't be happier. Just make sure you have 20 amp service when you use both motors or you will trip your 15 amp breaker every time!

 

If you get it, I doubt you will ever regret it. I have used it on 4HP mode (one motor running) to dry and it is a world of difference.