Another Air Wand Thread (my review)

[Accumulator]

I`d originally posted this over at the BCC forums, thought I`d cut & paste it here.



I`d initially thought the Air Wand would be an answer in search of a question, but recent posts where people dismissed the foamgun *without having tried it* prompted me to be open-minded about this product.



The manufacturer had posted a near-spam thread at BCC touting the wonders of the Air Wand and claiming that they wanted people to try it and report how they felt about it. I did so and when you read the review you`ll see that I expected a) the manufacturer to take note of the feedback (which they had requested) and b) to perhaps offer to do something about the issues I raised. So far, no response over at BCC so after this review sits here for a while I`ll probably contact them directly.



First off- Is this tool a necessity? HAH! Not at all, but it`s a nice indulgence if you don`t mind the expense. Note that I cannot use the "sheeting rinse" approach due to the design of my shop`s sillcocks and my boosted water pressure. I was after a way to get the majority of the water off the vehicles quickly and easily without touching them.



In case somebody isn`t familiar with this thing, here`s a link to theAir Wand Site where they show what it looks like and generally explain how swell it is.





Here`s my original review from BCC:



I have tried various other forced-air drying methods, but always found them to be less than user-friendly. It seemed like a good concept that had not been practically realized for this application.



I purchased the complete package, the Air Wand and the Barracuda 2595 blower. The products came in two boxes that were securely packaged as a single bundle. The delivered price was ~$135.



The instructions said that it would be necessary to drill the handle of the blower before attaching the shoulder strap, but the strap was already attached when I unpacked it. The only assembly required was slipping the hose onto the blower and the Air Wand proper onto the end of the hose. This was easily done. The electrical cord plugs into the blower (there is no electrical cord on the blower itself) and is easily looped over a handle on the blower so it won`t come unplugged.



The build-quality of the unit leaves *much* to be desired, details follow:



I was extremely disappointed to find that one of the felt strips was improperly positioned. It fails to properly cushion the hard plastic edge of the Air Wand. This exposed plastic edge (admittedly only a small area) would cause severe paint damage if it were to come in contact with the vehicle. While I consider myself capable of preventing this contact, I do plan on rectifying this situation before some damage does occur. I consider this to reflect an egregiously unacceptable level of both initial build-quality and quality-control.



Perhaps more importantly, the two halves of the Air Wand are improperly mated together; they were not properly aligned and this results in a sharp plastic edge where the two halves meet. This is a very real problem because this edge must be firmly gripped when holding the Air Wand. While this edge is not so sharp as to cut my hand, it does make gripping the Air Wand uncomfortable to say the least. This too will have to be rectified. I consider this to be at least as unforgivable as the improperly positioned felt strip as it could cause serous discomfort to the user and perhaps even minor physical injury. I can genuinely imagine it lacerating the hand of somebody with sensitive skin.



I do not appreciate having to rectify the mistakes of others, especially when I have paid good money for a product. Both of these issues are clearly the result of carelessness, for which I have no tolerance. Simply inexcusable and unacceptable.



In operation the Air Wand works rather well. It is easy to control (but note that I have considerable wrist/forearm strength). The blower is not uncomfortable or awkward on its shoulder strap and the hose connecting the blower to the Air Wand seems to be just the right length. I often find myself holding the Air Wand with two hands for better control, but it might be more easily controlled with one hand if not for the sharp edges. Despite the sharp edge, it is almost enjoyable to use, I truly like how it works.



I am keeping it well away from the vehicle, so there is a limit to how well it can blow the water off. I certainly do not want to contact the vehicle with the coarse felt material, let alone the exposed plastic edge! Nonetheless, it is very useful for removing the majority of water from the vehicle prior to a more thorough drying with a WW MF towel. The shape of the Air Wand makes it much better (IMO) than using a regular blower. For comparison, I detached the Air Wand and used the blower by itself, to a greatly compromised effect. It works *much* better with the Air Wand attached; it is, hands-down, a better way to do this job.



It does not remove all the water from crevices and other such areas; these still require blowing out with air from the compressor.



Despite the generally negative tone of this review, I am glad I bought the Air Wand. It does make drying easier and I will probably use it at every wash. The build-quality issues are, however, something that potential purchasers must carefully consider. The need for end-user repairs/modification is disappointing to say the least, and the requisite work might be more than some people would care to attempt. It is certainly more than anybody should be expected to perform given the cost of the product.



Suggestions for improvement: Exercise better quality-control! Replace the felt strips with something more paint-friendly, such as microfiber.



After this review has been posted for a while, I plan to contact the manufacturer with my concerns regarding the positioning of the felt strips and the misalignment of the two halves. I`ll post back with a report on their response. One of the reasons I`m not contacting them immediately is that I want to see if they take note of this review (and possibly even take the initiative and contact me about the problems), given that the initial post claimed to be soliciting feedback.



Recommended with pronounced caveats and qualifications.

[the other pc]

Thanks for the concise and well thought through (as always ) review!



I was thinking that a strip of soft silicone rubber (sot of like a water blade) would be a good replacement for the felt, soft enough to protect paint from the occasional bump but sturdy enough to hold up to constant handling, easy to keep clean and not subject to holding any grit or twigs or whatever.





PC.

[imported_truzoom]

[Bill D]

Accumulator,



Good review ( again) I don`t think a response will be coming as it was made clear the product rep was not welcome to spam there.



I`m hoping if your recommendations fall on deaf ears maybe another mfr will seize the opportunity and create a better tool.

[imported_mrecktid]

Wow I was waiting for a long time for you to finally try this Accum, thanks!. I`ve been wanting to get an Air Wand for the longest time, but I think I might just hold off til Summer in hopes of them rectifying their problems. I`m at least glad that it does well with what it`s supposed to do.



-Mark

[Accumulator]

Thanks for the concise ..review!



I was thinking that a strip of soft silicone rubber (sot of like a water blade) would be a good replacement for the felt...

Thanks. Heh heh, only *I* could post something that long and have it be described as "concise" I guess it`s not too lengthy compared to my usual long-windedness!



Yeah, the silicone is a great idea! The sort of stuff used on the CWB *would* be great. I don`t think I could successfully mount it on the AW though the mounting surface isn`t dimensioned in a way that would facilitate it and I`d worry that I`d botch it up. Somebody else might pull it off just fine though.



truzoom- Yeah, I just *gotta* come up with an acceptable-to-me method of posting pics....I hate every digital SLR I`ve seen and getting my 35mm shots up is just too daunting a task



mrecktid- I don`t think they`re gonna do anything about the shortcomings. I`ll post back if/when I correct the most egregious one- the way its mismatched halves hurt my hands.

[imported_mrecktid]

Hmmm....I guess I`ll still wait anyways to see what you do about the problems then. How do you think the air wand would be on SUV`s? I don`t see an easy way of drying the roof without risking touching the paint.



Not to throw the thread in a wrong direction, but what don`t you like about the Rebel XT? Size or just performance issues?

[Accumulator]

Truzoon- I edited the original post to show a link to their site. Now people can at least see what it is. Should`ve done it before but over at BCC they had a link in the post that started me thinking.

How do you think the air wand would be on SUV`s? I don`t see an easy way of drying the roof without risking touching the paint.



Not to throw the thread in a wrong direction, but what don`t you like about the Rebel XT? Size or just performance issues?

When I do the minivan I stand on my WORK PLATFORMS and it`s easy to to the roof. No way would I try to do a minivan (let alone a SUV) without a pair of them.



All the digitals I`m familiar with (except the Canon 5d) use an APS-size viewfinder. For *me*, they`re like looking through a small, murky, dark tunnel, at least compared with the SLRs I`ve used since forever. I have enough trouble with the regular 35mm viewfinders so going smaller/darker doesn`t work for me. And they`re all very different ergonomically and "general feel-wise" compared to my fairly small, metal bodied SLRs that work with mechanical dials. I`m very old fashioned about my photography, just *finally* replaced my `72 Pentax. I`ll probably get a digital back for my wife`s camera some day, but at >$5k I`m in no hurry.

[LightngSVT]

Those work platforms are very nice, but a piar would be pretty pricey at $310 plus shipping.

[gbackus]

I bought an airwand, and returned it. It was big, bulky, and cumbersome, the hose was not flexible, and to be honest, it only relaly worked well on FRESHLY waxed/sealed surfaces, but so does any other similar type of tool.

[Accumulator]

I bought an airwand, and returned it. It was big, bulky, and cumbersome, the hose was not flexible, and to be honest, it only relaly worked well on FRESHLY waxed/sealed surfaces, but so does any other similar type of tool.

I can see somebody having those opinions about it. The cost of shipping the thing needs to be weighed against the gamble of whether you`ll like it or not. Wonder how much *I* would like it if I didn`t do all those exercises for my wrists and forearms :nixweiss



LightningSVT- Yeah, those platforms sure aren`t cheap! But I get so much use out of them (and prefer them so much over less expensive versions) that they were worth it in my case. And I got them on sale, bought the first one ages ago when they were still being made by..by..uhm...I forget it`s the big ladder manufacturer. Werner, that`s it. And I know I didn`t pay nearly that much for the Bauer one, just gotta watch for the sales. But at any price, consider that a bad fall can change your life forever...

[Setec Astronomy]

...and to be honest, it only really worked well on FRESHLY waxed/sealed surfaces, but so does any other similar type of tool.

This is very true, I`ve been using a Metro Air Force Blaster for the last 6 months or so, and if the car doesn`t bead well, it`s pretty much a waste of time (other than for the cracks and crevices).

[gbackus]

Wonder how much *I* would like it if I didn`t do all those exercises for my wrists and forearms :nixweiss

My distaste has nothing to do with forearm strength. But everything to do with the clumsy nature of the beast. You might slip, step wrong, turn around too quickly, etc. and BAM, there goes your paint. Plus, I really didn`t find it to work all that well.

[Accumulator]

gbackus- OK, gotcha. NO argument here; while it does what I`m after, I can see your point too. Heh heh, if *I* didn`t find it clumsy as well I probably wouldn`t end up using two hands on it so often Not as bad for me as using a regular leaf blower was though. Probably one of those things where people have to try it for themselves before they know for certain.

[3Dog]

Accumulator.....You are a bad influence on a toy collector like me :hairpull