Master Blaster vs. Leaf Blower for Drying

Have had a Toro Electric Leaf Blower that I cut the long nozzle off halfway ( to make it easier to maneuver around, under the hood, etc,) and it was pretty good for what it did..

Got a Master Blaster years ago when they first came out, and it is light years over any Electric Blower in terms of ease of use, amount of power (2 - 4hp motors on separate switches), and overall water removal effectiveness..

The Master Blaster may need a 20 Amp electrical circuit or be plugged into one if it already exists..

The higher cost of the Master Blaster is worth it for me in my business..

I get all the water out of every crevice, molding, lights, wheels, engine, compartment, everything can be blown out easily from under any part of the Interior, it is about as good as having an air compressor nozzle in your hand..

Dan F
 
I was on the fence before I bought the Blaster. It is expensive, but it's worth it. Heated air, and powerful. Wear ear plugs with it- you'll need 'em.
It will actually blast the plastic lug covers right out of a VW wheel, so I have to hold them in place during drying- it has that much pressure and air volume.

I wouldn't want to work on the cars without, now.
 

I have used both and agree with Dan. The MasterBlaster is a big upgrade over a leaf blower. The extra power comes in very handy. But the price is a little steep. But if you can get it on one of these 20-25% off sales with free shipping it makes it hurt a little less.

 
I'll throw the AirWand attachment for a leaf blower into the discussion. I get a lot of use out of min and IMO the shape of the AirWand's nozzle makes all the difference when it comes to clearing water off of large panels.
 
The advantage of the MB over a leaf blower is what I call precision drying. If you attach a hose to the leaf blow similar to the MB then I suspect they are closer. A 4 hp Metro vac n blow has the same power as a MB with just one motor running and good for tires, crevies, etc although a bit slower.
 
I am a do-it-yourselfer who uses a Toro leaf blower because that's what I have available. It works for me and it's better than just wiping off the excess rinse water with a waffle weave towel. But like in any work situation, there is the right tool for the job. Just because you can drive a screw with a hammer doesn't mean it's the right way. There is no doubt that a blower-specific tool like the Metro Vac-n-Blow is better than a leaf blower for water removal on vehicles.
Metro makes a smaller hand-held model called the Side Kick. If anyone who owns or uses this model has any comment, I would appreciate it. It's price is similar to high-end electric leaf blowers and it may be time to consider this as an upgrade from a leaf-blower.
 
Definitely worth it! More powerful, easier to use, heated, and it's FILTERED! The one time I used my leaf blower it sucked up a seedling floating in the air and shot it out at the car leaving a small chip on my paint.
 
Until I have the $$$ (Or I win the Metro-Blaster giveaway contest Vega is going to run - HINT HINT), I've been using the blower port on my 6.0 HP wet/dry vac (with bag and filter removed) with a concentrator nozzle mounted at the end of the vac's hose:



For my needs it works perfectly well, the concentrator nozzle blast away water drops, and the hose is considerably easier to maneuver then a leaf blower.
 
RaskyR1 said:
Definitely worth it! More powerful, easier to use, heated, and it's FILTERED! The one time I used my leaf blower it sucked up a seedling floating in the air and shot it out at the car leaving a small chip on my paint.
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I remember hearing this from you or someone else a while back and quit using my leaf blower since then. After hearing that I went and bought a Metro Sidekick about a year and a half ago and really enjoyed it at first. Only problem with it is it can get a little heavy in your hand if you are trying to dry an entire car. Also the power cord is very short. I think it is roughly 4-6 inches long. So you have to fight an extension cord some. Then last Christmas my fiancé bought me a Vac N' Blo and that is what I use now. I just make sure when I swap to "Blo" that everything is out of my lines before I get it near my paint. It does well and makes me want a Master Blaster knowing its double of what the Vac N' Blo is. I worked at a production car wash about 10 years ago and it made me hate drying cars.
 
Lonnie said:
Metro makes a smaller hand-held model called the Side Kick. If anyone who owns or uses this model has any comment, I would appreciate it. It's price is similar to high-end electric leaf blowers and it may be time to consider this as an upgrade from a leaf-blower.
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I have one. Prior to getting it as a gift I used a leaf-blower. The Side Kick blows warm (and if you can call it) filtered air (there is a small filter that covers the air intake). There are two rubber nozzles (wide and narrow). To me without using the narrow nozzle it doesn't work very. well. It is compact, easy to use and get into tight spots, like door jambs, trunk lids, gas doors, engine bays etc. I have a GLK350 and a C300 and although this works to get the water blown out of the tight spots and off the car, it takes some time to blow all of the water off of the car. imo it does work better then a leaf-blower, and is much easier to use. And I probably wont go back to using a leaf-blower as long as I have this.

A friend of mine has the MB and I have tried that out. I don't think there is any comparison. That will be the route I go in the future.
 
I use an Echo gasoline powered blower for both cars. $200. With the 12" curved pipe, it pushes air at 191 mph or 345 CFM. I didn't buy it for detailing, it's for yard care, but it's made for multi-tasking.

If you're doing cars for money, then the MB makes sense. If you're doing yours and the wife's car, a simple blower you already own makes more sense. Unless you want to be able to say, "I have a MB".

I've never, ever had anything become a projectile and damage the paint. If it's a concern, they make a universal fit filter for many leaf blowers.

I rarely use my vac-n-blo for drying.
 
I like my Master Blaster and do not use it as often I did since I can usually sheet 90+% of the water off if you use a detailer.after each wash. The MB filter is a fairly coarse filter. It is not like it is a HEPA class.
 
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