# Vehicle dryer / blower ..... alternatives to the Metro



## TORQ (Jun 23, 2015)

Hi all.

As title, what alternatives are out there to the Metro Air Force and Sidekick?

Under £100 ideally.

I hear leaf blowers do the job but you risk hammering the paint with particles as the air is unfiltered as far as I know.


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## graham1970 (Oct 7, 2012)

You could take a look at the dog grooming dryers commonly on flea bay,not as pretty but do the same thing


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## gally (May 25, 2008)

Pet dryer off eBay. Just check the flow rate etc to get a decent one.


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

*My Testing...*​


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## graham1970 (Oct 7, 2012)

Great vid James...nice crocks aswell😀


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## Kash-Jnr (Mar 24, 2013)

Nice video James! Glad I've paid for one to pick up from Elite Car Care @ Waxstock!


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## Alex L (Oct 25, 2005)

Nice video :thumb: 

I really hope you got that bit of fluff from the badge


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## TORQ (Jun 23, 2015)

The Aeolus and many of the 'pet dryers' seem to be the same unit, but with a £50 premium on the 'car' version.

Can anyone confirm this?

What sort of wattage is going to offer the best drying performance, and are some more economical than others for said power?

The Aeolus looks okay, but going on the videos I've seen, doesn't seem to shift the water quite as easily as the Metro, with £60 or so the difference.


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## pantypoos (Aug 7, 2014)

the titan vacuum from screwfix has a blow function. it has a sponge filter and a bag so the air is filtered twice.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb... Car and Van&gclid=CMGN9oii98YCFcKWtAodP6YA0Q


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## catch the pigeo (May 17, 2008)

100346A Air Blower Vacuum Cleaner Inflator, Home Garden Leaf Dust 220V:Amazon.co.ukIY & Tools
Bought one of these a few months ago couldn't dry a full car but is good for water traps


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## Bryman (Oct 1, 2006)

ive used my leaf blower before now


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## JDV (Jan 3, 2014)

I have one of the cheap pet dryers from ebay and have never had any issues with it, more then powerful enough to blow out all the nooks and crannies and for 50 quid was a good investment


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## TORQ (Jun 23, 2015)

JDV said:


> I have one of the cheap pet dryers from ebay and have never had any issues with it, more then powerful enough to blow out all the nooks and crannies and for 50 quid was a good investment


Is it any good at drying off the roof/bonnet/panels?


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## JDV (Jan 3, 2014)

Depends on the level of protection already on the car. A well maintained car and the air pushes the water off the panels no problem.


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## Coddy20 (Dec 26, 2014)

I use on of these, if car is well waxed it blowes water off real easy and is good for water traps

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/800W-Variab...ster-Inflator-101772-/281749215777?nav=SEARCH


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## graham1970 (Oct 7, 2012)

If looking to just blow out grill/water traps are the hand held ok or is it better to get a pet blower...? Confused...help!


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## kermnitz (Aug 1, 2008)

http://winningdeals.co.uk/campaigns/104

I bought one of these last year,works great perfect for wheels & grills etc £19 recommend


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

I use a Makita cordless blower because it conveniently uses the same 18V Li-ion battery as my power tools.  :thumb:

Alan W


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## Puntoboy (Jun 30, 2007)

I've got a pet dryer. It's awesome.


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## mangove21 (Apr 26, 2015)

I use a straw


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## graham1970 (Oct 7, 2012)

Alan W said:


> I use a Makita cordless blower because it conveniently uses the same 18V Li-ion battery as my power tools. :thumb:
> 
> Alan W


I've been looking at one of these but after buying the battery and charger it breaks my budget...how long is the run time?


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## graham1970 (Oct 7, 2012)

Puntoboy said:


> I've got a pet dryer. It's awesome.


Do you use it to dry the whole car puntoboy?


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## Puntoboy (Jun 30, 2007)

I do sometimes. But my car is CarPro Hydr02 protected so there isn't much water left.


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## graham1970 (Oct 7, 2012)

I'll be keeping mine waxed,so it should be pretty easy to dry.
Just don't know what to go for...pet dryer or small leaf blower...lol


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

graham1970 said:


> I've been looking at one of these but after buying the battery and charger it breaks my budget...how long is the run time?


Yes, it only really makes financial sense if you already have the charger and batteries.

I've never timed how long it runs for on a fully charged battery, and wouldn't like to hazard a guess, but it runs sufficiently long to get round my car. I usually run it until the battery goes flat anyway and then charge again ready for the next time.

Alan W


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## Puntoboy (Jun 30, 2007)

graham1970 said:


> I'll be keeping mine waxed,so it should be pretty easy to dry.
> Just don't know what to go for...pet dryer or small leaf blower...lol


I like the pet dryer as you can use the heat. Handy for engine bays.


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## graham1970 (Oct 7, 2012)

Good call,I take it there all the same...anything in particular I should look for mate?


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## f4780y (Jun 8, 2015)

Recently invested in a Dog Blaster off of eBay - £50 delivered.










Couldn't be happier. Much more powerful than I anticipated.


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## graham1970 (Oct 7, 2012)

I'll look for the £50 deals...thanks guys


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## martin.breslin (Apr 23, 2015)

Just and FYI, I got an email from amazon about the pet grooming dryers, there's a load of them with up to 50% off and it seems the 2k8W jobbies seem pretty good at a max air rate of 50m/s or 110 mph in old money. I had a quick search for this thread as the lass wants one for the pooch and when I was trawling amazon and fleabay, I had a thought. Deffo worth a punt instead of spending £300 for a car blower. Cheers for the info guys!!


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## DuncanB (Oct 5, 2009)

mangove21 said:


> I use a straw


Suck or blow?


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## slapshot (Jul 29, 2007)

Hope this isn't breaking any rules but I'm selling a brand new Metrovac Air Force Blaster for £110 here

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showpost.php?p=4977724&postcount=1


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## SXTony (Jul 2, 2012)

pantypoos said:


> the titan vacuum from screwfix has a blow function. it has a sponge filter and a bag so the air is filtered twice.
> 
> http://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb... Car and Van&gclid=CMGN9oii98YCFcKWtAodP6YA0Q


I guess its probably not a good idea to use it to vacuum the inside as well as drying the paintwork


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## suds (Apr 27, 2012)

I eat 4 tins of baked beans an hour before washing my car- and surprisingly the cheap own brand value ranges seem to work best so win win really.


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