Had a good chance to fully put my new Metro Vac n Blo through its paces now so thought I’d just post a little review of it up. Well there’s nothing on the telly!
The machine is a Metro Vac Vac n Blo, a dual powered combined vacuum and air dryer. It has 4.0 Peak Horse Power, so pretty powerful and more than enough for all car detailing requirements. The body of the machine is of steel construction.
Vac n Blo 
Being a combined dryer/vacuum, initially I was a little concerned about the risk of dust particles from the vacuum function blowing back out onto the car when switching to using the dryer function. However when the machine arrived, and after close inspection, it came clear that the two functions are completely separate. One end of the machine is the vacuum and the other is the dryer. Each has its own dedicated concertina hose and nozzles. In addition when using the dryer you also unclip the dust bag and filter and set aside then clip back on after you’re finished (a matter of seconds to do). So there is no risk of cross contamination at all.
Fears allayed, I'll move onto the machine itself. Of steel construction, it's surprisingly lightweight and has a detachable webbing strap which is really useful for moving it around the car. It has very small legs but no wheels so carrying it from A to B is more convenient. The cable is reasonably long at 12 feet but an extension lead is still required.
The Vac n Blo comes with 2 6ft concertina hoses, 2 x standard extension tubes, a drying nozzle, a set of standard size hoover tools. It also comes with a set of mini tools, including mini hose and both straight and angled extension tubes. There's also an attachment for inflating airbeds etc, and a mounting bracket for attaching the machine to a garage wall. It is supplied with only 1 dust bag but these can be purchased in packs of 5 separately.
Tools
Normal tools - crevice, brush and carpet tools
Mini tools - mini hose, crevice, 2 x brush, mini straight and angled extension tubes
The dryer function.Last week after washing the car, out came the Vac n Blo with the dedicated hose and tapered tube dryer nozzle attached. I was initially just going to use it to dry off the main water traps on the car - wing mirrors, fuel cap, boot lid door sills, badges etc plus the wheels. However once I was in full swing I just carried out and dried off most of the car, using microfibre towels to blot what little water remaining. The dryer power is impressive. It’s more powerful than it’s excellent little brother, the Sidekick (which I have now sold), but works in exactly the same way. Having used a Sidekick for the best part of a year, I'm familiar with the best method of using the blower - blowing the droplets the right way to avoid wetting areas of the car that are already dry. So after a quick blast around the car with it, all nice and dry! (sorry no pics of it in action)
Dryer attachment
All dried off
The vacuum function Today I found time to give the inside a good clean. I confess the interior has not had a full clean for at least a month and was in dire need. A great opportunity to try the vacuum function and all the various tools.
I used the standard size tools to hoover dust and other debris from the inside -using the brush and crevice attachments to free the leather seats of embedded grime down the cracks, then moving onto the footwells, utilising the crevice and carpet tools in the footwells etc. The suction in phenomenal! The floor tool is especially effective and sucks up everything in it’s path with ease. It made short work of dry mud, hair leaves and other general crud brought in off winter shoes.
Next up were the mini tools. These are brilliant. There are 2 different brush attachments and a crevice tool, and all are the perfect size for a multitude of dust zapping jobs, especially for the many little narrow recesses around the cabin, and, when used with the mini hose and extension tubes, are the business for reaching right down the sides of the front seats to rid them of any detritus.
The suction of the vacuum is outstanding. Fortunately there is the ability to reduce the suction by means of an air inlet located on the neck of each hose. This is essential as in some cases the suction needs knocking back. If I have one criticism it’s that the suction is so powerful that unless turned down the floor attachment welds itself to the carpet too well and is pulled off the end of the concertina hose. But a slight adjustment to the suction remedies this.
Tools in action
Mini tools
All done
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I can’t praise this machine enough. Though it’s quite an expensive item, at just shy of £200, I think it will prove to be a very worthwhile investment for me and anyone who likes to keep a clean and tidy car.
Thanks for reading (if you haven't already fallen asleep!
).
