Is the master Air Force Master Blaster 8-HP Worth 400$ ?
- Thread starter Fox body
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Calendyr
New member
- Jun 9, 2013
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Never used the master blaser but I have a Master Blaster sidekick. I really don't see what more power could possibly do. The sidekick pushes a ton of air and is very efficient. Also being so small it's easy to use, have to work with a long hose is a pain compared to a hand held unit. I am very curious to see what people who own one will answer.
Daviddear30
Well-known member
- May 7, 2011
- 1,422
- 197
It's now offered with a 30 ft hose as well. In for replies. I'm on the fence myself
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VISITOR
Active member
- May 10, 2007
- 9,859
- 3
Ive never used the sidekick, but I do own a MasterBlaster. I can say its worth it’s weight in gold and most definitely worth the money. The only drawback is the short hose on the regualar version. Id get the one with the longer hose if you can. Otherwise, its great and works much better than a “leaf blower” for getting water out of mirrors and trim crevices. It blows and moves a TON of air. Drying an engine bay after a detail is incredibly quick too.
Btw, the only other drawback is the power consumption. When you throw the second switch for the full “8hp”, you are drawing 18amps and this can cause a problem on some 15amp outlets/breakers. I do recommend a heavy duty 20amp outlet and breaker. I use to pop the breaker in my garage on full power.
Edit: Furthermore, the whole unit is of industrial grade and made in the good old USA! Im sure this is another factor for the price, since its not some cheap Chinese made piece of garbage. It’s built to last and it shows.
Btw, the only other drawback is the power consumption. When you throw the second switch for the full “8hp”, you are drawing 18amps and this can cause a problem on some 15amp outlets/breakers. I do recommend a heavy duty 20amp outlet and breaker. I use to pop the breaker in my garage on full power.
Edit: Furthermore, the whole unit is of industrial grade and made in the good old USA! Im sure this is another factor for the price, since its not some cheap Chinese made piece of garbage. It’s built to last and it shows.
engineerwolf
Member
- Apr 20, 2017
- 49
- 0
I have the 30’ hose version. Works great, have it mounted in the garage and can reach all around the car in the driveway. I have used a leaf blower for years, and just switched about 5 months ago when it died. I would not go back. This thing not only pushes a lot of air, but it is also easy to maneuver around the cars as it is just the hose. As Junkman says “switch 1 is Yeah, switch 2 is he11 Yeah”. Just awesome.
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swanicyouth
New member
- Mar 3, 2011
- 9,388
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No. Nope. Don’t do it. In fact - I’m looking to get rid of mine. Not going to ship it - but if someone lives close...Don’t get me wrong - it’s very powerful. It’s just the most awkward thing to store & use.
First, it’s huge. Second, there’s no real place to wrap the cord. You would think for $400 it would include some type of cord wrap? Third, the hose is super stiff and wants to drag against or bang into your paint every chance it gets. IMHO - the hose is just awful.
Fifth, you need 20 amp + circuit breaker outlets to plug it into - which a lot over older homes may not have. Sixth, it’s all metal and just weighs a ton. Seventh, it’s meant to be used around water / car wash buckets & no GCFI or whatever it’s called.
On the other hand, the Metro Sidekick is super handy and convenient - it won’t dry a car - but works fairly well on wheels / body seems, etc for a decent price.
I haven’t used my MB in a few years. It’s prolly good if you have a huge detail shop & can leave the thing set up and ready to go all the time. But for home use, it’s just a big PIA.
Money would be better spent buying a DI water system or a high quality cordless leaf blower. I have a Kobalt 80v cordless leaf blower that I use. Instant power, runs for 1/2 hr, and batteries change in 20 mins. No hoses, no cords, nothing to drag on the ground, & nothing to wrap up. 90% as powerful as the MB on dual motors at less than half the price.
First, it’s huge. Second, there’s no real place to wrap the cord. You would think for $400 it would include some type of cord wrap? Third, the hose is super stiff and wants to drag against or bang into your paint every chance it gets. IMHO - the hose is just awful.
Fifth, you need 20 amp + circuit breaker outlets to plug it into - which a lot over older homes may not have. Sixth, it’s all metal and just weighs a ton. Seventh, it’s meant to be used around water / car wash buckets & no GCFI or whatever it’s called.
On the other hand, the Metro Sidekick is super handy and convenient - it won’t dry a car - but works fairly well on wheels / body seems, etc for a decent price.
I haven’t used my MB in a few years. It’s prolly good if you have a huge detail shop & can leave the thing set up and ready to go all the time. But for home use, it’s just a big PIA.
Money would be better spent buying a DI water system or a high quality cordless leaf blower. I have a Kobalt 80v cordless leaf blower that I use. Instant power, runs for 1/2 hr, and batteries change in 20 mins. No hoses, no cords, nothing to drag on the ground, & nothing to wrap up. 90% as powerful as the MB on dual motors at less than half the price.
engineerwolf
Member
- Apr 20, 2017
- 49
- 0
Are we talking the same unit? Mine came with a wall mount bracket and a hose mount as well. The 30’ hose on mine is not stiff at all. It moves around easily. Maybe it is because mine is new, hopefully it stays like it is.
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dudley07726
Member
- Sep 8, 2016
- 138
- 0
I do the same. Bought a Rigid Wet Vac/ Blower and it does the job spectacularly.
The Guz
Well-known member
- Jun 17, 2013
- 8,785
- 65
This works great. More than enough power to dry an entire vehicle.
swanicyouth
New member
- Mar 3, 2011
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Mine is an older one for sure. It came with a wall mount, but no desire to mount that thing to my wall. Wouldn't use it nearly enough to justify it. But, mine is from way before they offered a 30 ft hose. Maybe they've improved he hose on the newer ones? Dunno? Really, prolly just me, but I hate any hose that just drags on the ground - cuz I always will want to clean it before I put it away. More time spent.
TBH, it's just so much easier & faster for me to pressure wash a car & do a rinseless wash with a gallon or so of DI water and let the car drip dry. I rarely do a 2 bucket wash anymore. Like I said, from owning this tool - it seems like it would be good for a busy detail shop that do a lotta washes, but for routine home use it's kinda awkward.
I've just found better methods to get a car dry with less work. 80v cordless leaf blower is instant power in a self contained unit with no cords or hoses. Less money. Easier to store. Lighter. More versatile. Smaller footprint than a MB & it's monster hose. Or, a CR Spotless - if you don't mind buying resin.
I've never used the McKees unit - but the design seems a little smarter for the enthusiast detailer. Really what works best for me and is easiest is to find some way to work with DI water as your final step and get a Sidekick for wheels & similar.
Maybe I'll pull my MB out and use it one day for giggles
JSou
New member
- Dec 17, 2012
- 1,635
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Has anyone attached the MasterBlaster to a cart (2 or 4 wheel) to deal with the moving around problem. All the negative posts (other threads too) seem to be centered on dragging hoses and immobility of the unit. I would think someone would have tried to use a cart to get the unit off the ground and setup better cord management.
VISITOR
Active member
- May 10, 2007
- 9,859
- 3
looks like this guy made his own cart to drag it around. kinda defeats the purpose of buying a machine that expensive and also having to use a thicker extension gauge cord to operate it as well. to each his/her own i guess...
xabo
Member
- Mar 19, 2013
- 152
- 1
A box about half the height might work better.
Eldorado2k
Well-known member
- Nov 9, 2015
- 14,544
- 644
So you’re fine blowing high velocity air on your vehicle from that dirty vacuum hose? I dunno about yours, but my vacuum hose is steady encrusted with gunk. I clean it every so often, but I don’t consider it clean enough at any time to dry paint or even dry upholstery/carpet. It does great at sweeping the patio though.
What’s that?