Leaf blower for car
Racer
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 495
Likes: 50
After doing quite a bit of research and determining I should look for a leaf blower with a minimum of 200-mph output for this purpose, I bought a Black & Decker 120V leaf blower at Lowe's (#493959 @ $59) that claimed 250-mph. Thinking I had landed a bargain I tried it once and found it to work just okay but was large and cumbersome to use on the cars, so I returned it.
Further research led me to buy a McKee's 37 Turbo Car Dryer, which compared to the Master Blaster is about half the price ($179), has good feedback from buyers, the same warranty, and claims about the same power (6.5hp vs. 8hp). I've used it once on my truck and found it to work well, so it's a keeper. You hold the compressor in one hand and the lightweight wand in the other, so you can aim it around the car easily. Be advised that any of these blowers work best on a surface that has a good was/sealant coating on it and not as well on untreated areas, so if you don't wax your glass it won't blow off as well as the paint. I also think that any of these will require a quick once-over with a chamois or MF cloth after blow drying. The McKee's gets enough water off to make that a very quick touch-up job with my chamois cloth.
Tip: Push the flexible blower nozzle well up on the hose past the first lip or else it will blow off.
Further research led me to buy a McKee's 37 Turbo Car Dryer, which compared to the Master Blaster is about half the price ($179), has good feedback from buyers, the same warranty, and claims about the same power (6.5hp vs. 8hp). I've used it once on my truck and found it to work well, so it's a keeper. You hold the compressor in one hand and the lightweight wand in the other, so you can aim it around the car easily. Be advised that any of these blowers work best on a surface that has a good was/sealant coating on it and not as well on untreated areas, so if you don't wax your glass it won't blow off as well as the paint. I also think that any of these will require a quick once-over with a chamois or MF cloth after blow drying. The McKee's gets enough water off to make that a very quick touch-up job with my chamois cloth.
Tip: Push the flexible blower nozzle well up on the hose past the first lip or else it will blow off.
