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I was glad to see Adams add a vacuum, I'd even requested one, since I think vacuuming is always a part of detailing.

I like the general design and industrial look.  Mine arrived with a fair sized dent on the rim, that had to be bent back to allow for a seal between the lid and the base.  I was also disappointed there were no wheels, since the hose is not large enough to cover my entire truck without moving the vacuum around.

It's a cute vacuum, less suction then the others in my shop.  I really wish that Adams would concentrate on US made products, even if they are a bit more pricey.  I for one, would be willing to pay.  

Adams customer base is already built by people willing to pay a premium, for quality products.  I'm not sure why that was not considered when it came time to offer a vacuum.

But I use it for one side, and my old vacuum for the other.  I'm still an Adams fan, but they could have done better on this shipment.

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My thoughts on the Barrel Vacuum:

 

PROS

- Lightweight 

- Nice Design

- Long, Durable Hose

- Changeable Tips

- Long power cord

- Cleanable filter

- Not too loud

- Enough capacity to vacuum several cars without needing to be cleaned out

 

CONS

- Not enough suction 

- Perfect for a DIY, but not for a professional detailer

- No wheels (bottom scrapes from being sat on the ground)

 

I too agree that it would have been better if it had those missing features. Adam's is all about premium products and most people including myself have no problem paying a few more bucks for a more premium item. Unfortunately, this China made accessory fell short of "Premium". I get they want to offer better pricing for items manufactured in China, but I'd like to see more US made accessories, especially if the quality is better.

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I was excited when I first read your suggestion, I even have a spare BC.   But I checked the diameters, and it doesn't work.   The vacuum is about an inch to big to fit.

 

I was hoping that they would offer something along the lines of their turbo blower.   Those look like they are built to a much higher standard, and are fitted with motors of a higher horsepower.

 

I'm not concerned about wet/dry, I don't typically vacuum wet areas.  I was just hoping for an "Adams" level product.  I choose to buy from them, because they seem to be making high quality products.  The vacuum is just a bit of a let down.  Even the polisher I purchased, is a bit suspect.  With very few hours on the machine, the plug lost continuity.  It wasn't hard to fix, just slapped on a new end.  But the point is, I shouldn't have  had too.  I even wrote them, explaining that situation, never heard back.

 

Then again, I'm not aggressive about pursuing those things.  It was easy to fix, and I hate the phone.  But is their business model to offer high quality products?  Or cheap products?  Pick a path and stick to it.  So we're not left wondering, what are we going to get, something cheap?  Or something good?  Their is an audience for both.  And the vacuum, compared to what is available at other stores, was not cheap.  I can buy a similar size, locally, for much less money.  If cheap was what I was after.  It wasn't.

 

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8 minutes ago, BWW said:

Another thing that is somewhat disappointing, is when I sign in to my account,,,,,,,,  it will NOT let me leave a review on products.  What's up with that????

 

If you're using an ad blocker, you could try whitelisting the Adam's site.

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1 hour ago, BWW said:

I was excited when I first read your suggestion, I even have a spare BC.   But I checked the diameters, and it doesn't work.   The vacuum is about an inch to big to fit.

 

I was hoping that they would offer something along the lines of their turbo blower.   Those look like they are built to a much higher standard, and are fitted with motors of a higher horsepower.

 

I'm not concerned about wet/dry, I don't typically vacuum wet areas.  I was just hoping for an "Adams" level product.  I choose to buy from them, because they seem to be making high quality products.  The vacuum is just a bit of a let down.  Even the polisher I purchased, is a bit suspect.  With very few hours on the machine, the plug lost continuity.  It wasn't hard to fix, just slapped on a new end.  But the point is, I shouldn't have  had too.  I even wrote them, explaining that situation, never heard back.

 

Then again, I'm not aggressive about pursuing those things.  It was easy to fix, and I hate the phone.  But is their business model to offer high quality products?  Or cheap products?  Pick a path and stick to it.  So we're not left wondering, what are we going to get, something cheap?  Or something good?  Their is an audience for both.  And the vacuum, compared to what is available at other stores, was not cheap.  I can buy a similar size, locally, for much less money.  If cheap was what I was after.  It wasn't.

 

 

I think with the recently released pressure washer and now the vacuum, it's pretty clear that the tools are going the cheap route.

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3 hours ago, BWW said:

Another thing that is somewhat disappointing, is when I sign in to my account,,,,,,,,  it will NOT let me leave a review on products.  What's up with that????

 

Same here.  And I used to leave reviews all the time. 

 

Anyway, I have one of the vacuums coming.  I have a good vacuum in the garage, but it's big and bulky and a pain in the rear to drag it out for just small stuff.  So I figure this one will get the little stuff that gets into my rides. They're never dirty,  no kids  or pets, so for just picking up leaves, or small stones or stuff like that, it should be fine. 

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For sure, it is an "average" little vacuum.  I use it for one side of my ride, and my other vacuum for the other side.  I have a dog, who must be on Chemo or something, it sheds like nobody's business.  And as long as I keep up with it, this vacuum picks up the hair just fine.

 

I don't dislike the vacuum, it's just not a "great" vacuum.  It should have come with wheels, that is a no brainer, I've never seen a vacuum that didn't have wheels.  The hose is too short to have decided to manufacture it without them.  I like the look.  But mine came damaged, and the box was not, which means someone at Adams packaged the vacuum damaged.  Again, it was an easy fix, but I'll suffer if I ever want to sell it.  And I can't gift it damaged.  So it just bothers me.

 

I just see the "made in the USA" badge slipping away from the Adams offerings, even in the towels, I see "made in Korea" slipping into the catalog.  I am a true Adams fan, but these decisions are going to cost them my stead fast following.  Part of the reason I truly try to purchase as much as I can from them, is because their products were quality, obviously not because they are the cheapest, they are not.  So if I am going to start receiving "cheap" products, it kind of defeats the purpose of my buying from them.

Edited by BWW
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I've definitely seen "made in USA" on some of their towels.   The blue waffle towels were the first I ever saw that noted they were imported.

And I still bought some.  I don't have a problem with imported products that perform.  And I really love the blue towels.  So foreign is not a deal breaker.

 

I don't want to harp on the vacuum, or the polisher.  I like them both.  But they are not "high" quality.

 

I kind of want to end this.  I don't want to come off like I'm "anti" Adam's.  I really, really, think they do an overall wonderful job.

 

I spent more at Adams on washing products, then I did on FUEL for my truck, the first year I owned it.  The ratio is STILL amazingly high.

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Unfortunately we have never offered microfiber towels made in the USA, because there are no manufacturers of microfiber here. Some of our older towels that may have had a cardboard stock card on the towel bag may have had a small US Flag logo, but would not have stated Made in the USA like all of our chemicals do. The last time I looked into it, the only two countries manufacturing microfiber towels were China and Korea. We source the best microfiber towels that we can find from Korea, since we started offering them many years back. All of our polishing towels are also the higher quality 70/30 blend vs an 80/20 blend of polyester and polyamide. 

I do understand the frustration with the vacuum. I agree that it would be much more versatile with wheels on it, and if the diameter of the vacuum was 1" narrower it would be perfect for the Bucket Caddy. I will pass along these suggestions to the Product Development Team. My Barrel Vacuum showed up with a very slight bend in the lid portion too, but I did hear the delivery person slam the box down onto my porch :( I will suggest to see if we could have them shipped in a slightly larger box with more foam material as well. I was able to carefully bend the lid back on mine and it operates with no issues, but if you are experiencing any problems or are not satisfied with yours, please let us know and we will make things right!

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I'll take your word for it on the towels.  You would know far better than I would.  Like I mentioned, the blue waffle towels were the first time I noticed the Korea label.  But I still love those towels, so I'm not complaining about the quality of those.  They are some of my favorites.

 

The damage to your vacuum, sounds exactly like the damage to mine.  Right around the rim where the top meets the base.  But my box did not appear damaged, and Adams seems to ship in boxes that are more than adequate in strength.  I've never had a complaint there.

 

If you can believe it, it is not my intention to speak poorly of  Adam's, on the contrary, I wish I lived close enough to be involved in the company.  The level of explanation for each product, and the way each performs, has caused me to be a true fan of the company.

 

It's their decision on hardware that has me baffled a bit.  It seems contrary to their approach to so many other things.  But nobody should take my comments to mean that the integrity of the company should be in question.  If anything, there problems with customer service responses, and even the selection of what hardware to offer, may very well just be a case of the company growing so quickly as to allow some of these things to be behind the curve a bit.

 

I hope they will consider the customer base they are building, the fact that we are in pursuit of quality before price, and then look at the choices of products to offer under that lens.

 

But I am nothing but a fan and firm customer of the company.

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22 minutes ago, BWW said:

the fact that we are in pursuit of quality before price, and then look at the choices of products to offer under that lens.

 

This! If price was the issue, I'd get my supplies from the local auto part store. But that's not what I'm in for. I want quality, and pricing is usually not a factor for high quality items. It's just when you pay a pretty penny for a low quality items - that is what makes me upset. 

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3 hours ago, Amiguel6 said:

This! If price was the issue, I'd get my supplies from the local auto part store. But that's not what I'm in for. I want quality, and pricing is usually not a factor for high quality items. It's just when you pay a pretty penny for a low quality items - that is what makes me upset. 

 

Obsessed Garage. He is an Adam's supplier but he has everything top of the line. But his prices are fair and not on the low side.

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If it's not me, one of us will make sure the development team sees the feedback. Thanks for being candid!

 

Re: country of source, several years ago, Adam addressed the issue in the video below. The company understands customer demands and in some cases has to look overseas to fulfill those demands. Recommend anyone interested take a few minutes to watch...

 

 

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5 minutes ago, falcaineer said:

If it's not me, one of us will make sure the development team sees the feedback. Thanks for being candid!

 

Re: country of source, several years ago, Adam addressed the issue in the video below. The company understands customer demands and in some cases has to look overseas to fulfill those demands. Recommend anyone interested take a few minutes to watch...

 

 

For me, it doesn't matter where products are manufactured (besides chemicals). My biggest concern is quality. 

 

Google "Hot ash cleaner" ...makes me wonder if the Barrel Vacuum is even meant for automotive detailing.

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Thanks very much.  I appreciate the video, and I completely understand the point that Adam is making on the video.  I truly understand, and I love the polishers he shows in that video by the way.

 

I hope the  point I was trying to make on my original post, about the vacuum, is not lost.  Had the vacuum come built to the level of the blower that you guys offer, I would have never said a thing.  I really love the blower in your catalog, I just don't totally subscribe to the blowing method of drying, I use your  excellent towels.  But I do vacuum my truck religiously, so I had been writing in, suggesting a vacuum.  I was hoping it would be of a more industrial quality.  In this case, I was a little disappointed.  Not mad, not disgusted, just not well you get it at this point.

 

Again, I really wish I lived close enough to come in and be involved in this company.  They really seem to have their act together, and I bet it is a fun place to work.  I'd even work the bottle line.  It's just impressive.  Your marketing, top notch.  Chemicals, I can't say enough.  Towels, I love them all (even though I now know they are made in Korea)  I don't care, as long as the quality is high, and in general, I think US tends to produce nice stuff.

 

I really have nothing but good things to say about Adams, and hope my comments did not imply otherwise.  Thanks again for the video link.

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16 hours ago, Amiguel6 said:

Google "Hot ash cleaner" ...makes me wonder if the Barrel Vacuum is even meant for automotive detailing.

 

Many products that we think of as 'detailing' products are used for other applications (the Porter Cable polisher is a repurposed dual action sander), and many of the products are from the janitorial/cleaning industries.  As for vacuum cleaners, Metro Vac (the folks that make the Sidekick and the Master Blaster) offer their products to dog groomers and other industries.  They just paint them different colors and change the accessories.

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I know that pricing and such varies by area, and that would make this request a little more difficult.

 

But I'm limited in the amount of time I can work a day.  But what I have found, is that I enjoy detailing, and if I started a detailing shop, I could schedule based on my current health.

 

I wish that in video, or written form, Adams could produce a general guide to opening a detailing shop.  What basic services to offer, the general cost of each ( or the typical amount of time to spend on each task), what chemicals are used the most.  Any tips and tricks that a professional should know or be aware of.  It can't be rocket science, lots of people offer the services.  But a general guide with what to stock and what to offer at what price would perhaps give me the confidence to launch a small business that would add some needed income.  Meanwhile, I could stock a few Adams products to offer to potential clients.

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3 hours ago, BWW said:

I know that pricing and such varies by area, and that would make this request a little more difficult.

 

But I'm limited in the amount of time I can work a day.  But what I have found, is that I enjoy detailing, and if I started a detailing shop, I could schedule based on my current health.

 

I wish that in video, or written form, Adams could produce a general guide to opening a detailing shop.  What basic services to offer, the general cost of each ( or the typical amount of time to spend on each task), what chemicals are used the most.  Any tips and tricks that a professional should know or be aware of.  It can't be rocket science, lots of people offer the services.  But a general guide with what to stock and what to offer at what price would perhaps give me the confidence to launch a small business that would add some needed income.  Meanwhile, I could stock a few Adams products to offer to potential clients.

 

This information is available from other detailing sources that cater more to the full-time detailer, and several offer books and classes.  Also check out the IDA (International Detailing Association), as that is their focus. 

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Amen,,, I was hoping for the same thing.  If I understand correctly, at one time their blower served as a vacuum as well.  That would be ideal.  I currently use my compressor when I want to blow moisture away, but it is not as efficient as their blower, and not heated.  To have one that would do both, and was built to as industrial as their current blower, would put it on my immediate shopping list.

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What you linked too, looks perfect.  I may opt to add that to the shop.  I'll still use the other vacuum occasionally, or take it home and donate it to my wife's Tahoe.  Thanks again for the link.

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