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Product Review: Adam's JUMBO Vac N' Blo Pro Series by MetroVac


Junkman2008

Question

So the first thing that you saw was the price. Let's face it, that's the first thing a lot of people see. That's understandable... money isn't exactly growing on trees these days. However, that should just one thing you should consider when looking at something that may appear to be expensive. There are so many other factors that you should look at, and I'm about to open your eyes to a few of them.

 

I've been hanging out at car washes since the early 80's. I had my first new car setup with dual batteries so that I could listen to my music for hours without getting stranded at the car wash with a dead battery. When you spend 3 or 4 hours at the car wash listening to tunes, you can really kill a battery!

 

Over the years, I have seen just about everything you can think of at the DIY car wash. People having sex, urinating, vomiting and dumping everything from dirty diapers and used condoms to unknown liquids and chemicals. Basically, car washes can be quite a cesspool. I use to detail my car at home and then go to the car wash to use their vacuum. Often, the vacuum cleaners didn't work, had lousy suction, or the area was so disgusting that I wanted no part of these places. The day that I posted this thread, I went to what use to be a nice car wash and was greeted by this:

 

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Talk about disgusting, this place was pretty bad. Add to that, the vacuum hose is laying on the ground, where just about every disgusting liquid and excrement has been deposited over time. To think that people actually touch these hoses with their hands, and then drag them inside their cars is totally beyond comprehension for me now.

 

This was enough to make me buy a vacuum for my home that had attachments I could use to vacuum out my car in my garage. The only problem was that these attachment were really made to be used inside the house and the vacuum cleaner was cumbersome to use in the garage. So when I saw the Metro Vac, I knew that I had to have one.

 

There are some key things about this vacuum that seals the deal for me. They are the following:

 

  • Built like a rock. This thing is made to last like an American muscle car.
  • Comes with attachments that will allow you to get into every nook, crannie, crack and crevice of your car.
  • Powerful. This thing sucks like... well let's just say it sucks and it sucks in a good way. :D
  • MADE IN THE USA. Metro has been in business since 1939. I think these boys have this business figured out by now.
  • 24 feet of hoses, plus two 20" extension wands! Add to that, the hoses are made of some type of soft material that aids in keeping you from scratching up your paint, just in case you brush up against your paint.
  • Wall mountable or it can be used on the wheels that it comes with.
  • A 12' grounded cord set.
  • A complete steel body construction with a 4.0 Peak HP, twin-fan, industrial quality motor producing an almost unbelievable 95" of water lift (the standard measure of vacuum efficiency).
  • JUNKMAN APPROVED! :2thumbs:

 

How long is that hose? Take a look!

 

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(You all have heard me say over and over again that I do absolutely nothing to my daily drive as far as washing goes. Do you believe me now??? :D)

 

Add to that length, the extension wands!

 

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Now I also have the Air Force Master Blaster so I have more attachments than you can shake a stick at. All of the attachments are interchangeable so I'm loaded for bear!

 

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So as you can see, having one in your garage is quite the no brainer. Beside avoiding the cesspool at the car wash, this thing is worth its weight in gold. If you are on the fence, just do it. You will more than be happy with the purchase. I highly recommend.

 

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You can order your very own right here, and feel free to use my discount code. :)

 

 

P.S. Another thing that is full of disgusting germs are shopping basket handles. But I'll save that thread for the shopping basket forum I post on. :o

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Be sure and let me know what you think. These are very expensive purchases and justifying the purchase for a lot of folks is hard to do. By chiming in with your opinion, you inform others of whether or not this may be something that they want to do. I know first hand that they are worth the money they cost, but for someone who hasn't laid hands on one, they tend to stay on the fence for quite a while.

 

These units are worth what they cost but you must justify if they are worth that cost to you. :thumbsup:

 

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I'll be happy to give a detailed description and review of the items I receive.

 

I don't know if it will be of much value, but I'll report back my experiences from the perspective of a beginner in the world of detailing. I'm definitely passionate about learning all I can about the art of detailing and car care, so if I can learn, anybody can.

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I appreciate your Review of the Jumbo Vac N' Blo; it helped me make up my mind when I was debating between it and the 500. I went with the Jumbo and I'm looking forward to trying it out this week.

 

I'm also due to receive the Master Blaster the same day, so I'll get to try them both out.

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Would it be possible to do a video comparison of the blowing part of the Vac 'N' Blo vs the Master Blaster? I know it's 4 hp vs 8 hp but I'd like to see what that equates to in actual water movement off the paint. I suppose I could take your word that the Master Blaster is the greatest blower ever made but I'm more of a visual person. I already have a Vac 'N' Blo so I'd like to see what I'm missing out on.

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AJ, I didn't sit on the fence too long. There was a lot in your original post in this thread that got me thinking. Before ordering the Jumbo, I had two options for vacuuming my car. One, which is the route I thought I might go with, was to take it to the car wash and use the vacuum there. The other would be to take our Kirby and go through the hassle of changing its configuration to suit it for use with the vacuum hose, etc.

 

I didn't want to have to mess with the Kirby and then the pictures in your thread reminded me of what it's really like to use the vacuum cleaner at the car wash. In a word - nasty. I especially appreciated your reminder that I'd be dragging that filthy, dirty hose all through my car and all over my leather seats. Since I've had my car for only three weeks, that idea literally made me cringe.

 

I checked out some videos on Youtube, read reviews (like yours) and talked to other people (Dylan and Ashley included) about the merits of the different models of MetroVacs. One thing that kept being reiterated was that their products were built solidly and were durable. After your response to my question in this thread, I decided that I'd go for the Jumbo Vac N' Blo and get the unit with the greatest suction and power. I could see no real downside to that!

 

I look at it this way, what sense does it make to spend lots of money on various Adam's products and machines like the Flex and PC to take care of the outside appearance of my new car only to try to cut corners on something that will insure the beauty and appearance of the inside of the car? The last time I checked, I spend more time on the inside than I do on the outside! I want my car as clean and dirt/dust free as I can possibly get it on the inside before I start to use my Adam's interior car care products. After all, starting with seats, carpets, floor mats and a dash that's as clean as possible will only lend to the efficacy of the products I'm about to use.

 

One more thing that sold me on the MetroVac, and, if I'm not mistaken, I think this feature is the same for both the Jumbo and the 500, is the assortment of brushes that are specifically designed for working on the interior of the car. I know my Kirby vacuum attachments had a few things that would work on the interior and the nasty vac at the car wash has only one nozzle. However, the MetroVacs have some things that are designed to fit in tight places like AC vents and that level of specialization was a big plus in my decision making process.

 

I've said it before in other threads, but it bares repeating. There are a lot of great aspects to this Adam's Forum. First and foremost, there doesn't seem to be as much infighting and trolling as I've found on other forums. That's refreshing! Don't get me wrong, I know there is no perfect, utopian forum and I'd probably get bored without just a tiny bit of drama, but I've got to say I'm impressed that this forum seems to transcend some of the other petty fan-boyistic pitfalls that I've become all too familiar with. I've seen Chevy and Ford guys actually getting along here! :2thumbs: And American Muscle fans and import guys seem to have an accord (nod to Honda!):glasses:. But beyond that, this place is a veritable University of Detailology! The years of experience and wealth of knowledge of the combined forum consensus is amazing and I've found that no matter how rank amateurish I feel a question to be, it's always been answered and with civility and respect.

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Junkman - I am a huge fan of your videos and am very appreciative of all the details tips and tricks. Can you tell me how you decided between the MetroVac products? I am pretty sure I can get a family member to buy me one for Christmas this year but can't decide between the ones available on the Adam's website.

 

For me, the choice was simple. The bigger, the badder. I put absolutely no thought into it. If it was the baddest one they made, I wanted it. Needless to say, I'm very happy with my choices. :thumbsup:

 

P.S. I used that same mindset when I decided to join the Marines. However, there were a few times during boot camp when I questioned my logic! :D

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AJ, I didn't sit on the fence too long. There was a lot in your original post in this thread that got me thinking. Before ordering the Jumbo, I had two options for vacuuming my car. One, which is the route I thought I might go with, was to take it to the car wash and use the vacuum there. The other would be to take our Kirby and go through the hassle of changing its configuration to suit it for use with the vacuum hose, etc.

 

Been there, done that for years. I finally got tired of that thing banging up against the car every once in a while. I don't have that issue anymore. :thumbsup:

 

One other thing that is definitely worth mentioning. Every carpet manufacturer out there will tell you that the number one way to extend the life of your carpet is to vacuum it every day. It is the dirt that gets trampled into the carpet that actually destroys it. If you remove all the dirt in the carpet, it will not only last longer, it will be much easier to clean and keep clean. In order to get that dirt that is deep into the carpet's fibers, you need a tool that excels at that task. Metro has definitely built that product.

 

I've said it before in other threads, but it bares repeating. There are a lot of great aspects to this Adam's Forum. First and foremost, there doesn't seem to be as much infighting and trolling as I've found on other forums. That's refreshing! Don't get me wrong, I know there is no perfect, utopian forum and I'd probably get bored without just a tiny bit of drama, but I've got to say I'm impressed that this forum seems to transcend some of the other petty fan-boyistic pitfalls that I've become all too familiar with. I've seen Chevy and Ford guys actually getting along here! :2thumbs: And American Muscle fans and import guys seem to have an accord (nod to Honda!):glasses:.

 

I had to chuckle at that! That is the sole reason that I don't post on some forums. Don't have time for it. Luckily, we have amassed a great group of folks here and Adam allows us to moderate this place as somewhere pleasant to be. The trolls come by every blue moon but we keep them in check. This is the only forum that I moderate that is actually pleasant to do so.

 

Glad the choice was easy for you. Hopefully your insight will help others.

 

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I'll be happy to give a detailed description and review of the items I receive.

 

I don't know if it will be of much value, but I'll report back my experiences from the perspective of a beginner in the world of detailing. I'm definitely passionate about learning all I can about the art of detailing and car care, so if I can learn, anybody can.

 

We welcome it. :thumbsup:

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Can you tell us more about that motor? :D

 

And back on topic, I bought the mini 500 vac and so far it has handled everything I tried it on. So this jumbo version must be a beast.

 

383 stroker, 11:1 compression. The rest you'll have to find out at a stoplight near me. :D

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Be sure and let me know what you think. These are very expensive purchases and justifying the purchase for a lot of folks is hard to do. By chiming in with your opinion, you inform others of whether or not this may be something that they want to do. I know first hand that they are worth the money they cost, but for someone who hasn't laid hands on one, they tend to stay on the fence for quite a while.

 

These units are worth what they cost but you must justify if they are worth that cost to you. :thumbsup:

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Junkman, I've got a question. I don't have a garage or a wall to hang this vac on, so would it still be a good choice for somebody like me who is detailing his car in the open driveway? How cumbersome is the unit to use if I don't have it hanging on a wall? I like the long hoses and the power of this vac over the Metro 500, but I don't know if this vacuum would be hard to maneuver around in the driveway and not bang into my car.

 

What would you recommend for me in my case? If there would be no real difference in ease of use between the two, I'd probably opt for the big mac daddy!

 

Thanks!

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Just to add a little input and observations on this machine........

 

I bought one of these machines and absolutely love it. It has enough power blowing to dry a car but it does take a little longer......I dried mine completely wet to completely dry and it took about 20 minutes just to see what it would do........The time is reduced if you use the pooling method to help remove most of the water.

 

NOTE- IF YOU USE ALL OF YOUR HOSE TO VACUUM YOUR CAR, YOU MUST CLEAN THOSE HOSE BEFOE DRYING OR RISK BLOWING THE DUST AND DIRT BACK ON TO YOUR CAR AND POSSIBLE TO ACTUALLY SCRATCH IT WHILE DOING THIS. Thanks Dylan for that tip.....

 

You do have enough hose, 24', to be able to use 12' for vacuuming and 12 ' for drying., BUT you will have to remove the vacuum from the wall mount.

 

It has tremendous sucking power and with the all the attachments that come with this machine you can get into EVERY area on a car. Hope this helps.......Sorry AJ didn't mean to steal your thunder.....

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The shop vac gets tons of use at my place... my wife had never been one for vacuuming her own car and as you can imagine with a little one the backseat was regularly a mess.

 

Now that I have it setup in the garage she can pull up in the driveway and the hose easily reaches, plus I just leave the claw attachment on it for her.

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