Electric Air Duster recommendation

[Deactivated] on 02/05/2022 - 09:40
Last edited 02/05/2022 - 09:42

I'm considering buying an electric air duster for keeping the pc clean. I'm currently thinking of getting this one from Amazon https://www.amazon.com.au/Cordless-Operated-Computer-Cleanin…

While doing a bit research this morning I've seen some people say they use things similar to bellows to clean the dust out of the keyboards and fans similar to these https://shorturl.at/bhBHU and on TomsHardware someone even said they use these childrens water toys with no water in them (obviously) to clean their pc https://shorturl.at/gCKU8

Any recommendations of your own? Obviously compressed air cans are the best but they're expensive over time, and I know I can get electric air dusters cheaper from Aliexpress but I'm wanting it quickly so I'm not considering them for the moment, so should I grab this one from Amazon or do you think there are better options out there, maybe something local or something on Aliexpress that is so good it's worth waiting for?

Cheers

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  • Alan6984 on 02/05/2022 - 10:03
    +1

    I've always used 'fart in a can' as it seems safer (little risk of damage from static discharge or other damage), but a non-electric bellows might be an interesting alternative even if it would look a little odd - maybe in the privacy of your own home :-)

    Its hard to imagine an empty water gun working very well, but maybe I would be surprised!

    On client machines (usually servers) I can get the vast majority (90% plus) of the 'dust' out by just pulling it in clumps as most servers these days have reasonably decent filters on the air in-take vents. 90% seems just fine to me, since even if you get it 99% clean, it will be dusty again in a month in most cases.

    Alan.

    • [Deactivated] on 02/05/2022 - 10:10

      The water guns are like large syringes, so as long as the seal was tight I'd imagine you'd get a good blast of air out of the nozzle. Now that I think about it I wonder if a manual balloon pump would do the job? I mean you need to generate a decent amount of initial burst of air to get a balloon started don't you? $2 at Kmart I might have to give it a go.

      • Alan6984 on 02/05/2022 - 10:16

        I could be off-base, but I would be worried about static myself, but then I never (and never say never) work on a machine without a properly grounded anti-static wrist band on either.

        It might be one of those things that you get away with for years, but one day it causes a discharge and fries something critical. If so, you can guarantee that all the things that were fine were worth $5 and the thing you trash will be worth $5,000.

        I think I'll stick with the cans myself :-)

  • Wakrak on 02/05/2022 - 09:53

    I have something similar to that Meprotal tool in the form of a Rocket air blower. Not that great for cleaning out a PC. My main tool is the Opolar 2in1 duster

    It's a decent little tool that I use to dust the tv, keyboard, partners sewing machine and window sills. I also use it to clean my PC parts but it's not strong enough to do a perfect job compared to an air can. But the Opolar + microfibre cloth is a good combo.

    Some people over on OzBargain just use an air compressor 😄

    • [Deactivated] on 02/05/2022 - 10:14

      I'm not sure about vacuum/blower combo's. I don't trust them to be sealed well enough to not suck up dust into the motor and fans so I'm just looking at blowers only.

      • Wakrak on 02/05/2022 - 11:04
        +1

        I don't even use the vacuum function. It's just that the 2in1 model has more power than the blower only model.

        • [Deactivated] on 02/05/2022 - 11:13

          oh ok, I didn't realize there were different rpm available, every one I looked at on Amazon was 33,000rpm but I see a couple of the more expensive ones are 45,000, don't see any that are 60,000 like the one you listed though. Might buy a can of compressed air and wait for that one to come back into stock and go on sale again.

    • rkl on 02/05/2022 - 12:18

      I got a Opolar air blower after a cheapies post
      https://www.cheapies.nz/node/28397
      Super happy with it, use it to clean out the PCs at work and has worked well on cleaning out my Air con filters too.

  • CheapAzChips on 02/05/2022 - 10:40

    Air compressor: if you're even slightly handy with tools it will pay you back in spades. I use mine at least monthly for cleaning, pumping up tyres, stapling/nailing, painting and more. But it is a heavy duty solution to your problem.

    A cheaper option for PC cleaning that I've used often is a vacuum cleaner with brush attachment. Means you're not blowing dust into the air too. There is more risk of static discharge, but tbh I've never had an issue. You can discharge the brush occasionally on the (earthed) PC case if that's a concern, eg. if you're dusting the motherboard.

    • [Deactivated] on 02/05/2022 - 11:02

      From what I understand air compressors can expel small amounts of moisture and it's therefore not recommended to use them on electrical products.

      • CheapAzChips on 02/05/2022 - 11:48

        While it certainly is possible, the air out of a compressor is actually drier than ambient air because when the air is compressed the moisture condenses inside the compression chamber leaving a puddle at the bottom that you're supposed to drain. That's why there's a valve at the bottom and you should release some air (and the condensed water) each time you fill it. On a humid day I'll easily get a tablespoon of water out that valve after the tank fills.

        But you get an even greater risk of moisture by rapidly decompressing air from any source (but particularly aerosol cans) causing the thing you're spraying to cool down quickly and moisture from air around it condensing on the surface. So you do have to be careful about that, but it's not a problem with compressors per se. Just spray evenly and don't concentrate on one area.

        Oh, and drain your tank regularly, or rust will build up inside.

        • Alan6984 on 02/05/2022 - 11:52

          That's an excellent point to make.

          Personally, I would never do this on a running machine - the components should already be at or close to ambient temperature and I've never observed anything getting noticeably cold from canned air, but regardless, keep moving the air source around!

  • Bargain-Hunter on 02/05/2022 - 10:49

    I haven't personally tried this, but how about using a small battery powered leaf blower. The advantage is they have multiple uses.
    Examples:
    - knockoff Makita
    - Ozito pxc

    • [Deactivated] on 02/05/2022 - 10:59

      A bit on the large size I think to going poking around the inside of a pc case with. I want something that I can easily hold and operate with one hand so I can use the other hand to hold back wires or whatever.

  • Drcspy on 03/05/2022 - 07:22

    Cleaning computer parts ? - Google 'Antistatic' and aircompressors

  • Dodger-nzl on 03/05/2022 - 07:36

    I have one of these and items amazing - https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/aw/d/B01G1Z0RF0

    Review here - https://youtu.be/qvBgC44zhdI

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