Gadget Alert: Goodbye Canned Air (alt for drying jewelry & other uses)

[the_mother_thing]

I started searching a few weeks ago for alternatives to canned air to keep my computer equipment clean & dust-free when my last can expired. I’m not a big fan of single-use ‘gadgets’, opting where possible for things that serve multiple purposes. Enter the Easy-Go Computer Cleaner ...



It arrived yesterday, so I cannot attest to the longevity of this gadget yet. But the reviews were good, and I can attest that this baby gives a serious BJ!

I’d estimate that - on ‘high’ with the narrow cone-shaped concentrator - it’s force is pretty close to the ‘Xlerator’ hand-dryer you see in public restrooms, and ‘low’ is about 25-30% ‘milder’. I know it will get far more use than just in computer equipment ... dusting off air vents, hard-to-reach crevices in my car that a vacuum won’t reach, dusting off window blinds ... it’s basically an affordable, hand-held compressor.

And my primary reason for sharing it here: the concentrator attachment that comes with it makes it awesome for drying jewelry after cleaning! For those who - like me - are jewelry-cleaning addicts and anal about clean gems, and/or those in the trade who regularly buy canned air for the same, I’d seriously give this a whirl before buying more cans of compressed air because this gadget is far more useful and doesn’t result in as much waste/environmental impact. At just under $50, I’m very pleased with this, and may have a massive jewelry cleaning session later today just to play with it some more, as so far I only tested it out on my keyboards and e-ring last night.

My ‘pros’: it’s lightweight, electric, doesn’t result in ongoing waste, doesn’t take up much space, is easily portable, has a decent cord-length, and has two ’speed’ settings, the lower of which is perfectly adequate for jewelry if you worry the higher setting may be too much or have more delicate pieces to dry.

The only ‘cons’ I can see about it (which I don’t really mind): you need to continuously hold/press the switch when using it; and it’s noise level is probably equivalent to a hair dryer or a Shop-vac, just to give a reference. But since this isn’t something I’d be using continuously for hours on end, neither is really a turn-off for me to the point it overrides the usefulness or effectiveness for which I bought it.

Just figured I’d pass along the ‘find’ in case others are looking for something similar; and I’m happy to answer any questions or run a ‘test’ if you’re curious before buying.

 

[Demon]

Yep. I got tired of buying canned air, and didn't like that white residue you sometime get, which requires cleaning again. A few years ago I bought a Metro-vac air duster, and I love it. Very strong air, and I never have a water spot. It isn't the lightest thing, and is noisy, but it's on for all of a few minutes at most. I love it, but I didn't seem to persuade anyone else, lol.

 

[the_mother_thing]

@Demon Glad you found a gadget you like! I totally agree on the liquid-like residue from canned air; that always worried me with electronics. I also disliked that you have to let the pressure ‘recharge’ after just a few short bursts ... annoying when trying to clean several devices (pc, game systems, printer, etc) at the same time.

 

[Demon]

@Demon Glad you found a gadget you like! I totally agree on the liquid-like residue from canned air; that always worried me with electronics. I also disliked that you have to let the pressure ‘recharge’ after just a few short bursts ... annoying when trying to clean several devices (pc, game systems, printer, etc) at the same time.

I do like mine. There are trade offs - your's looks like it would be lighter, but I don't have to hold the button down on mine. Either one (or anything similar) would work well.

 

[missy]

Love this suggestion thank you @the_mother_thing
Going to show it to my dh and see if he can use it for anything too. I bet he can.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Love this suggestion thank you @the_mother_thing
Going to show it to my dh and see if he can use it for anything too. I bet he can.

Great; I’m glad others find the suggestion helpful!

 

[kenny]

I'd by this in a New York second if I was certain the air stream was powerful enough to blow away all of the contaminated cleaning fluid from the diamond that I just cleaned with isopropyl alcohol.
The only way to be certain of that, is to try it and loupe the results.

Since Amazon returns are a major hassle, and you often don't get shipping refunded, I'll look for it at local stores with a good return policy.

Thanks for posting.

 

[the_mother_thing]

I'd by this in a New York second if I was certain the air stream was powerful enough to blow away all of the contaminated cleaning fluid from the diamond that I just cleaned with isopropyl alcohol.

The only way to be certain is to try it and loupe the results.

Since returning things on Amazon is a major hassle, and you often don't get shipping refunded, I'll look for it at local stores with a good return policy.

Thanks for posting.

I’ll do a clean and dry/loupe test with video tomorrow when the light is better, and post it. It really does have a LOT of force ... way more than a can of compressed air, IMO. Have you ever used one of these Xlerator hand dryers? That’s what it feels like on high.

 

[kenny]

I don't know whether I've ever used that hand dryer ... but I do know some should be banned because their SPL is so high they MUST cause hearing damage.

I appreciate the offer of help, but with my personality I'd need to try this gizmo myself.
Nothing personal, and I may be a butthead for saying this, but the only person I trust with this test is myself.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

I'd by this in a New York second if I was certain the air stream was powerful enough to blow away all of the contaminated cleaning fluid from the diamond that I just cleaned with isopropyl alcohol.
The only way to be certain of that, is to try it and loupe the results.

Since Amazon returns are a major hassle, and you often don't get shipping refunded, I'll look for it at local stores with a good return policy.

Thanks for posting.

You should double check before writing off amazon returns, lately I've been able to just bring things to Khols and they pack it up and return it! (if you have one of course).

 

[kenny]

Khols sells air machines?

 

[winnietucker]

I just air dry... am I doing this wrong?

 

[kenny]

I just air dry... am I doing this wrong?

Wrong?
Maybe not wrong with a capital W, but there is a way to get your diamond cleaner - if you care enough.
Lots of people do not care enough to bother.

When cleaning fluid, contaminated with gunk from jewelry, is left to air dry the liquid evaporates, but the gunk does not.
Gunk residue remains on your diamond, and extra gunk accumulates at the last area to dry, near the prongs.

The only way to prevent this is to blow away the contaminated cleaning fluid with a blast of air that is strong enough to accelerate all the fluid OFF the diamond.
This must be done immediately, while your jewelry is still dripping wet.
Heat from a hair dryer only speeds up the evaporation, and a hair dryer's air pressure is too low to blow off the liquid near the prongs.

This is not my opinion.
It's in the NASA training manual for assemblers who solder parts onto gizmos that ends up in space on big gizmos that cost millions, even billions of dollars.
I worked in this field over 20 years.

 

[winnietucker]

@kenny I’m going to try the canned air method. I clean my stuff a few times a week in my ultrasonic cleaner so I may invest in one of these machines. Always finding something new I want on PS lol.

 

[the_mother_thing]

I don't know whether I've ever used that hand dryer ... but I do know some should be banned because their SPL is so high they MUST cause some hearing damage.

I appreciate the offer of help, but with my personality I'd need to try this gizmo myself.
Nothing personal, and I may be a butthead for saying this, but the only person I trust with this test is myself.

By all means, DIY ... my feelings aren’t hurt in the least, and I will probably still do it tomorrow and take/post pics, just because I want to see it in brighter, natural daylight. I can say that when I inspected my ACA after cleaning & drying it (indoors in evening, so artificial light), I saw zero residue ... and that was with a loupe via video, which is how I prefer to loupe my things because it’s much easier & less strain on my eyes to see than only with the loupe itself. (I clip my 10x loupe onto my tablet and go on video mode ... and now what was about an inch ... is 10" and much easier to view detail).

But re: that hand dryer, I was referring to the force/power of the blower, not the noise level. I noted above, it’s about as loud as a hair dryer or shopvac. Also, this particular model/seller offers free returns (part of why I went with them); I didn’t see anything like this available locally.
Lowe’s does offer this one, and it has a couple additional attachments, but was a smidge heavier than the one I went with. The Lowe’s site listing doesn’t have a lot of reviews, but Amazon also has that same model with a ton of reviews, in case you’d prefer to shop local at Lowe’s for ease of potential return.

 

[kenny]

... Always finding something new I want on PS lol.

Don't worry.
It'll end when we die.

 

[kenny]

The max power this product produces is only 3 PSI, for while canned air it's 145 PSI.
I, for one, won't be buying one.

PSI is pounds per square inch, the unit of force used to describe the force of the gas coming out of the nozzle of the can or gun.

IMO it's very tacky and dishonest these new things are advertised as equivalent alternatives to canned air when they produce only 2% of the power.

3 PSI may be adequate for some applications, but not for mine.

Lowe’s does offer this one, and it has a couple additional attachments, but was a smidge heavier than the one I went with. The Lowe’s site listing doesn’t have a lot of reviews, but Amazon also has that same model with a ton of reviews, in case you’d prefer to shop local at Lowe’s for ease of potential return.

I went to your link for Lowe's.
Scroll down and under Specifications it stated the max pressure is 3 PSI.



3 pounds per square max inch is VERY wimpy.
For reference, humans can blow 2 PSI max.

But canned air comes out at a whopping 145 PSI max, per this:

Gas duster - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

SNIP:
"The maximum pressure for an aerosol can is typically 10 bar (145 psi) at 20 C (68 F)."

Thanks for sharing, but if I'm accostomed to 145 PSI, then I guarantee that 3 PSI will NOT be enough force to blow away all of the contaminated liquid from a diamond.

 

[the_mother_thing]

@kenny Citing PSI *only* when comparing two different ‘tools’ is akin to using the HCA score to compare an emerald cut to an MRB. These are two different products that work/perform differently ... kinda like a traditional gas-powered vehicle vs. one that is electric - both get you where you’re going, but they have very different mechanics that get you there.

Canned air (compressed gas) is designed for very short bursts of use whereas the two electric ‘air dusters’ I shared above are designed for continuous use and are not compressed gas; therefore, PSI is only one part of the equation in determining ‘performance’. The CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) of the units I linked above is 70 (Compucleaner) and 90 (XPOWER model). What is the CFM for a can of air/compressed gas?

Also important to note: canned air only has ‘maximum pressure’ or 145psi before/at the first use; after that and with each subsequent use, it continuously declines ... which is beyond obvious when the can gets ‘low’. Unless you throw out your air can after one use, you aren’t really “accustomed to 145psi” because you only get that with the ‘first use’ of each can.

It may be more helpful to include the remainder of the verbiage in the snip you posted in it’s full context:

The maximum pressure for an aerosol can is typically 10 bar (145 psi) at 20 C (68 F).[7] Therefore, a fully compressed air duster will exhaust air about 10 times the can volume. Recently electronic versions which only use air have become viable alternatives that are preferred by many large corporations due to the fact that they contain no hazardous chemicals, are safe for the environment, do not freeze and they cannot be abused. The leading plug-in alternatives are made by ITDusters, DataVac and Airrow and the leading cordless alternative is made by Canless Air System.

But by all means ... don’t try/buy one if you don’t want to; it really matters not to me. I’m not getting paid to suggest it, and I don’t own stock in nor work for the company that makes it. I’m merely passing along the ‘find’ to those who might find it useful, care about the environment, and prefer to save vs. waste money with something that has far more use than the can of compressed gas.

 

[the_mother_thing]

Anyone interested in seeing the power/force ‘in action’ ... here is a great video demonstrating the XPOWER model, which is a smidge more ‘powerful’ than the one I bought. Fast forward to the 2:30 mark to avoid the typical unboxing/unpackaging mumbo-jumbo.

 

[the_mother_thing]

And here is my ACA after I cleaned & dried it this morning ... no sign of any smear/smudge remaining on the diamond at all from any dried ’liquid residue’.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

And now.....for the most unpopular and horrific comment.....drumroll….looks like a cross between a neti-pot and sex toy! Great for cleaning rings tho….LOL

cheers--Sharon

 

[Demon]

And here is my ACA after I cleaned & dried it this morning ... no sign of any smear/smudge remaining on the diamond at all from any dried ’liquid residue’.

I loupe mine every time, and no water spots. I'm not taking pics, but I appreciate yours. I have one little bezel set that I just blow the air into the back of, as well as the front, and no spots on it either. I wouldn't keep using the air duster if it didn't work. I'm pretty sure Metro Vac and Data Vac are the same.

 

[kenny]

Tmt, I didn't mean to start an argument or make you look bad.
This is about a tool that does a job, not about you or me.
Also people vary, and what is preferred by one person may not be preferred by the next.
But the fact remains, 3 PSI is a relatively low pressure.
Is 145 PSI needed? I serious doubt it, but as you pointed out pressure declines with use.

I should explain what in my background makes me so passionate about this cleaning process.
FWIW, for 23 years I worked in a lab that assembles electronic gizmos for NASA.
Soldering electronics leaves flux that has to be cleaned.
My company has very strict detailed procedures for cleaning off soldering flux since flux residue can corrode things it touches.
Flux may also outgas, and that gas can attack other materials in the gizmo in the atmosphere-less void of space.

My job included inspecting soldered components through $15,000 German Zeiss stereo microscopes for the smallest residue.
Even lights we used were $5,000.
When any residue was found my job was to go back to the assemblers and retrained them on proper cleaning.
The final gizmos shipped to NASA cost hundred of millions of dollars, were launched into space and absolutely had to work perfectly for 15 years.
The big gizmo was insured against failure by Lloyds of London.
Perfect cleaning was a huge deal.

Does a diamond need to be that clean?
Of course not.
Do I want it that clean? Sure, why not?
I'm an OCD dorky geek obsessed with diamond light performance, and I'm going to use what I know works best.
It only takes 15 seconds, and when done I'm positive it couldn't be any cleaner.

I'm grateful you posted this tool since I'd love to stop buying those cans - but after my experience cleaning described above I'm going to stick with the more powerful tool, the can.

You wrote, "Canned air (compressed gas) is designed for very short bursts of use whereas the two electric ‘air dusters’ I shared above are designed for continuous use ..."

True.
But a short burst of maybe a quarter second is all that's needed to accelerate the fluid away from the diamond.
Since it's expensive I only use that short burst.

You wrote, "Also important to note: canned air only has ‘maximum pressure’ or 145psi before/at the first use; after that and with each subsequent use, it continuously declines ... which is beyond obvious when the can gets ‘low’. Unless you throw out your air can after one use, you aren’t really “accustomed to 145psi” because you only get that with the ‘first use’ of each can."

Yes, true again.
Cans decline in pressure with use.
I clean my diamond once or twice a day, and one can lasts maybe three months.
When the can gets too wimpy it goes into the recycling bin.
The cans must stay far above 3 PSI for 99% of their life.
I buy large cans in 6-packs at Costco for around $18.

So, thanks again for the PSA on the tool.
I'm glad you're happy with yours.
I'm sure some who buy them will be happy with them.

 

[Arcadian]

I've tried canned air on my jewlery before and didn't like it. won't use in my computer's either.

For my jewlery needs (including diamonds, I clean my with a mix of d-limonene and sal suds. I use a hotter water for diamonds than for colored stones. Let soak for about 10 minutes thats all it takes. d-limonene removes ALL oils and residues (including from your hands) so need to be pretty careful with it. can sometimes jack up your manicure to...just saying!

Rinse with water, then alcohol 91% If I really need to dry them I use hair dryer then buff with a lint free cloth.

I use this mix for a lot of stuff around the house including my floors (I add it to the cleanser section of my floor steamer)

word of warning; d-limonene is toxic to cats. works great on dogs if you want to create a flea treatment though.

 

[the_mother_thing]

@kenny Thank you for outlining your work history. Who knew - with all the ‘rocket science’ cleaning & inspection, $15,000 German microscopes, $5,000 lightbulbs, multi-million dollar gizmos going into space with Lloyds of London insurance - that it all came together thanks to canned air from Costco. I didn’t catch where you answered my question, though, about how many CFM compressed gas dusting cans yield ... maybe I missed that.

For the rest of us ‘average Joes & Janes’ - who aren’t trying to exceed ISO 9000 certification standards in our everyday home & computer dusting and jewelry-drying needs - this <$50 air duster provides more than adequate air flow ‘blow force’ with a CFM rating that parallels ‘industrial’ tools, like those powering pneumatic nailers. Happy dusting!

 

[the_mother_thing]

@Arcadian I’d never heard of d-limonene and just looked it up. It makes sense it’d clean the heck out of diamonds (removing oils, etc.) as it appears it’s citrus based. I love citrus based cleaners as well for that reason, and they smell good. Do you buy it in bulk somehow to use it for so many things? I’ve been trying to move away from aerosols and cleaners that contain tons of chemicals, and go with more natural options where possible.

I don’t like spraying anything on my ‘clean’ diamonds either except air to dry them. I’ve seen the compressed gas cans create a white fizzy liquid on occasion when using it (not even upside down), which negates the cleaning in my mind and worries me when using on electronics.

 

[kenny]

I didn’t catch where you answered my question, though, about how many CFM compressed gas dusting cans yield ... maybe I missed that.

My answer is I don't know.
The CFM spec doesn't matter to me because the higher pressure of canned air works perfectly for this task.
I doubt 3PSI would work as well.

Plus who cares how man cubic feet per minute it delivers?
I don't use it for a minute.
I use it for a blast of only a quarter of a second.

I gave my background because it is relevant to the topic.
People vary, some know more about certain things than others.
When I know someone has education or in depth experience on a topic I give more weight to what they say on that topic.

Lately expertise is under attack by the PC movement.
The grade school dropout's perspective carries the same weight as the Ph.D's.
Ya know, everyone is "equal" now.

Tell that to the 47 kids who recently died of Measles in Samoa because of the anti-vaxers.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:


TMT--your wedding set is gorgeous. The pictures and videos! Professional!

cheers--Sharon

 

[kenny]

... I’ve seen the compressed gas cans create a white fizzy liquid on occasion when using it (not even upside down) ...

I've never seen any residue whatsoever, even louping with my Harald Schneider loupe.

This is probably because I use the can where it is, perfectly vertical and undisturbed.
I don't even pick it up, which will shake it a bit.
I just put the wet diamond in front of the nozzle and push the button for a short blast.

You don't have to hold it up side down for liquid to come out.
Holding it at an angle, even just moving the can, disturbs the liquid in the bottom a bit, resulting in some liquid coming out, resulting in residue.

Used this way, which is no trouble when drying a diamond, I've found that canned air leaves no residue.

 

[the_mother_thing]

My answer is I don't know.
The CFM spec doesn't matter to me because the higher pressure of canned air works perfectly for this task.
I doubt 3PSI would work as well.

Plus who cares how man cubic feet per minute it delivers?
I don't use it for a minute.
I use it for a blast of only a quarter of a second.

Surely if you have a PhD, you know CFM is a measurement ... as is PSI, which you seem to suggest is the only factor worth consideration & comparison; it’s not. But I’ll play along - why would you consider PSI when your Octavia certainly isn’t an inch wide/long? Do you not see how silly that sounds?

But by all means ... keep spraying gas on your diamond ... it really makes no difference to me.

I've never seen any residue whatsoever, even louping with my Harald Schneider loupe.

This is probably because I use the can where it is, perfectly vertical and undisturbed.
I don't even pick it up, which will shake it a bit.
I just put the wet diamond in front of the nozzle and push the button.
Moving/holding the can stirs up the liquid in the bottom a bit, resulting in some liquid coming out, resulting in residue.

Used correctly canned air leaves no residue.

So you and the inspection/cleaning folks you supervised lugged those big expensive NASA gadgets up around the lab to stationary Costco cans of compressed air to make sure no liquid was even remotely disturbed, resulting in it being dispersed on the multi-million dollar, LoL-insured space-bound gadgets and creating contaminating, life-threatening residue?

Thank you for further making my point about how much more reasonably useful the gadget I posted is vs cans of compressed air that apparently MUST remain perfectly stationary in order to be correctly used ... ya know, for us ‘average’ folks.