Metro Vacuum MDV-1BA DataVac Pro 4.5-AMP Computer Vac/Blower

I was trying to decide between the Metro Vac ED-500 duster or this all-in-one duster / vacuum. I really wanted something that did both so I decided to give the DataVac Pro a try. I saw some great reviews, and some not-so-great reviews so I was a little worried. I have to say, I love this product! The vacuum part is what you would expect, and does as good of a job as a regular upright vacuum with a hose. The vacuum comes with a hose, regular sized brush, crevice tool, pinpoint cleaner, and a micro cleaning kit consisting of a micro bursh, crevice tool, and flexible (somewhat) straw attachment. Everything seems to be of good quality and is made in the U.S.A. the canister is metal and the vacuum comes with 5 extra bags + the one already installed. There is no set-up out of the box, just plug it in and go. This product seems to be geared towards people in the computer or electronics repair field. As a computer technician here are my thoughts: First , the kind of dust you find in a computer cannot be easily vacuumed up by any vacuum cleaner (except for dust bunnies). the dust is so fine and almost seems electro-statically charged to the surfaces. That said, I like to vacuum up as much as I can before I blow the rest out. the blower works by attaching the hose to the opposite end of the vacuum. I would say the blower is probably more powerful than a can of air but maybe not as powerful as the ED-500 although I don't know for sure because I've never tried the ED-500. What I can say is that the blower is *MORE* than powerful enough to get the job done. I saw some impressive videos with the ED-500 blowing literally "clouds" of dust from computers. This blower does the same. I blew out a computer I thought was pretty clean and I got the same "clouds" of dust out of it (don't do this indoors) One thing I wanted to mention: I see a lot of videos where people blow out power supplies CPU fans, etc. In these videos you can always hear the fan spinning as air is blown at it. Yes, it sounds really cool, but this is very bad for the fan. What happens is the air is strong enough to over-rev the bearings in the fan and it will lead to premature failure of the fan or even immediate failure (i.e. your fan will start making strange noises right after you are done cleaning it) The proper way to clean a cpu fan, power supply fan, or anything else with a fan is to stick a plastic zip-tie, straw, or any other straight piece of plastic in the blades to block them from spinning while you blow the fan clean. Just don't forget to remove the zip-tie when you are done and don't use any metal objects, especially in the power supply. Even with the computer unplugged there are still dangerous voltages in power supplies.

First things first: This is a powerful vac/blower, and I love it. I originally bought it to help remove dust from my mother and father's computers during their inevitable annual reformat and servicings, since they live in a house full of exotic parrots (which produce extremely fine father dust) and a few dogs. Because of this, I needed something that could not only blow out the fine dust from heat sinks and fans, but also suck out difficult-to-reach dust bunnies and hair clods. This machine excels in both regards, and I have even started using it as a handvac in my apartment because of its size and power compared to my anemic and leaky Shark SV75Z_N. I can even get under my baseboard heaters without any attachments due to the sheer suction power of this thing. However: This vacuum heats up very quickly, to the point where even the outlet hose gets warm. I've run it for a few minutes at a time without it getting uncomfortably hot, though. Instructions should probably mention that, as well as safe runtimes. The hose it comes with is short and awkward to use. The shoulder strap just loops around the handle (as far as I can tell, no instructions or obvious attachment points) and is small and frail, and slides around quite a bit. I didn't see a better one around on MV's website, so I'm going to look around for SCUBA tank harnesses or something so I can clean my PC and servers with two available hands. The rubber footpads are on the front only, and not the back. I haven't noticed any stability issues, however. This is also NOT a quiet unit, as it roars and whistles, but for all the power it puts out, it's more than tolerable. Overall, immensely satisfied and surprised by this unit, and would recommend to any professional.

This little workhorse is just the ticket. I had been watching dust bunnies collect for quite some time - not being willing to go through all the trouble of digging into the closet and hooking up my Rainbow Vacuum Cleaner to do what I should have been doing regularly, but have been very deficient in doing. I will never get rid of my Rainbow (I used to sell them) because it is far and away the best all-around vacuum cleaner one could possess for the various jobs you need a vacuum cleaner for, but it is admittedly a lot of trouble. And, although I have long owned a Hoover upright, it is definitely "old school," and a dinosaur, and weighs a ton, and since I know about bag-type cleaners, I know that going through the motions of cleaning won't necessarily get much in the way of real cleaning done, anyway. But that still leaves me neck-deep in dust bunnies, unless I take some action to do away with them, and so I have recently taken the bull by the horns and bought not one, but two vacuum cleaners: The first is a little light, upright bagless Dirt Devil, and I must say it dispatches the dirt pretty quickly and easily (which is what we're after, after all - isn't it?) It has an attached hose, which I realize is next to totally worthless, and so I know I will never actually use it to try to clean, but it does a wonderful, quick and easy job on the floor. Then, to round out the picture - again, quickly and easily - (which is all a definite plus) I've now got this marvelous little canister, which I can hang around my neck by the carrying strap, which leaves one hand free to hold the hose and the brush, and the other to hold the machine by the handle, and walk around and dispatch dust bunnies left and right, and do the dusting, which completes the cleaning job I have been needing to do, and which I now am equipped to do on a regular basis, so as to not become waist-deep in dust bunnies ever again. Then, as if that weren't enough, all I have to do is put the hose on the other end, and put the pin-point attachment on it, and I can blow out my computer, and keep it up to snuff, all perky and quick, so that I have a very alert and responsive computer, which, again, is what we all want, right?

Other reviews say it all, its an extremely powerful little tool. Unfortunately that's also part of the issue, it can be too powerful for many tasks or even for its own good. It blows hard enough to potentially cause damage at close distances, most notably to laptop heatsinks. It also gets extremely hot extremely quickly, though you should have have time to finish a computer or two before it becomes dangerously hot. At $90 I find it hard to excuse a lack of basic features, such as 2 speeds or overheat protection. Its one thing to be capable of extremely powerful bursts before shutting down or going into a "limp mode", but its quite another to get so hot it can cause burns or damage in short order. The build quality is somewhat suspect for a $90 product. The tube shape is slightly deformed, seemingly by the motor mount being slightly too large. Much of the air leaks out the sides, which is solvable with electrical tape and massively boosts the nozzle pressure, however it also causes the motor to overheat even faster. The screw holes on the end cap also came either stripped or too large. The screws aren't quite loose enough to fall out on their out, but they wiggle around and can be pulled out with relative ease. All that said though, ultimately it's still good at what it does and I already own it, so I'll be using it for the foreseeable future. However it's a difficult product to recommend, given the alternatives.

When I got this little vacuum , I plugged it in and turned it on to break it in before using it. A few things I noticed. It has incredible suction, like a full sized vacuum kind of suction ! It runs as quiet as a vacuum can. It makes a little less noise than a full sized vacuum. It puts alot of air out the blower end. You will notice that I am comparing it to a full size vacuum. It really is that powerful considering it's size. The blower half does warm up a little but it WILL NOT burn you. It doesn't get anywhere near that hot. Just warm. After the break-in I figured I would give it a go. First , I dried my dog off with it. The blower is perfect. It blows out a stream of luke warm air. Dried the dog in about 5 minutes. Next, I cleaned out 3 computers. It does a great job, with ample suction, this chore went by without a notice. I then used it to clean my car and truck. Mind you, it still has great suction, even after all of that. That is as far as I have gone with it so far. Next week it cleans out a customer's computer. I think we will have a long happy union. It is powerful, light, quiet, and doesn't lose suction. What more could you ask for? Buy the 3-foot extention hose, it makes life easier. Get extra filters, it holds about 2 cups of dirt. It fits all standard attachments from my full size vacuum, good thing to keep in mind. You won't regret having bought this unit. Good value, great construction, ample power, and it's so small. I will be keeping this one.

I got this vacuum cleaner for small and quick cleanups on my electric test bench, where I did not want to haul in a larger vacuum cleaner. I was surprised to see that the vacuum is 'Made in the USA'; seems like not many things are anymore. On the other hand, it might have been a nicer unit in some ways if it came from China. The body of the vacuum is actually metal with a black painted finish. The handle, hoses and accessories are plastic. But the whole thing seems rather crudely manufactured, with some hardware going in at odd angles and the paint job spotty and with runs. The vacuum works well and produces a goodly amount of suction, quite respectable for its size (about 16" long not counting the hose, and about 4" diameter). I would guess that its vacuum is about the same as smaller shop vacs. It is not overly noisy, certainly a lot quieter than most full sized vacuums. It would not be too disruptive in an office environment, for example. The vacuum comes with a short hose and the usual crevas tool and dusting brush, plus an adapter for much smaller fittings for work in small spaces and on equipment such as copiers, printers, computers, and such. I also got a micro vacuum attachment kit from Amazon (which is listed as a recommended accessory, but the kit is by a different manufacturer), in order to get a hose extension and even smaller fittings and brushes. Note that this vacuum's normal hose and basic fittings are sized to be compatible with most household type vacuum cleaners (and the smaller shop vacs), so their fittings would probably be interchangable. Some others have complained about the vacuum getting hot. I ran it for a few minutes without a load and it got just a bit warm to the touch. With the hose partly blocked, it got rather warmer to the touch, but never hot. I suppose if you ran it under load for a long time it might even get low-level hot, but not uncomfortably or dangerously hot. But then, so do my shop vacs and Hoovers. The vacuum comes with a generously long power cord. The bags are proprietary for this vacuum, but they seem inexpensive and easy enough to obtain online. One end cap unscrews to access the bag compartment. Both ends of the vacuum unit have the same kind of hose fitting, so it can be used as a vacuum and as a blower, with or without a hose.

There were other good review so maybe I should say that the vacuum was a bad fit but there wasn't anything about it that I liked and I couldn't make it work. First of all the items were just banging about it the box it came in. There were holes and slots but nothing was where it should have been. There were tons of papers included about all the expensive accessories you could buy but no manual, even though it said that you should only use according to the manual. The odor when I opened the box and when using the vacuum made me ill...maybe paint. Other reviewers said the hose was short but I was so surprised to see it was only about 1 1/2 feet. It showed in the pic but I guess I missed that. It came with some sort of strap. My first thought was that for $70 they could put the strap on. Then I discovered that there was no pic or instructions or visible spots on the unit to show intent of the strap. The only thing I could see was to string the strap through the handle and put it over my shoulder but that didn't work very well. I opened the unit to check there was a bag and one was installed but then I had difficulty closing it back up. It finally worked and I attached the hose and dust brush, plugged it in and found the power switch. OMG! Very little suction but a total wind storm (think leaf blower) with flying dust and papers, rubber bands, etc. With the hose so short the vacuum has to be right there and you better plan where the exhaust in going before you turn it on. I tried to use the unit to clean up the mess on the desk but it wouldn't even pick up a rubber band and when I tried to use the dust brush to clean the desk I twisted the dust brush a little and the vacuum came open. What a mess. Knowing that some tools just take a little getting used to I tried. I got other vacuum tools from my little dirt devil and they did fit but there just wasn't enough suction for it to really use it. Honestly, it was like a little comedy routine trying to vacuum up the mess without blowing everything in the room around. Also the "soft" dust brush scratched the shiny black plastic on my file stand. Glad I tried it there before the computer. How can it have so little suction and so strong an exhaust? I did try reseating the bag but the unit came open so many times that I don't know. The unit is heavy, sturdy with a really shiny surface. I had a little difficulty finding the on/off switch because it was black on black and, of course, I was just getting used to where it was. It's also REALLY loud. I had a headache in a very short time and went for the ear plugs. I said comedy routine but not really. I'm sorry I wasted my time...and now I have to pack it back up and ship it back.

This unit sucks!!! AMAZINGLY WELL!!! (:-) I have been very disappointed with a number of small handheld vacuum cleaners like Shark for example. This one is extremely powerful and has all the little tools to clean my computers, printers, keyboards and the like. I wish I had an accurate measure to tell the speed of the air moving through this unit but I can actually stir paper and other objects up to 10 or so feet away on my desk or bulletin board with the crevice tool on. Therefore since the air blows straight through, I hope that gives you an idea of how strong the suction is. The unit has a strong metal body with a simple twist mechanism to take off the end where the filter bag is replaced [vacuum or sucking end]. You do need to be careful when taking off a tool that you do not turn the tool in the same direction as the vacuum end twists off or you may find that you have removed the end instead of the tool. That is a minor inconvenience that once you see it happen once, you just make sure you turn it the other way when twisting the tool off. I do not exaggerate but I am very very happy with this unit. The price is a bit more than more commercial names, but unfortunately I have not found a common brand which does the job for me adequately unntil this Metro. It is better to pay extra for something that works than buy a name which DOES NOT work! With the Shark unit I have, I have to coax the dust up into the unit. It was definitely not worth the $40 I paid for it. But this Metro is worth every dollar! I will definitely be looking at other Metro products. A powerful, simple, strong unit. I wish more products were made like this unit.