****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I recently bought my 1st brand new car. Although I'm not a fan of brand new cars, my last used car had many cosmetic issues from the previous owners that I figured if I bought a brand new car and kept it for 15 or more years then I can justify the expense. I bought a car with a diesel engine since they last longer and offer superior fuel economy. I knew that my old piece of junk Shark vacuum was not what I wanted to use on my new car. I looked at Shop-Vac reviews and they did not suck. I then discovered this one on Amazon and it had great reviews. I just wish I was a little more careful when I ordered it because this one lacks a couple accessories I could have had included with it for the same cost if I looked a little longer on Amazon before I ordered it.I will have to say that this vacuum really sucks well. It even picks up the minutest amounts of dust so I can insure that all the fine particulates imbedded in my car's carpet and between the upholstery will be picked up to keep my car looking pristine on the interior for years to come. The blower unit is also excellent. I stuck my box fan on my window blowing outward, opened another window in the house and just used it to blow the dust off everything in my bedroom. It does really well removing dust that has settled into comforters and fabric furniture.It is very well build and solid. With that said, it is a little bulky when using that one has to be careful not to bump it into things. The first time I used it however, I went into the garage holding a bunch of accessories and I dropped one of them and to my despair, it broke. Fortunately MetroVac sells a replacement for only $4 on their website the the shipping is $8. I haven't purchased that part yet but hopefully soon.Forget Shark and Dyson, the body of this vacuum is not made out of cheap plastic so it is rugged and will last for years to come. It is also made in America.After struggling with a $20 vacuum for shop and car cleanup, I bought the Metrovac. Sure enough, as others reported, it pulls a mighty vacuum and is relatively light and quiet. The container is large enough to clean Florida sand from our cars many times, and few grains escape its powerful suction. The power and size are remarkable. Less remarkable is overall quality. My unit arrived poorly packed with many small dents in the outer steel cannister. The short extension hose seems of good quality but the other accessories are thin plastic and are not precisely molded. The on-off switch is strictly 1940's and hard to reach. The handle seems taken from cheap luggage. Soft start motor technology would be a great help because the unit jerks significantly on startup. There are no legs or feet so if started on the ground, it is unstable and wants to roll away. A pair of "W" shaped legs welded to the shell would be a great help. I run a custom shop so wanted the cannister repainted with flames. When I disassembled the Metrovac, I discovered stone age build quality. The motor end end-cap is held on by three tiny sheet metal screws. Where machine screws should be used on the motor brackets, there were sheet metal screws, and the motor brackets were bent. Two quick release clamps retain the vacuum end end-cap. Both dented the steel cannister as if too much force had been used to set the retaining rivets. Once disassembled, it is easy to understand dents in the cannister - the steel is soft and thin. Internal build quality is reminiscent of something designed 50 years ago and never updated. Judging by the amount of metal drillings in the cannister, it appears that there is very little pride in construction and virtually no quality control. The little machine is handy, but in serious need of modern updates and quality control.I purchased the Vac-N-Blo because it is the most often recommended vacuum/blower among piano technicians. This particular model (VNB-73B) is just right for the job! I recently used the vacuum feature on a pretty extreme grand piano cleaning job. It cleaned up so much dust and dirt (and even sucked up some stray screws) that there was little work left for my blower to do. It worked amazingly also when used simultaneously with a separate blower. (I tented the piano, used a blower in the front of the piano, and placed the Vac-N-Blo as a vacuum at the rear of the piano to catch everything the blower kicked up.) I ran the vacuum almost continuously for an hour without the unit overheating or needing to be emptied. The shoulder strap is great. I placed it across my chest and let the vacuum rest on my back, where it was stable and in no danger of hitting the piano. You will need an extension cord to go with this. The included attachments are basic and sufficient, but it would be nice to have a few more, especially a brush attachment. Fortunately, the tubing seems to be a standard size, as I was able to hook up some attachments from my other vacuum cleaner. Amazon has really improved the packaging; my unit arrived in perfect condition with no dents. It was in a box within a larger box having paper padding.I have been using the Vac N'Blo for the past few weeks in my dog grooming business (the one I purchased is identical to the ones sold in the pet supply catalogues, only cheaper). It works quite well blowing excess water off the big dogs, speeding up the drying process. I have another Metro blower and this one is a lot more powerful. I haven't used the vacuum feature very often but the times I did the suction seemed terrific. I like the fact that you do not have to buy extra bags for it, although it does fill up rather quickly. But for small jobs, it's great.There are two drawbacks. The first is that the power cord is only about six inches long. I need to plug it into a surge protector because it doesn't even reach the outlet. The other problem is that the hose is also too short. I have substituted the hose from my other Metro dryer and that works just fine.I would give this five stars if the power cord and hose were longer.
