I used to spend upwards of $10 on cans of compressed air for cleaning my PC and accessories—and every time I bought one, I’d always eye the electric air dusters in envious consideration. I knew it made financial sense to spend $30 up front to never buy compressed air again, but it was tough to justify spending that much just to blow out dust.
But eventually I folded. I hated going back to buy yet another can every few months, racking up a bill for basically nothing… so I bit the bullet and bought this 2-in-1 cordless air duster and vacuum. (Actually, mine’s not available anymore, but the one I linked is nearly the same.)
Jon Martindale / Foundry
And let me tell you: it was $35 well spent. It’s as gloriously over the top as I’d hoped and far more effective than I’d expected. I’ll never have to buy cans of compressed air ever again, and my only regret is that I didn’t buy it sooner. Plus, it’s also a vacuum! What a bonus.
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It’s better than cans of compressed air
Compressed air is great at cleaning inside computers, under keyboard keys, and inside any other nooks and crannies that are either too tight or too sensitive for your typical vacuum cleaner.
But compressed air has its quirks. It’s hard to control the strength of each puff, making it feel almost arbitrary—you never know exactly how far you need to hold the can when blowing on certain components. It also has the habit of spitting out liquid propellant if you spray too long, it doesn’t last very long, and you have to keep buying more when it runs out. That’s bad for the environment and your wallet.
An electric air duster doesn’t have that problem… and it often comes as a 2-in-1 device with vacuum capabilities. My Whatook air duster and vacuum can blow and suck at an impressive rate, making it useful for not just dusting things off but actively removing dirt and debris. Would you rather blow around the dust inside your PC case or suck it out?
Jon Martindale / Foundry
The fact that it’s consistent means it can be more useful. You can happily blast away at a huge 480mm radiator with abandon, knowing that if it runs out of battery you can just charge it up again. No need to use quick bursts to avoid condensing propellant on your electronics or to save what little air the can has left for other jobs. You can use it how an air duster is supposed to be used: with all the powah!
It’s more effective than expected
Seriously, I laughed out loud the first time I used this on my graphics card and CPU AIO radiator. The amount of dust that came out was ridiculous. I wipe them down often and usually do a good job of keeping my dust filters clear enough to keep my PC as dust-free as possible. But with this 2-in-1 electric air duster, I really gave them a good clean.
Jon Martindale / Foundry
It doesn’t remove caked-on dust, so just as you wouldn’t use compressed air to remove that kind of grime, know that this cordless vacuum isn’t going to magically clean it either. But for surfaces that are tricky to clear out, like between heatsink fins and fan shrouds? It’s perfect.
I love this thing. It feels like it’d be a one-time-use gimmick, but it’s really the opposite of that. It saves me money, it’s fun to use, and it’s quite effective at its job. I recommend it to all PC owners.
Forget the cans. Get this 2-in-1 cordless air duster and vacuum instead