good handheld vacuum? (to clean engine airbox)

[Spike00513]

A shop I worked at provided a Black & Decker vacuum they claimed was $40 at Bed Bath and Beyond and returnable to swap for new if it quickly broke.
After using, it had a home in it's charger, standing vertically.
The thing was strong. Strong enough to **** brake dust off of dirty wheels before it dumped on the floor,
and strong enough to **** clean airboxes.
Repair manuals (and common sense) instructs to clean the plastic airbox while replacing engine air filters, which this did.
but I no longer have one and am looking to get one. So that it's easier to reach than a big circle ShopVac.

Anyone got any recommendations? Seems like kind of a blend between what may be good at home, and on cars.

I saw a similar looking DeWalt at WalMart in returned-looking packaging for only $7 so I tried it. Then returned it. It had the suction power of dropping a piece of paper on the floor.
I can't find any Google pics of it. It's so bad that DeWalt erased any knowledge of it existing.

Just saw Milwaukee now has one. It's probably strong and quiet, but $100 + cost of M18 battery.
That's a lot to pay for cleaning dust from a plastic box every now and again...
It's always nice to be less messy than blowing it out with compressed air though

can't say I'd have more uses for it.
I already use work or carwash bigger vacuums to vacuum my interior
and an old Dyson for home

maybe for catching walnut media while doing carbon cleans,
but a bigger vacuum might be needed for that (shopvac)

 

[xjfish]

I use an air powered vacuum. Highly recommend if you have a good air source. Nothing to wear out.

 

[Spike00513]

I use an air powered vacuum. Highly recommend if you have a good air source. Nothing to wear out.

used that one before
it was loud as **** for no reason
requires pulling over an air hose
and didn't have full seal with the bag

 

[Don1357]

For hard to reach places like those I feel blowing air in with a compressor works much better than trying to **** stuff out.

 

[RTM]

I dunno about that. I had a rodent take up residence in the cabin air box inlet on my truck. No way was I blowing compressed air into that mess. Shop vac all the way, using smaller and smaller hoses til I could safely pull the cabin filter out.

That was gross!

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Air powered ones aren't for large debris IMO. Aside from air boxes full of rodent food, a compressed air nozzle to blast it out is easiest, followed by removal and just dumping it out.

 

[Bretny]

I dunno about that. I had a rodent take up residence in the cabin air box inlet on my truck. No way was I blowing compressed air into that mess. Shop vac all the way, using smaller and smaller hoses til I could safely pull the cabin filter out.

That was gross!

Gloves and pull out what you can.

I have never felt the need to show vac out an air box.

 

[tarbellb]

Latest issue of Consumer Reports list the

Black & Decker Max+ Dustbuster (HHVK515JOO) $90
-----
Black & Decker Dustbuster (CHV1410L) $60

As your best cheap options.

No real world experience with them.

And the
Shark Ion W1 WV201 $130 as best period.

 

[vavet]

I have the Ridgid X4 18V vac. It's great for small jobs, but you have to have the battery to go with it. The 1.5ah batteries last about 5 minutes. The 4 ah do much better.
I bought a second one for work because I like the one I have at home so much. That one failed. They covered it under the LSA and sent me a new one after I jumped through the hoops.