# Forced air dryer - is this a good deal?



## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

I found a used Metro Air Force Master Blaster MODEL MB-3 for $175. I think they are about $300 new. The person has had it 1.5 years and has used it a good amount - every 2 weeks for 8 dogs, but has cleaned it after each use. I was thinking of offering $150 since it has been used so much. Thoughts on if whether this is a good price and good dryer?

Thanks!


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## my boy diesel (Mar 9, 2013)

no i think you can get one cheaper or at least no more expensive online 
and it would be brand new


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

my boy diesel said:


> no i think you can get one cheaper or at least no more expensive online
> and it would be brand new


I know the lower model Metro is about $160 brand new, but this is a more expensive model. Not worth the upgrade to this model?


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## my boy diesel (Mar 9, 2013)

for one dog? naw
i have a two speed and it works fine for blowing their coats

https://www.petedge.com/zpetedgemai...+Force+Commander+2-Speed+Pet+Dryer&minPrice=0


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

my boy diesel said:


> for one dog? naw
> i have a two speed and it works fine for blowing their coats
> 
> https://www.petedge.com/zpetedgemai...+Force+Commander+2-Speed+Pet+Dryer&minPrice=0



That's the one I was looking at on Amazon. How long does it take you to blow dry one dog? My husband thought if the more powerful one took half the time that we would be more inclined to use it.


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## my boy diesel (Mar 9, 2013)

about 10 min or so but we brush the dog the whole time to separate the hairs

blowers serve two very basic purposes that is to dry the hair but also to loosen and help remove undercoat

they are nice as well to separate all the hairs so you can see the skin underneath
mine does anyway :shrug:


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

my boy diesel said:


> about 10 min or so but we brush the dog the whole time to separate the hairs
> 
> blowers serve two very basic purposes that is to dry the hair but also to loosen and help remove undercoat
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info! I will talk to my husband about it.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I have a Metro one, I should check the model. I won it in a raffle but I think it was $80 new. It's not very strong at all. I mean, I'm glad I have it since I won it with a $5 raffle ticket, but the air dryer I use at the pet store is about 3 times and strong (and takes about 1/3 the time to dry my dogs). Nikon takes 30-45 minutes to dry, depending on the humidity level outside. Legend only about 10 minutes since he is small and totally out of coat right now. Coke...forget it! It would take over an hour and he'd still not be dry BUT it's great for blasting out coat and helping me tease out all the tangles and little clumps of shed undercoat.

I think they are DEFINITELY worth it to have (I use mine quite a bit, not just for show grooming) but if I were saving up, I'd get a more powerful model than what I have.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I love my 2 speed 4HP Metro and can't even begin to image the power on that used one if it has 2 4HP motors. It draws 19amps though and aren't most house wiring only puts 15amps on a circuit so you could be tripping some breakers. The average pet model with the 4HP high speed only draws 11.25 amps.

If your wiring can support it though, it would be a beast.


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

Thanks, Liesje!



jocoyn said:


> I love my 2 speed 4HP Metro and can't even begin to image the power on that used one if it has 2 4HP motors. It draws 19amps though and aren't most house wiring only puts 15amps on a circuit so you could be tripping some breakers. The average pet model with the 4HP high speed only draws 11.25 amps.
> 
> If your wiring can support it though, it would be a beast.



This pretty much made up my mind lol. My house was built in the 30s and the garage (where I will be using it, most likely) probably hasn't been updated in a few decades.


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## volcano (Jan 14, 2013)

I have the big one and it works great but it does trip a breaker unless I run it from the 20 amp kitchen outlet.


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## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

2 speed double K dryers are awesome. I had one for years, will blow out water and literally dry Bernese mountain dogs in show coat in about 3/4 hr. I used one speed to dry smaller dogs at my shop, you can blow dry a poodle in about 10 minutes.
Great dryer, can use 1 speed to do faces or small dogs or both speeds to dry anything fast.You can watch the water blow off in sheets and its amazing for blowing out dead hair.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

The two speed commander does a great job. We also use it around the house for all kinds of things! It is great for blowing out clothes dryer vents (the solid metal type) and I see they just came out with an electronics duster.

Made in America AND you can buy replacement parts! These things are built to LAST


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

Thanks everyone! I'm going to buy the 2-speed one new and not risk blowing a circuit every time I use it  We just built a pool so towel-dry is getting old very quickly and doesn't really work!


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Let us know what you get and what you think. I may upgrade next summer. My parents are buying a cottage so my dogs may be swimming a lot. They have so much coat and it gets humid here so they never dry and smell musty after a few days in and out of the water.


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

I will! 

Yeah, Mikko has been smelling awful lately since he is never fully dry...


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## scuba_bob (May 5, 2008)

How do you protect your dogs hearing? Aren't these pretty loud ? How long does it take to dry the coat?


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## VTGirlT (May 23, 2013)

Scuba Bob:
The dogs usually get use to the sound, start in the rump area and reassure them with your confidence and your voice. When you dry around the ears and face/head, just make sure you dont blow on in their ears, on their eyes or nose. 

Length of time depends the coat. My GSD is a long haired, her coat is different its less dense, so it takes less time. But typically for GSD i would attach a nozzle (to make the end smaller), it helps lift a lot more loose under coat, especially if your facing the nozzle up to get at the base of the fur. As it dries the fur, it will blow out nicely. Than its little brushing time after.  

OP:
I would buy an air force dryer new. You just never know how many times the dryer got dropped or how many times its been used for certain. Just my opinion.


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

Thanks everyone! I ended up buying the 2-speed 4HP Metro dryer new on Drs. Foster and Smith. I am very happy with it! It completely dries my dog in about 10 minutes. 

Mikko doesn't seem to mind the noise at all - I just cover his face/ears with my hand as I go near those areas. He actually seems to like it!


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

that's the one I have, I LOVE IT, I have to say I have had this one for over 15 years and it's still going strong! And I use just about every to every other week!


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## eddie1976E (Nov 7, 2010)

I need to get one of these....I can see how it is needed. The GSD coat is so thick...probably takes days to dry out completely.


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