AA1900 Rocket Air Blaster (Black)

Giotto makes the best hand-held airblowers (in my experience.) In this case it’s being used to blow dust out of a laptop keyboard. If you compare it to another brand to blow the same piece of paper, this will send that paper farther away. I have used another Giotto to blow dust off camera lenses and it works great. The rubber used is just soft enough to provide an easy squeeze, and solid enough to provide a strong burst of air. One more thing: hold the keyboard upside down over a towel to let the dust fall away from the keyboard while you blow on it. You may need to have someone hold the keyboard while you squeeze the Giotto.BONUS: You may also build up your hand muscles in the process!

This is one of those things that is hard to imagine how I lived without. I am a photographer, and I switch lenses a LOT (oh how I wish I could afford 2 camera bodies). Dust, lint, etc inevitably ends up stuck to the sensor in my camera. It would be insane to touch the sensor with something -- not only might that "something" damage the sensor, but pushing the dust or lint across the sensor might damage the sensor too. No, the smart thing is for a gust of wind to sweep the particles away. I would never use compressed air; it is much too forceful, and sometimes freezing cold liquid comes out instead. This blower is ideal. You can direct it at the right place, the air coming out is hard, but not too hard, and it never runs out (or if it does run out of air, you have bigger problems, like asphyxiation).I bought 2, one for my camera, one for everything else (mostly just computers). It claims to filter the air coming into the blower, but computers are SO dusty, I don't want to trust that. So I keep one just for the camera.Using these to clean out computer cases is excellent, too. You don't have to buy compressed air (it just seems stupid to buy air), and so you don't have to waste metal cans.A blower isn't fun or cool, but it is essential for a photographer. Once debris gets on your sensor, you MUST clean it off -- it will show up on EVERY picture you take, until you do (unless you're only shooting at 2.8 or faster, which I often am, but not always).I've owned 2 for a long time, and they're still in perfect condition.

At the end of the day, this is a very simple thing that does a very simple thing.However, as a reviewer, I must go through the FURPS principlea) Functionality - to blow air (not aerosols - otherwise it will leave a film on your lens) - not under super high pressure, and the jet of air cannot be super-cooled (otherwise your glass may crack). Does it do the work? Absolutely - Score = 100b) Usability - Requirement: Should be easy and intuitive to use. The "body" of the blower is the right size... it fits the average hand well. Nozzle is the right size. The legs of the rocket make it stand up, and the nozzle does not fall off. Much appreciated. Nozzle size (length) is also good. Score > 85c) Reliability - Looks well made, even though I do not have statistical data on how quickly the rubber ball will crack, but I have used other products from Giotto (which were well made), so I am going to give this the benefit of the doubt. Score = 85d) Performance - This is measure of how quickly it can keep blowing. Since this is a manual device, the only sensible measurement is how quickly it can refill the ball by itself, once the pressure is released. I found the refill time to be quite quick, so I will score it at 90e) Scalability - where can this device be used? Since this is a general-purpose photography device, it can be used on many things. Score 85Well, if you ask me why I did not score it at a full 100, I would say there is something missing - and that is a detachable brush. Since most of us will use this to blow dust from our lenses, a brush would be good

Okay, so I just got my Large Rocket Air Blaster (filter reviews for your size if you need to), and I thought I'd come here and drop some science. Right off the bat, it's large, enough so that if you've got a cramped camera bag or not a lot of space, you may want to consider another size or another duster. It's got some great little 'advances' like the holes to hang it from your lanyard/neck if you're assisting on set, or are doing a lot of lens switches on a shoot and want to have it handy -- nice! This is also one of those things I misplace often (I've had the same blaster -- albeit another brand -- for the last 3 years before it got lost) so it's nice to be able to hang it somewhere in the studio, right next to the scanner.One thing that stood out to me, well, two things -- first the rubber on it is a little more 'brittle' or hard feeling than other brands. Coming here and reading reviews that mention theirs fell apart or began cracking just sitting around in a drawer (out of the sun) don't make me feel too positive about my new purchase. Next, there's a serial number stick on the stem of this thing (not shown in pics). I am guessing this is there because enough dishonest/gross people ran the ol' switcharoo on these -- perhaps buying a new one, then placing their old one in the package and returning it, claiming it arrived cracked. If I'm wrong, I'm sorry, but I've never seen an air blaster with a serial number on it... maybe it's for a warranty or something, who knows?The last thing that kinda irked me, was reading that the price was $7 in 2013 (see 2-star review by LuvLeaf in June of '13).... I paid $17 for mine (Large) in 2020... so maybe that's just inflation? Overall, I dunno if I'll be keeping this or sending it back. I did fine with the Altura 'Kit' Blower for lenses and screen dust over the last few years and that runs $12-13 + you get a bunch of extra stuff in the kit...For those of you saying it doesn't move a lot of air, no it's not compressed air. It does however move a lot of air for a hand-blower due to it's large bulb. Give it solid and fast squeezes and it'll blow harder and with more force. For those who want to blow air from your mouth onto your lenses (dunno why, but still), there is a RIGHT way to do it, so that you don't get spittle everywhere. First, place the lens at chin-level, way BELOW your mouth. Next place your hand flat across the front of your mouth -- near your mouth but not touching it... and be sure to place your lens (or whatever you're cleaning so that it's below & BEHIND your hand)...NOW BLOW a few times, quickly and with some good pressure. Adjust your distances/angle to redirect the air blast from your mouth across your lens/whatever you're cleaning in order to protect it from unwanted spit particles. Remember to wipe your lips and tighten them like you're playing a horn. Blow at your own risk of course, I use the method when I don't have a blower handy and it works like a charm.All in all, I will probably keep this... it does MOVE A LOT OF AIR... that said, I'm not 100% confident about it reading the reviews and feeling the hard(er) rubber for myself... guess we'll see how long it lasts just sitting on a dry climate controlled shelf. GIOTTOS if you're listening, it'd be awesome if you ran a check to see if there were other affordable rubber options available. I get that these have to be hard in order to stand up, but if they're cracking on people who are not abusing them, it may be time to reconsider the special brew.Aside from that, 4 out of 5, will come back and update this review if mine disintegrates.... lastly, on a side note, I do see that the folks who have had this thing begin to crack, have it cracking where the red tip meets the bulb (on the rubber lip there)... I wonder if rubber cement or some type of rubber sealant like E6000 would fix this... hopefully I never have to find out.