Kick the Air Can Down the Road

If you find the price of canned air a bit steep at your local hardware or electronics store, or have concerns about its safety, a new product has arrived known as the O2 Hurricane Canless Air System. The line of chargeable blasters are an ‘inexpensive, permanent  and environmentally friendly alternative to canned air dusters,’ according to the company.

Clearing dust off your prized home theater rack, or getting into those nooks and crannies in that cable jungle behind your TV, would usually require a trip to Fry’s to pick up some canned air products, which seem to last about a day, freeze your palm off, and leave a mysterious residue on the area you were allegedly ‘cleaning’. It can also be perturbing peering into the grilles of your hallowed power amplifiers, and finding the circuit boards are smeared in a layer of grey household gunk.

It looks like the website offers the products by direct sale only, and there are four versions of the gizmo, a couple of which are directed at the professional and IT markets, but the ‘Special Edition’ Canless Air System can be snapped up for $89.95. The website www.canlessair.com claims that the Special Edition alone blows air at over 200mph, blasts for 15 minutes per charge (while recharging like your cell phone), includes a 180-day limited warranty, and can be used overseas with a 110 – 240v rating.

Standard canned air can pose health risks, not least to wayward children, some of whom purportedly use the cans for a quick high, and the hydroflurocarbons and difluoroethane chemicals contained therein can be ‘deadly’ causing nasty side effects including brain damage. Notwithstanding, and despite the grim prognoses of the company, I’m sure most interested members here will be wooed by the potential cost saving over the canned air alternative. Of course, because the high-powered fans are only recycling the air around us, there are no chemical-related residues or pollution.

One charge of the O2 Hurricane is equivalent of four cans of canned air, and the product is limited to roughly 1,000 cans of air over its lifetime, so it won’t recharge forever. But the company is adamant that it will save you thousands of dollars.

I’ve decided to write about this because I think it might be a solution for several of our members, particularly those who like keeping their AV racks in premium condition (and that includes me). If any of you have already tried out the O2 Hurricane, or are thinking of doing so in the future, please let us know in the comments below. Any musings on negative experiences with canned air would be appreciated too…

Martin Dew

Martin, a seasoned journalist and AV expert, has written for several notable print magazines. He’s served in key roles at Lucasfilm’s THX Division, NEC’s digital cinema division, and has even consulted for DreamWorks. Despite his illustrious career, Martin remains rooted in his passion for cinema and acting, with notable appearances in several Spielberg films, Doctor Who, and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. He currently resides in San Francisco.