Laser Tools Compact Swirl Gun review | Auto Express

Oct 22, 2024

4.0

Blow guns work with air compressors and are generally used to blast away debris and dust. This new version from Laser Tools (part number 8909) ups the force generated via a plastic trumpet-shaped nozzle with a flexible air hose inside screwed into the main alloy body. The hose rotates within the trumpet to create a vortex-like air stream, rather than the steady force of a conventional gun.

The tool comes ‘bare’, so you will need a suitable coupling for your compressor’s air hose. A quick-release coupling for the ¼-inch BSP thread can be had for just few pounds, or can be swapped off another air tool. We had no problems fitting a quick-release coupler to the gun, with PTFE thread-sealing tape ensuring an airtight connection.

We used a pair of dusty footwell mats for the tests, which we would usually have brushed clean. A thumb button releases the air which loosened the grit and dust on the carpet’s fibres, blasting them aside. Just a single leisurely pass was all that was needed.

We also tried a conventional blow gun for comparison, which had to work much harder with multiple passes to loosen dust because of the narrower, steady air stream. The new design also works well on cabin trim panels, loosening dust ready for it to be wiped away. The Swirl Gun isn’t cheap, which hurts its overall rating, but it works well.

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Kim has worked for Auto Express for more than three decades and all but a year of that time in the Products section. His current role as products editor involves managing the section’s content and team of testers plus doing some of the tests himself.