Review: FLEX BW-18 Cordless Blower by Mike Phillips



The FLEX BW-18 Cordless Blower





First here's the technical info and specs from the AG Store page

Brought to you from the same people that brought you the FLEX XC3401 – aka, the BEAST – the FLEX BW-18 Cordless Blower is the perfect addition to the FLEX collection. Featuring a brushless motor, a turbine fan, variable speed settings, as well as good balance and a lightweight build, the FELX BW-18 Cordless Blower is the easiest way to dry your car – in about half the time it would take to dry with a towel! You already use a FLEX polisher to rid your vehicles of shine-reducing swirls and scratches, make sure you have the FLEX BW-18 Cordless Blower for drying after a wash!

Wash with soap and sponge, dry with microfiber towel or chamois, wax with carnauba paste wax. That was the standard car washing method for decades – until new technology and advancements were made, of course! Thanks to the ever-evolving detailing industry, we’re seeing changes to that routine. Instead of a regular car wash, you can use an SiO2-infused wash. And now instead of using your hands and an old chamois to dry, you can use the FLEX BW-18 Cordless Blower!

FLEX BW-18 Cordless Blower Quick Look:

• Brushless motor.
• 3-speed electronic lock-on switch.
• Compact, handy. Lightweight design.
• Ergonomically shaped soft handle with on/off switch and lock for continuous operation.
• Removable blow tube and nozzle.
• LED battery capacity display.
• 3 airflow adapters included.


The FLEX BW-18 Cordless Blower, unlike standard big box leaf blowers, was designed specifically for the removal of water from your car’s painted, glass, and plastic surfaces. Featuring a brushless motor that promotes increased battery efficiency and a longer motor life, the FLEX BW-18 Cordless Blower is (obviously!) cordless and allows you to “cut the cord” so to speak while you’re drying! The high CFM turbine fan quickly blasts water away before it has a chance to dry – avoiding troublesome water spots completely!

Featuring a light-weight build with good balance, the FLEX BW-18 Cordless Blower is easy ergonomically sound and easy to maneuver around your car’s tight spots. No more water hiding behind decals and in doorjambs! With a max-MPH speed of 178.95 and a CFM of 3.1 m3/min that water will be gone before it knows what’s happening – and you barely had to lift a finger!

The FLEX BW-18 Cordless Blower is compatible with the same FLEX Batteries found with the FLEX Cordless Polishers and can be charged using the same chargers. The FLEX BW-18 Cordless Blower does NOT come with a battery or charger, but check out the FLEX BW-18 Cordless Blower Complete Kit for the Blower, a 5.0 Ah battery, a charger, extra nozzle accessories, and a storage/carrying case!


The FLEX BW-18 Cordless Blower Technical Specifications:

• Battery capacity: 2.5 or 5.0 amp Battery
• No load speed: 10,600/14,200/18,000 RPM
• Max air speed: 100 CFM
• Weight without battery: 2.65 lbs.





All good stuff.... now my turn to talk...


I've been answering car detailing questions professionally for 16 years now, going on 17 in a few weeks. By the word professionally, that means I get paid to answer questions. So here are the 2 most common questions I get,



Question 1: How do I remove the swirls and scratches out of my car's paint?


Questions 2: How to I avoid putting swirls and scratches back into my car's paint?


So the normal scenario goes like this,

A person joins our forum and asks how to remove the swirls, scratches, water spots and oxidation out of their car's finish. Myself and our awesome forum members answer their questions and guide them to the products and the procedures to restore a better than new factory finish. Then the next question the person has is now that they've done all the hard work and have a finish they are happy with.... how to keep it this way?

I always answer this type of question by saying that everything comes down to how you TOUCH the car's finish. Always obtain the highest quality products to wash and dry your car because this is where most swirls and scratches come from is via the washing and drying process (over time). So one way to dramatically reduce instilling swirls and scratches over time is to blow the water off your car instead of wiping the water off your car. This is where a car dryer or car blower comes into play.

Flex has just introduced a new addition to their family of cordless tools, the FLEX BW-18 Cordless Blower. Let's take a look....


First, the reason I put my name on this particular FLEX Cordless Blower or FLEX CB is because this was a personal gift to me from Bob Eichelberg, the President of FLEX Tools North America. This is a pre-production unit, the only one in the United States and possible the world. It has NO SERIAL NUMBER - Thank you Bob!





The battery attaches to the bottom of the back and this actually makes the tool very well-balanced.




The end of the blower housing is notched to hold and secure 4 different attachments....




The primary attachment is soft rubber blow tube...




There are three other attachments that are more suited for various blowing tasks...