Review: Tornador Velocity Vac

**sweatthedetails** · 01-19-2016, 02:19 PM

This is an outside the box product by a company who has excelled with such. But unfortunately I think it’s missed its mark.
Let me start by stating my primary purpose for purchasing this kit. I’m a detailer who owns an extractor and a steamer, so my main hope for this equipment was to remove sand from cars. Currently my best method is to use the Tornador blow out gun, moving it in unison with my vacuum in an attempt to catch as much debris as possible. Of course this results in a large dust cloud that settles all over the vehicle.
So I buy the kit and hook it all up to my Black, first thing I notice is the size of this set-up. There is no way this is going to be convenient to use inside a car. It’s bulky and awkward to maneuver.
So I fire up the vacuum and I notice right off that the velocity part is more than marketing. You can check the suction with your hand. From the vacuum hose then hook it up to the tube it’s a huge difference. I’m not a scientist but I guess it has something to do with the opening going from small to the large mouth opening on the front. So great I think this should really pick up the moisture. But you would be wrong to think this. Think about any extractor you have ever used, typically a small but powerful opening. This concentrated suction is what you want to suck out moisture. I used the machine on my mats and my seats, the first thing I noticed is just how wet they are. Yes I did do several drying strokes over the area like the videos instruct. So I start by looking inside my Ridged wet/dry vac, it was completely dry. So I opened up the hoses, a little moisture but I think it is more from the mist then sucking anything up. So now I have a wet interior which is no more clean then just running the Black over it. FAIL
Ok, I think that I was not planning to use this as a shampooer anyway. So I pick out a dirty spot on my floor board and go to work, full suction and blasting the trigger on the Black. It seems to be doing ok, so I grab my blow out gun and run it over the area just to be pelted with all the sand still in the carpet. Out of curiosity I put my hand in front of the inlet and squeeze the trigger, it feels like a pretty powerful blast from the Tornador. Then I turn on the vacuum and do the same thing, that blast barely tickles my hand. The vacuums suction is diminishing the Tornadors effectiveness. So as a dry vacuum it’s useless. FAIL
At this point I’m thinking of cutting my loses, maybe try to sell this thing to get part of my $70 back. It’s been about 4 days since I last used it. I needed my Tornador for an upcoming detail; so I remove all the useless plastic on it which is the Velocity Vac. I hook up the air to my Black, squeeze the trigger and the air comes out the opening but it’s not rotating. I take off the black shroud and twist the rotational set by hand. It feels stiff and dare I say a little gritty. I know the bearings are advertised as closed but I don’t think this machine was designed with the idea of the amount of debris it would encounter in a vacuuming modification. Now my bearings are shot and I need a replacement rotational set. FAIL
So in conclusion: instead of a new $70 tool I get to pay a total of $140 just to be back where is started!
FAIL FAIL FAIL
This is one tool I believe Tornador should recall in order to keep their loyal client base.

**jcaustin87** · 01-19-2016, 02:23 PM

Just curious, have you reached out to Tornador prior to posting this review?

**sweatthedetails** · 01-19-2016, 02:29 PM

No i did not. Do you think i have a defective one which is not representative of the others? Not sure how that would be possible. Also to be honest the best case scenerio would be them fixing my Black and giving me a refund, that would look good on them but it would not change my opinion of this product. I do love the Black and the blow out gun.

**jcaustin87** · 01-19-2016, 02:48 PM

Yeah, generally when I have an issue with a product, I like to reach out to the manufacturer or supplier, and have a dialogue about my experience and see if we cant come to some sort of understanding and solution. However, immediately writing a negative review, factual of you experience I'm sure, isn't really fair to the vendor, especially if you haven't engaged them and at least attempted to come to a resolution or understanding of intended application of the product, problem with product, etc.

**expdetailing** · 01-19-2016, 02:51 PM

I never understood the concept behind this tool; it looks too bulky in comparison to any regular vacuum that 99% of all people would immediately say no to it in their minds.

**sweatthedetails** · 01-19-2016, 03:02 PM

Originally Posted by jcaustin87

Yeah, generally when I have an issue with a product, I like to reach out to the manufacturer or supplier, and have a dialogue about my experience and see if we cant come to some sort of understanding and solution. However, immediately writing a negative review, factual of you experience I'm sure, isn't really fair to the vendor, especially if you haven't engaged them and at least attempted to come to a resolution or understanding of intended application of the product, problem with product, etc.

In the idea of fairness I have just sent the company an email. I will update my review with the results of this dialogue. But unless they tell me i'm attempting to use the machine upside down, its not going to change my opinion of the kit. I could delete it and not let others know of my experience but then im just as guilty. I tried researching this product before buying and found little to nothing. Mostly ads from the company its self. If i can save someone else this headach I will with the hopes they would do it for me.

**jcaustin87** · 01-19-2016, 03:03 PM

Originally Posted by sweatthedetails

In the idea of fairness I have just sent the company an email. I will update my review with the results of this dialogue. But unless they tell me i'm attempting to use the machine upside down, its not going to change my opinion of the kit. I could delete it and not let others know of my experience but then im just as guilty. I tried researching this product before buying and found little to nothing. Mostly ads from the company its self. If i can save someone else this headach I will with the hopes they would do it for me.

Understood.

**FinishingTouchA** · 01-19-2016, 05:02 PM

I agree with the OP. It's not a manufacturing flaw, but rather a design flaw and simply put trying to combine the vacuum and tornador is too much. It would likely help if they used the "black" internals so the suction wouldn't disrupt the tube but even then I feel you would need to run more than the recommended 90psi to get similar cleaning power as using the tools separately. It's a great tool in theory and I've found works decent on well maintained vehicles.

And about the "negative review" this is exactly why I posted about my slippery flooring, not to bash on the company, but to inform those who are looking at the product. What really grinds my gears is when every single statement about a product is positive then you get it and have a small issue... not an issue big enough to return the product, but enough that you wish you would have known beforehand. As a business owner I understand the effects of social media and I appreciate that it provides transparency for businesses.

**sweatthedetails** · 01-19-2016, 05:28 PM

I was looking for an update option but i cant seem to find it. I received a phone call from a very nice gentleman named Dennis at Tornador within 30 minutes of my email. He spent alot of time on the phone with me going over different options of what I may be doing wrong with the tool. He gave me suggestions such as using a vac relief to cut down on the suction, turning down to PSI im running, and recutting the plastic adapter on the rotational set. He also said that the rotational set I have (which is 3 years old) is not the new sealed kind. The one I have currently has a visible C snap ring on the front. Apparently I was lucky to get 3 years out of this older version. He is sending me a new rotational set free of charge. When it arrives I will retry with the suggestions he gave. I may even make a review video of it to put on my YouTube page. He also told me that there has been nothing but good feedback for this tool and my experience is not be the norm.

**FinishingTouchA** · 01-19-2016, 06:11 PM

Originally Posted by sweatthedetails

I was looking for an update option but i cant seem to find it. I received a phone call from a very nice gentleman named Dennis at Tornador within 30 minutes of my email. He spent alot of time on the phone with me going over different options of what I may be doing wrong with the tool. He gave me suggestions such as using a vac relief to cut down on the suction, turning down to PSI im running, and recutting the plastic adapter on the rotational set. He also said that the rotational set I have (which is 3 years old) is not the new sealed kind. The one I have currently has a visible C snap ring on the front. Apparently I was lucky to get 3 years out of this older version. He is sending me a new rotational set free of charge. When it arrives I will retry with the suggestions he gave. I may even make a review video of it to put on my YouTube page. He also told me that there has been nothing but good feedback for this tool and my experience is not be the norm.

Awesome to hear! Can't wait to see the video.