blow drying cars: my stubby thoughts

[shimmy23]

i recently picked up an EGO 650 on sale. i've been wanting to use an electric blower for a few years as a drying aid and decided that the EGO lineup was a nice off the shelf solution with a few stubby nozzles options. so which stubby is better? does it even matter or make a difference? likely not but here's my thought comparing two popular stubbies:

Stubby Nozzle Co:
i initially set out thinking this was it! the best solution for stubbies! after all, wasn't it the original? overall, i'm a bit disappointed at the quality. maybe that's because it's 3d printed and there's always imperfections with this type of printing.
good:
i like the shape and shortness of it.
simple design and smooth interior barrel.
soft silicone band to prevent accidental dents/ scratches when drying
fit securely, not gonna fly off
bad:
quality just lacked with too many printed imperfections. i returned two nozzles due to this and the third still had me 🤔.
difficult to detach if you want to use the other EGO attachments.

Amazon Stocky Nozzle:
my initial reaction was that it looks just like the stock nozzle just short. it comes with two silicone bands for the tip. one is thinner and comes preinstalled. the second tip band fits over the preinstalled for extra protection? quality was good and weighed about the same as the Stubby Nozzle. overall, it's about 3/4" longer.
good:
stock design and attaches using the same button type mechanism making it easy to detach
basically looks like it came from EGO!
fits securely, not gonna fly off
two soft silicone bands included
has a smooth interior barrel once fitted to the blower
bad:
not made in the USA? if that's a bad thing?
a tad longer if you are looking for something really short.

my vote goes to the Amazon Stocky Nozzle. the overall fit and finish is why i'm keeping this one. if Stubby Nozzle had a better finish i honestly wouldn't have even entertained the Amazon Stocky.

i looked at but didn't purchase the Apexaire (sold at OG). $60-80 for a blower nozzle is fuckin ridiculous and when i looked at pictures and measurements of it all i didn't see anything that made it even slightly better than the Amazon Stocky Nozzle.

[chris719]

Yeah, the Amazon one is the only one anyone should buy. The 3D printed one is a PITA to remove as you note, plus the quality is low being printed on a consumer-grade 3D printer.

[aa2033]

I 3D printed my own for a few cents in material. the file was free online. The amount they charge for the stubby is nuts considering how cheap it is to print. I also think the band is kind of pointless. I don't get close enough to worry about hitting my car with it.

[skyline408]

I have the amazon one too. Works great!

[icj_45e]

I have the "Zephyr's Market" stubby from Amazon. It makes my Ego 650 SUPER loud. I wash my car in the alley behind my apartment and cannot even use the stubby anymore because it makes it so loud, I feel bad for my neighbors. I removed the stubby and use the Ego without any attachment.
Anyone experiencing the same thing?

[louielouie]

After about 1/2 a year of use, how do you feel about the product? I've been looking into getting a stubby for my M18 blower but after doing some research, it looks like these shorter nozzles reduce CFM instead of improve them. I'd rather run the stock attachment if performance is worse.

[shimmy23]

Originally Posted by louielouie

After about 1/2 a year of use, how do you feel about the product? I've been looking into getting a stubby for my M18 blower but after doing some research, it looks like these shorter nozzles reduce CFM instead of improve them. I'd rather run the stock attachment if performance is worse.

the amazon nozzle has held up fine and still looks new. no complaints here. i typically use the blower then follow up with a dry aid or detailer and microfiber cloth. i think the biggest benefit of a blower is getting the water out of the side mirrors, tailgate, grill, door jams, etc.

[Fredcohiba]

Amazon +1…

[NickyC]

I’ve used a leaf blower for years to get all the water out of cracks/crevices. Works great!

[MADBMWX5MC]

Small Car air dryer (or any size really) is the way to go nowadays, my drying towels are no more. Less contact with paint surface, the better.

[scottie31]

FWIW Ego now makes their own version for around the price of the Stocky Car version on Amazon.

https://egopowerplus.com/handheld-bl...hment-ast2000/

May be able to pick it up locally at HW stores as well.

Amazon
https://a.co/d/cjoRrxW

[BlkGS]

I use the ego 765 with the stocky nozzle. It works well, nice quality.

I used to use my M18 blower for it with a stubby nozzle from Etsy. Quality was fine but holy crap is the M18 weak compared to the ego. Milwaukee should recall all of the M18 blowers and give refunds and apologies it's such a piece of garbage.

[chefwong]

IME, while the stubby is great for like hood drying , I prefer the stock tube.......I feel like there is more CFM with the the stock tube. Well noticeable enough that I generally opt for that and only use the stubby for hood : roof drying

[crabman]

It's quite a few cars back now, but I scratched one of mine with the blower when I stubbed my toe and tripped while drying the car. Yeah, I know, stupid move, my fault.

In any event I'd wrap that rascal. I literally taped on some foam from a pelican case that I had repurposed. Works fine, still on there after more than ten years. Course I haven't stumbled my way into a scratch since, but if I do, that future blunder wont cost me a scratch. lol

[zero2sixtyZ]

Originally Posted by BlkGS

I use the ego 765 with the stocky nozzle. It works well, nice quality.

I used to use my M18 blower for it with a stubby nozzle from Etsy. Quality was fine but holy crap is the M18 weak compared to the ego. Milwaukee should recall all of the M18 blowers and give refunds and apologies it's such a piece of garbage.

I must be in the minority. Since I go to the wash booth, I went with the M12 compact blower + included stubby nozzle which is fully rubber, especially since it shares the battery with the M12 cordless air compressor I keep in the trunk.

Like shimmy23 said, I only use the blower for the crevices, door jams, panel gaps, etc... For the panels, ceramic coating + using the Rag Company Liquid8r towel, and the whole car gets dried very quickly.