Eastwood Soda Blaster

Customer Reviews

(Posted on 7/10/09) Very pleased after minimal use
Review by Da Schwartz

Value
Quality
Price

Note: this review is based on minimal use, but enough to form an opinion of the item.

Overall, this is a very good unit. It is well made (good welding joints, hoses are good), felt solid and was easy to assemble. I used Eastwood's media filter funnel for my sand media (I know, sand is frowned upon, but oh well) and that helped the unit function even better. The unit only clogged once and that happened in the nozzle portion of the unit which was an easy fix. Once I understood how to get the media flowing properly, the unit became easy to use and worked very well. I had this connected to a 26 gal (but well powered) compressor. While I had to work the compressor pretty hard to keep the PSI up, I was able to sand blast my suspension parts quite easily.

The one thing I will suggest to other potential buyers is that they replace all the clamps on this unit with better quality hardware. The hose clamps are not very good and can lead to potential injury if the nozzle separates from the hose (which it did with me). That is really the only thing I would improve upon as far as construction goes.

I would have given this unit 4 stars on the price but I got it at a slight discount since Eastwood was running a sale. I feel comfortable giving this unit 5 stars across the board.

(Posted on 8/11/09) An overall good value for the money
Review by Jim

Price
Value
Quality

I'm generally very happy with this product and it's performance. However I must agree with another review as posted. The hose clamps provided are not the quality I expect from Eastwood. Last but not least I changed out the barbed fittings at the base to a smooth style. Once the hoses are are installed, it's impossible to release them from the barbed style when making a change over to regular media valve.

(Posted on 8/26/09) Very pleased with this product!
Review by Frank The Tank

Price
Value
Quality

The blaster works very well. The largest complaints I have about it are the hose clamps (as previously mentioned) and the packaging. When I first got it, I had to call customer service to make sure they didn't screw me out of $100 and send me a pressure blaster instead. Before calling, make sure to open it and make sure the conversion kit is included. I gave the price 4 stars because $100 seems a little steep for a valve, ceramic oriface and hose. Other than that, kudos to Eastwood for coming up with this product! It cuts through the old lead based paint on my fender in two passes and leaves the metal clean and smooth.

(Posted on 1/27/10) 50095 blaster
Review by surfer john

Price
Value
Quality

i pruchased the soda/abrasive blaster,50095.as i restore vintage bicycles,mostly 1930.the blaster was easy to use,and said good by to all that rust,on my bicycle,blast in the morning,prime in the,afternoon.after reading that the hoses could,pop off,i double clamped them.all in all the blaster rocks,i wish i had these,30 years ago.good by rust..

(Posted on 2/23/10) Very satisfied
Review by Mike from Colorado

Value
Quality
Price

Works great just as advertised. I added a desiccant filter to my system for the soda blaster as well as painting (down the road) and couldn't be more please with the results. Having the flexibility to soda blast parts when I want without hauling it somewhere is important to me.

(Posted on 5/11/10) good but not great
Review by floyd066

Value
Quality
Price

I started using the blaster as a sand blaster to clean my car frame, and found that with 2.0 to 2.5 media, the hose would spring a leak about an inch from the bottom of the blaster. This has happened 4 times in the same area. I continue recycling the media into the machine. The last leak happened 18 inches from the nozzle. I don't have enough hose left to continue with it. I am looking to replace the hose without spending a load of cash.
Also, I have replaced the nozzle because of the tip wear. It has gotten a little crazy.

(Posted on 10/17/10) Nice job
Review by Mike from Colorado

Price
Value
Quality

I thought I could get by with my older smaller compressor but had marginal results at best with the soda blaster. I upgraded to 10.5 cfm @ 90lbs and the blaster works excellent. Don't fool yourself thinking you won't need a dessicant filter as well. It is a necessary item to prevent clumping and clogging. Now everything works great. I too replaced all the clamps. Doesn't Eastwood read these reviews?

(Posted on 12/1/10) MIXED
Review by DAN

Price
Value
Quality

I had trouble right out of the chute with the small ceramic orfice not letting enough material into the air stream. After inserting a slightly larger size now the blaster does work but is very slow going. It takes a while to complete a panel but the results are terrific. I used it around a plastic rear window and aluminum trim to remove old paint and it did so with out damaging the trim or window. I agree with the bad clamps and hassle to disassemble for cleaning. Could be better quality clamps.

(Posted on 8/28/11) works good
Review by snjvwguy

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Quality
Price

worked well for me i used it only one time with glass. using it to strip my beetle no harm to the metal so far.

(Posted on 10/15/11) Good price, bad product
Review by remotezygote

Value
Quality
Price

First off, this unit does not come assembled and "ready to use" as they say in the description. It comes to you as an abrasive blaster and a soda blaster conversion kit. It was only a bit disappointing since I was expecting a nice purpose-built device. You have to install the soda kit onto the unit, which is fine by me. Except! Except the fittings are glued in with a very strong adhesive. It takes some serious work to get things installed and working. The unit seems fine, build quality seems ok. I haven't been terribly impressed with the performance yet, but I've not fiddled with it enough to say it is bad. It does the job, and it's cheap - that's about the best I can say.