Home > Consumer Reviews > Giottos Rocket Air Blaster, Manual Air Blower with Extra-Large Rubber Bulb - 5.3" Long

One of the few drawbacks to digital SLR cameras is that they are susceptible to dust on the sensor. This can result in one's photos showing unsightly spots or smudges. Film cameras did not have this problem because film substitutes for the sensor, and is, of course, constantly replaced. But on digital SLRs the same sensor stays behind the lens and if it gets a piece of dust on it, the problem remains until the dust is removed. The first time I got a dust smudge on the sensor of my Nikon D200 I was pretty rattled. This little accessory fixed it up immediately. Six blasts from the Rocket and my sensor was clean and pristine again.

The Rocket has a narrow nozzle for getting up fairly close to the sensor, and a rear filter to ensure that it does not pump dust *into* your DSLR. The best thing I can say about the Rocket is that it works. Twice since I have needed to clean my sensor, and both times the Rocket came through and did the job.

I have recommended the Rocket to others, and I consider it to be an essential tool for the digital SLR camera enthusiast or professional.

I got this air blower over the smaller size at Amazon, not only because it was cuter, but it was cheaper to boot.

I love this product because I use it for so many different things. In addition to using it for what I purchased it for which is to blow dust off my DSLR and Panasonic camcorder lens, I also use it to dust off my computer monitor, desk, computer case, etc. Prior to buying this item, I would buy the canned air and use that to blow dust around. I never felt comfortable, being the environmentally conscious person that I am, using canned air. The Rocket air blaster is environmentally friendly and as long as you have the strength in your fingers to continue pumping, you can continue to dust away.

With the canned air, you are limited by the amount of compressed air in the can. But also, as you use the canned air, the container gets cold, very cold. Personally I never felt comfortable using something whose temp changed drastically as I used it. Also, the canned air can't be used when holding the nozzle straight down or at certain other angles. I know because I always try this and it only sprays out pure frozen air. The Rocket Blower doesn't care what angle you hold it at, it still works!

There are two little holes in two opposing fins. To add to the cuteness of this item, the holes can be used to attach a strap so you can take the blower everywhere with you.

Cons: The wide round size of the blower makes it difficult to control direction of the nozzle. I have to hold the nozzle sometimes with my left hand and compress the blower with my right to get controlled dusting action.

I wish the blowing action was a little more powerful than it is. It produced a little weaker puff of air than I had anticipated. From what people have written, I got the impression this was a high quality product, and it is, don't get me wrong, the packaging was beautiful and the product is a thick durable rubber material, it is easy to use, and so forth, but I just wish it produced a stronger puff of air. I think if they could do this, they might actually be able to compete with canned air (I'm not kidding) and eat into their market share, rather than confine themselves to digital cameras and the like.

The Rocket Blower does what it is supposed to do and does it well. If they offered a narrower nozzle with stronger blowing capacity I would opt for that model in a heartbeat. My biggest complaint is the lack of ability to aim the air accurately. Too often I will squeeze the bulb and the nozzle will be zigzagging everywhere. This can be frustrating when there's a stubborn piece of dust in a very specific location and the nozzle is spraying in all kinds of different directions.

Tip: you can wash the blower easily by rinsing it in water and drying off with a towel if it becomes dusty.

**Update**

I have now owned this product for almost 1 year. It sits on my desk right next to my right hand as I rely on it a lot. I use it to blow dust off my desk, and shrine, blow dust from the lense of my sunglasses, digital camera, cracks and crevices of my tv, etc. It is a great alternative to canned air.

I re-read my comments about the puff of air being weak. During that time, I learned how to use this product to get more air out of it. I have learned to position my fingers around the widest part of the bulb and still have control over it. By squeezing harder I can now generate more force. It's difficult to guage, but the air is coming out harder than it seems. I think I'm used to the air being cold from the canned compressed air. Since it's room temp it doesn't seem powerful, but it is.

This device is so handy I plan to get one for my brother who always uses canned air. He would be thrilled with an inexpensive option for blowing air around.

Very simple to use. Worked great the first time I used it. All of the dust was removed from my sensor after a few puffs of air. I would highly recommend this product before the others for the initial cleaning.

This is the smallest of three Giottos "Rocket Blasters." It's a good size for carrying in the bag with your camera gear for field cleanings, but the larger blaster is much more effective and is the one to buy if you only plan to get one. Note that you can currently get this item, the small blaster, in a very nice Giottos cleaning kit for less money than the blaster sells for separately by itself - so if you're thinking about buying the blaster you'll do yourself a favor by checking out the kit and buying that instead. The blaster in the kit is exactly the same item as what you are looking at in this listing.

All the Giottos blasters are well-designed, high quality pieces that put junky little generic blower/brushes to shame. The small blaster is a little taller and a little wider than a bottle of cleaning fluid, small enough to be tucked away in a camera bag in just about any empty space. I slip mine in next to a lens, pointed down so that the tip slides in beside the lens. In use it creates a small but strong blast of air capable of dislodging most dust particles, and it's a good idea to give each lens a quick blast when you take it out of the bag, and maybe again as you put it away. Most of the time, that will be all the field cleaning your gear will require.

There are lots of design details that help the Rocket Blaster do its job. The materials, particularly the expensive silicone rubber used for the blower bulb itself, are of obvious high quality. The bulb has a separate intake valve at its rear, so that it can fill more quickly than would be the case if the small blower nozzle were its only source of intake air. And of course its freestanding "rocket" design is itself simple, useful and unique. Look closely at the blower nozzle: the hole through which the air is forced is not round, it's an obviously-deliberate triangular shape, and if you think about it a moment it might occur to you that this shape might very well be more efficient at generating a coherent stream of air than a simple round nozzle. Just another detail.

The end result is an item that is deceptively simple but so nicely made that it just doesn't have any competition. It's a nice little piece of Italian design that anybody can buy, appreciate, and put to good use. It costs a bit more than a junky little blower/brush, but it's a heck of a lot better. I give it four stars simply because its bigger brother is a lot more effective and is probably the one to buy if you're choosing between the two.

Miscellaneous notes:

- This is the "small" Rocket Blaster. There is also a large model, and on some item pages here on Amazon it has not been perfectly clear what you're getting from the item photograph or description. Here's how you tell difference: the small blaster has a round (spherical) bulb, the large one has an elongated, more or less elliptical bulb. (There is also a more obscure medium size that more closely resembles the large one, with an elongated bulb).

- The small blaster is ideal for keeping in your camera bag: the large one is a bit too big. The large one is probably two or three times as effective as the small one, however, so if you only intend to buy one, buy the large one. Honestly, by the time you have a modest sum invested in camera gear, you probably ought to have both.

- Aside from the blower and some cleaning fluid and cleaning tissues, the other important piece of lens cleaning gear you'll need is a soft brush. The Giottos cleaning kit referenced above comes with a nice little brush, and I'd recommend just buying the kit, especially since it is currently available for less money than the blower by itself. Just search "Giottos" and the kit will come up in the first few listings. (I'm not affiliated with any of the sellers, by the way: just pointing out what I'd do myself).

Simply put, this product does exactly what it was designed to do. I consider it an important part of what I carry in my camera bag and it assures that my digital pictures are without dust spots.