Wolfbox MegaFlow 200 review

[LaBalbe]

@Wolfbox asked that I repost this as a stand-alone thread, so I'll start by re-posting my original review:

My Wolfbox MF200 arrived in the mail today. First impressions are solid. The packaging is well thought out and appears to provide ample protection, always a bonus with electronics.

I very much appreciate that there's an actual, printed user manual and that I don't have to wrangle with a QR code or search their website for a PDF version, which may or may not be legible on whatever device I'm using.
Instructions are in English and Spanish; I don't speak the latter, so all of my comments are with regards to the former. Having a background in publishing and linguistics, I can tell that this was translated, probably using AI or an adequate translator at best. Most people probably won't notice it, but being a nitpicking "word nerd", I noticed some errors and at first glance there are other passages where I'd take a second, closer look.
Having said that, I appreciate that there's actual descriptions to accompany imagery, and that they didn't resort to IKEA-style pictogram instructions that leave you questioning your sanity, so thank you for that.
I will note, however, that there isn't a French version of the instructions, something that will be necessary and far more applicable to Canada than Spanish. Considering that the instructions are only 10 (smaller) pages in each language, adding French shouldn't be too difficult.

I haven't yet put it to use, as the instructions specify that the battery should be fully charged, which I am now doing. I appreciate the little lights to indicate battery charge.

The right-most light is currently flashing, indicating that it's not fully charged; the picture just happened to catch it on. I was actually surprised that three of the four were solid, suggesting the battery is around 75% charged, since I couldn't get it to turn on at all, which I would expect to be able to do at that charge level.

The instructions indicate "Long press the power button to turn the machine on/off," but do not provide any clarity as to what constitutes a "long press." I pressed it for 10+ seconds, which I would have thought to be long enough, so does it need to be 100% charged before being used the first time? That is a question for another day...never mind, as I was typing this up, it charged fully, and the answer appears to be "yes." For reference, "long press" appears to equal about 2 seconds.

It's too late at night for me to put it through it's paces at the moment, but initial impressions after playing with it for a few seconds are that it packs a pretty good punch for its size, and I appreciate the three fan speeds; along with the various nozzles, there should be some good versatility in the applicable uses. Stay tuned for more.

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[LaBalbe]

In response to

tm1506 said:
Good for starting a camp fire?

That was one of the suggested uses, but I wouldn't do that with the "stock" round nozzle (the one that's attached during shipping). The airflow isn't directed enough for my taste, and I think that you would risk blowing embers in all directions.

Having said that, I have not played with the other three nozzles that it comes with, and two of them - the long nozzle and the flat nozzle - could direct the airflow enough to be effective.

If using this to blow on a wood fire, I would limit the fan speed to the lowest setting, and even then I'm not sure if it wouldn't be too much. The middle and highest speeds would almost certainly create too much wind, either blowing your nascent fire out or turning a larger one into a problem rather than a solution.

All of this is theoretical; once I get around to testing it in practice, I'll be able to give you a more concrete answer.

 

[LaBalbe]

My intention had been to test it out a bit more over the weekend, but my mom and kid ended up getting rear-ended (twice!) as Car 2 in a four-car wreck, so plans took a bit of a turn.

They were stopped behind Car 1 at a stoplight, when Car 3 rear-ended them, pushing them forward into Car 1. Car 4 then decided to rear-end Car 3, pushing it into them for a second go.

Fortunately, no one was injured, but the kid was a little shaken up, mostly from the second hit. I don't think that it had ever occurred to them before that accidents could be a multi-part event. Grandma, on the other hand, is like "been there, done that, got the t-shirt." Still, despite being shook up, the kid had the presence of mind to know where to look when the cops asked Grandma for the car's paperwork. That was one of my first lessons when they started learning to drive about a month ago.

Meanwhile, my sister's Santa Fe is pretty much a write-off; we dropped it off at the body shop earlier this afternoon and are waiting on the official verdict from the insurance company, but even the guy at the body shop agreed it was likely going to be a total loss. To be fair, it is an 8-year-old car, so it will very likely cost more to repair than it's worth.

The liftgate is completely caved in and can't latch anymore because the trunk frame is warped, the rear bumper and sensors sustained damage, there's gaps and scratches to the rear quarter panel/fender seam on both sides, the tailpipe is bent out of shape, the front driver's fender is peeling off, there's a sizeable dent in the front hood and the front grill is broken in several places. Pictures exist, but they're on my sister's phone, so you'll just have to let your imagination go to work.

As a kicker, the driver of Car 3 had the gall to yell at my mom "Why did you stop?!" Umm, do you KNOW what a red light is for?

Based on the damage, we're fairly certain that they didn't even tap their brakes; considering that the at-scene photo showing the two cars touching has them connected at the bumper, and not the liftgate level, I'd even hazard that they were in fact accelerating. Maybe they confused their pedals? Of course, that doesn't excuse Car 4 for adding to the pile. Anyway, "not my monkeys, not my circus;" that's for the police to deal with.

 

[LaBalbe]

Having hijacked my own thread, I'll attempt to put it back on track.

As noted, I didn't get a chance to try out the MF200 this weekend, but gave it a little bit of a trial run just now.

This is the base of a spare monitor that I sometimes use for work, but usually sits on an MDF shelf, so the base had a bit of MDF particles embedded in its nooks and crannies.

Seeing as one of the potential uses for this would be to clean up a workbench, this seemed like a good trial, using the "flat nozzle." I have to say, it worked quite well.

 

[AzScorpion]

I don't want to hijack your thread/write up but just wanted to say I'm glad that your mom and kid weren't injured. Stuff can happen fast and it's good that you taught your kids on what to do in case of an accident and she (I think you said before you had 2 girls) was cool under pressure. Nice going dad!

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

I echo what Dave said - glad all are fine. Granny is pretty resilient (she survived the luge run). I‘m not surprised Thing 1 knew to find the paperwork - likely going through the checklist in their head right away.

It sucks that your sis will have to go through the whole process of insurance, car shopping, replacement, etc. No doubt, the Ranger will be called upon more than usual.

 

[LaBalbe]

Thanks, fellas. Yes, we're very fortunate that no one got hurt, and I am rather proud of how Thing 1 handled herself. The day will come soon when it's time for her to fly the nest, so it's good to know that despite her fondness for being silly, she's got a solid head on her shoulders.

 

[TxOTRRanger]

I'll echo what Dave and Duke said, I'm glad that your Mom and Thing 1 are okay, good on Thing 1 for keeping calm and cool in that situation.
Prayers are with you!

 

[ScarzRanger21(2.0)]

My intention had been to test it out a bit more over the weekend, but my mom and kid ended up getting rear-ended (twice!) as Car 2 in a four-car wreck, so plans took a bit of a turn.

They were stopped behind Car 1 at a stoplight, when Car 3 rear-ended them, pushing them forward into Car 1. Car 4 then decided to rear-end Car 3, pushing it into them for a second go.

Fortunately, no one was injured, but the kid was a little shaken up, mostly from the second hit. I don't think that it had ever occurred to them before that accidents could be a multi-part event. Grandma, on the other hand, is like "been there, done that, got the t-shirt." Still, despite being shook up, the kid had the presence of mind to know where to look when the cops asked Grandma for the car's paperwork. That was one of my first lessons when they started learning to drive about a month ago.

Meanwhile, my sister's Santa Fe is pretty much a write-off; we dropped it off at the body shop earlier this afternoon and are waiting on the official verdict from the insurance company, but even the guy at the body shop agreed it was likely going to be a total loss. To be fair, it is an 8-year-old car, so it will very likely cost more to repair than it's worth.

The liftgate is completely caved in and can't latch anymore because the trunk frame is warped, the rear bumper and sensors sustained damage, there's gaps and scratches to the rear quarter panel/fender seam on both sides, the tailpipe is bent out of shape, the front driver's fender is peeling off, there's a sizeable dent in the front hood and the front grill is broken in several places. Pictures exist, but they're on my sister's phone, so you'll just have to let your imagination go to work.

As a kicker, the driver of Car 3 had the gall to yell at my mom "Why did you stop?!" Umm, do you KNOW what a red light is for?

Based on the damage, we're fairly certain that they didn't even tap their brakes; considering that the at-scene photo showing the two cars touching has them connected at the bumper, and not the liftgate level, I'd even hazard that they were in fact accelerating. Maybe they confused their pedals? Of course, that doesn't excuse Car 4 for adding to the pile. Anyway, "not my monkeys, not my circus;" that's for the police to deal with.

When I got rear ended a few years ago in my old f150, the lady immediately jumped out of her car and yelled at me. Like it was my fault for being stopped at a red light lol! I watched her in my mirror (looking down at her phone of course) and thought “this idiot isn’t going to stop.” She sure didn’t…

After she was done flipping out, I chuckled and said I sure hope that text was worth it! Took pictures, got her insurance info, peeled her grille off my tow hitch, and went about my day. Her little Camry definitely took most of the damage. Other than a few paint scuffs on my bumper that I was able to buff out, my truck was fine. I still think about that day and wonder if she learned a lesson

 

[Wolfbox]

Thank you, sir, for this detailed review thread. I agree on your thoughts about boosting the fire using the product.

And thank God your family are fine.

 

[NeilP]

After reading the review, I decided that I had better buy the @Wolfbox MegaFlow 200 to add to my collection of cool gadgets. It arrived today and I must say, this little guy is incredible!

It will be so much easier just to grab this and clean the dust off of my vehicle dashboards instead of having to use the shop air compressor!

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