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MMLJ vs geoblast

229K views 337 replies 54 participants last post by  SmartBlastPaint 
#1 ·
Hi,
I am considering purchasing a dustless system and would like to know if any one has had any experience with MMLJ and how they compare to the Geo Blast?
 
#3 ·
It's the sandstorm style pot they now fill them with water grit and a bit of holdtioght 102 and away they go.
 
#6 ·
I've seen the Dustless Blaster in use and it dumps out a LOT OF MEDIA and a LOT OF WATER.

From what I could see you can't control the flow like on the GeoBlaster and what you end up with is a clean-up mess.

With the Geo blaster you can turn the water down to the point where it's somewhat dry, but just damp enough to keep the dust down.

With the Dustless Blaster you have a LAKE under whatever you are blasting with mud in it to deal with after you're done.

Yes it keeps the dust down but you're introducing a lot more media and a lot more water.
 
#7 ·
I am having trouble finding end users using the sandstorm type of pot for references.
If you visit their web site they advertise no clogs. Also, if you watch any of their demo videos, very little mess and water.
Things I like with the sandstorm pot. No electronic panel to fail, All parts are off the shelf and available locally. Others have proprietary parts, and limited local service techs. Geo blaster is twice the price,
 
#12 ·
In their videos from their website they have a win nozzle on some of them.
 
#9 ·
That mmlj have one thorough internet campaign that's for sure. I have one, and if id paid full price for it I would have been devastated. It uses a lot of glass and water. It will go through 50lbs of glass and 5 gallons of water in 11minutes. It does leave a good finish but that is more the abrasive than the pot trays throwing it. If you have the coin buy the geoblast cause you'll end up buying both if you're serious about using dustless equip.

What is the pricing on a geoblast? I would have to put a 1000% Mark up on top for Australian buyers I suppose, seems to be the way it goes here.
 
#10 ·
Looking at the GEO, Farrow, and I have seen another one on the web now, the panel may look electrical but likely houses mostly pneumatics, water pump, valves and guages.

I have a Sandstorm 200, Soda 150, and MMLJ multi 200. I would like to convert the multi 200 to a wet blaster but only if it efficient. Bernie at MMLJ said it would be around $600 to convert, basically it looks like I need a pinch valve and pneuatic dead man.

MediaBlaster - Was the demonstration you saw by MMLJ or an equipment owner? Their videos show some water but not the amount you saw.
 
#11 ·
MediaBlaster - Was the demonstration you saw by MMLJ or an equipment owner? Their videos show some water but not the amount you saw.
No... I was at a marina a couple of months back or so and a local guy was blasting a boat bottom with the Dustless Blaster.

He said he just got in the business of doing boat bottoms and bought this Dustless Blaster because there's a guy with a Farrow System doing boats and everyone likes what he does.

From the mess he was making I don't think he's going to be in the boat bottom business for long... I also didn't have the heart to tell him I'm the guy with the Farrow System/GeoBlaster that everyone likes.

Anyway it was real messy.
 
#15 ·
Did you ever demo any of them?

I'm leaning towards a dustless blaster (MMJL) because of their price and all the vids I have watched of them, it seems like a good machine. I am concerned over what others have said about it using excess media.

I'm going to see if there is anyway to demo and check on their return policy..I imagine they hit you with a restocking fee. I'm going to call them Monday and see.

The db150 would work for everything I want to do and is $5K. At that price I won't blink an eye. But I'm thinking that if I end up doing bigger jobs, then I should get the db500 and that's $12K. Which is really pushing my comfort level. Then to go to the db800 is only $3K more. Which at that point my comfort level is gone.

If the Geo400 was $15K I would probably just buy it. But at $25K it's not going to happen unless I turn it into a full time business and see the money beforehand coming in from using a cheaper machine. I will most likely roll the dice on a db500 as if it ends up not working for me I will return it and eat the restocking fee.
 
#14 ·
I've seen the eco blaster in action it was a good machine.
 
#16 ·
I am having a demo of the dustless blaster on monday. I will also be seeing the geo in the next week or two. Right now I am expanding my business ( currently blasting) and relocating to another municipality. The hoops I have to jump through to move the shop and the cost of buying a new reclaim system, filtration system, breathing system, I was looking at $150K+ CAD.
I figure if it works well and less hassle and money, why not look at it as an option?
I know that MMLJ has financing. I would go as large as you are comfortable with money wise. I think these machines offer a flexibility I'm looking for?
 
#17 ·
Very cool. I look forward to your review of the MMLJ. Please post as early as you can, as I'm looking to buy something right away.

I don't finance, which is why I would prefer to just get the db150. But if this turns into a separate business, then I'm sure I would be pissed that I didn't buy a bigger model. Which is why I'm thinking the 500.

They recommend the db150 for automotive, db500 for marine and db800 for industrial. I can certainly see doing boats here in FL.

Their smallest mobile uses the 500. I'll just rent a compressor for jobs and put blaster on truck until I find a good deal on a used compressor. The other day I saw an ad for a 2006 210 cfm @ 150 psi unit with 310 hours, asking $8K. Called about it and it was already gone.
 
#18 ·
I have had two MMJ pots they are great with soda but to get them to flow with heavier abrasives like glass there are flow issues.
You have to stop and start all the time to keep the bloody things going.
That is on the smaller type of blast pots.

I will eventually buy a wet blasting machine for blasting in the wine industry here in Australia.
I will have to check with the EPA to see if I can get away with less containment then what I use when blasting dry.
The Environmental code of practice here in Australia is stupid for blasting it was written to give us free room to do what we want but try and keep things clean but it is also suggesting that we are only able to blast in a booth bloody crazy.

But for the mean time dry blasting is getting me by just fine.
 
#20 ·
Soda blast systems is the ones I own.

They are all based on the same design.
They are branded as multi media pots but they really only shoot soda and fine garnet.
Anything else they struggle
 
#22 ·
I had a chance to look over the mmlj dustless systems at a trade show recently and spoke with the reps. The biggest physical difference between these and the true slurry blasters like farrow, geo, etc. is that mmlj pots are pressurized with air and the slurry pots are pressurized with water. Without getting into the design details I'll just say that the control an operator has over the blast characteristics on a slurry pot be it water/media ratio, range of useable blast pressures that can be achieved and consistency of the action at the nozzle over the course of a job is hard to beat. I'd want to demo a dustless machine through an entire pot fill to see how well it maintains an operators initial settings and to determine actual media and water consumption compared to what I'm used to. When customers want to know how my farrow works I tell them ". . . its a little bit of media, a little bit of water and gobs of air at low pressure". The dustless system looks to me like lots of media, lots of water and high pressure . . . why not just use a win nozzle?
 
#23 · (Edited)
From watching the dustless blaster vids on their site, it sounds like they use about 20 gallons of water and 200 lbs of media per per hour. I don't know if it is less when running at lower PSI. I will be talking with them tomorrow to get answers to my many questions and see if I can get a demo.

I guess I'm wrong. Found a voicemail testimonial on their site and guy said he blasted a car in 2 hours / 4 bags. You can adjust the media flow, so I guess it's whatever works. I will find out specifics tomorrow.
 
#24 ·
So I spoke with MMLJ about their dustless blasting machines.

They said...

You will use right around 4 bags of media per hour. As far as water it's 5 gallons per bag.

Their machines have absolutely no clogging issues / the flow is the same from start to stop.

A dry pot and wins nozzle is not the same and will blast less surface area in the same amount of time. Said wins nozzle is just used to keep dust down.

When blasting at 150 PSI you should be able to do around 3 sq ft per minute. Said fiberglass is usually done around 60 psi and won't get that.

They demo it in Texas and Kansas. So I won't be getting a demo.

Said no one has ever returned a machine and everyone has been completely satisfied with them. However, they a have a 20% restock fee if you do.

Think I'm just going to buy one.
 
#25 ·
Watch the demo video on the website carefully.
In some circumstances they are blasting with a win nozzle.
As for blasting with150psi are you going to buy a high pressure compressor it doesn't work by simply winding up the pressure.
The little tube that siphons the abrasive is to small to flow enough air through larger nozzles.
If I was buying new I would advise against MMJ.

Listen to masterblaster he has been wet blasting for years
 
#27 ·
I follow, but a Geoblaster is $25K. I have no desire to drop that when I'm just starting out.

Do you have the url of the video that they are using a win nozzle. I have watched all their vids and didn't see any using a win nozzle. Makes absolutely no sense that they would. The water is injected at the nozzle of a win nozzle, why would there be any reason to use when the pot holds the media and water already.

I would be using a 210 CFM @ 150 PSI compressor.

I would think that unless you are doing steel that you won't be running 150 PSI.
 
#26 ·
Also 4 bags per hour is high for a no5 nozzle.
Don't listen to the sales guy MMJ doesn't even to business here in Australia any more.
 
#29 ·
Check this out.



Look at when they are blasting aluminum that is a big fat win nozzle right there.
If I was buying new I would go with the Geoblaster.
It is adjustable, media and holdtight 102 are expensive and I can see the geoblaster having a lower running cost.
 
#30 ·
And another one.
That thing on the end of the blasting hose with the blue hose coming off it is a WIN nozzle

 
#32 ·
On all the videos where they are getting good production rates there is a WIN on the end of the blast hose.
My suspicion is that they are using a dry blast pot with simply a WIN nozzle.
If you look at the video where the guy is blasting the gas pipework he is going a lot slower with no WIN nozzle.
I suspect the videos are a cunning marketing tool.
 
#33 ·
I have seen a farrow system in action before down at a marina and that seemed like a good machine also.
Maybe buy second hand.
 
#34 ·
Ausi Is right, those two links the guy is using a WIN nozzle. Looks like mine. Ha ha
Why are they telling you their system is a dust less when they have to use a win?

My Marco dry pot can be dustless to when I use my win. Lol
 
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