I was using the Supersonic Air Knife X-LT yesterday and in the past I've used the Air Spade 2000.
We do have the vacuum feature for the Air Knife, but I haven't had the chance to use it yet. When I do I'll report back.
In my opinion I think both tools do the same great quality of work, my pros and cons stem mostly from the ergonomics of them both.
Air Spade 2000:
Pros: I really really like the wide-angle of the handle and the 45 degree tip (optional feature). I usually didn't screw the tip on all the way so it would pivot, this makes clean-up a lot easier when you have to blow dirt back in the hole and you can angle it into difficult areas. I like that the fiberglass barrel does not get hot, although the couplings and hardware do.
Cons: Having to pull the trigger using my fingers resulted in carpel tunnel syndrome in myself and my coworkers who were also using it everyday.
Air Knife X-LT:
Pros: I like that the trigger is compressed by the palm of my hand rather than my fingers. After using it for 7 hours yesterday my hands did not fall asleep (for clarification, with my carpel tunnel (CT) my hands sometimes fall asleep when I climb due to the grabbing and pulling, so not having my hands fall asleep was pretty surprising to me). For me, this is a HUGE pro.
Cons: Every part is aluminum, so it gets really hot. If you've ever touched the couplings of the Air Spade, it's about that hot. In the summer I had to wear leather gloves and hold it with a towel. I admit that we don't have the handle, which would have saved me some grief, but having another piece hanging off of it doesn't seem appealing when trying to maneuver in tight areas. I don't like the 90 degree angle of the handle, but maybe this also helped me with my CT, I'm not sure. And I really wish it had the 45 degree tip.
For both tools:
I like that they have a 3, 4 and 5 foot barrel length options. I never got to use the different barrel lengths because we only had the 5', but when you're underneath a spruce, pine or fir the 3' option would have been nice. Plus, the options are nice for taller or shorter people.
I think they both should have trigger locks both for application and CT purposes. I ended up bungee cording the trigger on the air spade so I could hold it differently, or choke up on the barrel if needed.
I think the dirt guards are a burden. The X-LT has a sliding guard and yesterday I ended up tying it to the handle so it would stay out of my way. The 2000 has an adjustable guard, which was a little better, but eventually it ripped off and we never bothered to replace it.
I highly recommend getting at least 10' of the light weight hose for maneuverability purposes.
Both have the problem that after a few hours of work that the valve assembly (VA) will have to be repaired because they wear down and start to leak. Sooner or later you wont need a trigger at all. I haven't had to repair the VA on the X-LT so I cannot compare the two. But from April to October 2008 I had to replace the 2000's VA about a half dozen times.
We never put them back in the cases, so I think those are overrated.
I think that's everything.
