The iSchmutz is back!

The iSchmutz is back!

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Years ago in 2013 I wrote about this awesome little Mac Pro dust filter called the iSchmutz. Unfortunately a few months after that Trans Intl. stopped selling them and I have been sending them emails for years asking if they have old stock, when it would be back in stock etc. The last reply I got was early 2018 saying they’d be in stock soon but as I had heard that a few times before, I was not holding my breath.

Of course that didn’t happen..

Then today I get an email saying they are back in stock! I dropped what I was doing and ran to my Mac, sure enough, it’s back!

No longer called the iSchmutz (which I thought was a fun name), it is now simply the “Mac Pro Air Filter”.
The price is the same as it was in 2013 and though it is steep for what it is, at least Trans Intl did not try to take advantage of the demand or the fact that the cMP is as popular today as it has ever been. They could have hiked the price a few bucks but they didn’t.

Ok so why am I this excited about a piece of packing filler with double sided tape on it? Because it really, really works! And it works well! I have these filters on all my Mac Pros and between my cats, the dust from all the computers I clean/repair and me being a slob in general… these filters have been put through their paces for years. I keep a lint roller on my desk and every few days I use it on the filter to clean up the surface crud. A vacuum cleaner takes care of the dust and debris that sit a little deeper into the filter.

When I forget to clean it (we’re talking a few weeks) it looks horrible and the mere sight of it shames me into cleaning it and the rest of my office instantly. But as bad as it can get, the Mac is never struggling with diminished air flow which is quite amazing. The picture below was taken as I was writing this. The last time I cleaned it was about a month ago (yeah yeah, I’ve been busy…). Full res, 2.8MB so you can click on it and zoom in to see how much crap this thing traps!

Over the years I have found these filters here and there on eBay and I purchased them just to have a few in stock. My cats like to use them as scratching posts, my toddler likes to see if his Hotwheels can drive on it etc. so mine look pretty worn out. As I intend to use the cMac Pro for at least another decade, I figured having enough air filters to last me would be a good idea 🙂

Now that they are back in stock, I ordered two more. Mainly because I want to see if they sell the same filter or if they have made changes. The first generation of the iSchmutz was a disaster. The adhesive strips would come undone, filter was peeling off and the color was much too light so you could not see when it was full of dust. The second version was darker so it’s easy to see when it needs cleaning and the adhesive strips used sit without issue for years. I want to see if they are selling V1 or V2 filters now or if they made a V3 that’s somehow different. Also, I want to show my support for this product because as pricey as it is, it works amazingly well and I want them to keep it in stock for years to come.

So head on over and check it out. I highly recommend the filter and from personal experience/usage over the last 6 years I can tell you, it is made to last.

UPDATE July 17, 2019:
The filters have arrived and the quality is less than stellar. Have a look at the video below. I am currently working with Trans Intl. to get these issues resolved.

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