Can anyone recommend a good airbrush?

[Maxtype]

Hi guys.

I'm extremely frustrated with my Aztec airbrush, especially when it comes to spraying acrylic paint. I get a lot of clogging and drying problems.

Can y'all recommend a good double-action for spraying acrylic hobby paint, for around $100 +/-?

Or would a single-action be better? I build mostly 1/72 Mecha and 1/48 jets. I switched to acrylic paint mostly for convenience of cleaning, and have had no luck with the Aztec and Gunze Aqueous.

Thanks!

[thegunny]

Do a search.

This has been done to death on many occasions and there are some good discussions to be read.

[mickyg]

Iwata seems to be the most recommended airbrush on these boards and I don't doubt they're pretty amazing. However, Badger seems to be a close second (WM Cheng has one-single action, I think). I'm using a Paasche VL and it seems OK to me. But I haven't done any detail work with it yet so it could be quite horrible with finer needles (of which I have but just haven't used). The Paasche and Badgers are a lot cheaper than the Iwatas. Check some ebay buy it now items for all three and see what you find. I tend to use Ebay for price comparisons more and more these days, as it seems like everyone's got an online store with a "buy it now" price.

Hope that helps!

[Vince]

love my hp-c

[Ghost Train]

I'm using a Dual Action/Siphon Badger Anthem 155. It's been delivering smooth paint for me for almost 2 years now with no major malfunctions or breakages. I'm thinking of upgrading to a gravity-feed unit though.

[PetarB]

For many years I used Paasche V and a Paasche VL - I've also used Badgers as well. A few months ago I purchased an Iwata Eclipse. It was a revelation, I can highly recommend it!

[mickyg]

Wait, I thought Iwata made one called "Revolution" I didn't know they made a "revelation" too!

You've got me thinking about upgrading now! What version did you get, as I see there are quite a few variants in the Eclipse line. Or is that all just top vs. bottom feed differences?

Oh, and now that I've asked that, what's the consensus on gravity vs. siphon feed (top vs. bottom)? I know the gravity feeds are easier for small amounts of paint and tend to use all of it instead of leaving a small pool at the bottom of the cup that can't be sucked up.

Edited May 17, 2010 by mickyg

[Ghost Train]

Oh, and now that I've asked that, what's the consensus on gravity vs. siphon feed (top vs. bottom)? I know the gravity feeds are easier for small amounts of paint and tend to use all of it instead of leaving a small pool at the bottom of the cup that can't be sucked up.

It boils down to the amount of air pressure needed to expel the paint. Siphon needs more air pressure as it needs to fight gravity to pull the paint up, this is obviously less problematic with a "gravity" feed. In terms of worksmanship, the quality is barely noticeable in the hands of a pro using either type of airbrush.

But due to the waste reason you mentioned above, and perhaps better ergonomics from the location of the paint container, gravity is a slightly better overall choice.

[Grayson72]

I upgraded from A paasche VL to a Iwata HP-CH, it's like a whole different experience, ease of use, cleanup, control....amazing.

[mickyg]

Maxtype, even if this thread has been done in different ways over the last 6 months (I can think of 3) for whatever reason, yours tipped me over the edge! I purchased an Iwata HP-C plus and it's on its way in the next few weeks!

Petar/Grayson you both are to blame (and numerous others who've sung the praises of Iwata). I'm really looking forward to this new tool. My VL will be retired and likely ebay'd. It's been a good tool too but I think the ease of cleanup and the ability to use small amounts of paint are what finally made my mind up. I can't stand mixing up paint and thinking I've got plenty, then running out mid piece, only to find there's enough paint left in the feed tube to have finished the job but gravity prevented me from using it! Couple that with the paint I get all over my hands when I remove the cup and it leaks all out of said feed tube...

[Jasonc]

Good choice on the Iwata HP-C series. The dual action and the ease of use/cleanup is amazing. I've had several airbrushes over my time, and the Iwata, while expensive, is worth its weight. It's like the Bentley of airbrushes.

[Dax415]

When looking for a good airbrush and you price compare, dont forget to check online beauty supply stores. They use airbrushes on women's nails and their is a competiitive market out there which means you might be able to get a Iwata, Badger, Paasche airbrush for a great deal. From what I've read and noticed, eventually most airbrush users have 2 airbrushes, either as a back up or one for all around duty and the other a fine detail airbrush. Heard Sotar airbrushes are pretty good with detail, but I'm not sure if that's a brand or specific airbrush model.

[Vince]

Maxtype, even if this thread has been done in different ways over the last 6 months (I can think of 3) for whatever reason, yours tipped me over the edge! I purchased an Iwata HP-C plus and it's on its way in the next few weeks!

Petar/Grayson you both are to blame (and numerous others who've sung the praises of Iwata). I'm really looking forward to this new tool. My VL will be retired and likely ebay'd. It's been a good tool too but I think the ease of cleanup and the ability to use small amounts of paint are what finally made my mind up. I can't stand mixing up paint and thinking I've got plenty, then running out mid piece, only to find there's enough paint left in the feed tube to have finished the job but gravity prevented me from using it! Couple that with the paint I get all over my hands when I remove the cup and it leaks all out of said feed tube...

you don't need to sell your VL, extra airbrushes just mean your hp-c won't need to do everything. my main is the hp-c, i also use a 100-sf to paint the real fine stuffs, 360 for larger jobs, and a couple others cheap ones for large background and stuffs.

[Vince]

dixie art.

[mickyg]

you don't need to sell your VL, extra airbrushes just mean your hp-c won't need to do everything. my main is the hp-c, i also use a 100-sf to paint the real fine stuffs, 360 for larger jobs, and a couple others cheap ones for large background and stuffs.

I don't need to, no. But when money's tight and I'm trying to scrounge up cash for a new lens for my camera, every bit helps! And I can't see needing the second one for broader coverage, but then again, I haven't used the Iwata yet (don't even have it yet) and don't know how broad its coverage is. So who knows...

[anime52k8]

as someone who has both a VL and an HP-CS, I say sell the VL. once you get the Iwata you'll find there's really nothing the VL does that the HP-C can't do better. The VL with the largest available tip can lay down more paint but that's about it and personally, I find that the HP-C is more than adequate for 90% of the stuff I do, and with the rest of the jobs I can get by with the HP-C well enough that it's not worth busting out the VL and having to deal with the mess and the difficult cleanup.

If your not doing a ton of painting or super fin detail work, the HP-C is fine enough on it's own. And if you are doing so much work that the HP-C isn't cutting it on it's own, then it'll probably be worth it to pick up a second better airbrush.

[mickyg]

Better than the HP-C - What?!!

Seriously though, just had a 15 minute session this evening and I was very annoyed with it. Part of that's me, part of it's the weather (it was pretty cold and wet outside and I do my painting in the garage) and part of it could be air pressure or paint mixture. Either way the application this time around sucked (Hah!). It went on very orange peely, the underlying tape marks didn't get covered at all, etc... There will be some pics on my build thread. This is Maxtype's and I'm derailing it enough already...

The fact is, the mess, the fiddly air pressure action in the dual action of the button (it's not very smooth) and the inconsistency of the spray quality, all make me think the Iwata certainly can't be worse!

Anyway, thanks for the advice, it's good to hear from someone who's used both and can recommend the Iwata.

Edited May 29, 2010 by mickyg

[Vince]

Better than the HP-C - What?!!

Seriously though, just had a 15 minute session this evening and I was very annoyed with it. Part of that's me, part of it's the weather (it was pretty cold and wet outside and I do my painting in the garage) and part of it could be air pressure or paint mixture. Either way the application this time around sucked (Hah!). It went on very orange peely, the underlying tape marks didn't get covered at all, etc... There will be some pics on my build thread. This is Maxtype's and I'm derailing it enough already...

The fact is, the mess, the fiddly air pressure action in the dual action of the button (it's not very smooth) and the inconsistency of the spray quality, all make me think the Iwata certainly can't be worse!

Anyway, thanks for the advice, it's good to hear from someone who's used both and can recommend the Iwata.

hp-c is very good overall airbrush with the mid , but compare with specialty it might come up a little short. nothing that can't be fixed by using different tips. I think with mid tip that ship with most hp-c's, the line is from about 1mm up to about 6 inches. perfect for scale models.

[anime52k8]

Better than the HP-C - What?!!

well, obviously their are better airbrushes out their if your willing to pay several hundreds of dollars for a specialty brush (Iwata custom microns come to mind). But what I meant was consider getting a second brush that's better than the VL to go with your HP-C, instead of keeping the VL around.

If your HP-C isn't cutting it for high volume work (which is the only thing I can think of that the VL would be good for), I'd say pick up something like an HP-BC or BCR. The HP-BC is just like the HP-C but with a wider nozzle and it's siphon feed so it can use larger jars. the BCR is from their Revolution series, it's like a stripped down version of the HP-BC so you don't get as many nice features, but it's still going to be much more precise and easier to clean up than the VL.

[mickyg]

Thanks for all the comments guys.

Maxtype, I hope this is as helpful to you as it has been for me!

[Noyhauser]

I've got the Iwata Revolution CR and an HP-B. I find the CR (a dual action) does almost everything I ever need it to do; it lays paint down like no other, easy to clean and pretty rugged. Basically at the end of the night I run some lacquer thinner through it, remove the needle and thats' it. I'll give it a thorough cleaning once every month, but I've been negligent about it and it doesn't really affect it. I'll take a photo of it when I get home, its usually just covered in paint.

The Revolution is also reasonable for a Iwata: you can get a used one for 60 dollars, and parts for it run around 20~40 dollars. By comparison the HP-B's nozzle (which I had to replace recently) runs around 60~80 dollars. The only reason why I use the HP-B is for fine details like exhaust stains or freehand camo.. its too fine for putting down large amount of paint. I had a VL and while I like it, I find the CR does everything I need with slightly better performance and easier cleaning.

I could go on singing its praises but I think you get the picture. I've been using mine for two years at least two night a week, even more and its by far the most useful modeling tool I own.

Edited May 31, 2010 by Noyhauser