Airbrush recommendations

[notme]

I know its been said "dont get a cheap airbrush" and yes it can be true, I bought one at a local tool store for $25, it looked good but the machining on the needle and fluid nozzle were terrible.

I stumbled across another one, a dual action a/b, available at hobbyking. After checking out some posts about it in the hk forums, i was convinced enough to try one out. I must say it is an awsome brush for a great deal. It cost about $33 shipped, and its a very complete kit, comes with .3mm needle installed, also a .2 and .5mm needle sets, braided fiber hose, wrench,eyedropper and a nice plastic case. Ive had no complaints about it yet and Ive played with it quite a bit.
Heres a pic of the contents
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v409/traileater/airbrush/DSC01689.jpg
Heres a link to it at hk.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5728&PID=46773#46773

I also have a Peak C5 I bought from bearair.com, its a nice brush too for $100. The badger is good too but mine is a little old now. My cheap $25 one mentioned up top is now only used for spraying spazstix chrome as I dont need any accuracy with it.
Get the hk, you wont be dissapointed imo!

[rctenracer]

I know its been said "dont get a cheap airbrush" and yes it can be true, I bought one at a local tool store for $25, it looked good but the machining on the needle and fluid nozzle were terrible.

I stumbled across another one, a dual action a/b, available at hobbyking. After checking out some posts about it in the hk forums, i was convinced enough to try one out. I must say it is an awsome brush for a great deal. It cost about $33 shipped, and its a very complete kit, comes with .3mm needle installed, also a .2 and .5mm needle sets, braided fiber hose, wrench,eyedropper and a nice plastic case. Ive had no complaints about it yet and Ive played with it quite a bit.
Heres a pic of the contents
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v409/traileater/airbrush/DSC01689.jpg
Heres a link to it at hk.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5728&PID=46773#46773

I also have a Peak C5 I bought from bearair.com, its a nice brush too for $100. The badger is good too but mine is a little old now. My cheap $25 one mentioned up top is now only used for spraying spazstix chrome as I dont need any accuracy with it.
Get the hk, you wont be dissapointed imo!

Just a basic gravity feed dual action air brush. Thats what I have been using for awhile now a no complaints. The one i have has a fine tip so i have to thin the paint a little with it. I aslo have been using faskolor paint . I am not the best painter and faskolor washes off so I can start over when things go bad.

[klavy69]

I aslo have been using faskolor paint . I am not the best painter and faskolor washes off so I can start over when things go bad.

thats why I use it too along with no smell so it can be sprayed in the basement. Went to an auction today so the money just isn't there but plan on checking out all the links and doing some more homework on these to make some kind of a choice soon. Thanx for all the input guys
Its much appreciated.
Todd

[greene-r74]

Ive owned all 3 Badger, Paasche, and Iwatta. the Badger was junk, I got the same results with a spray can. The paasche I used for years, but it could never shoot a smooth line, it always varied light and heavy, real blotchy and uneven. It was very inconsistant and the spray pattern was very splattery. The Iwatta I got was cheaper than my Paasche and ti sprays so smooth, there is no comparason, and I can do lines so fine it looks like writing with a pencil. The atomization of the paint and air is so much better, you have so much more control over what you want to do. Whenever I did a paint layout with my paasche I always thought it was half thought out and half accident, cause you never knew what the brush was going to do.

[SteveK]

Over the years I have had whatever cheap airbrush Testors sold at K-Mart in the early 90s, a Paasche VL, a Testors Aztek single-action, and now an Iwata HP-BCS. The basic Testors was OK for learning, and they actually work well for painting large areas or priming. If you don't care about special effects, something like this will actually work well. The Paasche and the Iwata have very similar designs, but the Iwata parts were much higher quality. The Aztek is interesting, I haven't used it too much but it basically uses the same tips as their advanced airbruses.

Iwata airbrushes used to be much more expensive, almost double the cost of the comprable Badger and Paasche models, but prices fell like a rock about 10 years ago thanks to computers. The airbrushes were popular for photo-retouching, but now that's all done on computers so that market is dead.

Using an airbrush is all about the routine of keeping it clean and it in proper working order. Cleaning them is actually a lot simpler than I've made it over the years. There is a video on YouTube, I can post it when I get home, he just shows that you spray some cleaner through it and the chamber, and it's all clean. I have found using a Q-Tip to clean the excess paint out of the siphone tube first GREATLY reduces the amount of time it takes to spray it clean. I am used to completely tearing the airbrush down to clean it out (which isn't hard, or time consuming really), so it's taking a bit to retrain myself to try this, but it does seem to be working OK.

[USA-1]

I been using a paasche D500 compressor and a Badger 150-4pk for years no problems on cheap side but I didn't want to spend too much, but it works for me.

[SteveK]

I been using a paasche D500 compressor and a Badger 150-4pk for years no problems on cheap side but I didn't want to spend too much, but it works for me.

HOW you use the airbrush is much more important than which one you use. Unless you're getting to the point where you are doing something like realistic fire of course.

Just get something and practice it with it, you'll learn a lot just by doing. I know a lot of plastic modelers that use something simple like a Badger 350 or Paasche H, but they just know how to work with it.

[HotRodJosh]

My first airbrush was a Badger single action, an all metal one and it shot very nice...
Next I "upgraded" to a Paashe double action VL, bottom feed.....while I could control the paint flow better, it really didn't spray better than the Badger...
I now use a gravity fed Iwata Eclypse and love it....

[nsr250_repsol]

I started with a cheap Paashe double action VL about 20yrs ago and still have it to spay liquid mask. I use 3 different airbrushes to paint these days. I have a Iwata Eclipse, a Tamiya HG-III, and a Mr. Hobby PS-264A that I use to spay bodies with. All are very nice but the Iwata is the easiest to get replacement parts for. I would reccomend the Iwata Revolution serries brush for any newbie. They are cheap and spary very nice.

[clhuke64]

I have been using a a Paasche HL single action for over 30+ years and love it !! I would like to upgrade to a Paasche VL, one of these days !!

[justinspeed79]

I have also been shopping for a new brush lately. I have been using a Paasche VLS for about 10 years now, and it has done everything I have ever asked it to do. I have never had to repair it or even replace any seals or anything, but the last time I took it apart to soak it in water I ended up forgetting about it for a couple of months, and the water had evaporated and left some heavy residue on it. I am pretty sure the valve is done for now. I found a review of the new Paasche Talon Gravity on CFX, and the guys there that are using it had nothing but good things to say about it. I am pretty sure it will be my next brush.

Here is the kit I have been eying. A very complete kit for a very good price IMO.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190425118056&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

[Brandon G]

2 words: Iwata Eclipse

[jackdcarver]

I use the Devilbiss DAGR for doing my lexan bodies, The Famous Zielkeracing guy steve uses that airbrush mostly for high detailed painting. but if your looking for a simple brush use a iwatta

[CeeKay]

If you happen to have a compressor at your disposal already, preferably a smaller 1-2hp/5gal little garage compressor, I suggest the Snap-On BF170A...

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=all&item_ID=16513&group_ID=1828&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

I got this kit (though it's quite different from the one pictured) for 130, plus gauged regulator for 30.... The 5gal tank guarantees that, unlike a teeny little Iwata airbrush compressor, you'll have more than enough air pressure for nearly a whole RC paintjob!!!! Plus, I already had the compressor.

It's a dern fine little paint pencil, though I'm just starting out with this whole airbrushing gig... Plus, even if you purposefully crush the airbrush between the jaws of a vice, the Snap-On guy will take it back and replace/repair it FOR FREE!!!


- CK

P.s. Yes, I had to register to comment on this thread. <3 Snap-On tools, and their warranty!

[Vintagemishal]

All of the top artists I know use Iwata, myself included. I still have a Badger 150 single action that I have had at least 25 years and still works fine. I have not personally heard anyone complain about or dislike their Iwata. I really like my Eclipse HP-CS.