I have a suction feed airbrush and have never used a gravity feed airbrush.
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After seeing a recent post about the purchase of a gravity feed airbrush,
I am curious about what type of airbrush you folks prefer to use:
suction feed or gravity feed,
and why do you prefer using that type of airbrush?
I have siphon feed Badger airbrushes. I bought the gravity feed cups for them, and tried them out.
I use a little less air pressure with the Gravity cups, and there seems to be less wastage of paint. You can put a very small amount of paint in a cup and spray it on. with a bottle, you have to have enough to draw up the siphon tube, and that just seems to cause me to put too much paint in the bottle if I am doing something small. (there is a veryyyyy short “siphon path” involved in using the cups on a siphon brush)
even for large jobs, where the temptation exists to fill a bottle and go to town with the spraying,the cups seem to give me more control (possibly due to the lower pressures?)
I am sure the people with “true” gravity feed brushes have many more positive aspects to spell out,but, since I can sort of compare both with the same airbrush, I thought you might get use out of my thoughts.
Rex
Remember an old Van Halen song, The Best of Both Worlds? When I first came back to modeling I couldn’t make this decision so I went with a Badger 360. I’ve never regretted that choice and used it so much that Badger had to refurb it for me. Which they did wonderfully with no questions asked and no charge. True, the cup isn’t large but for detailing it was fine. With the needles and tips available for this line today, a larger cup would make this a perfect choice for an all around air brush.
With practice and getting to know your brush you can do anything with either style. If you need to shoot a lot of paint, those bottles sure come in handy. If you’re using just a little paint at a time or want the ultimate control, a gravity fed brush sure is handy to have.
So, live it up, get at least one of each. 
Tony
I have a siphon feed Paasche and two gravity feed airbrushes.
I bought the Paasche when i first go back into modelling and didn’t know too much about airbrushing etc - also, it was the cheapest of the available brushes (and the LHS didn’t stock any gravity feeds at that time).
After about 3 years, i bought at Badger 100LG, and to be honest, i’ve only picked up the Paasche once since then (that was 5 years ago).
I find, for my modelling, gravity feeds hold enough paint for what i need, provide lower pressure and more precise control, and, above all else, are much much easier to clean.
I hate having to deal with all the paint clean up in the siphon tube from the siphon feed, not to mention the waste as highlighted by TarnShip above.
Really can’t stress enough how much easier it is to clean a gravity feed over a siphon.
I have both suction-feed and gravity-feed ABs. I much prefer gravity-feed ABs. They spray better, give me better control and are much easier to clean.
I use suction feed Badgers. I have a bad habit of twisting the brush around the “roll” access, sometimes excessively in pitch too 
I even spill paint from my suction feeds, but it is only a few drops. I am afraid I would spill all over, and waste a lot of paint with a gravity feed brush, but I am sure the cleanup is quicker with those.
Gravity - easier to clean
I’ve used a Paasche VL and a Badger 150 (both siphon feed) for decades. Last year I bought a new compressor that came with a Master gravity feed brush… Long story short, my next brush will be a gravity feed. Even with the shortcomings of that cheap Chinese made airbrush it gave me a glimpse of how well gravity feeds perform.
Don- Most of the gravity feeds come with a cap for the paint cup that prevents spilling when tipped/rolled.
Don, it is actually possible to have fewer spills with a Gravity feed than with a siphon jar.
I know that some people put a lot of paint in their cups and then go to it. But, if you change your approach just a bit, you have more control and possibly more fun. It all depends on if “being fiddly” irritates you or is “just a thing.”
With a gravity feed, to do the Gray topside color on a USN jet, for example, you put in a touch of thinner, and a few drops of paint, you mix those together, and you spray the paint. When that runs low, you do it again. You repeat this until that color is finished.
I have actually tipped the airbrush and all that happened is that I “painted” the inside of the cup with gray paint. It is just a matter of changing your outlook from the mindset of having 2 or 3 different jar sizes for the job or just adding to the cup every few minutes.
There is a huge difference in the clogging/unclogging routine, too. With a shallow filled cup, you can run thinner down through it at any time during the spray session,and you know the extra hassle involved in “changing to the thinner jar” with a siphon feed full of paint when you get a tough clog.
With a cup, you can push the nozzle into your cleaning station, pick up and eyedropper full of thinner, push and pull the thinner a bit, and then spray out the dregs into the station. Then add paint again, and away you go. (remember, this is with the add-on cups, I am sure the built in type is even better at this)
Rex
Back in the old days, I used a siphon feed. Some years later, I switched to a side/gravity feed (cheap plastic testors airbrush (I thought it looked modern and cool and would be the future of airbrushing at the time. Ahh, youth [:P] )).
Since back, I’ve acquired two gravity feed AB’s, and for me there’s no turning back. All the reasons are stated in above posts, but the big one to me is ease of cleaning. I hated cleaning the siphon feed cups, and I had to fight myself every time to start a session.
Also, I love being able to spray a tiny part, or a part of a part with a couple drops of paint then move on, or do it again with another color with a 30 second flush out in between.
Just my 2 cents, I’m sure there are many valid reasons to use a siphon feed.
Hi, Goose -
I’ve been airbrushing for right around 50 years, tried just about every brand, Paasche, Badger, Iwata, T&C, Testors, Binks, etc. For most of the time I used siphon feed, went to gravity just a few years back, clearly the best choice for me, by a big margin.
I still have and sometimes use my old Badger 200 siphons, but quite seldom when compared with my use of gravity feeds. The gravity advantages for me are, 1) Ease of handling, 2) Fast, but still thorough cleanup, 3) A quick thinner rinse between cups is a simple procedure.
I had the Paasche Talon gravity feed, but found the large cup size to be ungainly and less than handy for seeing my spray work while painting.
Presently my two main brushes are a Badger 100G, (small cup,) and badger 200G, (single action,) both gravity feed. I estimate they serve 85-90% of my airbrush use. For larger surface area jobs, (like a solid color base coat,) the old Badger 200 with metal cup works more than adequately, I still rate it as an excellent airbrush.
The smaller cup sizes are not a handicap for me, since I habitually run the thinner rinse through it between cup refills, (haven’t had a clog in a very long time.) Also, I find a properly thinned paint will cover a surprisingly large surface area.
Maybe this will best express my preference of types, after many years of LOT’S of model spraying. If I could only have one airbrush for all the rest of my painting needs, it would hands down be the Badger 100G. Best all around I’ve ever tried. No doubt that wouldn’t work best for everyone, as personal preferences do dictate selections and there are certainly many excellent choices out there.
If you have yet to check out Don’s airbrush website, I highly recommend it. He’s a great guy with considerable insight regarding airbrushes, plus he’ll answer questions willingly and in detail. He was most helpful when I visited his site, I wish it had been around a long time ago, I would have far fewer airbrushes in my inventory today.
Best of luck with your search.
Patrick
I use a siphon feed Passche single action for many many years with no problems. I then discovered gravity feed and love it. However, that being said, like Don, I enjoy the ability to turn the cup on a siphon feed to put the gun in any position nessary.
I prefer gravity feed and mostly use it, but use a siphon feed when necessary.
Thanks for the insight, guys.
I have the Badger 150 ( which works just fine for the larger jobs ) , but I was wondering if owning a gravity feed air brush might be more convenient for smaller models ( less paint needed ).
I have checked Don Wheeler’s website and really enjoy reading his reviews as well as how he tests the airbrushes.
Though I am still uncertain about what brand of gravity feed I would buy, the information all of you posted does confirm the cleaning / thinning advantages I suspected may be possible; just not yet certain how much I want to spend or which brand.
Oddly, the internal mix gravity feed airbrushes I see most often in stores are either Badger ( well, I do live in Illinois [^o)] ) or Iwata. Guess those two have the most persistent sales forces.[:D]
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Happy Turkey Day / pre-Cyber Monday shopping Monday to you all !
Wish there were Black Friday airbrush sales for the model builders…[;)]
So far I see that my gravity feed definitely cleans up easier,I seem to use less paint also.
Spruce, you have the perfect airbrush to run the experiment on.
All you need to start the eval process is an add-on cup from Badger, with or without the cup cap.
They are something like $10 from http://webairbrushes.com/ you find them by clicking on your airbrush model, then going to the “parts link” at the top
Rex
Thanks for that link ; didn’t know the website existed.!
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Just had a look at that website and realized I got a real deal from Michaels: paid $49.99 for the Model # 150-5pk Professional Set vs. $184.00 on the webairbrushes site.[:P]
I did recently buy an extra cup from Michaels ( sale price roughly $4) , but I have never heard of a cap for the metal 1/4 oz metal cup so I would need to make a cap if necessary.
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However, I am uncertain what experiment you have in mind.[^o)]
“I have a suction feed airbrush and have never used a gravity feed airbrush.”
I thought you were trying to find out how the gravity feed deal worked?
Rex
I have only used a suction feed airbrush for painting models. An airbrush described as gravity feed seems self explanatory as far as how it works.
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I was trying to determine if others found a gravity feed airbrush to be an advantage in painting their models.
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So far, those who posted seem to prefer the gravity feed type of airbrush and gave useful, and very informative reasons as to why they preferred using that type of airbrush.
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The reasons given certainly seemed good enough for me to decide to eventually purchase a gravity feed airbrush. In the mean time, I will need to make some sort of cover for the Badger airbrush cups as the paints I will be using are supposed to dry much more quickly than those I am used to using.
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Unfortunately, the holiday season and unseasonably cold weather ( for this time of year ) will interfere with my painting and experimentation.
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No Black Friday airbrush sales, it seems.[whstl]
ah, I get you now.
50-0484 Cover for 1/4 Oz. Color Cup is on that link I sent you,there is supposed to be a certain size electrical box chrome cap that you can get in hardware stores that fit airbrush cups,but, I found the Badger part before I did much of a search in the hardware stores,so, I don’t know what item # the chrome caps are.
Tarn and Goose -
First, if you go to just about any major hardware stores and have a look, you’ll find plenty of caps that can work fairly well for a cup cover. Although, I have found zero that work as well as the actual Badger covers. Whenever I need to order something for Badger equipment, I just call Webaire. The ladies that take the order are thoroughly familiar with the entire product line, they can clear up any uncertainty about part numbers, compatibility, etc.
Whenever I’ve bought a Badger airbrush from them a 33% discount was applied, you just need to ask for it. But still, Goose, you did get a REAL BUY on your 150 at Michaels.
Also, I’ve bought from Chicago airbrush and TCP, my Badger 100G came from the first one, it was a seasonal sale and an online coupon was offered, I think I paid around 50 bucks. It’s worth keeping an eye on the sites to check for a deal.
One thing I’ve found about cup covers, if it’s not an easy and precise fit requiring fiddling to place it or remove it, you stand an excellent chance to make a real spill. (Yup, did it >1X.) Even my Badger cover needed some slight material removal, to make for a secure but easy fit.
Hope you get your gravity type soon and at a good price.
Patrick