Been seeing alot of references to Iwata Airbrushes in the Forums. I’m still in the “research phase” in buying an airbrush. ie, I’m still thinking of ways to hide the cost from the wife 
Well, I was wondering which model of the Iwata people are using. The Eclipse family has a few different types within it. What model have y’all had luck using (for general purpose painting, gloss paints, flat military colors, some camo lines…)? Please be specific, like “HP-B Plus, HP-C, etc. etc.” I’m an idiot at baseline and need specifics. Thanks!
I use the Eclipse HP-BS. It’s gravity feed, just like the HP-CS but it has a smaller paint cup. Holds more than I usually use.
Sprays great and easy to clean up.
From what I understand, the Revolution works as well and is a bit less expensive which may help with the wife. (Revolution CR $59.00 delivered from Dixieart).
Happy researching!![:)]
Hey Merlin, thanks for the details. I’ll look into that one.
I ordered my Revolution from Dixieart for that price, no shipping at all. The best part is that it was cheaper than my pos Aztek by about 25 bucks or so. I keep meaning to pick up some airbrush cleaning brushes and some superlube, but I keep forgetting to spend the money.
madda
I bought my Eclipse HP-CS from Bear Air a couple of weeks ago. My research led me to think that a gravity feed airbrush would be best for my needs (1/72 aircraft, mostly). I am still learnign how to use it, but I like it a lot.
I highly recommend Bear-Air-- their prices are about the same as Dixie-Art, and they have free tech support, and there is a 45 day return policy. (Compare that to Dixie Art’s!)
-Bill
I just purchased an Eclipse HP-SBS myself. I had some questions about it and Bear Air were the only one’s who knew the answers to my questions and were extremely helpful and friendly! I placed my order and even the sales guy knew a lot about them and was very friendly and helpful.
I got the same price as the other places and Bear Air got the sale from me. I ordered it Monday and got it yesterday afternoon. I would recommend Bear Air to anyone that’s looking for any airbrush.
Eric
I’ve got the Eclipse HP-BCS and I absolutely love it. It’s a bottle feed, but I have a paintcup from my Paasche that fits fine. I like the bottle feed cuz I don’t end up spilling paint from a gravity-fed cup.
Either way, you gotta Iwata!
Let’s not become Iwata brainwashed guys and think there are no other choices available. The Badger (Formerly T&C) Omni, Vega, and Anthem are all just as good as the Iwata and cheaper for parts. I have been told that the Iwata is a bit smoother in action, but with a bit of Medea’s SuperLube on my Omni and Vega’s they are as smooth as I ever need them to be.
On a side note, Badger airbrushes are American made and I always like supporting the country that my ancestors have been a part of since 1650. [:D][;)]
Mike
I was in the same situation a couple of month back. I was about to get an Iwata, but I got a Badger 360 instead. Why?
Performance and quality is about the same.
Iwata replacement parts are EXTREMELY expensive.
Japanese companies likes to obsolete products too fast and many specialized parts.
Replacement part is easier and more convenient to get for the badger
I’ll second that. Besides, the 360 gives you the best of both worlds…
A true gravity feed with no attachments…
It knows how to use a bottle…
These are just the kind of comments I needed to hear. Thanks everyone for the replies!
For both modeling and work-i started with Badger then “upgraded” to Iwata. Now I’m back to Badger-they’re cheaper, easier to dismantle, more reliable and let’s face it-no matter how careful you are you’ll have to replace your airbrush every few years.
Wish I could paint my German aircraft in Adobe Photoshop-why can’t airbrushes “undo”?
Dan
Hmmm. interesting. Any comments on Anthem155 versus Universal360?
ShamRage
Give this link a try. It discusses Iwata airbrushes and indicates which ones are best for certain paints (eg. enamels, water colors, etc…). I thought it was very informative.
http://www.arttalk.com/iwata/new/neweclipses.htm
Eric
Thanks. I’ll post again with a review once I actually buy one… Hmmm Badger 360? maybe afterall.
Only problem is that the web site you mentioned is Iwata’s web site and not a neutral party. [;)]
Mike
Well, I saw the Badger in person and think I’m heading for the 360 Universal. Lots of good feedback from users on this Forum, too. (always helps). thx
Mike,
Sorry about that. I should have mentioned that the web site was specifically for Iwatas. I inherited an Iwata several years back and using that link helped me get a better understanding of what type of paints I could run through it. So I’d say if a person was absolutely dead set on getting an Iwata but just needed help narrowing it down, this is a fairly decent place to look.
Eric
I use a Badger single-action (350?) plus I recently bought a Iwata HP-C. I use them both with good results.
Glenn
Thanks for the input.