Any suggestions? I’m not real literate on the new brushes. I have read through and seen a lot of votes for Paasche’s, Iwata’s etc…
What I am looking at is a Paasche Mil airbrush. It’s supposed to be able to do fine line all the way up to 2" spray. Anyone heard anything one way or another about them? I’m not wanting to spend a lot right now, less than 200 if possible. My wife is forgiving of my hobby but ya never know when you might cross the thin red line haha…
Any suggestions welcome!
Paasche VL or VLS, others will say the Omni 4000… I got a Paasche and I love it, completely kiddie proof… and it cleans up as easy as anything else… and its under 80$ depending where you get it from…
cool! thanks for the response… as far as needles does the one it comes with do it all? or should I look for one for detail and one for coverage?
I don’t have one, but I like specs and design of the Millenium. It has a metal anodized handle with a cutaway, while the VL doesn’t. But, the VLstpro does have that. The V’s have 3 sizes of tips. The Mil is an all-in-one. They’re all about $50 at dixieart.com if you get one that’s not in a wood box, so the choice is a matter of features. The ability to do a good 2" spray is partly thanks to the high air flow that a siphon feed requires. Are you particularly looking at siphon feed because of a siphon feed’s performance and functionality, or do you know if a gravity feed would be better for what you want to do?
Normally the med (#3) tip and needle are all that are needed for modeling.
I started out with the Paasche VL and although many people like them I don’t really care for them as they don’t have smooth triggers and they are too bulky shaped for me. I also hate the pivoting trigger on them as they are a pain to get back into the air valve sometimes after removing them.
I prefer Badger/Thayer & Chandler myself. [:D][;)]
Mike
yeah I’ve only used a Paasche size 5 on car bodies, and that was only sometimes. I’d do that to spray a real sparkly silver base coat, but the Paasche 3’s would do it too. The reason I personally wouldn’t bother with a siphon feed Paasche size 1 tip is because I have an Iwata Eclipse gravity feed for those jobs [:D] Oh yeah… I also used a Paasche size 5 to spray wall paint when I airbrushed clouds on a mural wall.
I would be one of those [:p]
Keep in mind that out of that $200 budget you need to consider an air source as well. The cans of propellant such as Propel are not worth fooling with as they will cause you more problems than they are worth.
Which Badger do you prefer? I have a 350 here sitting on top of my hobby desk that I didn’t care for, maybe I should revisit it before I shop for something else. Actually after using a double action I wouldn’t go back…
And thanks to jdavidb too… I think I prefer a siphon feed, mainly because every airbrush I have owned is one… gravity feed has a lot of perks I have read about here but I’m just not sold on it yet… mainly because I am a klutz and would probably lay it down and have paint dripping on my floor…
oh yeah, it took me precisely 1.5 cans of it to figure out it was worth buying a compressor. plus the variance of the pressure as you used it was frustrating… got the compressor, needing a better brush… probably going to buy a new compresser as well though, out with the old, in with the new as they say…
If you want one to play with I just got my firet airbrush and compressure from a company called EDM Wholesale Inc. There website is www.edmwi.com and I picked up the airbrush for $0.99 with $15.00 S/H and a 3/4 hp 2 gal pancake comp. for $22.31 with $20.00 S/H. I have not tried them out yet but it would be worth it to look into them. The items they sale is imported from overseas and the do not tell you on the website what type they are. The airbrush is a Paasche.
Looking at Badger’s web site the 350 is an external mix airbrush. They typically produce a coarser pattern than an internal mix airbrush.
Most of them come with a hook you can hang the airbrush in to prevent that problem [:D]
Both gravity feed and siphon feed have pros and cons. I have an Omni 3000 (siphon feed) and a 4000 (gravity feed). The only real difference between the two is that the 4000 will feed at lower pressures than the 3000. Depending on what you paint that can become important. My 3000 needs about 8-10 psi to feed properly wheras the 4000 will go below 5 (or thereabouts, my pressure gauge barely flickers).
There are a lot of good airbrushes on the market. Badger (including Thayer and Chandler), Iwata, and Paasche all make excellent brushes. Keep in mind that an airbrush is just a tool though, and probably 90% of its abilities comes from the person behind it. Pick a good quality double-action internal mix brush, one that has readily available parts (prefereably locally available since needles never bend and nozzles never split until you have to have one NOW!), learn to use it well, and never look back.
As MusicCity has already stated, I too prefer the Omni 4000 which is produced by Badger.
Another really good model is the Badger 100LG which is similar to the Omni 4000.
It all depends on what you want the airbrush for.
I have 9 Badger airbrushes and one Iwata and each has it’s own characteristics that you may or may not like.
I prefer a gravity-feed airbrush for modeling and if I could only own one it would be the Omni 4000 or the Badger 100LG.
Mike
I switched over from a single action syphon feed Badger 200, to a gravity fed Omni4000 earlier this year, and although the 200 is a good brush, it is simply not a patch on the Omni. Added to which parts are readily available, even here in the UK where the Omni is not even sold!
Whatever you choose, hope you enjoy it.
Karl
and i just looooove my iwata’s!![:D] there’s always one or 2 in the crowd eh?LOL the iwata eclipse hp-cs is the best airbrush that i’ve ever laid hands on, but thats just me. later.
Badger 100 LG: $50+ or - $10
harbour freight compressor: $70ish
Airhose: $10-20
moisture trap/pressure regulator: $40ish
paint thinner: Acrylic paints-isopropynal alcohol
Enamal paints-mineral spirits
Laquor paints- laquor thinner
total: 180 approx
Iwata Eclipse HP-BS $105
Iwata Airhose: $17
Paasche H: $50 ten years ago
Paasche moisture trap: $14
2-brush manifold with valves: $25
Regulator/filter/gauge: $55
Makita Mac700 2 hp 2.6 gallon compressor: $180
Total: $446 dang!
see why badger is better [:D] to each his own
buy omni 4000 buy badger buy omni 4000 buy omni 4000 buy badger buy omni 4000 buy omni 4000 buy badger buy omni 4000 buy omni 4000 buy badger buy omni 4000 buy omni 4000 buy badger buy omni 4000 buy omni 4000 buy badger buy omni 4000 buy omni 4000 buy badger buy omni 4000 eat mushrooms buy omni 4000 buy badger buy omni 4000
but with Iwata, you get a cool name like Eclipse to refer to when talking about your airbrush. I think women would prefer that I Eclipse them than Badger them, although the Crescendo would probably be the one that gets the action [:O]
You mean the name Iwata stole from an American company instead of thinking up a name on their own? [(-D]
Mike
stole from who?