Hey all,
Since my old airbrush was recently broken by my little bother I am in the market for a new one. I was wondering what I could get for about $100 that was a general all purpose airbrush…you know, a little detailing here, a little area coverage there…that sorta thing. If anyone could fill me in on the best new airbrush that can do this it would be appreciated (it doesn’t matter whether its single or double action to me, if that makes a difference on your suggestion). Also I would like to know the best website or store I could purchase this particular airbrush from.
Thanks Mike. That tip was helpful…I think I am going to go for the Badger Anthem. Anyways…thanks again. Also if anyone else has suggestions they would be appreciated…I am not 100% sure about the Anthem.
I used to be annoyed by all the Iwata afficionados. I’d say, it can’t be that good and it’s too expensive. Bull!
Worth every penny!
2 Badgers, 2 Pasches, Aztek and Sotar. None even came close. Just too easy. Reinforced by the 1/72 wildcat I did freehand last night. A breeze. MikeV, I’m still not endorsed, as hard as I try… ; )
I’ve bought my Iwata HP-C in 1983 when they first hit the US shores, 20+ years ago. I’ve never had to replace a part and it still works perfectly. When I first got it other professional airbrusher were skeptical of this gravity feed, quick cleaning, radical design. I see over the years it has become excepted as a reliable brush. I now supplement the HP-C with an HP-B and Badger airbrush but only because of the size of the paint cups and not because of its old age.
I would’ve gotten an IWATA if the Japanese hadn’t been so greedy and obsolete their products so often and use so many specialized parts and makes the price so extremely high.
I doubt you ever will. From what I have heard from others Iwata’s customer service stinks. I have even heard one person say they would never buy another Iwata product because of the way they treated them when asked about getting a deal or something on a class of students wanting to airbrush.
From the post I read Iwata basically alluded to them being of a lower class of people if they couldn’t afford their airbrushes. Of course this is hearsay so I cannot confirm the validity of the story.
When you pay more you expect the product to be more reliable and better working.
My Iwata HP-C and HP-B are the same brush with the exception of different sized paint cups and different needle/nozzles. I can and have interchanged parts between the two. I see that Iwata still sells the HP-A, B and C even after 20 years so they do not change a good design. My HP-C is still as state of the art as it was a radical 20 years ago. That HP-C is not obsolete yet.
When you buy a Japanese product they consider that you are buying into their family. And that family will support you. But to show your support you must buy their product. That is the Japanese way, at least it used to be. I’ve never had to contact customer support in the 20 years I’ve owned my HP-C so I wouldn’t know how they treat an Iwata user. But I would think customer service would be in the US (you never know nowadays) so if the CS is rude it might be the US representatives.
I would buy American if America had a comparable product. I haven’t been proven that yet. Here is an example. I just bought a new Badger airbrush and it came in the mail today. Why did I buy a Badger? Because I wanted to try a new product, the price was right and I wanted to try a domestic product (is Badger American?). As I was lubricating the needle I instantly noticed how rough the needle felt as I slipped it into the brush handle. It wasn’t rough but it was because the Iwata needles are so much smoother. You might be tempted to say my Iwata needles are broke in but I replaced the HP-A needle last year because a friend of mine bent the tip and the nozzle on it. The new HP-A needle felt just as smooth as the ancient HP-C needle. The Badger needle quality was not as good or Iwata makes a more refined product.
I have not tried the Iwatas yet but people I know have told me that they are smoother than a Badger and rightly so with the price increase.
Yes, Badger airbrushes are American made.
The Iwata needles are a little more precision ground and that is why they are smoother. I put Medea Super Lube on my Omni and Vega’s needles and the airbrush feels as smooth as can be.
I bought a Badger 100SG. Much like an Iwata HP-A with the little paint well. So a drop or two of paint in the small paint well will go a long way and not a lot of wasted paint to cleaning up. I got it with the medium needle/nozzle. I’ve already took it apart and I do like one thing that Badger did. Badger made the internal needle holder attached to the auxiliary trigger so they all come out as one assembly. I was always dropping the secondary lever in the Iwata and it was tricky to put back and easy to put in reversed (bad) (hint: use a toothpick to prod the lever back into place in the Iwata). I’m finding the Badger 100SG will do the job. My dream is to be able to airbrush gold paint through an airbrush without it clogging. My Iwatas always choked on gold and I think this 100SG will do the job <yippee!>.