I was looking at the Paasche Spray Booth, the portable model. The fan noise is rated at 65db-is that too noisy relative to other spray booths?
Are you talking about this one:
http://www.paascheairbrush.com/Hobby_Spray_Booths-HB-16-13.html
I have one of these and it is pretty quite. It does make some noise but not enough to be concerned about. You can still carry on a normal conversation with your wife/girlfriend/hampster and not worry about raising your voice. However, I do recommend that you wear a mask and goggles. This thing isn’t the most powerful unit. If you hit your suface just right the spray will come back at you.
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Thanks for the help. I’ve read where it is flimsy in construction. Is it holding up for you now?
I find the fold out walls to be flimsy however I don’t expect anything more from them other than to control the air flow and the over spray. In this capacity they do thier job well. Other than that I don’t have any issues with them. I don’t pack mine into it’s suite case and travel anywhere with it. I have no need too. However, I don’t see any issues if I were to do this. It is light weight made out of light weight plastic. Hence, the flimsy feeling. It’s also cheap. So you get what you pay for in a manner of speaking.
It is compact so you won’t be doing a 1/350 scale IJN Yamato model in this. However, it did accomodate my Moebius Galactica just fine. I know it sounds like I’m putting this thing down however over all I am very happy with the spray booth. It is small and compact. And if I ever need the extra space on my work bench I can easily fold it up and put it away until I need it again. Can it stand toe to toe with a home built or even high end model? No. But for small models and light duty work it is great.
The unit is a bit stronger than it feels. And if you did manage to bust one of the tabs that holds a wall up I’m sure your friend Duct Tape can fix her up right quick.
I have this booth also. I agree with all Warmuncher says. The fan is a little weak, but I only spray acrylics and I wear a mask so it’s not really a big deal. I also bought the tube to vent the spray booth outside. The quality of the exhaust tube is really amazing for what you pay (maybe around $20).
I broke one of the tabs that hold the side wall onto the base. Since my booth is less than a year old, I called Paasche and they replaced it for free. It’s also nice to know they have replacements parts available.
-Jesse
Thank all of you for this helpful advice. Sounds like fo rthe price, it is a good buy. I might upgrade the fan motor to a stronger one. Is the exhaust tube just normal appliance ducting?
I haven’t measured it but it looks like your standard dryer hose will work. However, if you get the cheap aluminum ones you run the risk of air leakage since the walls are so very easy to puncture. You would also need to cut a hole in the wall or make some sort of window contraption to mount it properly. I also would not use any existing drier exhaust port since the vapors will collect in any lint that is stuck in there. Heat plus paint vapors can only lead to misfortune.
Other than that have fun. 
This is the one I bought:
I don’t remember spending $40 on it though. Maybe you can find it cheaper. I was really impressed with the quality when I got it. It only took me maybe 10 minutes to install and it was airtight. I also like how the end flattens down. I can open my window, slid that end into the opening and then close the window mostly. Plus, there are ridges on the flat end to keep it from fallen out of the window. Overall, very well designed. If you have the money and want an exhaust for the booth, I would definitely recommend this one.