Unless you plan to paint portraits, landscapes, and spacey stuff, put away most of your money. Buy a cheap oilless compressor and about a $40 single-action gravity-feed internal-mix airbrush with a pistol trigger. Or… since you’re just starting, buy a single-action suction-feed external mix airbrush with a simple press-release top trigger. You can get one on Amazon for $13. I know, I bought one and I love it. That’ll give you a really good feel of whether you want to continue airbrushing and what features you crave on your next airbrush if you decide you like it (you probably will). Before you cast any big money at any expensive airbrush, certainly buy the cheaper knockoff first and see if you even like it… see if it actually buys you anything you couldn’t get with the $13 airbrush. I dunno about you, but my money is worth quite a lot to me so I don’t like to throw it around when it takes me in the wrong direction.
Have had a Badger 200 for around 40 years now and still use the heck out of it. Bought a badger fine gravity cup single action (200?) a while back and use that a bit as well. Have also had Paashe, Iwata and no name brushes also, but keep coming back to my Badger single action ones.
I love Don’s site!
Personally I have the paasche VL and H model. I also have an Iwata Eclipse Takumi as I’m left handed and love the option to choose which side the feed comes from.
Seconding (thirding? fourthing?) Don’s site, which was immensely useful to me as I shopped for an airbrush. I wound up with a Patriot 105 and a couple of others, but have mostly used the 105. I used a Badger 250 and canned air when I was a kid (way more expensive in the long run, but I was never going to have enough for a compressor and airbrush…) and wound up with a Badger 150 when I was building and flying R/C aircraft. (I was skinning in 1/32 balsa and fiberglass, so I needed to paint the exteriors.) The Patriot was the first gravity-feed brush I ever used, never mind owned, and it was somewhat life-changing for me. Because of pressures needed to pull a suction on the bottles, my prior brushes did not afford me the ability to do fine lines, etc. If I had to recommend anything, I’d say at a minimum look at gravity feed.
I will also second this advice - I have often found that buying the cheap knock-off first pays dividends in the long run. If I use it enough to break it or find the problems with it, I’ve identified the value spending real money will get me!
Hey there!
I’ve been using an airbrush for a while now, and I’d definitely recommend considering the size of the nozzle and the type of paint you plan on using. If you’re working on models with a lot of detail, a smaller nozzle (around 0.2mm to 0.3mm) is great for precision.
I’ve tried a few brands, and I personally like the Iwata series, but you can also find good quality options from Badger and Paasche, depending on your budget. Definitely make sure you get a good air compressor to go with it too, as it makes a big difference.
Hope that helps! Happy painting!
I bought my first airbrush without realizing what I really needed. I bought a Paasche VL which is a siphon type. It’s a great airbrush, but wastes paint if you’re only trying to do small amounts. I bought a Iwata CN which is a gravity fed and for the smaller areas, this is a great brush for me.
I am using an Iwata Eclipse that I am very happy with. I got it from the local Hobby Lobby.
I don’t normally get in on these types of conversations but I’ll jump in line on that advice. IMO start basic and work your way up.
I’m currently using a RoyalMax AB-130 with a .3mm nozzle, which is proving to be too wide for 1:72 scale camouflage patterns and may be pushing the friendship at 1:48 scale. Absence of spare needles from the market (unless they’re universal?) is a concern, but otherwise a perfectly fine airbrush for wider patterns, basing and glossing.
I’m looking to downsize to a 0.15mm needle but not seeing a lot of airbrushes off the shelf below 0.18mm. Can anyone point me in the right direction? A price point under $200 would be amazing, but if I have to be negotiable for unusual calibres then so be it…
@pr154 There is a YouTuber called Barbados Rex who does a lot of reviews. I seem to recall a review he did on a 0.18 airbrush that was really good and he liked it. He also reviewed the Neoeco sj83 airbrush, a $40 purchase on Amazon. I ended up getting that one based on his review. It comes with 3 tips 0.2, 0.3, and 0.5. I hope you find a great airbrush!
Thanks Eric! There seems to be quite a market for cheap airbrushes with a good spread of nozzles/needles on shipment. The trick seems to be whether one can get spares, or identify the appropriate generic parts.
Started with a simple Badger 250 (still have it.) My go to is my solid and reliable Paasche H.