need help selecting an airbrush

[Sharkey]

ive decided that im sick of the few colors of pactra racing finnish rattle cans and have decided that its time for an airbrush. ive had the cheap testors airbrushes in the past for model stuff, and they worked alright for what i did. im in the market for an airbrush thats a little more than $5 and going to last for a while, however i dont want to go stupid and spend $200 on an airbrush im using only for my rc bodies, nor do i want something so complex i get frustrated with it.

-single actions vs dual action- whats the difference in the way they work and what is the difference ill see when working with it???
-gravity feed vs siphon feed- again, what is the difference ill see in my work???
-internal mix vs external mix, whats the difference???

i know badger and paache make good airbrushes. what exactly would you guys recommend??? i know different airbrushes are used for different things, and i know guys that do the killer bodies will have multiple airbrushes, i just need something that will do a decent job of a typical rc body, i dont have the pacients to go into fine detail.

as a side note i have a 10 gallon compressor with regulator and water trap that will be providing my air.

 

[silentcircus]

A single action is pretty much like using a rattle can: The paint comes out at a preset rate. Granted, you can adjust that rate but you have to stop painting and fiddle with the brush a bit. Double actions allow you to adjust the paint flow while painting using the trigger.

A gravity feed airbrush has a little paint cup on the top. The siphon feed has the cup or jar on the bottom. Gravity feed brushes atomize the paint better at a lower PSI which results in better detail.

External mix is exactly what it says, the paint mixes with the air jet after it leaves the brush. These are cheaper and are better suited to large area coverage rather than detail work.

A good brush to start off with would be a Paasche VL. I have Iwatas, Badgers and Paasches and the VLs still get a workout. The VL is a dual action, internal mix siphon feed brush.

 

[AreCee]

One of the most awesome brushes I've ever seen or tried is made by Grex. They have a pistol grip brush that has great control, double action and gravity feed with interchangable cups. Only down side is the cost, $209.00 USD.

 

[BJoe]

One of the most awesome brushes I've ever seen or tried is made by Grex. They have a pistol grip brush that has great control, double action and gravity feed with interchangable cups. Only down side is the cost, $209.00 USD.

Beat me to it Dave, you're the 4th person other than my self that I know who wants one after this weekend! Had the chance to talk to the owner/editor of Model Cars Magazine who has one and loves it"thumbsup"

 

[dps50]

ive decided that im sick of the few colors of pactra racing finnish rattle cans and have decided that its time for an airbrush.

I got tired of the same thing regarding color limitations years back when I was into model cars. I used a testor airbrush for about 15 mins and said hell with it and forked over a bill for a nice double action badger. I forget what model it is, it's been over 10yrs since I bought it. But it served me well and I use it still now and then.

Buy once, cry once.

I have bought too many cheap tools only to regret it later down the road and end up buying what i really wanted anyways. I figure, I am still fairly young and expect the stuff to last for quite some time.

Don't get me wrong, I buy from places like harbor freight a lot. But when it comes to some things, there is no chinese knockoff substitute.

 

[Manning]

You get what you pay for. I had a testors plastic POS. Junk.

Then got a Badger 200 single action siphon feed. Works just fine. Psst...it's for sale

I won a Iwata DA gravity feed at a race. Friggin awesome.

 

[NOMERCY!!]

I had the bug a while back to , and ended up buying a Paasche VL with a Paasche compressor with auto shut-off. It's nice, quiet and does a good job. I painted a few bodies with it. Used Faskolor, and really liked the water based paint. Painted right over my kitchen sink!

If anyone is interested in the set-up, it is for sale. PM me. I even installed a small air tank inline to smooth out the air supply. Includes extras.

 

[Sharkey]

after some research i think ill get a dual action internal mix siphon feed, seems to be the most common. the gravity feed seems like it is better, however i doubt ill ever need the fine detail it offers for the extra money they cost. the paasche vl seems to fit the bill, however im not sure is my hobby shop carries them or not, i know they have a good selection of badger airbrush stuff. does anyone know what would be the aprox equivilent to the paasche vl in a badger???

 

[Sharkey]

so i went to my hobby shop today but they wernt actualy much help (a rare miss for them, they are pretty good usualy). they no longer stock badger airbrushes, they have paasche, iwata, and most of it is testors. they highly recomended the testors aztek airbrushes but couldnt really tell me why they are so much better. they did have the paasche v (not the vl, dunno the difference), however the price was ludacris, double what its listed on tower hobbies for. the prices didnt seem that bad on the testors kits in comparison.

anyone know about the testors aztek airbrushes??? good or bad???

 

[Code454]

most likely you went to ones stop right? yeah order it offline if you can it will save you money even if you have it shipped to canada im gonna be looking for one this christmas as a nice gift for myself"thumbsup"

 

[Sharkey]

yea it was one stop. before i order online im going to check out rc pitstop and some of the local craft stores.

 

[Code454]

yeah good idea and yeah check out micheals they have some good ones

 

[dub599]

i have a iwata hp-cs airbrush and it works great but i also bought a cheap $40 "master" airbrush from china off ebay and it works just as good as the $120 iwata airbrush.

 

[Biggons]

I have 3 Binks Wren's. I bought them back in the 80's. Old school, but I like'm. Works great for what I do."thumbsup"

 

[kronik]

i would start with a iwata gravity fed! they are great! thats what i use for our custom guitar buisness, i do all the paint and designs with it. it works great!"thumbsup"havent tried it yet on the crawler! but if it works on guitars it will work on crawlers! i also use house of kolor paint and their bullet proof clear coat! you can literaly shot it with a shot gun and it will barely dent it!lol

 

[Sharkey]

i ended up getting a paasche vl.

 

[vonclod]

nice"thumbsup", youll be happy with it8)

 

[Code454]

Where did you end up picking it up at anf for how much

 

[Sharkey]

got it from rc pitstop in langley. it was $100. tower lists them for $68 so its pretty close by the time you pay shipping (minimum $20 to canada) and exchange

 

[Code454]

thanks im gonna check that one out some more, keep us updated on how you like it"thumbsup"

Cody