Badger Renegade Krome

[Digger1895]

I tried a couple of Chinese cheapos, a Neo and never got on with any of them. Began to think airbrushing was not worth the effort, or that I was rubbish. Then I bought The Badger 105 Patriot, and the optional cheap as chips .3 needle set, and fell in love. It was so easy to use, even for me, and layed paint down really well.

 

Now I'm looking at The Krome and was wondering if it's any good, the price is still I relatively inexpensive compared to H&S and Iwata.

 

I'm also wondering how good it is at really thin lines, and if anyone owns or has used both the Krome and The Patriot do I need another AB or would my money be better spent elsewhere.

 

Thanks for looking

[little-cars]

I must admit to having a bad experience with badger brushes early on, some of the designs and add on's are a little odd, such as a plug in paint cup that sits at an angle and spills it's contents..

 

Looking at the Krome, one thing that would put me off is the large paint cup. Brushes meant for detail work, would normally  have a small cup, rather than the large one that looks to be on the Krome.

 

Paul

 

 

 

[John Laidlaw]

I have a Renegade Krome. I understand the large colour-cup point, as it's a detail brush, not a coverage brush, but if you're doing a mammoth squiggly/weathering session it's really useful to not have to stop to refill. It's also a boon when freehanding camouflage demarcation. I could see how some wouldn't like it, though.

 

With regard to thin lines, if you thin the paint enough, and get used to the 'step' in the needle, you can get right in to the point where the needle guards are touching the surface you're painting, and it's laying down a very smooth hairline.

 

It is finicky about being cleaned, particularly after using acrylics thinned with something other than lacquer/cellulose thinner. When I've been lazy and left it for a few days, the whole thing sets solid and it takes an hour of cleaning every last bit thoroughly before it's back to normal.

 

In the end, it will do the job extremely well. How well it stacks up against H&S or Iwata, I don't know, as I've never used either (although I'm thinking of saving for a H&S).

[GPBooth]

The Krome with a 0.2mm nozzle & needle combination should spray somewhat narrower patterns than the Patriot with a 0.3, but this may be most evident with wider spray patterns rather than thin lines. The Krome also has a much smaller nozzle part then the Patriot, which may make it more difficult when cleaning and reassembling it.  You might want to check out the reviews of both on Don Wheeler's Airbrushtips web site to weigh the differences. 

 

I'm an "Iwata guy" myself, but I started with a Badger a/b decades ago (still have it!) and I have seen and experimented with their newer models and they make a good product (though I agree with Paul about the awkward color cups on my old 200, which were also a pain to clean, too).

[Gremlin56]

I have used a Krome for several years now and recently bought the new extreme patriot. Excellent airbrushes, easy to clean and much more robust than the "teeny, tiny threaded " nozzles used by the Iwata I have in the cupboard gathering dust. Can't find anything wrong with the Badgers.

Just my though. As they say: opinions are like a......s, everybody has one.

[Texan76]

I have the Badger Krome, and it is a top notch airbrush. Not as flashy as an Iwata or Harder Steenbeck, but just as effective. It sprays beautifully, can do super thin lines, and doesn't seem to be picky with different brands of paint. Badger also has great customer service.

 

I also have a Harder & Steenbeck, courtesy of Paul from Little Cars UK, and it is a great brush (go with Paul if you go that route, he runs a great business). In my opinion, the Badger Krome will do what it will do. You will not be disappointed with the Badger if you go with it.

 

Here is a review I did a while back: