Which Airbrush

[Will14m]

Hi everyone, hope you are all well in these strange times.

 

 

I recently bought a cheap airbrush from Amazon (a Gocheer) it only cost me around £20 in the end with discounts etc. It has now become apparent that all I did was waste £20 L

The first time I went to change the needle and nozzle to a larger one the nozzle thread snapped, the results I’m getting are inconsistent, the compressor has no pressure adjustment and adjustment of the brush itself is not consistent. I have studied videos on youtube on techniques, paint consistency etc, and have carried out the procedures detailed in “How to improve a cheap airbrush” all without success.

 

It may be that I am just bad at airbrushing (a bad workman always blames his tools) but I now feel I have to invest in something better, then at least if I still get poor results I can’t blame the tools.

 

I need some recommendations on what to buy, I don’t have an unlimited money pot but want something that will do the job consistently. Thanks in advance.

[Dads203]

Grab an Iwata Revolution with a 0.3 needle, you won’t look back 😊 does what it says on the tin and is reliable. 

[RODH2]

I am a spray-painter by trade, (retired), and used Iwata spray guns always. Painted real aircraft too!  The cheap Iwata copy airbrushes on E-bay are fine for our purpose, I feel, and  work OK with a bit of care and attention to the basics, (cleaning and set-up.) I would always use an Iwata 'brush, if I could spend that much on an air-brush, but I do OK with the copies. Just one opinion.

[Will14m]

And compressor?

[RODH2]

I have an industrial 15 Cu.ft. compressor in my garage, but I would get a quality item, (unlimited uses other than modelling). Others will have an opinion on a quality small compressor. To me, Iwata is the "Tamiya" of air supply and control!

[Will14m]

Would I be correct in thinking that a syphon feed would make it easier to switch between colours. It would seem you can simply attach a bottle with cleaning fluid in, activate the brush to clean it and then attach a bottle with the next colour in. The revolution appears to come in both gravity and syphon feed.

[RODH2]

I would lean toward a syphon feed for that reason, it's what I do. The gravity feed brushes with a smaller tip have more finesse, for Luftwaffe mottling for example, but generally a syphon feed is more adaptable, as you suggest.  I have an Iwata 'Neo' syphon, and about 3 or 4 Chinese copy Iwatas, one of which has  syphon/gravity interchangeability. I even have an old Revell single action plastic cheapy, to get a coat on overall quickly. (You'll find that cleanliness and set-up are the determining factors!)

[Will14m]

I think I'm leaning toward the Iwata Revolution HP-BCR Siphon Feed Dual Action. Do you know if it is a standard hose connection, or will I need a new hose?

 

The next thing is the compressor, I've looked at the Iwata ones and they are serious money. This one on Amazon looks ok.

 

Airbrush mini compressor with 3L air reservoir Fengda FD-186

 

Any thoughts?

[Dads203]

Just one thing to add , be careful with the Neo Airbrushes, they are not the normal Iwata airbrush quality and are made by another sub contractor which has different quality control ideas to the main range of Iwata brushes. 
 

All Iwata Airbrushes are made by other manufacturers as Iwata only make Automotive Spray guns but I have found the Neo range to be really hit and miss personally. 
 

The Revolution has standard airbrush connectors so you should be fine with a standard hose, I think only the Badger range of Airbrushes require an adapter to fit to a standard airbrush compressor.

 

I would look at a sparmax compressor with a tank, pretty sure they make the branded Iwata compressors but their own are much cheaper. 

[Will14m]

Found this one also, looks good.

 

"Profi AirBrush Beauty Maxx II-1 AIRBRUSH COMPRESSOR Air compressor with AIR PRESSURE TANK and PRESSURE GAUGE for airbrush spraying"

[Will14m]

1 hour ago, Dads203 said:

All Iwata Airbrushes are made by other manufacturers as Iwata only make Automotive Spray guns but I have found the Neo range to be really hit and miss personally. 
 

The Revolution has standard airbrush connectors so you should be fine with a standard hose, I think only the Badger range of Airbrushes require an adapter to fit to a standard airbrush compressor.

 

I would look at a sparmax compressor with a tank, pretty sure they make the branded Iwata compressors but their own are much cheaper. 

Thanks Dads203

 

Unfortunatley even the sparmax come in at over £200.00, I can't justify that sort of money.

[Dads203]

1 hour ago, Will14m said:

Thanks Dads203

 

Unfortunatley even the sparmax come in at over £200.00, I can't justify that sort of money.

No worries, but please look at it and another way, it’s a bit of kit that will last years and years, it’s one of the best investments you’ll make if you are using an airbrush and depending on what you build equates to not spending for a while on kits, theses days it’s 4x 1/35 armour kits or 4x 1/48 aircraft kits. It’s worth thinking about 

 

In the grand scheme of things and the years use you’ll get it’s not a lot of cash to layout. My Sparmax compressor has been going for over 8 years and not faltered. 

[oileanach]

On 4/21/2020 at 12:55 PM, Will14m said:

Hi everyone, hope you are all well in these strange times.

 

 

I recently bought a cheap airbrush from Amazon (a Gocheer) it only cost me around £20 in the end with discounts etc. It has now become apparent that all I did was waste £20 L

The first time I went to change the needle and nozzle to a larger one the nozzle thread snapped, the results I’m getting are inconsistent, the compressor has no pressure adjustment and adjustment of the brush itself is not consistent. I have studied videos on youtube on techniques, paint consistency etc, and have carried out the procedures detailed in “How to improve a cheap airbrush” all without success.

 

It may be that I am just bad at airbrushing (a bad workman always blames his tools) but I now feel I have to invest in something better, then at least if I still get poor results I can’t blame the tools.

 

I need some recommendations on what to buy, I don’t have an unlimited money pot but want something that will do the job consistently. Thanks in advance.

Lots of love for Iwata on this thread! 😃 I use H&S, so I'm not going to add to the confusion. Buy a decent, mid range brush from any of the big three (Badger are excellent, too) and you won't be disappointed. 

 

I would strongly recommend a dual action, gravity fed brush, though. It allows a lot more control and gives much better results in detail work. Bottles are convenient, but gravity fed cups are much more precise with a lot of scope for fine adjustments on the fly.

 

On compressors, what type of compressor is it and what kind of connection is on there? Would it be worth just adding a regulator to the one you already have? https://www.air-craft.net/acatalog/Sparmax-Airbrush-Compressor-Regulator-B.html#SID=3210

[Will14m]

12 hours ago, oileanach said:

Lots of love for Iwata on this thread! 😃 I use H&S, so I'm not going to add to the confusion. Buy a decent, mid range brush from any of the big three (Badger are excellent, too) and you won't be disappointed. 

 

I would strongly recommend a dual action, gravity fed brush, though. It allows a lot more control and gives much better results in detail work. Bottles are convenient, but gravity fed cups are much more precise with a lot of scope for fine adjustments on the fly.

 

On compressors, what type of compressor is it and what kind of connection is on there? Would it be worth just adding a regulator to the one you already have? https://www.air-craft.net/acatalog/Sparmax-Airbrush-Compressor-Regulator-B.html#SID=3210

Thanks Oileanach.

 

I opted for an Iwata revolution syphon feed in the end, and I have to say I haven’t looked back. Bought spare glass bottles also (not Iwata I hasten to add) too much dollar, and the compressor is a single piston type with tank, and again the performance is brilliant.

 

I also kept my cheapy gravity airbrush swapped the needle for a.2, polished it up and that also seems to be behaving. I will say, you certainly notice the quality difference between the Two especially the control, and consistency in performance.

[nheather]

Oops! wrote all that and have just spotted that you are already sorted with an Iwata revolution.  I leave what I posted here though as it may be of some use to others.
 

 

What is your budget?  Broad idea, £50, £100, £150, £200.

 

You will get more useful replies with that information.  Typically a good airbrush is around the £150 mark.  There are branded ones cheaper than that and these are what members are suggesting but even they will be around the £100 mark.

 

One thing about snapping nozzles.  That can be a risk with high quality airbrushes too.  Most Iwata designs have tiny nozzles like you experienced in your Chinese copy (many of the copies are simply straight Iwata rip offs).  They are better made than the Chinese clone variants but you still have to me very careful, still easy to snap, or strip the thread if you are heavy handed and they will instantly disappear forever if they fall on the carpet. And the price to replace an Iwata nozzle is eye-watering They are fine but you need to treat them with great care.

 

There is another design, used by H&S and one of the Iwata models (the eclipse).  In these the nozzle is part of a bigger cartridge that is held in place without any screw threads.  These are much easier to handle and harder to lose.

 

If your budget is down at the £50 end, the Sparmax SP-35C is a very good option.

 

Also (and mods please remove if this is breaking the current COVID rules) there is a guy on here that is fed up with airbrushing and wants to get rid of his H&S Ultra 2in1.  That is a very nice airbrush.

 

 

I appreciate there is a trading ban here at the moment because of the pandemic but he says he is going to move it onto eBay so maybe worth dropping him a message.

 

The other make which used to be ‘the name’ when I was growing up but often gets forgotten these days is Badger.  Barwell seem to be the main distributer in the UK and often run some very good deals on top of the fact that Badger airbrushes are reasonably priced to start off with.

 

https://barwellbodyworks-shop.com/gb/6-badger-airbrushes

 

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

[Nocoolname]

On 4/21/2020 at 8:13 PM, Dads203 said:

No worries, but please look at it and another way, it’s a bit of kit that will last years and years, it’s one of the best investments you’ll make if you are using an airbrush and depending on what you build equates to not spending for a while on kits, theses days it’s 4x 1/35 armour kits or 4x 1/48 aircraft kits. It’s worth thinking about 

 

In the grand scheme of things and the years use you’ll get it’s not a lot of cash to layout. My Sparmax compressor has been going for over 8 years and not faltered. 

Completely support this. On returning to model making I launched with the Revell Starter kit - airbrush and mini compressor. The latter was a nightmare (at least in my inexperienced hands). I eventually graduated to a Revell standard compressor and while light years ahead it still brought a number of challenges. After a couple of years I went for broke with a Sparmax 620X and haven't looked back since. It's the most perfect piece of kit in my inventory. Runs smooth, with total precision and absolutely without a fault. Its the most expensive piece of kit I've bought (so far) and has been worth every penny. It's also made me re-evaluate my approach towards airbrush purchases which have generally been on the cautious end of extravagance with my most expensive to date still being significantly cheaper than the aforementioned compressor. Given the level of detail I'm aiming for now that my building and painting is really taking off in earnest I'm really tempted to pair my compressor with a Custom Micron CM-B to see what happens.

[nheather]

10 hours ago, Nocoolname said:

Completely support this. On returning to model making I launched with the Revell Starter kit - airbrush and mini compressor. The latter was a nightmare (at least in my inexperienced hands). I eventually graduated to a Revell standard compressor and while light years ahead it still brought a number of challenges. After a couple of years I went for broke with a Sparmax 620X and haven't looked back since. It's the most perfect piece of kit in my inventory. Runs smooth, with total precision and absolutely without a fault. Its the most expensive piece of kit I've bought (so far) and has been worth every penny. It's also made me re-evaluate my approach towards airbrush purchases which have generally been on the cautious end of extravagance with my most expensive to date still being significantly cheaper than the aforementioned compressor. Given the level of detail I'm aiming for now that my building and painting is really taking off in earnest I'm really tempted to pair my compressor with a Custom Micron CM-B to see what happens.

Also agree.  The relative price of airbrushing equipment has fallen tremendously.  I think that although many on here don’t like them (myself included), the availability of cheap Chinese airbrushes and compressors have kept the prices of branded stuff in check.

 

As an example, I look back 30 years to when I first bought airbrush equipment.  There was no ebay or even internet retailing, so no clones, no cheap alternatives.  I bought a really basic compressor, simple diaphragm type, no tank and that cost over £150 and airbrushes started at £50, pretty much the same price as they are today whereas kits were £15 .

 

So back then, airbrushing was expensive compared with the rest of the hobby.  Roll on 30 years and we have seen the price of kits triple, but the price of airbrushing equipment has remained the same, fallen even.

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

[Fletch0311]

I did exactly the same, bought a cheap 'Chineseum' airbrush and within a few tries with it I had trouble getting it to work. It was a great education tool for stripping and cleaning and learning what the parts are and what they do etc. However, ater some investigation I decided to pay a little extra and get 0.2mm Harder & Steenbeck Ultra and that, for the money, is a cracking airbrush.

[Anthony Kesterton]

On 5/3/2020 at 8:32 AM, nheather said:

The other make which used to be ‘the name’ when I was growing up but often gets forgotten these days is Badger.  Barwell seem to be the main distributer in the UK and often run some very good deals on top of the fact that Badger airbrushes are reasonably priced to start off with.

 

https://barwellbodyworks-shop.com/gb/6-badger-airbrushes

 

Glad you did post this Nigel.  I was not aware of this site as an option Badger airbrush parts!

[PattheCat]

I had a siphon fed Badger and a good compressor without a tank. The Badger lasted for many, many years. Still, when it died, I went for a gravity fed  Harder and Steenbeck Evolution Silverline two in one.

Why? Because 1) the weight and balance had it feel just right in my hand 2) It's very easy to dismantle for cleaning. 3) two needle/nozzle set and cups and paint flow regulator included for about 170 €.

Brand doesn't matter. I see you're set for Iwata but.... get different models in your hands.

 

Still, I will let you know my choice if you want something reasonable (price vs quality) as a beginner's airbrush : https://www.graphicair.co.uk/product/harder-steenbeck-ultra-2-in-1/

Why: 1) for the price you get two nozzle/needle sets 2) these 2 needle/nozzle sets together  cost nearly the price of this airbrush and can be reused on the higher end airbrushes of the brand if you later decide to upgrade.

 

My advice would be to set the price difference on a Sparmax compressor with tank (can be found for 199 € where I bought mine https://www.artobi-airbrush.be/airbrush-compressoren/sparmax/sparmax-610h-n-membraancompressor/a-2875-10000220)

Why: the best sportscar will be seriously hampered by bad tires and low quality gas. It could even be so that with a good compressor, your current airbrush will suddenly seem to work better ........

 

I may sound pedantic but I just want to spare you the headaches I had when doing my search .........

Edited May 13, 2020 by PattheCat