Which 'next step' airbrush?

[dannybgoode]

Next step airbrushes - which to get. I have really taken to airbrushing and whilst my H&S Ultra is brilliant to get the basics down with and fine for larger areas it is not the best I don't think for detail work. So which brush to progress to?

 

I have narrowed it down a bit; I really like the way H&S brushes break down for maintenance etc, they are do straightforward and well thought out in this respect so an Infinity Cr is a candidate however I am not convinced it will be that much better for detail work than the Ultra.

 

Next on the list are the two newer Mr Hobby brushes; the PS-289 if I am being tight or the PS-771 if I am feeling flush. The 771 is not far off an Iwata Custom Micron and the 289 looks to be very handy, particularly for the price.

Or, do I go whole hog and just spunk out on a Custom Micron? They are an awful lot of money though!

 

Anyone have any direct experience of the Mr Hobby ones in particular as they are the most tempting at the moment...

[dromia]

I am a dedicated Custom Micron CM-B (v2) user and it was a step change in my airbrushing, my style being to work close up, small and at low pressure.

 

It handles my preferred enamel paints with aplomb as well as the odd lacquer such as Gunze Sanyo and Mr Paint although I find Mr Paint to be a bit too thin for unversal use.

 

When looking for a fine spraying airbrush (See my thread here: Iwata Custom Micron CM-B (V2)) I considered the PS-771 and the only reason I didn't get it was its size and the MAC valve on the front of the brush. I was looking for a small and handy brush, I have a MAC valve on my Iwata Hi-Line HP-CH and find it clumsy, I have a MAC valve on my airline so can have that benefit with all my airbrushes.

 

The Custom micron will not dissapoint works extremely well, easy to use and clean, oozes quality and is a pleasure to own and use and is my go to airbrush rarely using my others especially since buying a PS 290 for hosing on paint.

 

I have no direct experience with the PS 771 but from my research it is supposed to be as good a performer as the Custom Microns, I have used a 270 and found it to be a fine brush and I am a very happy PS 290 owner.

 

Personally I would say feel flush and go for PS-771 as the small spray airbrush really opens up the capabilities of airbrushing.

[Mike]

The Infinities use the same internals as your Ultra AFAIK, so if you had a .2 needle in your current airbrush that would be a cheap solution.  The Iwata Custom Microns are (allegedly - but they are) the same airbrush as the Gunze 770, and they're also about a ton cheaper.  The spares are also commensurately cheaper, so even if you had a Custom Micron, the cheaper way to replace your needle/nozzle is to go for Gunze parts.

 

I'm totally besotted with the Gunze airbrushes, and have two of them running side-by-side in my spray booth.  A 270 for general work, and the 770 for finer work.  I also have a pair of Infinities, which only ever get used if I'm doing some complex stuff that requires a number of colours at a time, which is when a Quick Disconnect and T-shaped system comes in handy.   The H&S brushes pale by comparison to the Gunze brushes in terms of ease of use and general construction. 

 

YMMV, but them's my thoughts

[ckw]

I went the Ultra -> Infinity route, for much the same reason. A couple of points:

 

1- The infinity is a much better brush all round aside from the .15 needle & nozzle. The pre-set feature I really find useful (though I didn't see the value at first)

2 - Going more detailed (by which I assume you mean finer spray and control) is perhaps not so much a matter of the brush, but of getting on top of the correct combination of paint, thinner and air pressure. 

 

I can generate extremely fine lines (pencil thin) with the Infinity - though the experience learned with paint mixing etc. has meant I can do nearly as well with my Ultra (though the infinity is nicer to use)

 

My conclusion is that after a certain point experience and technique is more important than the brush you use - and the fine needle on the Infinity is more demanding on technique than the Ultra

 

Cheers

 

Colin

 

 

[MrProd]

I've a PS270 and its excellent.