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Harder and Steenbeck Evolution 2 in 1


Skii

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So here it is, at last, my first decent airbrush - The Harder and Steenbeck Evolution 2 in 1.

So far my entire experience of airbrushing has been a mix of the revell / badger basic airbrush and a very inexpensive copy of an Iwata double action airbrush I bought from Ebay many moons ago. Both have served me pretty well for the price, but not without problems, and when this rather attractive German lady arrived in her yellow box this morning, it became quite evident as to what I've been missing out on all these years.

HSinbox.jpg

The airbrush is called the 2 in 1 because it comes packaged with both 0.2 and 0.4mm needles, needle caps and air heads. It also comes with 2 different sized paint cups, I'm not entirely sure what the point of the small cup is , but I'm not complaining - however one noticeable ommision is the lack of a lid on the cup - thankfully my spraying technique isn't too vigorous so I didn't suffer any spills - but this is a curious thing to leave out of the box.

Changing the needles is a doddle, much easier than I've been accustomed to as upon undoing the needle cap, the air head simply drops away and the needle can be pulled forward from the airbrush body (so that you don't drag paint through the airbrush mechanism) , no need to undo fiddly tips with spanners - so much easier. The airbrush also comes with a cleaning tool which resembles something between a miniature pipe-cleaner and a loo brush - regardless, it works superbly and in 5 minutes my new airbrush looked brand new again.

HStip.jpg

HSstripped.jpg

In hand the airbrush feels very comfortable, the double-action lever feels smooth and constant when drawing back, the head is knurled just right so the tip of my finger grips it very confidently. even the 0.4 mm needle sprayed impressively fine and constant lines in my first test session, but the most noticeable thing was the sheer ease of use, my first experience of trouble free airbrushing, and I liked it very much.

HSinhand.jpg

Its early days yet, but this really feels like a precision and quality piece of kit, I'm going to look forward to many hours of spraying with this airbrush - which I can see becoming less of a chore and more of a thing to look forward to.

Here is a short video I made to show just how easy and nicely a stripped Evolution airbrush assembles.

Review sample courtesy of my bank account, supplied by Paul at www.little-cars.com

John

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Good lyck with the airbrush! In my opinion the Evolution 2 in 1 is probably the best airbrush in the whole H&S setup. It has all the important things, and if you really need some of the other stuff, like the fPS-valve, you can buy it separatly.

Edited by denstore
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EDIT: It is the Harder & Steenbeck Evolution Silverline fPc Two In One I have. :blush:

Me too and I love it. I also have a H&S Ultra, which was really cheap but uses most of the same components as the Evolution and is a brilliant starter airbrush.

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Yep, Evolution for me too, also from Little-Cars (I got the full starter package including compressor). Great airbrush, though it is my first so nothing to compare it to!

Dan

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I got the Evolution Silverline fPc Two In One, Evolution Silverline Solo, and the Infinity Solo to review from Harder & Steenbeck/Everything Airbrush. NO H&S compressor though...I used them on an Iwata Smart Jet Pro! :lol:

I like the quick connect fittings for them though, and they fit the Iwata quick fit. Very handy. :rolleyes:

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The more I see about these H&S airbrushes, the more I like them. I have to decide if I need a new one, or just an overhaul of my Badger 175. Really impressed with the performance of the Evo 2n1, I've never gotten lines that fine with the 175, even with the fine tip.

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The more I see about these H&S airbrushes, the more I like them. I have to decide if I need a new one, or just an overhaul of my Badger 175. Really impressed with the performance of the Evo 2n1, I've never gotten lines that fine with the 175, even with the fine tip.

If you just want the 0.2mm nozzle set and 2ml paint cup, the Evolution Solo is only £85 (Just the brush, without the 0.4mm nozzle set and the 9ml cup)...

You can use the 175 for varnishing

I even have quick release connectors that will convert your badger hose to the standard 2.7mm bayonet fitting, and an adapter to convert your 175 to a bayonet fitting.

Paul

www.little-cars.co.uk/airbrushes

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I have a Hansa Topline which is also produced by Harder & Steenbeck. It's really easy to use and so easy to clean. Iy does help of course if you don't lose the nozzle seal!

Tony :clif:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hmm nice airbrush :speak_cool:

But it's not your airbrush that makes you good , it's the technique .

I had Badger 150 , now I have "revell vario Class" , and I'm really

satiesfied with it . But you have a good technique Bob :thumbsup:

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Hmm nice airbrush :speak_cool:

But it's not your airbrush that makes you good , it's the technique .

I had Badger 150 , now I have "revell vario Class" , and I'm really

satiesfied with it . But you have a good technique Bob :thumbsup:

I think with most of us it's bits of both.

If you have a tool you are happy with then it gives you confidence to learn and explore.

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Hmm nice airbrush :speak_cool:

But it's not your airbrush that makes you good , it's the technique .

I had Badger 150 , now I have "revell vario Class" , and I'm really

satiesfied with it . But you have a good technique Bob :thumbsup:

Some people, like myself, like to know that any faults and mess up is because of me, and not the equipment. I buy the best I can find, and spare no expenses.

The best airbrush, is something that won´t limit you, and still is easy to use. The H&S line fills that niche for most people.

The worst combination is probably a crappy airbrush with a beginner. Not because that his limits are higher than how the airbrush might perform, but because it will probably give him a world of trouble, and he´s not experienced enough to know what the problem is.

A master will always be able to compensate for the faults in cheap equipment. It´s like me playing golf with Tiger Woods. If I use high quality clubs, they will not make me win, but they might improve my game, just because I don´t have to think about them. If I play with something really crappy, I will probably not get of tee.

At the same time, Tiger will probably make a glorious round, and the crowd will go crazy, because he was using a toy set made for dwarfs...

...but then I can go home to my wife without worrying about having to wear a helmet.:)

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Well said.

When I first tried airbrushing I was sold a poor compressor and a Badger 200 suction feed airbrush.

As I was painting model car bodies, I kept getting air locks so it took ages to get the paint flowing, changed to a bottom fed cup and ended up with paint everywhere and it took an age.

I gave up and went back to rattle cans for years....

H&S brushes are the only one's I've seen that are simple to completely strip down and put sucessfully back together in a few seconds.

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Some people, like myself, like to know that any faults and mess up is because of me, and not the equipment. I buy the best I can find, and spare no expenses.

The best airbrush, is something that won´t limit you, and still is easy to use. The H&S line fills that niche for most people.

The worst combination is probably a crappy airbrush with a beginner. Not because that his limits are higher than how the airbrush might perform, but because it will probably give him a world of trouble, and he´s not experienced enough to know what the problem is.

A master will always be able to compensate for the faults in cheap equipment. It´s like me playing golf with Tiger Woods. If I use high quality clubs, they will not make me win, but they might improve my game, just because I don´t have to think about them. If I play with something really crappy, I will probably not get of tee.

At the same time, Tiger will probably make a glorious round, and the crowd will go crazy, because he was using a toy set made for dwarfs...

...but then I can go home to my wife without worrying about having to wear a helmet.:)

:S Tiger Woods who :whistle:

Oooh , yeah , that guy :rolleyes:

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H&S brushes are the only one's I've seen that are simple to completely strip down and put sucessfully back together in a few seconds.

The Microns are even easier, as long as people understand that they are not supposed to dismantle the head units. But they are a bit more expenise also.

I know exactly what you say about the Badger. I started my model airbrushing career more than 25 years ago with a cheap Badger single action and a tire with air. Complete disaster. Took me years to even consider airbrushing again. Now I won't paint with ordinary brushes if I can do it with an airbrush.

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Micron is a very good brush, but I see it as overkill for most modellers, and she's not a cheap on the spares side.

Over here a micron is over twice the price of the H&S Infinity, and the spares are not cheap, the needle about £18 (H&S £8) and paint nozzle is over £40 (H&S £13), they also suggest you buy the whole head system at £74 or send the brush off to have the nozzle installed.

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Micron is a very good brush, but I see it as overkill for most modellers, and she's not a cheap on the spares side.

Over here a micron is over twice the price of the H&S Infinity, and the spares are not cheap, the needle about £18 (H&S £8) and paint nozzle is over £40 (H&S £13), they also suggest you buy the whole head system at £74 or send the brush off to have the nozzle installed.

I agree in full. They are overkill for most modellers, and the spares are very expensive.

But if you buy a Olympos made Micron, you will get two complete head units with the brush.

And yes, its about two times as expensive as the H&S airbrushes. I´m not recommending them to people who just want a decent or even good airbrush for modelling. It´s an enthusiast airbrush, and it´s just to accept, they are not even performing that much better than other high end airbrushes. There are a lot of other models and brands that gives better value for the money.

But they are very nice to work with. And the smoothness and exactness of the triggers are better than anything else that I´ve tried.

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  • 4 months later...
Sorry to rake up an old thread but can anyone who has both, tell me the reason the Evolution Solo is better than the Ultra.

They both use the same needles and nozzle setup, so is it something to do with the button to feed the air in?

Thanks

I havn't compared them live, but if I remember correctly, the Ultra has a different cup system. Also, most of the Evolutions comes with a preset backhandle.

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denstore is correct, the Ultra has a different cup to the Evolution. It doesn't screw in so is easier to dislodge. On the plus side it doesn't have an o-ring in that area either so maintenance is a little easier/cheaper.

It also has a one-piece nozzle cap, again with no o-ring. So you can't use it without the needle guard at the end.

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