XDluca Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 I want to buy my first airbrush and compressor. I looked for advice in different forums and discussion. I understood what is better to have (gravity feed, internal mix, double action, tanked compressor...). And I found some possible purchases. Now, I would like to know if what I found is good value for money, if some of you has already bought it etc... http://m.ebay.it/itm/400488286503?_mwBanner=1 http://m.ebay.it/itm/191306459160 These two offers are pretty similar, they both offer a tanked compressor of an unknown brand, which seems pretty good , plus two (or in the second case, three plus cleaning items etc...) cheap airbrushes, only one should double action. Considering that they do not cost a lot more than buying a single compressor, with these I get some cheap airbrushes to learn the basics and something more. Question is: are they good? How far can a cheap airbrush go (talking about painting techniques)? Is the compressor good? http://www.amazon.it/gp/aw/d/B0068XOBFS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1437908014&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=iwata+medea+eclipse&dpPl=1&dpID=31LkzlMWByL&ref=plSrch#featureBulletsAndDetailBullets_secondary_view_div_1437908034100 http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B006MTQXPE?vs=1 http://m.harborfreight.com/deluxe-airbrush-kit-95810.html?utm_referrer=direct%2Fnot%20provided Are they good? How far can I get with these ones? Plus, the more important question is, does harbor freight send products in Italy? http://www.amazon.it/gp/aw/d/B00L7SZSK6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1437908977&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=compressore+tc+20t&dpPl=1&dpID=413fyEhH66L&ref=plSrch http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001738DXU?psc=1 If I buy an airbrush, what will be the best compressor *between these two*? Thanks for answering! Luca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW1 Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 The ones with tanks look all the same with possibly a sticker replaced. It looks like the one on offer via ebay with tank and 2 cheap brushes is the one I have. http://m.ebay.it/itm/400488286503?_mwBanner=1 It's a good starter and all you need to do to upgrade is get a better brush. But to start it has all you need! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imren Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 as a new starter in airbrushing, the airbrush doesn't matter much as the compressor and tank. the two in the last two links seems to be identical, but the 99 USD probably just have a brand name slapped on it but they probably have it manufactured at the same factor as the one for 90 EUR. They look identical. Go for the one with lowest price, seems like they are the same. For airbrush, I strongly recommend to by the gravity feed dual action. with gravity feed, its less messy and you have less losses in paint compared to the suction cups underneath the nozzle. The strongest advice I can give a beginner is to take the time and watch videos on airbrushing technique on youtube (I remember years ago buypainted and awesomepaintjob had some good advice videos on equipment, maintenance and spraying technique). there are some excellent advice there that will save you a lot of headache, money and time in terms of maintenance, spraying technique and troubleshooting failures. Never forget to clean the needle after each session (pull it out, and pull through a clean wipe), first with water and then with airbrush cleaner that gives a mild lubrication and dissolves any paint residue on the needle and in the paint compartment. You'll learn some basics of what to do when cleaning and disassembling, for example always push down the trigger when removing or putting in the needle. And always be super careful with the needle so you don't accidentally bend the tip, then you either need to get a new one of grind and polish it down, but if you do that you'll have a reduction in spray quality since you most likely never be able to polish it perfectly round again. I have a Sparmax T610 compressor and use badger brushes. they a good quality and they have great support. I use a badger patriot 105 with a 0.7 mm needle for large areas, such as undercoating and basecoating vehicles. for details and shading/highlighting I use a badger sotar with small needle and smaller cup. Smaller cup makes it easier to see where the paint goes since it obstruct the line of sight less. They are a bit more expensive but have higher quality and reliability than the stuff I had when I started airbrushing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XDluca Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 Thanks a million for your answers! I already watched a lot of videos (f.e. Buypainted etc...) about what type is better, I wanted to confirm I the ebay offers where good. From what I read it seems that the tanked compressor is good value for money! One of the two airbrush in the 90€ ebay offer is a double action side/gravity feed with internal mix (an unbranded version of a b130 fengda, while the single action is similar to a 128 fengda). How long do you think I could live with them? Will they only be enough for basecoating, or will I be able to paint something more detailed with them? I know they aren't so good as a badger (or an iwata), I'm just wondering how far I can get with them. If I should listen to buypainted advices, they should be perfect for starting and even more Another question, to clean an airbrush, what do you usually use? Particolar products? Or just water and Chante Clair or similar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imren Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 The thing is, the tip and needle size is what matters most when if comes to spray pattern size. If you train your trigger finger to pull very slowly and exact then you can achieve small and concise spray patterns. It depends on your skill (train of pieces of cardboard or PET bottles). To be honest, if the needle and tip sizes are as small as on the expensive airbrushes, then you can accomplish as small patterns with training. The thing with the expensive ones is the paint cup separator seal against the needle. badger uses PTFE (teflon) in the seal with is much more resistant to the abrasive effect of the needle going back and forth through it. Cheaper airbrushes have some plastic less fit for the job in this seal, and paint or cleaning fluid can start leaking into the trigger mechanism, this was the case with my first cheaper no-name airbrush. Also don't forget to get a mask with particle filter and a spray booth (reduces the risk of inhaling and spreading dried paint particles in the air) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XDluca Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 The thing is, the tip and needle size is what matters most when if comes to spray pattern size. If you train your trigger finger to pull very slowly and exact then you can achieve small and concise spray patterns. It depends on your skill (train of pieces of cardboard or PET bottles). To be honest, if the needle and tip sizes are as small as on the expensive airbrushes, then you can accomplish as small patterns with training. The thing with the expensive ones is the paint cup separator seal against the needle. badger uses PTFE (teflon) in the seal with is much more resistant to the abrasive effect of the needle going back and forth through it. Cheaper airbrushes have some plastic less fit for the job in this seal, and paint or cleaning fluid can start leaking into the trigger mechanism, this was the case with my first cheaper no-name airbrush. Also don't forget to get a mask with particle filter and a spray booth (reduces the risk of inhaling and spreading dried paint particles in the air) The double action in the ebay offer has got a 0,35mm needle. Would you suggest to buy the 90 euro one on ebay with two airbrush? Or to buy a single 90 euro compressor plus another airbrush? If the second option, what will you suggest? Neo Iwata Cn is good? Is the cheapest double action Iwata, it seems pretty good. A badger? Or a fengda? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarbonBased Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 I have both an Iwata Neo (I believe it's the same as a CN) and Badger Sotar. The Neo is a good brush, and I still use it for base and clear coating. The Sotar is great for detail work. I would start with a Neo again without reservation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imren Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 yeah, I guess I would recommend the second option if you're on a budget. I suspect the Iwata has more build quality than the two airbrushes that are included in the first option set. But beware with the Neo Iwata and other non-teflon seal brushes, don't use heavy thinners as they might have a dissolving effect on the needle seal (as I understood from a quick search the neo CN has rubber seal instead of teflon seal) But if you don't use it with enamels and thinned down oil paints you're probably ok, it has a small needle as badger krome for details and also it has removable cup which removed gives a better field of view when doing details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XDluca Posted August 20, 2015 Author Share Posted August 20, 2015 yeah, I guess I would recommend the second option if you're on a budget. I suspect the Iwata has more build quality than the two airbrushes that are included in the first option set. But beware with the Neo Iwata and other non-teflon seal brushes, don't use heavy thinners as they might have a dissolving effect on the needle seal (as I understood from a quick search the neo CN has rubber seal instead of teflon seal) But if you don't use it with enamels and thinned down oil paints you're probably ok, it has a small needle as badger krome for details and also it has removable cup which removed gives a better field of view when doing details. I read that on a review too! It has basically got a Chinese unbranded rubber. I'm probably going to use gw colors with Vallejo thinner (I've got tons of gw colors, so...) So you would recommend a good airbrush plus the 90 euro compressor? Other brush similar to Iwata Neo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NovemberIX Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 I'll preface this by saying I've not used the harbor freight airbrush, but if it's anything like the rest of their tools, it'll be somewhat useful for a short while, but don't expect precision, quality, or longevity with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imren Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 yeah, I think either Neo or perhaps a badger patriot with the 0.5 mm needle, the patriot has a simpler and easier tip design which makes maintenance easier, and 0.5 mm needle is a good trade off between doing details (like preshading or highlighting) and doing undercoating/basecoating, also I think the patriot 105 has a teflon needle seal. You'll need to practice your trigger control a bit more with a 0.5 mm needle compared to a 0.35 mm/0.2 mm needle in order to get your detail work looking good. One disadvantage with the patriot is the cup thats fairly large and can obstruct line of sight when doing details. But overall that is the beginner's badger I would recommend. There is another maker called haarder & Steenbeck, but they are very expensive and I don't have much experience with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nziv Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 Great tips above! Can anyone recommend an EU based Airbrush hood? Amazon in US has it but sadly it doesn't ship to Austria. Thanks Nziv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imren Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 Nziv: With airbrush hood, you mean spray booth? http://www.air-craft.net/ is based in Scotland, they have everything in terms of airbrushing. had good experience buying from them. Pretty good customer support and delivery times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucien Eilam Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Harder & Steenbeck aren't particularly expensive. Their entry level Ultra model is ~£60, and you get a lot for your money. It's a little crude (notably a cheap trigger spring, which you might be able to replace, and a single piece for both nozzle and needle cap, so there's no way to expose the needle to get closer), but I'd recommend it to beginners over those Chinese knock-offs people keep buying. The top-end Infinity brushes are a bit more than Badger's top-end, but we're not talking Custom Micron money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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