New airbrush, what to buy.

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Bill's Bunker

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Hi All,

I've been using an airbrush (or 2) for a good year or more now, but mostly their of the cheap chinese type, don't be too quick to slag them off, their very good value for £12-25. But I now figure I need something better. So what can I afford and Christmas is coming, so perhaps a special treat!! An Iwata or Harder & Steenback, very nice but very pricey too. Don't quite know why but never fancied a Badger, sure their fine and have their followers, having said that I like the look of the Badger 105-2XR at about £90, but can find little info like nozzle size, etc.

If anyone can offer advice or info on the various brands, pros and cons, etc. That would be most useful,who knows I could take your advice and buy it. What do you like best about your airbrush??

Regards

Mel.
 
R

Richy C

Guest
I agree with Allyne , you can`t go wrong with the Iwata revolution range very well priced and good quality , don`t be put off with it being the lower range of Iwata it is still a top airbrush and parts are easy to get via John at the scalemodel shop or online , I have both the CR and the BR and have never had a problem with either of them , like Al a lot of the lads on here have gone down the CR route plus the BR conversion kit - 2 airbrushes in 1 , you can`t go wrong with that .

CR - big/medium cup with lid and 0.5 needle

BR - small cup no lid and 0.3 needle

Hope this has helped

Richy
 
B

Buttonman

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I've just recieved my iwata CR and .3 coversion kit from john he's very helpfull and keeps you inthe loop all the way through your purchases, deliveries spot on dead quick.

I had a badger 200 for years it was good but when you get your hands on a Iwata you'll notice the difference and their all shiny we like Shiny things .

Martin
 
geegad

geegad

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Hello I've got the itawa revolution cr had it for about four years now And it's worked a treat and I've just ordered Itawa eclipse cs It has a 0.35 mm So I looking forward to trying it

I've only used itawa and I think it's worth pushing the boat out to get one it will last longer than most the models we do and the price of them arent cheap.so go on treat your self its Christmas you won't look back

Geegad
 
G

Gomer Pyle

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Hi Bill!

I can't help much in terms of comparing one brush to another, as I have only ever used H&S Evolution 2in1 FPC. It could be that there are similar priced Iwatas that have better spray patterns then the H&S, but I have never found anyone who could confirm whether or not there is a noticeable difference. I have searched many places as I have been considering an Iwata brush as my second tool, and I do have something telling me that they might have a finer spray pattern - however unconfirmed it might be).

From looking at other brushes and dry testing them in the shops, there are significant differences in the way the H&S brushes are put together. They are a dream to strip down and clean, thanks to the way the nozzle is held in place and the way the trigger assembly is designed. These features also made it a matter of seconds to change between needle/nozzle sizes. Two different sizes are included in the box and more are available as options.

Another thing I like about the H&S is the interchangeable colour cups (when they are empty - they can only be used as gravity fed) or not using a colour cup at all and just dripping the paint directly into the brush for fine work (improves view, handling and saves you needing to clean the cup).

I have in my search stumbled over a Triplex brush in my LHS, that impressed me. They appear to be rare but quite well made (mind the spare part availability) They also seemed exceptionally easy to clean and could be used with 3 different size needle/nozzle and they were gravity/Siphon convertible (I sometimes miss having a Siphon option for quick colour changes).

/Daniel
 
AlanG

AlanG

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Andrew. The CR comes with a 0.5mm needle and a bigger (9ml) paint cup. The BR has a 0.3mm needle and a much smaller (1.8ml) paint cup.

I bought the 'upgrade' so i could have the bigger (9ml) paint cup but a smaller needle for fine painting
 
T

tecdes

Guest
\ said:
Hi Bill! From looking at other brushes and dry testing them in the shops, there are significant differences in the way the H&S brushes are put together. They are a dream to strip down and clean, thanks to the way the nozzle is held in place and the way the trigger assembly is designed. These features also made it a matter of seconds to change between needle/nozzle sizes. Two different sizes are included in the box and more are available as options.

/Daniel
Click to expand...
Yes I have the Evolution & stripping down cleaning and assembling is so simple & quick.

How good it is compared to others I can only gauge from others who have tried others. This is generally of no help as there are different opinions. Some perhaps based on fact & others that the name on their brush has to be the best ie MC are better then MU no o. One difficulty in comparison is the type of paint oil or water based & also the different types in each of those groups.

One thing I would add to your good description Daniel is that the Evolution has (not all but you can buy as optional) a device at the end of the brush which controls how far the needle is allowed to retract from the nozzle. This has a memory for the last setting.

One thing you do have if you buy form John in the Shop is an instant what is wrong with my brush answer.

Laurie
 
S

sharowjohn

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Hi Bill,

Just finished my first sesion with my newly purchased Iwata Neo, purchased from you know who,best prices in the country. Highly impressed beats my Paasche into a cocked hat and I've been a Paasche fan since the mid-seventies, now dreaming of replacing the Paasche.

Cheers Sharowjohn.:firework:
 
S

sprayman

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Been a huge fan of Iwata for sometime, and the guys above had said it all...a brilliant airbrush, no matter which model you get.....but saying that I have just invested in a couple of Grex airbrushes, as a rep that called round said they are the new way forward in airbrushing.....hmmm I thought, so will see how they perform.

The cheapo airbrushes are still worth having as I have 2 or 3 of them and just use them for primer,varnish etc.
 
B

Boldman

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\ said:
Andrew. The CR comes with a 0.5mm needle and a bigger (9ml) paint cup. The BR has a 0.3mm needle and a much smaller (1.8ml) paint cup.I bought the 'upgrade' so i could have the bigger (9ml) paint cup but a smaller needle for fine painting
Click to expand...
Understood but where is this upgrade kit on John's site?
 
papa 695

papa 695

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Hi Mel i'm glad you posted this question . I've been thinking of getting a new air brush myself, and with what iv'e read on here i think i'll go for the Iwata Revolution CR. Anyway good luck with your choice
 
AlanG

AlanG

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Glad to have been of service old chap lol
 
Vaughan

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Iwata BR,CR all the way Andrew.

Vaughan
 
M

m1ks

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Have to agree now i've tried my newly purchased Iwata CR, it's a great choice, I've not tried other 'quality' brands so can't compare directly.

I will say, so far, the control on the CR is so smooth and manageable i really don't see a need at present for a 0.3mm needle and nozzle set, I would be happy to freehand camo on a 72nd scale aircraft with the 0.5mm standard setup, as a test i wrote on a scrap of paper, i'll post a pic up so you can see and bear in mind i'm no airbrush artist.

If you go this route, i'd recommend you get the CR as is, try it and if you feel a smaller nozzle will benefit you, then buy the set, the one thing that i find a little annoying is that you have to get a nozzle fan cap as well as the nozzle cap, nozzle and needle, this apparently is because the thread size differs? (correct me if i'm wrong).

I will say also, though the CR will now become my primary brush i'll probably continue to use my spraymaster and certainly my £12 chinese cheapy that came with the compressor, i've sprayed Acrylics, Enamels and Lacquers through it and it's been brilliant.
 
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B

Boldman

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Thanks for the advice everyone, I've done the deed, CR plus the 0.3 bits all from John. I look forward to having a bash with it. This weekend I'll be testing out the current set up and practicing with the new gear
 
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