New Airbrush time.

[usetherudders]

Hi Guys,

Looking at buying a new airbrush, been using a cheap ebay number for a number of years with varying results.

I mainly use enamals as being UK based offer best options.

Looking to speed around £100 or 150USD and have looked at Iwata Revolution or H&S?

Any advice or recommendations?

Regards

[Netz]

Pretty common question, you can do a search here.

My next A/B will be a Badger Krome.

Curt

[phantomdriver]

You could do worse than a NEO-CN

It's a subcontracted entry level copy of the Iwata CP

Warranted by Iwata, comes in at around £47.00 or less

2 removable paint cups of different sizes

I recently got one to back up my Iwata CP

[Air-Craft]

Both the H&S & Iwata are good choices.

The Evolution Solo comes in just under budget & the Evolution Silverline just over budget - they are useful in the fact that they give you a number of needle / nozzle sets (0.2 supplied, 0.15, 0.4 & 0.6 available)& paint cups to expand to at a later date................

[Kei Lau]

Since you are in UK, take a look at the Premi-Air G35. It is a private labeled Sparmax. It is hard to beat its price per performance ratio in UK.

If you perfer a name brand airbrush, the Iwata Eclipse HP-CS or the Harder & Steenbeck Evolution Silverline are both excellent choice. The H&S has a slight price advantage over the Iwata in UE countries.

[usetherudders]

Many thanks for the replies so far guys.

Phantomdriver many thanks for that link, I like the look of the Neo CN, cracking value and a 5 yr warranty to boot.

[Av8fan]

Here is a youtube review on the Neo

[DutyCat]

Well, everyone uses what works for them, so opinions are going to be all over the map. My opinion is a modeler actually needs two....one for general purpose spray and one for fine lines. Personally, I use the classic Paasche H for GP work as it is pretty much foolproof. 90% of what I do is with this brush.

For really fine lines, like 1/72 camo, I use an H&S Infinity, which is is as good if not better than any fine art airbrush on the planet.

Another thing to think about is trigger position. Some airbrushes, like some Badger models, have forward mounted triggers. I personally prefer center mounts, as it puts your wrist a little farther back from the head of the airbrush, allowing you to move the head of the brush around a little easier for fine work. A side benefit is it gives you a more unobstructed view of what is going on up front at the "business end" of your brush.

In any case, whatever you decide to get, you will adapt to it with time and practice.

[Kei Lau]

Here is a youtube review on the Neo

This review is a very good summary of the Neo for Iwata. The reviewer correctly concluded that it is a good deal compared to other similarly priced made-in-China airbrushes and in the comment section, he stated that it is part compatible with made-in-China airbrushes, but not Iwata parts. He made one minor mistake. The Neo for Iwata airbrush is made-in-China, not in Taiwan. He correctly identified the difference in design and quality of parts, which bear the sign of "made-in-China airbrushes".

There were a lot of discussion on the Neo for Iwata at this forum and other airbrush sites when it first came out. I went to Hobby Lobby to buy one myself. At US$38 (£25.00), it is actually cheaper than many made-in-China airbrushes on Ebay. It is indeed the best made-in-China knock-off as the reviewer concluded. But from the many other reviews, it also suffer the main drawback of made-in-China airbrushes which is the problem of quality control. Some buyers said that they threw it away right the way. It is a good choice for the low end, but I will not pay more than £25.00 for it.

The feedback on Permi-Air G35 airbrush here and at the FSM modeling forum seem to be all positive so far. Most of all, you pay for the Sparmax quality. If price is not the real issue, buy the H&S. Or a real Iwata, but UK Iwata user pays twice as much as the US user for the same Iwata airbrush.

Edited December 3, 2011 by Kei Lau

[Kei Lau]

You could do worse than a NEO-CN

It's a subcontracted entry level copy of the Iwata CP

Warranted by Iwata, comes in at around £47.00 or less

2 removable paint cups of different sizes

I recently got one to back up my Iwata CP

What is an Iwata CP? I have the Neo and an Iwata CS. I found the Neo has nothing in common to the CR or the CS.

[usetherudders]

Just been looking around today on the net, Iwata Revolution retails at £83 in the UK but I can get one shipped over from the US for £65 the cost of the brush being half the price!!!!!!

Liked the reviews of the Permi Air also whereas the Neo is a bit mixed.

May be an Iwata from the US after all.

[Cyrus Tan]

What is an Iwata CP?

I believe CP refers to the HP-C Plus model.

Just been looking around today on the net, Iwata Revolution retails at £83 in the UK but I can get one shipped over from the US for £65 the cost of the brush being half the price!!!!!!

Liked the reviews of the Permi Air also whereas the Neo is a bit mixed.

May be an Iwata from the US after all.

Go for the Revolution, the NEO and the Premi Air are just clones eventhough they are better than your typical Ebay brush. FWIW, Iwata sent me a couple of samples a while back (the CN and BCN) and they are OK, but not as good as a real Iwata. Just my opinion. I don't know if this matters to you but I heard reports that your local Iwata distrubutor (The Airbrush Co.?) will not honor the 5 year warranty if you purchase the brush overseas. I have no idea how they would know where you purchased your brush but some how they do. You might want to research that before you commit?

I presume you are interested in the CR model? If so, here is an article I wrote for Iwata to convert the brush from a 0.50mm tip to 0.30mm.

Good luck mate!

[Kei Lau]

Just been looking around today on the net, Iwata Revolution retails at £83 in the UK but I can get one shipped over from the US for £65 the cost of the brush being half the price!!!!!!

Liked the reviews of the Permi Air also whereas the Neo is a bit mixed.

May be an Iwata from the US after all.

Also check with air-craft.net. He can fix you up with a H&S Evolution Solo or Evolution Silverline within your budget.

If you want an Iwata, I would encourage you to look at the Eclipse CS instead of the CR. You can get the CS shipped from US and stay within you budget. Not sure about warranty and import custom though.

I have the mentioned airbrushes. But the choice is always personal, so take my recommendation as personal opinion only. None the less, think 3 times if you want to get a cheap airbrush such as the Neo.

[Jinxter13]

If you care check out the Badger Renegade Krome.....The action on it is as smooth as the proverbial baby's bottom, and you can write your name with enamels in a hairline. Reassembly after cleaning takes some practice.

[MoFo]

Short answer: Iwata, H&S, Badger, Paasche, Grex... they're all good choices and will all do the job. Beyond that, it's mostly just personal opinion - what suits your style (what you spray, the way you spray, how often you spray) and what you're used to using. If you can try to get some hands-on time with the different brushes, it'll be a big help - the weight, the trigger action, seeing exactly how they break down are all things you can really can't get from reviews.

Apart from that, you may want to consider availability, and spare parts. Iwata brushes are fairly common, especially if you're in a large-ish city. Art stores, hobby shops... someone will probably have the brushes, and have spares (maybe not the full line, but enough to get you through an emergency). Badger and Paasche are really common in North America; possibly less so in Europe. H&S are a lot harder to come by, and there's a good chance you'd have to mail-order for any replacement parts. On the other hand, Iwata parts are expensive, so if you're prone to dropping nozzles and pranging needles, it could get spendy. H&S are cheaper for spares. Badger and Paasche are quite cheap.

I bought a new brush a couple of years ago. I looked at Iwata, H&S, Badger, Paasche and Grex, but ultimately went with H&S. Deciding factors for me? I wanted gravity feed with fine line abilities. I didn't really like the nozzle system on Badger, which seemed prone to dropping and mis-alignment. Paasche and Grex's nozzles also seemed a little awkward, and I knew that Iwatas were easily damaged (in fact, I know some people looking to switch because they're sick of breaking their Iwatas). H&S was easy to remove and clean, but not likely to fall out during disassembly. Badger and Paasche's "dual taper" needle gave a more flexibility in spray pattern, but also seemed more finnicky and just not suited to my style. The polished needles of Iwata and H&S were a little more controllable and more precise. Iwatas are available locally, but I'm pretty careful with my needles, and the 2in1 sets by H&S basically provided a built-in backup. I'll have to mail order for replacements if I need them, but I can live with that, and would rather wait than shell out for Iwata spares.

In the end, I felt that the H&S was a little bit more airbrush than a comparable Iwata, for a little less money. I'm really happy with it, and have sold a few friends on it. My only "complaint" is that I bought the Infinity, and I don't think it offers any real benefit over the Silverline. I don't need to adjust trigger tension on the fly. nor do I have to be SO precise that I need a calibrated trigger limiter. The Infinity is more for artists and illustrators shooting ink and painting for hours on end. That's not me, so if I were to do it again, I'd save the money and just go with the Silverline.

[Kei Lau]

Apart from that, you may want to consider availability, and spare parts.

Amen to this recommendation.

Iwata brushes are fairly common, especially if you're in a large-ish city. Art stores, hobby shops... someone will probably have the brushes, and have spares (maybe not the full line, but enough to get you through an emergency). Badger and Paasche are really common in North America; possibly less so in Europe. H&S are a lot harder to come by, and there's a good chance you'd have to mail-order for any replacement parts. On the other hand, Iwata parts are expensive, so if you're prone to dropping nozzles and pranging needles, it could get spendy. H&S are cheaper for spares. Badger and Paasche are quite cheap.

Harder & Steenbeck definitely has a price advantage over Iwata, Badger or Paasche in Europe, or at least the EU countries. It give H&S an edge over others.

In the US, Iwata parts are cheap if you have a Hobby Lobby Store nearby. Parts of all brands are expensive if you have to mail order. Shipping and packing can add several times more to the parts cost.

In the US, Badger user has the benefit of a life time warranty. If you send in the airbrush for repair, you pay for the damaged parts, but return postage is paid for by Badger.

Badger and Paasche's "dual taper" needle gave a more flexibility in spray pattern, but also seemed more finnicky and just not suited to my style.

You will not have the "dual taper" needle problem if you avoid the low end models. The Badger Renegade, including Krome, and SOTAR 20/20 needle do not have the dual taper. The "dual taper" needle can release paint very quickly, but it gives the user less control of the trigger and has larger overspray. The better models also have polished needle which improves atomization and the trigger action.

Edited December 4, 2011 by Kei Lau

[scotthldr]

I'm planning getting a new A/B as well and I've narrowed it down to either the Renegade Spirit or Krome. Both come with .21 spray heads and although the Krome is the better. I do like the idea of being able to use a syphon bottle with the Spirit as well as a suction cup.

[balls47]

DutyCat, I don't know how prices/availability are in Europe, but I have always used Paasche airbrushes. The reason is that in the U.S.A., parts are readily available and prices are very reasonable. The Paasche H is the first airbrush that I used and it works for me. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Added: I also purchesed a Paasche Talon a while back. It is their "top end" airbrush. I paid less that $100 dollars for just the airbrush. Even though I can paint fine detail, the Talon makes it so much easier.

Edited January 19, 2012 by balls47

[galileo1]

Iwata and H&S are the best out there. I have two Iwatas (Revolution CR and HP-CH) and just love them both. Choosing airbrushes, I've found, is a very personal thing and depends largely on what you want to get out of them. My HP-CH is used for fine lines/camo work and the Revolution is used for larger areas. When I need to move a lot of paint though (as when I need to paint ships' hulls) I use my very trusty Paasche H.

Hope you find/found what you're looking for.

Rob

[usetherudders]

Many thanks guys,

After reading all your comments here and elsewhere, I'm looking at getting the H&S Evolution Silverline solo. I did toy with the Iwata from the States but on checking on the warranty situation regarding grey imports it wasn't worth it, (many thanks Cyrus Tan) and was loathe at paying typical over inflated UK prices.

Now to find the best deal.

Regards and thanks again

[DutyCat]

The Paasche H is the first airbrush that I used and it works for me. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

When I need to move a lot of paint though (as when I need to paint ships' hulls) I use my very trusty Paasche H.

Amen. You simply can't go wrong with the classic, trusty H.

[usetherudders]

After much research and changing my mind from Iwata to Harder & Steenbeck and back again finally made the decision and went for the Harder & Steenbeck Evolution Silverline butt spent a bit extra and went for the 2 in 1.

[Av8fan]

Ah, cool, thanks for letting us know. Practice practice practice!

Congratulations on the new brush.

[Kei Lau]

After much research and changing my mind from Iwata to Harder & Steenbeck and back again finally made the decision and went for the Harder & Steenbeck Evolution Silverline butt spent a bit extra and went for the 2 in 1.

The H&S is a better deal than Iwata in UK (and Europe).

My Silverline Solo costed me $30 more than my Iwata Eclipse HP-CS. I am in the US. I think that the opposite is true in UK.

Let us know how you like it when you receive the Harder & Steenbeck Evolution Silverline

Edited January 19, 2012 by Kei Lau