Airbrush Choice

[ridinshotgun]

So I am looking to get a better airbrush than my Badger 150 and poked around here to see if there were any direct comparisons between the two I have settled on but couldn't find any.  I have settled on either a badger krome or an iwata HP-c plus.

Has anyone here used either one or both and have an opinion over which one the liked best?

I am looking at using it for painting rolling stock and weathering using mostly tru-color paints and some acrylics.

[peteski]

I've been quite happy (over 30 years) with my Badger 200.  There is no need for fancy dual-action airbrush when using it as a mini paint gun.  I spray all sorts of organic solvent based paints (like Tru Color).  I do not really do water-based paints. I have sprayed Tamiya Acrylic paints through it (those are are alcohol-based even if modlers consider them water-based). Over the years I have replaced some parts in it, but overall it is very reliable.

[ridinshotgun]

Thanks but I already have a badger 150 and Paasche VL to use as mini paint guns and the are both dual action.  Not going to a single action nor siphon.  I want a nice detail gun with gravity feed.  I do other modeling besides trains and it would be use for that too.

[peteski]

I guess I fixated on the part where you said that you will use it to paint rolling stock.  For that single action airbrush seems to be perfect (and you already have a dual-action 150).

What exactly is your 150 lacking that you need another airbrush?  Or are you simply bored with it?

[ridinshotgun]

I don't like the siphon on my 150 that is why I am looking for something that is gravity fed.  From what I have gathered on my research the gravity fed brushes have less problems giving a extremely fine coverage pattern with a wide variety of paints.

[tom mann]

You can't go wrong with the Iwata.

[ridinshotgun]

You can't go wrong with the Iwata.

I've followed some of your work Tom.  Do you use the HP-C plus to do your weathering?  Is it an easy clean up brush?  I see some say yes and some no.

[wazzou]

You can't go wrong with the Iwata.

+1 on this.

I have the Iwata HP-B, Revolution BCR and just picked up a Neo CN.
There are certainly times when I prefer to have the siphon feed option of the BCR.
For thinner paints and small jobs, I like the HP-B, and the Neo CN is a really nice, versatile, entry level Iwata that I picked up at a store closing for $54.00. 
It is gravity fed like the HP-B, but with interchangeable cups in 2 sizes and for added flexibility, you can leave the cups detached for a small job and just fill the cavity directly.

[Wutter]

I have an Iwata HP-CS as my only airbrush, I love the ability to be able to control paint volume with the trigger when weathering so I can adjust for layering on the fly. Particularly nice for freehand camouflage if I say so myself. Although not as simple as a single action, it is still pretty inexpensive and easy to clean.

[JoeW]

I have a Paasche VL, Badger XF 100 (A clone of the ancient Thayer and Chandler), and a Clone of the gravity feed Iwata.  Each one has a special place in my heart, its just that way for me with Airbrushes.  I have also owned some not worth mentioning.  Each one I bought with the hope of improving my work.    The VL has been the most robust and versatile of all the one that I have used.  With the three tips and nozzles available you can adapt to most materials and situations.  I haven't spent a lot of time with the Badger XF 100 but what I recall is the atomization was possibly a little finer than the Paasche, which might be an advantage when using inks (finer viscosity than pigmented model paints).  The Iwata clone is an exceptional value and performs as well as the original Branded Iwata that I borrowed from a friend to compare with.  Considering all of the various attributes of the aforementioned airbrushes though I can't say that any one has made a remarkable advantaged end result.  What I have learned is that a well cleaned airbrush with properly mixed viscosity is most important but often underestimated.  I am sucker for Airbrushes though. My advice is this:  If you are on a tight budget forgo the Iwata, the difference between the gravity feed over the siphon feed is not that big of an advantage.  If budget is not a consideration then what are you waiting for go get the Iwata.

[chicken45]

I would not recommend siphon feed. More parts to clean and more paint is wasted. You can't spray the bottle dry. You can't spray 1 drop of brown and 4 drops of thinner with a siphon. Gravity is the way to go.

[ridinshotgun]

I have a Paasche VL, Badger XF 100 (A clone of the ancient Thayer and Chandler), and a Clone of the gravity feed Iwata.  Each one has a special place in my heart, its just that way for me with Airbrushes.  I have also owned some not worth mentioning.  Each one I bought with the hope of improving my work.    The VL has been the most robust and versatile of all the one that I have used.  With the three tips and nozzles available you can adapt to most materials and situations.  I haven't spent a lot of time with the Badger XF 100 but what I recall is the atomization was possibly a little finer than the Paasche, which might be an advantage when using inks (finer viscosity than pigmented model paints).  The Iwata clone is an exceptional value and performs as well as the original Branded Iwata that I borrowed from a friend to compare with.  Considering all of the various attributes of the aforementioned airbrushes though I can't say that any one has made a remarkable advantaged end result.  What I have learned is that a well cleaned airbrush with properly mixed viscosity is most important but often underestimated.  I am sucker for Airbrushes though. My advice is this:  If you are on a tight budget forgo the Iwata, the difference between the gravity feed over the siphon feed is not that big of an advantage.  If budget is not a consideration then what are you waiting for go get the Iwata.

Price isn't a big deal both the Iwata and Badger I am looking at can be located for within $10 of each other and the price point is in my budget.  I had a look at some of the Iwata clones and for some reason the way the cup was attached created a shelf at the bottom of the cup and there are some complaints about this making it difficult to clean.  Did the clone you used have that shelf?

[ridinshotgun]

I would not recommend siphon feed. More parts to clean and more paint is wasted. You can't spray the bottle dry. You can't spray 1 drop of brown and 4 drops of thinner with a siphon. Gravity is the way to go.

Those is some of the other reason I am looking at gravity fed brushes.

[peteski]

I would not recommend siphon feed. More parts to clean and more paint is wasted. You can't spray the bottle dry. You can't spray 1 drop of brown and 4 drops of thinner with a siphon. Gravity is the way to go.

It is not that bad.  On my siphin Badger 200 I have several size bottles (although I mostly use the 1oz. one).  I have the tube curved to rest in the front bottom edge of the bottle. I can pretty much suck up every drop out.  I also iften use a small screen filter sock on the end of the tube to catch any debris in the paint.

Like I said, I mostly use that airbrush for large areas (like painting N scale car bodies or even 1:24 or larger scale automotive models).  I can't imagine using a gravity fed airbrush to paint a 1:24 scale truck body. I would be spilling the paint all over the airbrush and my hand!  Siphin feed is perfect for those type of jobs.

But I also use the same setup for very small paint jobs. I place several drops of paint in the jar and the siphon tube sucks up all of it before it, even starts spraying out of the nozzle. It gives me enough paint (few seconds worth of spray time) for those very small jobs.

I'm not saying that siphon feed is best all around - just that it is quite workable if one needs to do it.

[chicken45]

It is not that bad.  On my siphin Badger 200 I have several size bottles (although I mostly use the 1oz. one).  I have the tube curved to rest in the front bottom edge of the bottle. I can pretty much suck up every drop out.  I also iften use a small screen filter sock on the end of the tube to catch any debris in the paint.

Like I said, I mostly use that airbrush for large areas (like painting N scale car bodies or even 1:24 or larger scale automotive models).  I can't imagine using a gravity fed airbrush to paint a 1:24 scale truck body. I would be spilling the paint all over the airbrush and my hand!  Siphin feed is perfect for those type of jobs.

But I also use the same setup for very small paint jobs. I place several drops of paint in the jar and the siphon tube sucks up all of it before it, even starts spraying out of the nozzle. It gives me enough paint (few seconds worth of spray time) for those very small jobs.

I'm not saying that siphon feed is best all around - just that it is quite workable if one needs to do it.

True, but you're a superhuman. We're mere mortals!