Airbrush Shopping

I'm probably in the minority in preferring a siphon-feed to gravity-feed types, but I love the Badger Anthem. It's the most versatile and least fussy of the many ABs I've had the chance to use.

You might want to check out member Don Wheeler's excellent airbrush tips website.

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I agree. Check Don's Airbrush website. Choose what fits your needs and your budget.

No joke, but I've actually been looking at the NEO for a while, because I really like the feel and quality of iwata.  Although that Badger anthem looks very nice.  I'm sceptical of the tube fed airbrushes though, because I've heard you need more paint to get it to suck right. (Or it just might be pople that aren't that good at airbrushing:)

And thank you greg for Don's site very, very helpful.

Hi, Noah -

Don's airbrush site is especially informative, I believe it's the very best source of useful information. The Badger 155 Anthem is his favorite, and he has MANY airbrushes in his collection to choose from.

I have several different brands, Badger, Iwata, Paasche, Testors and Binks. They all produce good results, but as is human nature I have settled on Badger as my most used. Reasons? Low costs, extreme durability, and if parts are ever needed they are very inexpensive.

The issue of siphon fed versus gravity is just a very insignificant factor, some like one type, some like the other. For me I favor the gravity type, I find it just a bit easier and faster for cleaning when finished. On the other hand, my first 40 or so years of airbrushing was with exclusively siphon fed models, and I got on quite well with them.

Probably 95% of my airbrushing is done with two Badger models, the 100G and 100LG. Identical gravity models, the only difference is the cup size, the LG being considerably larger. You'll find the 100G reviewed at Don's site, if you're at all interested. One of the benefits is the ability to cover the bases of fine, medium and large spray applications, by a simple parts replacement. It only involves the needle and the front bits, the parts swap is done in just a minute.

For purchasing, I recommend USA Airbrush. I have made several buys from them, faultless service and low prices. Best of luck with your search.

Patrick

Noah

No joke, but I've actually been looking at the NEO for a while, because I really like the feel and quality of iwata.  Although that Badger anthem looks very nice.  I'm sceptical of the tube fed airbrushes though, because I've heard you need more paint to get it to suck right. (Or it just might be pople that aren't that good at airbrushing:)

And thank you greg for Don's site very, very helpful.

 

Just add on a side cup, now in function you can spray a drop or two of paint much like a gravity feed just at a slightly higher pressure. That's what I do on my Badger 200 and Paasche H when I just want to paint something small. But the jars are nice for bigger jobs with more volume of paint. Like with the Paasche and doing my wife's ceramics in clear varnish I often mix up two jars worth at a time, sometimes three ( I should just buy the 3oz jar for it really).

Still, some folks just like gravity feed. So be it.

If you're following this discussion, and you're like me and you never heard of "Don's Airbrush Site", I think this is the URL:

https://sites.google.com/site/donsairbrushtips/

As far as siphon-feed versus gravity-feed goes, I currently use a Paasche VL, which is a siphon-feed.  It's a workhorse, a rugged design that serves me very well for general airbrushing, and takes a beating.  But the gravity-feed design makes it cumbersome to hold.  The cup has to be dressed to the left or the right, and I find it in the way, if I want to hold the brush like a pen-the natural or intuitive grip. When the cup starts to run low, I have to hold it at an odd angle to keep the paint following into the pipe.

I am thinking of getting a gravity-feed brush to replace it.  The cup mounted on top of the brush will make it easier for me to hold the brush.

But that's not to say one design is better than the other.  It's more of a preference.

I own several Badgers and one Neo which does most of my painting. No complaints at all, just a great AB.

My Neo came from HL 3-4 years ago. I used a 40% coupon and paid $44 for it. Excellent AB indeed.

Tojo72

You can get good results by posting your question in the Painting and Airbrushing section of the forum way down on the bottom.

Noah, Squadron has a great package for $99, Airbrush, compressor, filter, hose and pressure gauge. I just bought one and I am impressed. Just search for Eco.

I recently found a badger patriot 105 with all 3 needles for 90 dollars if that helps at all from USA airbrush. Just waiting on it to be shipped. If you search online they have a 10% off coupon also