Welcome mamacat! We used to have a black cat that we called mamacat.
I use a Badger 150, I bought it second hand for only 40 dollars, which I felt wasn't bad. I mostly use it for airbrushing Future on my models, since I have a small Hobby Room and no spray booth to control; the paint overspray. And since this is Southern California, I can't spray outdoors on my balcony because A) The Association won't allow it, and B) I'll end up with a fine coat of Smog sticking to the wet paint!. Hey, maybe that could be a good weathering technique! :-)