Bent needle blues

Yes, not all Badger needles are created equal. The Krome needle is micropolished and made of high quality material. I am not familiar with the T&C Omni 4000 and cannot comment on its needle. But I noticed that the needle from Badger Patriot is of much less quality than that from the Krome. The Patriot is at a much lower price point.

If you lay the needle from the T&C Omni 4000 and the Krome side by side, do you see any visible difference?

Perfect replies from Don and Chris, depressing trigger, gently and easily sliding the needle into position is critical. When cleaning I always dis-assemble the front bits, then either push the needle forward for wiping residue off before rearward removal, or even better just remove needle in forward motion.

When I get a new needle, if it's marked with grooves to identify size I take fine sandpaper, double it over, insert into the grooves, then lightly sand both sides of each groove to smooth the top edges, then sand all around the top surface of the grooves, plus the machined end of the needle.. That prevents any roughness from the groove machining causing damage to the needle bearing, as the needle travels through the body in forward removal, or backward installation.

The needles are actually quite durable, but really do require rather gentle handling and storage, when not in use. If you tend to work really close to your work, as in camo painting, perhaps you could be pranging the tip on the surface you're painting, and just not be aware of it. Best of luck with preventing it in future.

Patrick

I always insert a needle through the front opening of an AB in order to prevent accidental damage.  I grind the blunt end of a needle to make it a little bit pointy so that it can go through a seal easily.  

The 4000 has a reversible needle cap.  It can either fully protect or fully expose the needle.  In the protect configuration, it would be pretty hard to snag the needle.  If that's how you are using it, I'd suspect the damage is occurring during cleaning or installation.  I always hold needles very loosely when I  insert them in case I miss the hole.  And, I hold the trigger down while I slide them in with a gentle push.

I have heard that the Sotar needles are tougher than the standard Badger needles.  I don't know if that's true for the Krome, but it's possible since they are interchangeable.  I don't find the standard needles to be particularly fragile.

Don