well, ive had my iwata hp-c for about a week now and have been swapping between it and the omni 5000 i purchased 6 or 8 months ago. here is what saltydog has found in his experimentation with the two. please realize that these are what i like, you may not like it, we're all different and its a good thing. if you are on a budget, choose the badger brand because i achieved the same spray patterns from fine to broad with both brushes. if someone came up to me and said "choose the omni 5000 or the iwata hp-c because im about to take one and you can have no other airbrushes" (man that would be a nightmare), i would choose the iwata hp-c.
here is what i like and dislike about both models:
1. the iwata fits my thick hands with less cramping so the iwata gets the nod on comfort.
2. yes, i can achieve the tight line cammo pattern (which is what ill be modelling 90% of the time) with both brushes and you cant tell the difference with the naked eye but....i can achieve them more readily and easily with the hp-c.
3. i like the "wieght" of the hp-c airbrush (i know thats strange, but i like it)
4. i like the accessories i can get with the iwata, such as the crown cap and the preset handle.
5. trigger smoothness in my opinion goes to the omni 5000. the omni has adjustable spring tension and the iwata dont. i like the spring tension to be loose as possible.
6. the omni 5000 is easier to clean and breakdown in my opinion. not that the iwata is hard, but the iwata hp-c has very sharp edges in the bottom of the bowl which seems to snag a q-tip and shred small pcs of cotton fibers off and into the cleaning solution. that is not a good thing.
7. it is easier to change colors with the omni 5000 as well.
there is absolutely nothing wrong with the omni 5000 and it will remain employed and be a valuable tool in my hobby arsenal, but i would choose the iwata if i had to just choose one. thats my opinion, and you know what people say about opinions, there like armpits, everybody got one or two and they usually stink! later.