Looking for those who have transitioned away from Aztek airbrushes to "real" airbrushes

On my first return to modeling (20 + years ago?) for some reason I bought an Aztec airbrush. I think my old Paasche had broken at that point. Having never known much about airbrushes in the first place, I thought the neat-looking plastic Aztec were the latest and greatest, so I bought it.

>>Would the smoothness of metal airbrush triggers make that much of a difference?

      I say yes. But if we are comparing an entry level conventional double-action to an Aztec, maybe not so much.  Compared to lets say the very responsive trigger on my H&S Evolution, then yes.

>>Can I expect markedly better performance from metal airbrush nozzle/needles vs. the modular plastic nozzles with the Aztek?

     I think you can expect better performance, not sure I'd go so far as to say markedly better. As usual with airbrushes, I'd say technique is more important than the airbrush itself. More or less.

What is night and day, however, IMO, is cleaning the airbrush. I recall the Aztec being a bit of a nightmare to clean vs the Iwata and H&S a/b's I use today, which are a breeze to clean. (the H&S even more so).

Also, the various Aztec tips whist a rather ingenious idea IMO were not something I found terribly practical either. Again, I never did have any idea how to clean them. But I painted an entire 1/32 aircraft with them, so I must have figured out a way to clean those nozzles!

I'd never go back to the Aztec, but I don't want to throw rocks at it either. If you take a look at some of the demo airbrushing/technique videos done by Testors, their master modelers do some excellent work with the Aztec, IMO.

I'm not even close to being an airbrush expert, but thought I'd respond as I meet your criteria as having owned/used an Aztec and moved to conventional a/b's.

I have a couple Aztecs gathering dust. Great results can be had with any airbrush, if you know what you are doing. For me, they were a little more of a pain to clean, but the real issue is dependability.  Had to have them repaired/replaced many times.  Glad to have moved on. Too many great airbrushes out there.

Jay

Here are some things you would notice with a more standard airbrush:

It will be heavier unless you have been using the Aztek in the metal shell.

Having the hose come off the bottom will feel different, as will the general shape of the body.

The air valve will be pretty much full off to full on, not gradual like the Aztek.  The Aztek feels mushy to me.

In general, trigger feel will be a little more solid. Tension is adjustable on many airbrushes.

Cleaning is a little different, but not much harder.  Be careful with the long delicate needle.

You will not have the variety of paint cups the Aztek offers.

The Krome is a really nice airbrush.  But, the Aztek is certainly a capable tool too.  If you get a Krome, be careful not to lose the tiny nozzle.  It tends to fall out when the head is removed.  The Patriot is a simpler design, sprays really nice and is a bit more rugged.

Don

Ted ;

I really should be careful here ;

I used to paint cars with my Badger and Paasche Air - Brushes .That's right I started with the pro models .( I was a painter anyway ! .

  I would use them in tight spots in an auto resto job etc . I still use them at the hobby level . My Badger that I use now is over forty years old and still going strong and never have I had a problem with parts .

    The commercial ones still work so great that I use them for large area painting and fades ! They are especially great for 1/96 scale ship work .

Night and day, in prgticular cleaning. The Aztek has it's spring in the paint path, meaning you'll have to take the tip apart to clean it, even between colors.

I threw mine away when I got the badger and don't regret it.

I see on Youtube that a fellow named Brett Green uses the the Aztec line, his work looks good and he seems to favor them. I believe his production is called "Testors Workshop," or something close to that, so maybe he has a close relationship with the brand.

I've owned two Aztecs, they worked pretty much so so, nothing terribly wrong, nor great about them. I had been using Paasche double actions, had thought the Aztec would be a convenient tool. I gave them good care and gentle handling, but they proved to be a bit troublesome and sometimes unreliable. In fairness, maybe someone else would have had better luck with them.

After many years of satisfactory use with Paashe's, suddenly the parts I was getting for periodic servicing became a real gamble, too often the items would arrive damaged or machined incorrectly. Once, an order for two needles and two nozzles arrived with both needles bent and one nozzle flattened at the small end. Another needle order arrived with a severe fish hook at the business end, (no, it didn't happen in shipping.)

On the recommendation of a friend I tried a Badger 155, loved it from the first day. Now I have several Badgers, of them all my favored and most often used are the 200G, single action gravity cup, and 100G, double action small gravity cup. An airbrush not to be overlooked is the old 200 siphon single action, I use mine a good bit for large area coverage. No longer made, but can be found on ebay, some are brand new old stock. The Badger gravity models spray very well for me, they are absolutely the easiest to clean and maintain, of all the airbrushes I've owned.

If you have not looked at it yet, a visit to "Don's Airbrush" website is an excellent time investment, for everything about airbrush types, brands, use and especially maintenance. There are so many great airbrushes and brands out there, check his site and you'll gain considerable insight about them. Another consideration for you, what type service and detail will you really require?

If you're doing small scale and delicate camo jobs, then maybe a $200 airbrush will be what you need. If it's mostly larger scale and no fine detail, hand held color borders, then maybe a $60-$80 dollar Badger on sale will be all you need. I bought most of mine at Chicago Airbrush, TCP Global and Webaire, great service from them all, good discount prices too.

Good luck with the search.

Patrick    

Any chance of using one before buying maybe Ted?

I don't think you would regret going to a decent quality steel brush, I love my old A470 and it works well but I always go for the H&S now. I have a few reviews on my site that might be interesting, nowhere near Don's caliber but might help.

Cheers from Mick.

Glad to hear it Ted :-)

Let us know what you decide if you decide it.

Mick.