Badger's new Xtreme 105 Patriot.
I recently bought the new Xtreme 105, as a standard production model it comes equipped with a lower body screw, which would serve as a PAC valve for adjusting air flow at the airbrush. I prefer to make my adjustments at the regulator with guage, located at my tank outflow fixture and airbrush hose.
I talked to Ken Schlotfeldt, (sp?) President and CEO of Badger, asking if one could be delivered to me without the threaded screw hole on the body bottom, he very kindly agreed to the request. It arrived in perfect order and sprays at least as well as I had hoped. For the finest detail work I might ever need, this airbrush serves me with superior performance.
The needle/nozzle design allows for less tendency to clog while using acrylic paints, the feature of the needle tip being slightly exposed permits instant clean up, with a cotton swab and a dab of lacquer reducer. For those acquainted with the earlier 105 Patriot, this is a natural fit and capable of applying very fine detail spray, really close to your work.
I find no need to use any form of masking, for tight camo borders or multiple color demarcation lines. This provides for an accurate scale appearance, of those color borders.
Ken knows I have lots of Badger airbrushes, so he included their needle bearing installation kit to use for my older airbrushes, if needed. Even though the oldest ones had no bearing problems, I replaced two just to try it. It's another home run and it works quite easily.
Basically it consists of a retraction device, a bearing installation tool, a reamer for precision fitting of the bearing and needle when installed, a pin vise for holding the tools, three bearings and a very easy to understand instruction sheet. Except for the pin vise, everything else could be stored in something as small as a cigarette, very small and easy to store, but the set does include a handy capped parts container.
The first one took about 15 minutes for familiarization, the second was literally less than five minutes. Very simple and straight forward, a nice implement if you're inclined to do the bearing replacement yourself, as I am having 14 Badger's. But having never experienced a bearing failure, this surely won't be frequently used.
Ken tells me this kit is available for sale to the public, cost is a very fair $25.00, including shipping. I consider it a great implement, for someone that has multiple Badger's and likes to care for them at home.
Let me end by saying I have no affiliation with Badger, other than as a very satisfied customer and user of their products. I consider them to be excellent airbrushes, very well made with durable components, low acquisition costs and inexpensive parts, if replacement is ever needed.
I have several other top line airbrushes, Iwata, Paasche, etc, but the Badger's are the only ones used now, I'm completely happy with their reliabilty and spray quality. I have no intention to insult other airbrushes, this is just my preference, everyone else is entitled to have their own favorites, for any reason. This is nothing more than my personal recommendation, based on my experience.
Patrick