Well guys my Badger quick connect for the Iwata came today and so I thought I would try out the HP-CS in the same way that I tried out my other airbrushes a while back in a quick test. I mixed MM Acryl Flat Black in a 2:1 ratio with a 50/50 mixture of 70% iso alcohol and water.
I shot it at 20 psi and achieved these results for the heaviest and finest lines I could do at the moment:
I then dropped the pressure to 10 psi and took the air cap off the HP-CS exposing the needle for the sharpest lines I could achieve. The result was this line:
This airbrush does not put out a lot of paint as you can see from my thickest line, but then again most people want this type of airbrush for thinner lines which it does pretty well.
Here is my honest, unbiased opinion of this airbrush with the little bit I have used it for so far:
It is a nice airbrush, well-made, and the finish and chrome on it are first rate.
The balance is nice and it sprays very well. It is able to achieve some very thin lines and I think the biggest reason for this is that the needle has a long, sharp taper more like the fine #1 needles do in Badger's and Thayer & Chandler's.
The trigger is very responsive and a big part of this is because the spring is snappier than some of the airbrushes I have. Some people prefer a faster returning spring and that is why my buddy Scooter "hot rods" his Omni's with a stiffer spring. I have been told that putting a Badger Crescendo trigger spring in an Omni makes it snappier because it is a stiffer spring. Something else you may want to experiment with.
I am pleased with this airbrush and I like it a lot, but I don't think it is worth almost twice the cost of an Omni 4000. Sorry to disappoint you Iwata fans.
I think that the Iwata airbrushes are kind of like Snap-On tools, they are a little fancier finish so people get the impression that they are better although in the real world there isn't much difference in results over other brands.
So that's my unbiased opinion at this point of this airbrush.
Mike