What's with the Azteks?

Yeah my Contempo practically screeched when I screwed the nozzle in.

I have owned four Azteks : the first one ( 1010 ) which seems to be reissued as the 3000, the Contempo and the 470 . The 1010 was a delicate precision tool; if I remember well, Aztek was a division of Kodak and those expensive ( yes sir, expensive at this time) tools were designed for photo retouching and fine arts. They were great. Over the time, I wanted to try the Contempo, which I did not like at all; and the 470 was half and half. I think the reason is that what was a happy few tool was cursed by mass production for industrial painters calling themselves globally modelers. I swear that my 1010 did not sound "SCREECH" when I screwed a nozzle in place; Contempo and 470 did; I am not saying that Aztek is crap, I say it has unfortunately globally become ( stress Unfortunately and Globally) . As for repair, it remains strange: a friend of mine has got the metal model; the internal hose tore so what must he do ? We live in France and he got it in the US( question of selling price); you can open the beast but you can't get spare parts, so back to the US hoping that guarantee will work, or using another one as a "Christams tree" ( French funny expression for cannibalization )
Now I'm neither in favour nor against Azteks. I had good times with them; I had metal airbrushes before, I have metal airbrushes after, we'll see in the future what happens
Note that I only speak of the quality problems; apart from that, if you like it, go on and enjoy; if you don't , there's a lot of alternatives ( much more than with industrial sprayguns, I think ) so if modelling is a space of freedom, enjoy it
Ouf, ça y est, j'ai fini

I agree with Waikong. An Aztek was my first airbrush and I was inexperienced to start. However, after 6 months with it I was able to get the best out of it. Then I got my badger and what I can get out of that just can't compare to what I could get out of my aztek.

Another point may be that Testors actively market the AB to begnners, selling how easy it is to clean (which I disagree with, its not harder, but not easier either, just different) and the tips will give you a higher finish with less skill. It is these 2 combinations -, most new aztek users are first time AB users, and their marketting that gives higher expectations - that creates frustrated users. Also, lets not compare they 470 that cost about $80 US to AB that cost $150 or $200 or more. I would expect those AB to be better, as Sean pointed out, the question is what's out there for the same price range.

I have the Aztek 430 which is a lesser version of the 470 and I think it is a great brush. I have no problems cleaning using above as mentioned by Foster. I have replaced a nozzle or two due to my own careless handling, but for 10 bucks I really don't mind after all I have put them through. I mix my paint to the consistancy of milk and it sprays great. Thin lines whatever I need. I had a bit of a learning curve with it which I never had when I used my buddy's badger but It now pays off. I think people get discouraged by not spending the time to learn about their brush and look for a easier one. Brett Green who is a master model maker uses one and if it is good enough for him....

Guys, All I said was that I had a bad experience with enamels, the O ring went kaputt and they replaced the AB, which by the way has a life-time warranty...One big plus. It may have been a dodgy ab to start with, who knows?? Others had similar problems too. I like the a470, I use it all the time. The reason why I switched to acrylics is because of fumes, smell, toxicity, lots of cleaning,etc. etc. etc. Some of you never had the same problems, and that's fine, I am a bit nervous when I have to touch enamels, that's why I have an AB dedicated to that use. Hehehe, I hope I didn't cause too much of a stir here...

all the best to everyone and regards

GB

I'm kinda afraid to use badger. Something that is different from the tried and true methods and kind of complex (at least from what i've seen) doesnt appeal to me. Granted, my 1st a/b was some knock off piece of crap from taiwan (sorry any taiwanese who read this, it's just a crappy a/b!) . now i've got a paasche H and a badger 100 that needs some attention. i like em both

Foster I couldn't agree more.

I can't believe anyone could find cleaning the Aztek hard.

Blow through some thinner at the end of painting until it sprays clear.

Check out the nozzle to see if it needs a quick rub with a cotton bud or swab.
Use the supplied tool to clean the holes of the airbrush.

Could this be simpler??

I used an Aztek 470 and acheived some very pleasing results.
That was until I used Alclad through it, and the violent death the 'O' ring suffered wasn't pretty!
Out of all the needles, I only ever used the Tan one, I hate changing things I guess, but it worked great after the paint/thinner ratio was sorted.

Now I own an Omni 4000, and will soon own an Iwata HP-B.
Will I ever buy another Aztek........no.
Would I recommend them to someone else......depends on what else is in the price range.

They are not a s**t a/b like people say, but they would appear to be more for the knowledgable modeller, rather than the novice.

Horses for courses I think.

I think the thing to remember is that the Aztek (now Testors) was originally designed as an artist brush to work in lower pressure and shoot mostly inks. When I first started shopping for one is was under the Aztek label and talked to several guys about its characteristics and performance. The answer was always the same "It takes some getting use to." I have the Testors label now and as long as I keep the paint mix a little more on the thin side and the pressure low it works just fine. Just think ink and it my not be suited for every job.

Hmm with my badger this is what I do.

Clean paint out of cup
Fill cup with thinner
Shoot and backflush
Take out needle
Wipe down with lacquer thinner
Reinsert needle. 2 minutes for the whole thing.

Maybe it's just me but I found my aztek unreliable...

I have used an Aztek exclusively but infrequently for almost 10 years. I don't have any basis for comparison with the latest in airbrushes. In my case, I found out early on how to take the nozzles apart (a really simple operation that makes them easy to clean) and have had no trouble with either enamels or acrylics. I've never had to replace a nozzle and the results are good enough for me...

QUOTE: Originally posted by Tankmaster7 I would reccomend an aztek if you dont mind cleaning the thing for a good half hour after you are done spraying.

Just for the record...

I use MM enamels for nearly everything and Future is the only non-enamel item I shoot through my Aztec. I've owned it for two years and I'm still using the same two tips (general purpose and heavy) that came with the brush. Here's my cleaning method:

1) Finish shooting paint (zero time)
2) Remove paint cup and attach paint cup with pure thinner (30 seconds, maybe)
3) Shoot until clear (about 30 seconds)
4) Remove thinner paint cup and shoot until only air comes out (about 15 seconds)
5) Remove tip and drop in a MM enamel jar of thinner (about 5 seconds)
6) Run a pipe cleaner into the hole where the paint jar attaches (about 10 seconds)
7) The airbrush is DONE (total time: about 1.5 minutes)
8) Finish cleaning up the paint cup and the thinner cup (about 5 minutes)

I've used this same procedure for 2 years - probably 40 or 50 times - and fail to understand how people claim this is time-consuming.

[Off my soap box...]

Realy? I found my aztek dealt much better with enamels than acrylics. It really didnt like acrylics at all. HOWEVER, the reason for this was the tips. My main gripe was that it was near impossible to keep the tips clean. The thing would work beautifully when the tips were clean, but when they werent- bang everything goes wrong. With my badger it is much easier to maintian and keep clean. I would reccomend an aztek if you dont mind cleaning the thing for a good half hour after you are done spraying.

Guys, It has also a lot to do with what paints one uses. As I said in previous posts, and other users had/have the same experiences is that the "O" rings in the AB perishes if you use oil-based paints for which you have to use some sort of solvent (thinners) to clean the AB. Now I have had my A470 fully replaced once, no questions asked. I have to be honest and say that I like it, but it does splutter a bit, I have changed nozzles which here in Oz cost in the region of $22.00 a shot. So in my humble opinion, I use my A470, only with Acrylics Tamiya or even better Gunze paints, I like it, but I won't use it with enamels.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Tankmaster7 Why the split opinion you think?

I think it depends on person's experience with it. When I was using my Aztek, I felt reasonably satisfied with its painting performance. Any deficiencies in its painting performance, I felt were probably due to my level of experience. When the thing broke through no mis-use on my part, I got a little bent. And having read a lot of posts from people who have had the same experience, it seems like my problem with it is not random or isolated. I just feel that they are not reliable. Since its painting performance and ease of use/cleaning (ease of use being a primary selling point) is no better than my conventional Badger, I just feel that Azteks are a poor value.

On the other hand, not every Aztek breaks. If they all broke, people wouldn't buy them and Testor's would stop selling them. Had mine never broke, I probably would be using it today and recommending it as well.

Andy

I have been in both camps.. I started out with aztek's both single and double action airbrushs when I started trying to teach myself how to do it.. I had no real problems with the Azteks as long as I kept the tips clean.. and mixed my paint correctly..

however I had problems getting the results I wanted consistanly.. after working with the aztek's for a year and a half I decided to try a badger 175...

the difference for me was night and day...... my airbrushing improved dramiticly.. I also then picked up a badger 360... and after using the badger airbrushs for a little over 2 years now all my Aztek's went out in the trash....

I vote bagder all the way...

QUOTE: Originally posted by MusicCity I don't think so Simon. I know some very good modelers who use them and get fabulous results. I think it's just like everything else; getting accustomed to what they can do, how they behave, and how to maintain them. This, of course, comes from someone who has never owned one.

Sorry Scot I didn't mean to offend anyone and I would agree with all of your reply. These thing's are definitely in the hand of the user and familiarity is everything. But that I guess was my point - unless you are able to compare one model directly against another it is hard to draw valid comparisons - if you use a certain model and it works well for you, you are likely to recommend it. Reading my initial reply again it does sound like I am taking a swipe at the Aztec brushes which wasn't my intention though many moons ago I did own a base model single action external mix Aztec. This physically broke at the attachment of the paint cup after next to no use. This experience definitely would prevent me buying another. Maybe my subconscious got the better of me! Anyway sorry if I upset anyone.

I don't think so Simon. I know some very good modelers who use them and get fabulous results. I think it's just like everything else; getting accustomed to what they can do, how they behave, and how to maintain them. This, of course, comes from someone who has never owned one.

I suppose I'm in the 0% who doesn't swear by my Aztec and certainly don't hate it. It's also the only airbrush I've ever owned. However, I have attended two airbrush demonstrations (one had a Badger and one an Iwata) and watched how these two experienced modelers handled their brushes, mixed and used paint, and cleaned their brushes. I was not overly impressed with either one.

My Aztec adequately performs the tasks I expect of it. The key is, I don't expect too much, I treat it with the same respect I give all my tools, and I keep it religiously clean. Is it for everyone? Certainly not! Would I recommend an Aztec? It would depend on the modeler and what they want out of the airbrush. Will I go out and buy another brand anytime in the near future? I seriously doubt it. However, if someone wants to ship me a free one to test, I won't complain.

Maybe those that swear by them haven't used anything else??

The type of paint may be a major contributor? I use Tamiya acrylics and fought my A470 for a year and a half - inc. one warranty replacement. I also think the nozzle design leads to many clogging/splattering problems.

That's my $.02 worth?