Basic question--what is the best airbrush?

There is no such thing as a "best airbrush" out there.
They are like any other tool in which there are several well-made ones that produce similar results.
Paasche makes a fine airbrush as does Badger, Iwata, Sata, Harder & Steenbeck, etc.
I have seen excellent work from every brand and single and double-action alike.
My recommendation is to buy the one that feels the best to you and then practice, practice, practice.
You don't learn to play the guitar like Stevie Ray Vaughan in a couple of weeks and neither will you master the airbrush in a short time.
It takes practice and patience and you will begin to see results fairly quickly once you train that finger to work together with your brain.
All of us started out like you and many of us have learned to use them well regardless of the brand.

I hope this helps.

Mike

I have got a badger 150, a badger 175, a Revell profi plus and a Holbein Y3.
For fine work i prefere the holbein Y3 it's a gravity feed AB with a wonderfull spraypattern.
I'm surprised i don't read anything about this brand in these forums. Maybe because it's not one of the cheapest?
Greetings

MBiE

I agree with Mike. There is no "Best" airbrush, or to look at it another way, the "Best" airbrush is the one that you prefer.

I mean no offense at all, but my advice would be to learn to use the one you have. If you are having trouble getting the hang of double-action on a Paasche just getting another airbrush is not going to resolve that. Anyone can learn to "Use" an airbrush in a few minutes, but learning to use one properly takes a lot of practice, as Mike pointed out. Once you reach the limitations of what you already have then it might be time for another brush.

Get some inexpensive craft-type paint at an art supply store and start painting plastic milk bottles, soft-drink bottles, and so on. Concentrate on doing the things that you have difficulty with and they will stop being difficult. Nobody ever claimed that learning an art form was easy, but it can be done and it is quite rewarding to see your abilities increase.

Thank you for the advice--actually, one thing I did do, which I think will help, is to order a pressure regulator and moisture trap. I have a fairly basic D500 Paasche Compressor, but have not been using a regulator or trap. I think that should help me gain a little better control. And yes, practice, practice, practice...

QUOTE: Originally posted by uproar Thank you for the advice--actually, one thing I did do, which I think will help, is to order a pressure regulator and moisture trap. I have a fairly basic D500 Paasche Compressor, but have not been using a regulator or trap. I think that should help me gain a little better control. And yes, practice, practice, practice...

And don't forget practice!

QUOTE: Originally posted by uproar Thank you for the advice--actually, one thing I did do, which I think will help, is to order a pressure regulator and moisture trap. I have a fairly basic D500 Paasche Compressor, but have not been using a regulator or trap. I think that should help me gain a little better control. And yes, practice, practice, practice...

If you can find a small air tank to run that D-500 into you will get a much more steady airflow. Those diaphragm compressors pulsate quite a bit without an air tank.

Mike

Thank you, Mike! I managed to find a small air tank which fits the D500 compressor from a taxidermy supply company...never thought I'd ever order anything from a taxidermy supply company! Separate air tanks are not that easy to find online.

Thanks again--I'll post the results when I finish my current project.

The others are right. The best airbrush is the one you take the time to master.

I have an Aztek A470 which I love, despite the many knockers.

Aztek A470 is plastic construction, careful using lacquer.
The best airbrush depends on "Man behind the Gun". But also note, usually price will linier with quality.

That's like asking which is the best beer.......

My Paasche H is now 33 years old and it still gets 99.9% of the workload. I had a Paasche VL and hated it. I've had a couple Badgers over the years and along with the VL either sold them or cleaned them up and donated them to club raffles. I won an Aztek 470 at a raffle, used it once and loathed it so much I pitched it in the trash.

My second current airbrush is an Iwata HP-B and while it's a great brush I find the nozzle to be just a little too small for hobby paints. I'd look into the finest nozzled Iwata Eclipse that's gravity feed if I bought another.

Others have well stated that the best airbrush is the one that feels right to you and I agree. I myself have had an Iwata HPC for two years and it has been problem free. I have found it to be ideal for 148th and 1/72nd scale models. Just my two cents worth.

Mike

QUOTE: Originally posted by Ron Smith My second current airbrush is an Iwata HP-B and while it's a great brush I find the nozzle to be just a little too small for hobby paints. I'd look into the finest nozzled Iwata Eclipse that's gravity feed if I bought another.

Ron, you like the gravity feed versus a bottle? I would think the gravity feed would make it harder to clean between switching colors, yeah? (I'm actually getting my first double action tomorrow!)