O.k., I've already commented on another thread, but I'll do this again. Like
I've said before, there's very few practical/effective reviews out there on
these airbrushes from a modeller's perspective, and this can be VERY
frustrating.
Anyway, I have multiple Iwata brushes (CH, CS, BH, SB,CMB), multiple badgers
(100lg, 175 I still have) and a paasche H (which still is a fav on mine for what
it does.). Use the silentaire-20 and tend to airbrush even when I don't have
to. I spray mainly acryllics, inks and other water based medias, but have
experience with enamels and laquer based media.
Interesting note on peaks, tamiya: they are reportedly made in the same
factory (per coast AB), but will have some slightly different parts- a more
tapered nozzle, etc.- just enough to make them a bit different. However, a lot
of the stuff is interchangeble. Probably too much so: bearair lost their
connections with iwata a while back, and it was thought to be because they
wouldn't bow to pressure to stop carrying the peak AB. No experience with them,
but they likely perform about the same.
Now, to the brushes:
The CS vs. C/C+/CH comparison. The CS has a grosser spray pattern than the
others. I believe the barrel is slightly longer, which, IIRC tends to have
greater atomization of your paint. They use a needle that is thinner and
longer, allowing you to have more control over how much paint you are putting
out at a given time. They just spray finer than the CS.
But, the CS is a great all around work brush. If you are using it to spray
basecoats with thicker media, this is the one you want. If you are looking for
a brush that can do some tighter work, then the C series is better. You can
change the CS nozzle to 0.5mm, to spray thicker stuff or more of whatever you
are spraying. I swapped mine out awhile ago to do this.
I'd get the C+/CH for the reasons you noted. I think the CH is one of the
best workhorse brushes you can get.
I also have a BH and SB currently. The SB is one of my fav brushes, and very
underrated by modellers. Good for detail work primarily, but the SBS could work
for general work. It can take side feed bottles and crank out the paint. The
BH/SB perform about like the CH, but you can notice the difference. The SB has
such fine atomization, that it is very similar to my CMB, and lets you have a
lot of control over your paints. The CMB is not much different than the SB on
the size of lines that it produces, but it atomizes the paint much better, so
you get VERY fine lines overall. These are not so good for large work, but for
small jobs. I like the SB for being able to see over the barrel, but the Bs are
about the same as the well is pretty small.
How the iwatas work: the CS is like other brushes- it will have a
'floating' nozzel, held in place by the cap. However, the B/C nozzles actually
'screw' into the body and don't move.
Oh, one comment on the badger vs. Iwata: I've used the 100 series, and while
they are good generalized brushes, the iwata brushes just perform better. But
they are different brushes. I do like the screw mechanism that the badger 100
has in front of the trigger, which effectively can turn the brush into a 'single
action brush' unlike the present handle, which simply limits how far back you
can pull the handle.
Now, before anyone gets their shorts all wound up- I like the 100. It's a
good starter brush, and you can do a lot with it. BUT (and this is the kicker),
for tight detailed work, the Iwata's (other comparable brushes) are better IMO.
I should say though that the iwata brushes are tough... they are made to be
used (not abused). My 100's airstem started rotating and eventually twisted off
(right through the chrome plating...). The Iwatas are just... tough. Solidly
built. Bottom line: you get what you pay for in this respect. 100LG- on sale
~$70. HPCH ~ $150 on ebay. Worth every penny in my book.
Too, the iwatas have little tricks that let them spray reeeeeeeaaaaaaallllly
close to the work, like removing the crown cap, so you expose the needle- you
can spray ~ 1/4" or less away from your work, and do very fine lines. Of
course, you'll have to have really thin paints and spray >10psi most of the
time. If you are doing weathering, toning the underlying colors of paints,
softening highlights or adding more tone to shades, it works very well.
- The evolution sounds cool- I've often wanted to be able to pull my
needles from the front, but with the iwata's, you'll have to remove the nozzle.
Well, hope that helps. Disclaimers: I used acyllics primarily though, and
this biases my opinions.
Don't know if this helps. I've thought about starting an airbrush review
site, or something, because you can never find the info you are looking for as a
modeller on these things...