Badger 100/150/155?

To keep from repeating my self today, go here.

Drew

Joshua - my vote is strongly with the 100LG with both the medium and fine nozzle/needle combos... I've seen some awesome work done with it!  And with the fine needle you'll be unbeatable for fine work...

The 100 and 150 are really the same brush. The 100 series is available in both side (100SF) and gravity fed (100SG, G & LG, small, medium and large color cup) and the 150 is siphon fed, and you change the needle and tip assembly (fine, medium and coarse) depending on the media you are spraying. I have the 150 with fine and medium tips, but rarely use the fine. It's designed for inks as opposed to paints. The coarse needle is suitable for T shirt painting and large coverage. I use the medium 99% of the time. All parts (trigger, handle, nozzle and needle) are interchangeable.

The 100SF was designed for illustration or photo retouching in mind. The side fed cup can be rotated so the brush can be used vertically or horizontally and works like a gravity fed AB.

The 155 is a "modern" two angle needle tip siphon fed brush. The use of two angles allows the brush to spray both large areas and fine lines without changing tips.

All of the brushes you mentioned are very good brushes and all would be capable of the tasks you would set out for them. Gravity fed ABs have a tendency to spray slightly finer lines as you can use less air pressure than siphon fed brushes.

Edit I will throw my vote towards the 100LG as well. In fact it's on my wish list! /edit

I love my Badger 100G I only wish it was the LG.

I appreciate all the feedback guys. But it leaves me with a little question....

...I know that the Badger 150 has interchangeable tips (fine, medium, coarse). So I can use 3 different tips with just one AB. Does the 100 also have interchangeable tips, or would I have to get a different brush for each spray pattern?

EDIT: Nevermind, I found a parts diagram online. Badger 100LG it is then!

Good choice!

Just to confuse the issue - have you ever considered the 360 universal?

This has been strongly recommended to me by Matt at Swanny models.  He says it is a fabulous airbrush. He has used a 360 for four years now. 

His other airbrush is a 150, which he states he has  hardly used  since he bought a 360.

Interesting!

 

Check out the comparision chart on the badger wab site

Mooro wrote:

Just to confuse the issue - have you ever considered the 360 universal? This has been strongly recommended to me by Matt at Swanny models.  He says it is a fabulous airbrush. He has used a 360 for four years now.  His other airbrush is a 150, which he states he has  hardly used  since he bought a 360. Interesting!   Check out the comparision chart on the badger wab site

Mooro I don't mean to be rude but if you are so convinced the 360 is that awesome why do you have TWO threads asking if it's any good or not?

I have a 155. I bought mainly because I had a 50% off coupon and the only models that store carried I was interested in was the 150, 155 and 175. I thought the 155 would be the best for me of those choices, and who can say no to half off. I did want the 360 though and would have bought it had Micheals had it.

 

MaxPower, Thank you for your comment, but if you look again you will see that I have never said that I am convinced about the 360.  I am asking a question and sharing a recommendation that was passed on to me.  (i.e Have you ever thought of...........?)

My other threads are seaking  opnions on the 360.  However, as is often the case, people stick with what they know and I think that is why so many fellow modellers go with the 150 series. 

Living in England, the top of the range Badger airbrushes are hard to come by.  They have to be ordered from big suppliers, as our small outlets do not keep them in stock. You may also find it interesting to know that Airbrushes in this country cost about twice as much as they do in the States. To give you and example of this I have ordered a 360, top range, boxed set from Dixie Art, costing 109 US dollars.  In the UK this airbrush (and I've only found one supplier) costs 140 English Pounds, and that is for JUST the airbrussh, no add ons.  Work the figures out for yourself with the current exchange rate.  I am having my 360 brought over to England in two weeks time and shall write a report on it on the FSM forum.

I would be very interseted to know how you have found yoir 155 AB.

Hope my information is of some interest to you and all other fellow modellers accros the pond.

 

Fair enough... please no offence.

It just struck me odd that you had a glowing recomendation after asking others for their opinions, which gives an air of uncertinty. Anyways it's neither here nor there...

This is kind of funny but I bought the 155 with the coupon which had an expiry date, so I had to buy it before I had a compressor. It cost me $100 CAN for the triangular box with three bottles, a 6' hose, colour cup and of course the AB. 155-7 set I think? As I said though I didn't have a compressor, I was just going to buy a cheap one from an auto parts store. But after some thought I decided to hold out and get a good AB compressor. Then the car broke down... and next week I'm buying new tires... blah blah it's been put off until next month. So I haven't actually used it yet, but  will be sure to let you guys know what I think.

I really did want a 360 myself, I hope it does you well. I'm sure you'll be happy with it. Ouch on the prices though!

I had the 155 and it was a good brush!  for my abilities at the time I bought it, it really performed well.  Eventually I started getting into 1/72 kits more and it was outclassed.  With the gravitiy feed option the 360 has I am sure it would have functioned adequately for that... I went ahead and bit the bullet though, and bought first the Iwata HP-CR then the HP-CS and am happy as a clam...

I'm sure both of you will be happy with your respective purchases... the 155 is perfect for most 1/48 aircraft and 1/35 armor... and does 1/72 aircraft well too as long as it is not freehand camo, I am sure I eventually could have got it down but a gravity feed brush was my next thought and I never looked back!

P.S. sorry to hijack the thread! 

Jabbe wrote:

I appreciate all the feedback guys. But it leaves me with a little question.... ...I know that the Badger 150 has interchangeable tips (fine, medium, coarse). So I can use 3 different tips with just one AB. Does the 100 also have interchangeable tips, or would I have to get a different brush for each spray pattern? EDIT: Nevermind, I found a parts diagram online. Badger 100LG it is then!

I think you will be more than happy with the brush and its abilities, I don't own one but researched it a lot when I was wanting to upgrade and was quite impressed with it.... I think it is enough to let you grow with it while not letting you outgrow it.  (It can go as far as you can with your skills)  let us know how you like it!!!

I looked at the 360, but someone on the forum said that it didn't produce as fine a line as the 100. I did think about it for quite a while though. I would like to hear someone's personal experience with it, it looks really cool!

Well, to be honest, I dind't buy the 100. I bought the 150 box set, with all 3 nozzles. I move the AB a lot while painting, and I figured a siphon feed would keep me from spilling my paint everywhere. From what I saw and read, the only real difference between the two was gravity vs. siphon feed. I'm really looking forward to using a new AB! Now all I need is a vented booth (tee hee hee).

The only difference between the 100 and 150 is the main body. All other parts are the same, trigger, nozzle etc.

I'm sure the 360 is a fine brush, and if somebody like Swanny says it's good, then it's good. For now I'll stick to my 150, and I'm working towards my 100LG. By the way, having a siphon fed brush does not preclude spilling the paint. I mostly use the small color cup rather than hookup a bottle, and believe me it spills just fine! I think having the color cup up on top would make me more consicious of the contents.

The vented booth need not be elaborate, you just need a space you can close to keep the dust down, and a fan to vent away the nasty bits. A bilge blower has been suggested, and if I ever build a replacement booth I'll probably use one. I've seen clear plastic tub used and cardboard boxes. My first spray booth was nothing more than a table with a fan blowing away from me!

MaxPower, be rest assured that no offence is meant, or has been taken.

I was simply trying to clarify that I was only making a suggestion, not a glowing recommendation.  I'm not in a position to be able to do that as I have not used any of the ABs in question. (Sorry for any confusion, folks)

We are all fellow model makers and it's great to have such a wonderful resource where we can help and advise each other.

This airbrush debate could go on forever.......

I feel not many people have been brave enough to move towards a Badger 360.  Badger themselves clam it does everything!  (They have an obligation to ensure there claims are accurate)

Well, I'll write a report on the 360 AB after I have tested it out.  It'll be interesting to see if I can achieve fine lines (etc).  I have to say I am not the world’s most experienced  AB user though.  (Hence always seeking advice.)

So, watch his space.

Good luck, Jabbe with your new AB.  Let us all know how you get on with it.

I feel at the end of the day, all Badger products are good

Best wishes from England.  Mooro.

 

Good luck with the new brush Mooro! Please do let us know how you make out.

Hey guys....

 I've been working with my Badger 150. I just finished the fourth camo color. I'm really happy with how this has turned out. The tan/green/green had a little white mixed in because of the 1/72 color effect. I wish there was a little more contrast between the greens. The pre-shading paid off, and most of the airbrushing went without a hitch (although, I do have a couple runs). I'll need a little touch-up in a few places, mostly b/c the intakes will need some sanding to fit correctly. I wouldn't have been able to pull this off with my old Single-action. It's completly free-hand. I still need to mask off and paint the nosecone. Can you spot a fingerprint (doh!)?







Joshua

I just wanted to let you and all the people that posted to this thread, know that all the info was very helpful to me 2 1/2 years later. I am building the 1/350th scale Academy RMS Titanic model and it is requiring some airbrushing to get a nice solid white in places. I have a Pasche VL that I've had for over 25 years. I cleaned it all up, dissected it and put it through several ultrasonic cleaner cleanings to get it running in top condition. But did it want to spray Testor's Acryl? Noooooooo! After several failed attempts I came looking for help on this forum. This thread along with others I've found on this site point forlorn airbrush users to the Badger line, and in particular the 155. So, this evening after another failed attempt with my VL, I went out and bought a Badger 155. Man am I glad I did! No clogs, no fuss, no muss, just nice evenly coated flat white the way the Titanic looked when it made its maiden voyage back in 1912. I am definitely a Badger convert now.

Thanks everyone!