I have been involved in art since around 1960, and started airbrushing vans
and motorcycles in the mid 70's. I got side tracked from art in general for
many years, and about four years ago I started airbrushing again. It took me
about a year to get back up to speed, and for the past three years I have been
making a living as a professional artist.
I have been painting with an Iwata HP C Plus with a .3 tip, and an Iwata
Revolution CR with a .5 tip. My skills have been progressing, and I was in
the market for an airbrush that would deliver even finer detail than my C-plus.
Since I had been painting with Iwata, I naturally considered their CM-C
custom micron. I also considered the H & S airbrushes from Germany, but
they all were quite expensive (Iwata being the most expensive at about
$365.00).
I never even considered looking at the Badger products, but a friend of mine
showed me a promotional flyer advertising their three new airbrushes, the
Renegade, Spirit, and Rage.
Before purchasing my new Renegade I read all of the reviews, and
specifications that I could find concerning the "Renegade". I read a few post
in airbrush forums. Based on this combined information. The airbrush was
being sold at a low introductory price of under $100.00., so I decided to take
a chance, and ordered the Renegade R1V.
When my new airbrush arrived it came in a very nice storage box, and when I
opened the box the airbrush its self had a gun metal type finish, a plastic cap
for the fluid cap, and a plastic cover to protect the needle. It also comes with
two tip guards, one with two prongs to protect the needle and another that lets
you paint with the needle fully exposed to allow for even tighter, and closer
detail work. The Renegade is certainly not the most handsome airbrush that I
have ever seen, however looks don't spray the paint.
Do not let looks, or the two plastic parts fool you, as this is not a not cheaply
made airbrush. Upon close examination I could tell that Badger put their
money where it really counted, and that was in the tip, needle, and trigger
design. It was apparent that all of these parts were made with perfect
precision, and maximum performance in mind.
Unfortunately my new airbrush arrived with a bent needle, and after waiting a
week for it to arrive I was disappointed to say the least. I called Badgers toll
free customer service line expecting to get one of those computer phone
systems that has you listing to recordings, and pushing endless numbers of
buttons to get to a customer service representative in some foreign country.
To my surprise, I got a live person at the factory right here in the U.S.A. ( I
also sent an email to Ken Badger). I received top quality customer service
from both the person at the factory, and Ken's email response to me. In just a
couple of days I received a couple of replacement needles, and I was good to
go. I have to say that I have never received this quality of customer service
from any other company!
I put some bees wax on the threads at the tip, and shot a few test lines, dots,
etc. I am extremely pleased with the fine line and detail work that this new
airbrush delivers. It certainly performs as well if not better than the Iwata
CM-C custom micron, and at a fraction of the cost!
Now you can get the performance of a high dollar airbrush at a fraction of the
cost, and to me that alone makes the new Renegade a wise investment!
In addition, Badger has proven to me that they offer customer service and a
genuine concern for customer satisfaction that is second to none.
To top it all off Their airbrushes are made right here in the good ole U.S.A.
In closing I just want to say that I am not an employee of Badger, nor am I
getting paid to write this review. My satisfaction with my new Renegade
airbrush, and the customer service I received after the sale have compelled
me to let the public know what a great company Badger is to deal with.
I also believe strongly that when you buy American made products, the job
you save could be your own!
Thanks
Monnie Criss