Anyone out there bought anything from BearAir?

Yep, I'm aware of the similarities between the brushes. I know where the 360 came from. All the brushes I have perform just fine. Except the Aztec. And yes, the reason I want something along the lines of the Patriot is to have a gravity feed brush with a larger cup.

BTW, the 175 uses a larger diameter needle. It's .0695 - .070 versus .0475 - .048. They do use the same taper and the tips, regulators will interchange with the other brushes and the appropriate needles. At least that's the way mine is.

Tony

Wingman_kz

HSteve, I think that's a great idea. Hope it works out for you. If you happen to have one near you, Micheals occasionally has 50% off coupons this time of year. They are kinda high priced but, 1/2 off helps. The one local to me usually has 3 or 4 Badgers and a couple Paasches in stock.

 

Tony

T-

I don't have a Michael's but Hobby Lobby is a short bus ride from my place...

They have a 40% off coupon offered occasionally, but to be honest, I like to spend my money more locally, non-chain stores...

Small business is good business...

Wingman_kz

BTW, the 175 uses a larger diameter needle.

Yes, but do you know why?

Never really gave it any thought. Why?

HSteve, is BearAir next door to you? Don't know what you mean with your little frowny face but I don't care where you buy. Sorry for getting off topic. Won't happen again.

Tony

Wingman_kz

Never really gave it any thought. Why?

It's because it was designed for T-shirt airbrushing and with a larger diameter needle and tip you can put a lot of paint out if you pull the trigger all the way back for doing backgrounds and such. Some T-shirt artists even pull the handle off, loosen the needle chuck and pull the needle back by hand to have even more paint come out. I never did that when I airbrushed T-shirts but a lot of the old school guys did.

The Crescendo puts out more paint than any other airbrush I have ever used. The Anthem is not far behind as it too was designed for the T-shirt artist.

I didn't realize that this is a very subjective topic...

I know I want a double action, with a lock-out feature so I can go single-action for big areas..?

MikeV,

I'm now thinking about the Badger 360...

Input?

HSteve

I didn't realize that this is a very subjective topic...

I know I want a double action, with a lock-out feature so I can go single-action for big areas..?

MikeV,

How is it very subjective?

In regards to having the airbrush, "lock-out" as you said that really isn't necessary as it is pretty easy to just hold the trigger down and pull it back for paint. You don't try and control airflow with the airbrush as that is the purpose of the regulator. It is not hard at all to just pull it back and hold it there. If you wanted you could even push down on the trigger with the needle chuck loosened and pull back on the needle with your hand slowly until you had a good flow of paint coming out and then lock the needle chuck again as this basically turns it into a single action airbrush. This is easy with the Patriot, 360 and Anthem as they all have a ball built into the back of the needle to grasp and pull back on to remove the needle or do as I said above.

HSteve

I'm now thinking about the Badger 360...

Input?

The 360 is a very nice airbrush but the color cup is very small so if you want to paint something like a 1/48 scale F-15E you are going to be filling the cup many, many times in gravity-feed mode.

I like the 360 for small parts where I need a small amount of paint and can clean the airbrush quick.

This is where the 360 excels and I use it mainly for that purpose. The 105 Patriot would be my single best choice overall in a gravity-feed airbrush along with the Omni 4000.

If I wanted to go with a siphon-feed model for this hobby I would go with the Anthem 155 or Omni 3000 as they both are excellent. I personally don't like siphon-feed airbrushes for modeling as they are more work to clean, require higher air pressure to spray and atomize reliably and they waste more paint especially if you use the glass jar in place of the metal color cup.

Yeh, but that's another thing that makes the 360 a very handy AB; pull the bottle, turn the cup up and flush it out. Would be nice if that cup was little bigger but like you said Mike, I mainly use the cup for small parts. Remember, I've mostly been an automotive modeler till now and the 360 has been great for that. Can't guarantee the accuracy of my regulator but I generally spray from a bottle at 20psi and sometimes drop to 15. Anything less calls for the cup. Not to argue but I don't think you waste that much paint. If you cut your tubes right to fit the bottles you can draw right to the bottom and paint clings to the side of a cup too. And it's a 360. If you need those last few drops then turn the cup to the top and pour 'em in. The latest Badger ad I've seen calls the 360 the Raptor of airbrushes.

I didn't know the reason behind the needle size in the 175 but that makes sense, it will put out a lot of paint if you want it too. The reason I was looking at it was because the kit included all three size needles, tips and regulators and bought it for the deal I got. The heavy needle handles metalflakes pretty well. Thanks for the info.

I do see a 105 in my future...

Tony

Regarding the original topic; I ordered very recently from BearAir, a twin-piston compressor and the Peak C-5 airbrush. Perfect service, with very fast shipping.

Shipping internationally will kill you in customs fees though.

Wingman_kz

Remember, I've mostly been an automotive modeler till now and the 360 has been great for that. Can't guarantee the accuracy of my regulator but I generally spray from a bottle at 20psi and sometimes drop to 15. Anything less calls for the cup. Not to argue but I don't think you waste that much paint. If you cut your tubes right to fit the bottles you can draw right to the bottom and paint clings to the side of a cup too. And it's a 360. If you need those last few drops then turn the cup to the top and pour 'em in.

Good points Tony. Yes you don't waste much using the glass jar but what is left stuck to the sides and bottom of the jar, while only a few drops could actually paint a small part in a good gravity feed airbrush at lower pressure.

I didn't know the reason behind the needle size in the 175 but that makes sense, it will put out a lot of paint if you want it too. The reason I was looking at it was because the kit included all three size needles, tips and regulators and bought it for the deal I got.

Nothing wrong with that! I just don't care for the thick bodies airbrushes like the Crescendo and the Paasche VL for my main airbrush. Some people prefer that style and that's cool.

When I was airbrushing T-shirts with the Paasche VL my wife bought me a Thayer & Chandler Vega 2000 (The original one) and my skills improved almost right away because it felt so much more comfortable in my hand plus it has a smoother trigger.

I do see a 105 in my future...

Awesome! Keep us posted.

OK, one more and I'll stop raining on HSteve's thread...

May be a while Mike, have to find a job first. But that's the plan. And yes, the Crescendo is kinda thick, don't use it often but it does come in handy.

Tony