Choosing a paint gun

[CoasterMB]

I'm a hobbyist looking to do a complete respray of my Laguna Blue 1994 Miata (base/clear urethane). Due to a stroke of Good Fortune I'm going to receive a nice hunk of cash from insurance for some rather minor parking lot damage. This will pay for all the materials , upgraded painting equipment and a pretty good return on my time investment. I'm in no hurry but I like to do it this year, maybe.

I'm a very experienced painter , I've painted quite a few cars over the years with different setups and lots of houses with airless sprayers. Most recently I did a complete repaint on a Miata with the purple Harbor Freight gun in my driveway. You'd never know by looking at it. The buyer, a car guy, had a hard time believing how I did it. If nothing else it at least exceeded Maaco quality by a bit, more like low end OEM. I've also done successful metallic blending in and clear coat with the same setup. But here's my deal , I figure if I can do very good with a crappy gun I could better with a mid-range decent one. It always felt like I was at the ragged edge of control with the Harbor Freight gun.

I should mention that I have plenty of shop air , 13-15 CFM (measured) at 80 psi with a 32 gallon tank.

I'm looking at the Devilbiss flg4 as well as a few other guns in the hundred to $200 range. Based on my almost good enough experience with a crummy gun I don't really see the point in spending more than that. Be interested in any input from those of you with experience.

 

[hollywoodbusa]

Following this one.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[Slednut]

Believe or not I love the HTE 1.3 Black Widow from Harbor Freight. Under $200 with coupon.

https://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-professional-hte-compliant-gravity-feed-air-spray-gun-56153.html

 

[dnschmidt]

You can't beat the ASTRO Europro series for the money. If you want the least overspray get the green HVLP gun (I'd recommend this for basecoat anyway) if you want the smoothest clearcoat finish (with increased overspray, that's always the tradeoff) get the blue HE. Paint Society on YouTube tested the blue Astro gun versus the HF black widow and according to them the Europro wiped out the black widow. That's been my personal experience as well.

 

[CoasterMB]

I just watched the video featuring the blue Astro 1.3 gun. Impressive. Is the fact that parts are hard to get an issue? I'm pretty fastidious about cleanup. My airless gun is 35 years old (Spraytech G10N made in West Germany - very nice and light, paid $125 - 1979 dollars) and is still on the same handle filter after easily a thousand gallons of paint. No parts needed for that ever other than tips, so perhaps no problem?

Not sure overspray is more important than a better laydown of clear for me. Hence my leaning toward the blue one.

I plan to continue using the purple guns for primer as they are plenty good enough for that. I drilled one out to 2MM for polyfill which worked out well. But the clear finish achieved in that video was good to see.

Is the blue one easy to keep clean?

 

[f575gtc]

I went through almost the same thing, respraying a 92 Miata. It started about 10 years ago and I have since been through about 5-7 guns to find one I like spraying with

I had cheap $15 HF guns and wanted something better. I started with the FLG4 kit and looking back now I don't know how I used it.

The gun is not very good, I occasionally use it for primer now but never sprayed another car with it, it is an air hog, produced a good amount of overspray leaves an OK finish but nothing to write home about.

I bought a Devilbiss Pro Lite which is regarded as a very good gun and it was but it didn't suit my spraying style and environment so I returned.

I now have an Iwata LPH-400, these are pricey new but you can find a used one for $200-$250, I paid $250 for a used almost new gun and Orange base coat cap.

The LPH-400 is a LVLP gun uses VERY little air and can lay clear down glass smooth with almost no pressure, I spray at 16-20PSI and it leaves awesome finishes. It also produces very little over spray which is great for spraying out of the garage.

If you are going to be spraying at home and on a 32 gallon I would look into LVLP guns.

The Harbor Freight black widow HTE is surprisingly a decent gun for the price but replacement parts might be an issue if you decide to keep the gun and use it often.

My current go to gun for primer (I actually bought two of these because I like them so much is a sprayit sp-33000k, the gun is LVLP and you can get a 1.3mm tip setup for less than $30 and a kit with a 1.3,1.5, and 1.7mm for about $80, you can even get the 33500k which is a full sized fun and a small mini gun for the same price.

Astro also makes good guns they are typically clones of other companies but who now a days doesn't clone someone else?

The Sprayit is a clone of the Iwata LPH-400 and it does a very good job for the price, just remember with LVLPs you typically need to move your arm slower as they tend to spray a bit slower

 

[Stooge]

Just a hobbyist here, i was happy enough with the results from my FLG4 for solvents, it moved alot of paint but the finish was nice. i ended up selling it to a buddy as i wasnt really using it much since i also have a Devilbiss/ Tekna Prolite, and that is my go-to for non primers/ thick stuff. Another one i like, has been the Graco Sharp Fx3000, i have one in 1.4 and 1.8. regular hvlp, good fan, good price and just nice to use, though i primarily use the 1.8 for heavy primers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001A4FKTG/?tag=atomicindus08-20
I have used a buddy's Iwata LPH-400 and really liked it, felt great in the hand, was nice to use, and was really thinking of buying one, but i dont do enough painting to justify another not-so-cheap gun, aside from just wanting it

 

[InjectorService]

3M Accuspray. Love mine.

 

[CoasterMB]

The SprayIt sp-33000k kit is $82 at Home Depot, might be worth a try. The videos I saw made it appear to spray decently and I know I'll have enough air. One concern for the Astros is my air supply. With a 30 gallon tank I'll be running the compressor a lot if the demand is high enough. I figure 50% duty cycle is pushing it as the manual has no spec for that.

 

[IndyGarage]

I have an Air Gunza by Iwata that I think I paid $85 for. Works pretty good.

 

[carlgrover]

I have a Binks 2000 and really like it. I started out with a cheapie Sears Craftsman gun and wound up cussing it to the point of tossing it. What a piece of junk.


carl

 

[dnschmidt]

All of the ASTRO Europro guns are easy to clean as they contain no gaskets. Take off the aircap and put it into a small cup of lacquer thinner for two minutes. Remove the needle and lube it with Vaseline or mineral oil. Drop the nozzle into the cup where you had the aircap and brush the aircap with a tooth brush or equivalent. Blow off the aircap with compressed air. I have a set of small nylon brushes that I use on the nozzle to remove any “boggers” that might be hanging on the nozzle hole. Reassembly takes 30 seconds.

With respect to parts ASTRO keeps a stock of parts for all of their products going back decades. I have several early model ASTRO guns that I’ve had ASTRO send me replacement parts for so I don’t consider that to be an issue.

 

[pepi]

I now have an Iwata LPH-400, these are pricey new but you can find a used one for $200-$250, I paid $250 for a used almost new gun and Orange base coat cap.

Best gun, minimal over spray, important feature, worth the money.

 

[CoasterMB]

I just ordered the blue Astro gun mentioned in post #4. Unfortunately it is on back order so ship date is mid month. We'll see. I looked at the Airgunza and the Sprayit but could see the application rate and fan were not nearly as good as the blue Astro. Brian at Paint Society gave a great hands on demo that was impressive. I just hope my air is enough. Astro specs say 11 CFM and I have 12, however a Miata is small. On side note my local industrial paint vendor closed but was able to find another locally that looks promising. So now my next issue will be choosing the grade of clear coat. The new shop (just new to me) said they can help me navigate this.

 

[sberry]

I can clean up a gun in couple mins too, it's a little set up and practice.

 

[CoasterMB]

All of the ASTRO Europro guns are easy to clean as they contain no gaskets. Take off the aircap and put it into a small cup of lacquer thinner for two minutes. Remove the needle and lube it with Vaseline or mineral oil. Drop the nozzle into the cup where you had the aircap and brush the aircap with a tooth brush or equivalent. Blow off the aircap with compressed air. I have a set of small nylon brushes that I use on the nozzle to remove any “boggers” that might be hanging on the nozzle hole. Reassembly takes 30 seconds.

With respect to parts ASTRO keeps a stock of parts for all of their products going back decades. I have several early model ASTRO guns that I’ve had ASTRO send me replacement parts for so I don’t consider that to be an issue.

I ordered the Astro HE103 (blue) but it is back ordered for at leat 3 weeks. I can get the green HV 103 right away. Other than overspray, can you comment on pros and cons of these 2 guns? The air consumption is close according to the specs. As is fan width. What I don't want is a gun that takes a long time. That Paint Society video of the blue gun was a pace I can relate to. Some of the guns with smaller fans don't seem appropriate to do a larger project like a small car. Too bad he didn't demo the grren one. I'll bet that video sold a lot of guns.

 

[joe_padavano]

I've got an FLG3 that I use for primer and an FLG4 that I use for base and clear. No issues spraying.

 

[Astro_Pneumatic_Tools]

I ordered the Astro HE103 (blue) but it is back ordered for at leat 3 weeks. I can get the green HV 103 right away. Other than overspray, can you comment on pros and cons of these 2 guns? The air consumption is close according to the specs. As is fan width. What I don't want is a gun that takes a long time. That Paint Society video of the blue gun was a pace I can relate to. Some of the guns with smaller fans don't seem appropriate to do a larger project like a small car. Too bad he didn't demo the grren one. I'll bet that video sold a lot of guns.

We (the manufacturer) wont have more EUROHE103's ready for another 4 weeks

 

[CoasterMB]

The Astro HE103 did finally arrive to sit on a shelf for weeks waiting for me to get around to trying it. It did not disappoint. I used it for base and clear on a replacement fender without a hitch. It is a very simple gun with no seals and very easy to clean up. Nicely made and easy to adjust. It really puts out and I would only recommend it to an experienced sprayer comfortable with moving quickly. Nice big fan that can be shortened as needed. Pretty nice for the price. I can probably do the whole car in 5-6 minutes now.

As for air consumption, I picked up an extra 20 gallon tank so when I do the whole car I will be fine. It is set up to help trap moisture as it is fed by 25' of 3/8" hose coming from the 30 gal. compressor tank and then followed by 25' more of hose to the water trap and line regulator. Then 50' of hose to the gun. All with high flow fittings.

Someday I'll get to the whole car and share here.

 

[ZRX61]

I've got an FLG3 that I use for primer and an FLG4 that I use for base and clear. No issues spraying.

I use an FLG3 as a mud cannon for Featherfil G2. My base/clear guns are also Devilbis, a GTi & a Plus.

 

[Al Borland]

I've got an ancient Binks, had it 40+ years. 20 year old Iawata HVLP is fussier, but sprays better. Little stainless no-name touch-up gun was great, but can't get parts to replace needle or gasket. HF Purple guns are great for recreational/occasional use.
Cheap-n-cheesy gun that came with a Craftsman compressor sprays Rustoleum great.

 

[sberry]

I M back where i started.

 

[wake74]

I am just finishing up a frame-off restoration of a TR6. I used the FLG4 kit for all the painting. My first time painting a car, but I wanted to see if I could complete 100% of a restoration on my own. I consider myself a pretty good wrench, but I will say hundreds of hours of prep, and then spraying in my garage is a project I'm not sure I'd tackle again. It came out respectable after plenty of sanding and polishing, but it would never pass for concourse to someone who actually knows what they are looking at. As an Engineer, it was definitely different to be dealing with something that was 1 part science and 4 parts art. Next up is an engine swap on the track rat, and I am very much looking forward to a project more in my wheelhouse.

 

[ng8264723]

I have 2 Accuspray guns. They are awesome. That said they sit on the shelf. I use a touch up gun 99.9% of the time. I bought a German made gun a Sata. I spent about $350. I got a deal on Ebay. At the time the guns were going for close to 500. It is an awesome gun. You can clean it and reuse it. I used to buy the better quality Harbor freight touch up guns and throw them away in 2 years when they died. I thought they sprayed well. They do not.........

 

[sberry]

I also use a touch up, simple one and it really blasts the paint.