Which harbor freight spray gun is decent?

[signcrafter]

A few years back I bought a purple hf help spray gun that was decent and got good reviews. I need to spray a few things quick and need a new gun. I just looked on their site and they have a bunch to choose from now.

https://m.harborfreight.com/catalog...f,EAFeatured+Weight,f,Sale+Rank,f&q=Spray+gun

Some say professional and some others. I remember I only paid like 15 bucks for mine and it did everything I asked of it. So which gun from hf is a decent option for the money now a days?

 

[rlitman]

The purple one is still the same, and is still good.
The $17 version sold as 62300 and 67181 are just the gun. The $29 version sold as 62381 is the SAME gun plus the regulator. If you already have the regulator (I bought the pair for around $16, years back), you can buy just the gun when your gun is clogged with ****.

For $10 (after coupon), it almost doesn't pay to clean the gun between uses...

 

[rmack898]

I always have at least one new one on the shelf. When they are on sale I buy 3 of them. After about 3 or 4 uses and cleaning cycles, they get finicky and that's when I pitch it in the recycling bin and take out a new one.

 

[Jazzman442]

I always have at least one new one on the shelf. When they are on sale I buy 3 of them. After about 3 or 4 uses and cleaning cycles, they get finicky and that's when I pitch it in the recycling bin and take out a new one.

What are you spraying? Do they clog up?

 

[signcrafter]

I always have at least one new one on the shelf. When they are on sale I buy 3 of them. After about 3 or 4 uses and cleaning cycles, they get finicky and that's when I pitch it in the recycling bin and take out a new one.

3 of what model? They have a bunch of different ones on their site.

 

[rmack898]

What are you spraying? Do they clog up?

We use them mostly for the tractor supply implement paint and they work very well, but like I said, after a few use/cleaning cycles they tend to get finicky. I don't know if there is a part that wears after use, but for $9 I just grab a new one and move on.

3 of what model? They have a bunch of different ones on their site.

The one I get is the one in the coupon posted.

 

[rlitman]

...The one I get is the one in the coupon posted.

So do you regulate the air in the lines, or plug it into a regulator, or what? That's an HVLP gun, and should be run in the neighborhood of 30PSI.

 

[Jazzman442]

We use them mostly for the tractor supply implement paint and they work very well, but like I said, after a few use/cleaning cycles they tend to get finicky. I don't know if there is a part that wears after use, but for $9 I just grab a new one and move on.



The one I get is the one in the coupon posted.

Thank you.

From what i read these guns do a great Job. Time to get one.

 

[619DioFan]

I have 2 of the purple hvlp guns. one for oil based paints and the other for latex. took some practice to get them set up but for 10.00 they work great for my non-pro painter self.

 

[ChrisLS8]

I used the chrome plated professional to paint a few cars a while back and have an upcoming job coming up. I've had it apart to clean and it's well built

 

[DGersic]

I have 2 of the purple hvlp guns. one for oil based paints and the other for latex. took some practice to get them set up but for 10.00 they work great for my non-pro painter self.

What’s your setup for latex? I have a garage to paint, and a purple HF gun.



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[Bruce Amacker]

The purple one is still the same, and is still good.
For $10 (after coupon), it almost doesn't pay to clean the gun between uses...

+1

I have several of these for different uses and one for high build primer. The primer gun is badly abused- a quick blast of thinner through it when I'm done is all it gets and not cleaned at all on the outside. It still sprays great.....

I've done several touchups on the color coats with these also and amazed at how good the gun shoots. Undoubtedly one of the best values at HF.

 

[OccupantRJ]

On my machines I use the purple $9 on sale gun with industrial enamel at 40 psi and am very happy with it. I also keep at least one extra in stock, as I don’t spend a lot of time to perfectly clean one. After using a certain amount of cleaner, it is almost as cheap to buy another fresh gun for the benefits. It is one of the things I treat myself to in retirement after years of scrimping to save money to be able to retire.

 

[619DioFan]

What’s your setup for latex? I have a garage to paint, and a purple HF gun.



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when I use the gun for latex I thin with water and mess with gun adjustments till it sprays ok, for me it is just trial and error as I am no pro painter. do know that the more you thin the color lightens up. I have never sprayed anything bigger than a night stand so have no idea how this gun will do spraying an entire garage. I did see a youtube vid that showed drilling the factory tip out with a 5/64th drill bit making it into a 2.0mm tip vs the oe 1.4mm. guy sprayed some pretty thick paint , said it worked good. planning to try this myself next time.

 

[joey1320]

I painted they engine fan housing and tins on my '71 Beetle with the $9 purple gun two years back. I used Rust-Oleum oil based black paint and after two years, I haven't had any flaking or peeling. The paint went down smooth and for the price, I can't complain.

 

[Wamsutta]

What do the people at SATA and DeVilbiss think about what you guys are saying? I imagine they'd be pretty pissed off.

 

[Two Door]

What do the people at SATA and DeVilbiss think about what you guys are saying? I imagine they'd be pretty pissed off.

That people aren't using SATAs, etc to paint tractors and garages?

 

[joey1320]

What do the people at SATA and DeVilbiss think about what you guys are saying? I imagine they'd be pretty pissed off.

Would I use my $9 gun to paint my '71 Bug? Sure. Would I use it to paint my '56? No way.

 

[Two Door]

What do the people at SATA and DeVilbiss think about what you guys are saying? I imagine they'd be pretty pissed off.

The most rational thing would be "After fifty of those $9 guns a SATA would have paid for itself, provided you also spent a lot of time cleaning it "......

 

[Bretny]

I have 3 of the 20 oz purple guns in service. Never actualy killed one but im not trying to get a show car paint job. Mostly just keep stuff from rusting. However i did paint an oil metal cabinet and it came out like glass. I use rustoleum oil based paint thinned. You need to thin any type of paint sprayed through a HVLP gun.

I actualy use one of these purple guns to spray used motor oil thinned with diesel.

Generaly 45psi works for my needs. I use a 60gal compressor and it keeps up.

 

[dnschmidt]

I have at least 25 SATA guns and at least 15 DeVilbiss/Tekna guns but if you really want the real deal it's IWATA!!!

What I always find amazing is that considering the cost of good automotive paint (at least $500 for enough to paint a complete car) people use a $9 gun to apply it. This apparently makes sense to somebody.

 

[Bretny]

Im prety sure no one is spending $500 on paint and useing a $9 gun.

 

[dnschmidt]

I wish you were right but check YouTube. There are plenty of fools in the world.

 

[DakotaMan]

Given zero experience, how good of a job could one expect from one of these purple guns? Could you make it work with a 30 gallon?

 

[signcrafter]

Given zero experience, how good of a job could one expect from one of these purple guns? Could you make it work with a 30 gallon?

Guess it all depends on the user. The gun is capable of doing a decent job but you have to know how to adjust everything. Also will depend on what you're painting and the prep work done to it. And a 30 gallon will depend on what you're painting and how long you will be holding the trigger. I dont think I would want to try and spray a whole car with a 30 gallon. But smaller projects it will be fine. You will also want clean dry air.

With zero experience I wouldn't expect great results right away no matter what gun you are using. It takes a little practice to figure things out and get it right.

 

[Bruce Amacker]

I welded in rotted doglegs on a white Pathfinder, mudded them and shot them with the purple gun. I used a $5 quart of Rustoleum or some kind of low end enamel and a bit of generic hardener mixed in. The paint blended perfectly with no cut/buff and you could not see the blend line at all.

Go figure.

 

[DGersic]

Given zero experience, how good of a job could one expect from one of these purple guns? Could you make it work with a 30 gallon?

With zero experience, a 30 gallon compressor, a purple HF gun, and a quart of Rustoleum red and some thinner, I got surprisingly good results painting a garage sale Craftsman workbench in the back yard. Not perfect, because it’s a workbench, and I didn’t do much to prep it.



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[OccupantRJ]

With zero experience, a 30 gallon compressor, a purple HF gun, and a quart of Rustoleum red and some thinner, I got surprisingly good results painting a garage sale Craftsman workbench in the back yard. Not perfect, because it’s a workbench, and I didn’t do much to prep it.



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The sun shines right into my overhead door, so in nice weather I roll the door up and hang tarps off the door guide rails to make a 3 side paint booth for painting items like machines. Sometimes I skip that and shoot outside if the weather is just right. You will get a better feel for it as you progress. I use VM&P naphtha for a reducer. It flashes off pretty quick and I can put a lot of paint on in a short time for items like these.

 

[Bretny]

Given zero experience, how good of a job could one expect from one of these purple guns? Could you make it work with a 30 gallon?

If you can get an even paint job from a spray can you can manage this a spray gun. The difference is a gun will lay down the paint alot faster. So things can go aray fairly quick.

I actualy sprayed a piece of cardboard with water the first to test the gun and settings.

 

[racerex]

My 20 or so gallon Speedaire compressor doesn’t seem to have a problem supplying enough air to shoot sealer, metallic base and clear through the HF purple gun. That being said, I’ve only shoot body parts……bumper cover and fender…and I was happy with how they came out. I think the purple gun only uses around 6cfm @ 40psi. I have a pressure regulator at the gun and 35psi seems to be the happy place for the purple gun. I’m also using Milton high flow quick connectors on the air lines and a quality in-line IR ARO filter. Oh yeah, those purple guns require a really good initial cleaning……everything is coated with oil and they use some junk thread sealer.

 

[Partsguy57]

That people aren't using SATAs, etc to paint tractors and garages?

Wow I thought chip foose and the like would be using....no?

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[Showkey]

Chip told me he was *******.

Guys using a SATA gun, spraying materials that costs $1000/gallon ( total material cost of $10k) probably is not shopping at HF or going to bother commenting on merits of a $10 gun.

 

[Partsguy57]

Chip told me he was *******.

Guys using a SATA gun, spraying materials that costs $1000/gallon ( total material cost of $10k) probably is not shopping at HF or going to bother commenting on merits of a $10 gun.

Boy I think chip missed the boat on this one...

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