by DWPC » Thu Feb 25, 2016 10:13 pm
The Harbor Freight Deluxe Airbrush is, according to many, a copy of a low end Badger airbrush. It receives mixed reviews. Considering the $22 price (with a ubiquitous HF 20% coupon), I decided to see for myself if it was adequate for a beginner to use for learning airbrush technique. Since there's no review of this budget airbrush here, I thought I'd post what I learned:
1. I couldn�t find a comfortable grip position with the paint cup below and to the left of the body of the airbrush; i.e., the siphon feed style.
2. Though the airbrush body is chrome and nicely finished aluminum, the paint cup is coarsely made; the pick-up is about �� off the bottom leaving a lot of paint in the cup, the cup�s interior finish is rough, and I didn�t fully trust it�s metal-to-metal push-on fit with the airbrush body.
3. The paint cup seems angled for work on an easel or perhaps near eye level. Using this airbrush a with a down angle on work that�s on a table top makes it awkward to keep the paint feeding the siphon tube. I also had worries about spilling paint.
4. I found the double-action trigger to be too light for good feedback.
5. Functionally, I couldn�t start a paint line without some droplet spatter around the start point. Not a big mess, but enough to prevent a light, uniform application of paint. I tried pressures from 10 to 30 PSI with no improvement. This was really unsatisfactory. I believe sloppy fit of the needle in the nozzle is the culprit, and it�s the luck of the production line draw whether another unit might have a better seated needle that would start and stop the paint smartly.
6. When I tried to check the needle tip, the tip cover wouldn�t unscrew, even with pliers. I didn�t want to risk stripping the knurling on the tip so I decided to return the airbrush to HF.
Perhaps someone familiar with airbrush maintenance and function could give this HF airbrush a tuneup and get more value from the low price, but I want to learn basic technique and not spend my time fiddling with the hardware. Back it went.
PS (Edit) - The HF 1/4" airbrush hose is inexpensive, but its end fitting attachments rely only the inner rubber hose and are quite fragile in service. I'd buy it again, but would reinforce the end fittings with tape extending well down onto the braided cover.
The [i]Harbor Freight Deluxe Airbrush[/i] is, according to many, a copy of a low end Badger airbrush. It receives mixed reviews. Considering the $22 price (with a ubiquitous HF 20% coupon), I decided to see for myself if it was adequate for a beginner to use for learning airbrush technique. Since there's no review of this budget airbrush here, I thought I'd post what I learned:
1. I couldn�t find a comfortable grip position with the paint cup below and to the left of the body of the airbrush; i.e., the siphon feed style.
2. Though the airbrush body is chrome and nicely finished aluminum, the paint cup is coarsely made; the pick-up is about �� off the bottom leaving a lot of paint in the cup, the cup�s interior finish is rough, and I didn�t fully trust it�s metal-to-metal push-on fit with the airbrush body.
3. The paint cup seems angled for work on an easel or perhaps near eye level. Using this airbrush a with a down angle on work that�s on a table top makes it awkward to keep the paint feeding the siphon tube. I also had worries about spilling paint.
4. I found the double-action trigger to be too light for good feedback.
5. Functionally, I couldn�t start a paint line without some droplet spatter around the start point. Not a big mess, but enough to prevent a light, uniform application of paint. I tried pressures from 10 to 30 PSI with no improvement. This was really unsatisfactory. I believe sloppy fit of the needle in the nozzle is the culprit, and it�s the luck of the production line draw whether another unit might have a better seated needle that would start and stop the paint smartly.
6. When I tried to check the needle tip, the tip cover wouldn�t unscrew, even with pliers. I didn�t want to risk stripping the knurling on the tip so I decided to return the airbrush to HF.
Perhaps someone familiar with airbrush maintenance and function could give this HF airbrush a tuneup and get more value from the low price, but I want to learn basic technique and not spend my time fiddling with the hardware. Back it went.
PS (Edit) - The HF 1/4" airbrush hose is inexpensive, but its end fitting attachments rely only the inner rubber hose and are quite fragile in service. I'd buy it again, but would reinforce the end fittings with tape extending well down onto the braided cover.