Paint Guns on a Budget - Who has what?

[Mike'sHorseBarn 3,132]

I am sick of buying cheap paint guns (harbor freight - lowe's etc). The last gun I bought from lowe's was ok and laid down some decent paint, but it always leaked around the cup and made an awesome mess until i was done painting. I recently painted my father in law's John Deere B and after painting that much surface area it made a more than awesome mess lol. Time for a different gun. I was looking at a gun from eastwood that had both a primer and basecoat/clear coat tip. The gun is $150 and has good reviews. Who here has what gun and why do you like it? I have seen $500 guns, but don't want to pay that much....more like can't. $200 is the most i want to go.

 

Here is the gun I'm looking at:

https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-concours-2-hvlp-paint-gun-kit-in-aluminum-case.html

 

Advice anyone?

[stevasaurus 23,063]

Mike...along with what the guys have to say here, I remember some real good threads from the past on this site.  Try doing a search for paint guns also.

[WHX?? 50,712]

Just chiming in to follow, some day I am going to invest in some equipment as well.  Maybe Dan @Achto will offer some advice.

[Achto 28,777]

I have used many different spray guns, Binks, DeVilbiss, Sharpe. These are all higher end spray guns and all do a great job. I purchased a HF gun to use as a primer gun and liked it so well that I now use it for painting. Here's a link.https://www.harborfreight.com/20-fl-oz-hvlp-gravity-feed-air-spray-gun-62300.html  When you compare the HF price to a professional gun, you could almost just throw the HF guns away after each job.

The main thing with any gun is to keep it clean!!! The best gun in the world will not spray well if it is dirty or plugged. I've also had some trouble with the cup leaking on my HF gun. I found that I had not cleaned the threads on the cup & cap well enough the last time that I used it. Removed every stich of paint from the cup & cap and no longer had a leaking issue. I've used my HF gun for about 5yrs now, still works great.

Edited May 1, 2018 by Achto

[953 nut 57,888]

I have never used a HVLP gun but may buy one based on reports from friends that use them. I have four Binks knock-off guns that were purchased in the '70s. One has never been used for anything but clear lacquer and has a special clear nozzle. It may never be used again because it is hard to justify the cost of lacquer today. One is only used for primer and it shows. The others have been kept clean in spite of a variety of colors be run through them over the yeas. Cleanliness is the key to success, this is especially important if you are using a catalyzed hardener with your enamel. The entire gun needs to be spotless before the paint kicks or it will never be the same.

[squonk 42,522]

I use an HVLP Turbine

 

http://www.tptools.com/TP-Tools-HVLP-Turbine-Paint-Systems.html

[Jerry77 1,218]

 

9 hours ago, Achto said:

The main thing with any gun is to keep it clean  -- well said

Call me old fashioned, but I like DeVilbiss pressure feed guns for prime and paint....((and I don't think you can beat PPG paint..hands down the best.)).paid 200 for it 20 years ago and still works perfect...

[rmaynard 15,915]

When Harbor Freight had their HVLP guns on sale a couple of years ago for $9.00, I bought several. They work great for what I do, and if they get too dirty or clogged, I throw it out and use another one. You can't buy a gallon of lacquer thinner for cleaning for less than $15.00, so it's a no-brainer.

[Mike'sHorseBarn 3,132]

Now I may be rethinking things...it appears lots of you guys use the HF guns

[WHX?? 50,712]

Lots of HF stuff has got me rethinking Mike. Like why pay 2-300 + for a nice Milwaukee or Dewalt cordless drill set and then another 100+ when the batteries take a crapola. Just get one for 39.95 from HF get a year or two out of it and it owes you nothing. The other thing that comes into play is this going to be used to put bacon on the table or just hobby around the house stuff? Course if you want a nice paint job on your ?

I bought a cheap 20 clam gun from Fleet Farm and stupidly put in on a shelf right above the air compressor where it promptly fell off when the compressor vibrated the shelf. Fell 6 ft to concrete and the pot metal it was made out of broke in two.  Never even got  chance to dirty it.  Good thing it was not  the 150 gun.

 

Here's one I am contemplating

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/jobsmart-3-piece-hvlp-sprayer-kit

[Kurt-NEPA 755]

On 5/1/2018 at 11:40 AM, Achto said:

I have used many different spray guns, Binks, DeVilbiss, Sharpe. These are all higher end spray guns and all do a great job. I purchased a HF gun to use as a primer gun and liked it so well that I now use it for painting. Here's a link.https://www.harborfreight.com/20-fl-oz-hvlp-gravity-feed-air-spray-gun-62300.html  When you compare the HF price to a professional gun, you could almost just throw the HF guns away after each job.

 

I have had a similar experience with that HF HVLP spray gun.  I have the one with the regulator on it, but the same gun.  I've used it for 5 years now and its been flawless.  Agreed keep it clean.  The only issue I have had with it is the screen a the bottom of the cup.  It kept getting clogged up, so I took it out.

Edited May 3, 2018 by Kurt-NEPA

[953 nut 57,888]

18 hours ago, Kurt-NEPA said:

screen a the bottom of the cup.  I kept getting clogged up

Regardless of the type of paint gun you should always strain the paint before it goes into the gun.

[RandyLittrell 3,894]

I work in a body shop but haven't painted for a living for 25 years. Our painters use guns that are way over a $1000 and they have multiple guns! 

 

But we don't need that and I hear from some of the guys that the Devilbiss finish line guns are pretty good for the money. I have a Devilbiss gravity feed gun that is pushing 30 years old and when using acrylic enamels it still gets the job done. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Devilbiss-Finishline-FLG-670-Solvent-Gravity/dp/B007N69IRA/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1525480225&sr=1-1&refinements=p_4%3ADeVilbiss

 

 

 

Randy

[Uncle Buck 246]

I cannot bring myself to spend money on guns to replace my old Sharp, Binks and DevilBiss JGA and MBC guns. My old guns waste more paint, but they see so little use it is hard to justify replacing them based on wasted material. Granted, paint is getting stupid high, but I don't spray automotive grade paint but about once every 10-15 years so I just stick with my old guns.

 

Cleanliness is indeed next to Godliness when it comes to maintaining a gun though. Can never be mentioned too much.

[billworthington 2]

I have nine spray guns. From a $200 devilbiss hvlp to a $9 harbor freight. The best of all of them is the $9 hf. Haven't used the devilbiss in years. The hf lays down a beautiful finish, never any problems. B. W.

[Mike'sHorseBarn 3,132]

I actually was given a gun by my father in law that he got at a car show and it works great! It's an off brand gun made by astro pneumatic.

[oliver2-44 10,367]

On ‎8‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 4:36 PM, Uncle Buck said:

I cannot bring myself to spend money on guns to replace my old Sharp, Binks and DevilBiss JGA and MBC guns. My old guns waste more paint, but they see so little use it is hard to justify replacing them based on wasted material. Granted, paint is getting stupid high, but I don't spray automotive grade paint but about once every 10-15 years so I just stick with my old guns.

 

Cleanliness is indeed next to Godliness when it comes to maintaining a gun though. Can never be mentioned too much.

I also have an old Devolbis MBC (1960's) and a slightly newer JGA. I love how the old MBC lays it down.  I recently bought a HF and sprayed kilz primer on cabinetry wit  it. Probably needed a different bigger tim for the thick primer, but it got it done.

[JaysHorse 287]

On 5/1/2018 at 11:40 AM, Achto said:

I have used many different spray guns, Binks, DeVilbiss, Sharpe. These are all higher end spray guns and all do a great job. I purchased a HF gun to use as a primer gun and liked it so well that I now use it for painting. Here's a link.https://www.harborfreight.com/20-fl-oz-hvlp-gravity-feed-air-spray-gun-62300.html  When you compare the HF price to a professional gun, you could almost just throw the HF guns away after each job.

The main thing with any gun is to keep it clean!!! The best gun in the world will not spray well if it is dirty or plugged. I've also had some trouble with the cup leaking on my HF gun. I found that I had not cleaned the threads on the cup & cap well enough the last time that I used it. Removed every stich of paint from the cup & cap and no longer had a leaking issue. I've used my HF gun for about 5yrs now, still works great.

Very true on the cleaning. I use HF $9.99 HVLP gun when on sale for all my wood working staining projects. Works perfect. As the far as the cup leaking I used a small rubber o ring on the base where the cup screws on and alway keep threads for the lid clean. 

[Lee1977 7,037]

I used a HF gun to paint my truck. It is not a professorial job, but the gun did good I screw up a couple of places but I now know how it did it. As said above it's how clean you keep the gun as to how well it sprays.

The other thing is the quality of the paint you are using.  The paint I used was $130 a quart with the thinner and hardener. I'm not a painter but I have done some of about ever kind of painting in the last 70 or so years. 

[ohiofarmer 3,333]

Just so you know..... The 9 dollar HF gun does not have as many air atomization holes as does the one with the included regulator. The trigger is smoother in operation as well

I once did a backhoe with a HF pot gun that has two lines out of the quart pressure pot. About $65 as I recall.  Well worth the money as it was great for close quarter work and did not waste paint because it is HVLP.  That machine still looks good 20 years later using Case implement paint.

 

If you can learn how to color sand paint and lay paint on reasonably well in the first place, it can look pretty good with the cheaper guns. Start with 800 grit and move to 1500 and 2000 grit and buff. That is what you see here--actually more shiny than the picture. HF $14 gun with regulator and Rustoleum paint+ hardener

 

 

Edited July 23, 2019 by ohiofarmer

[Mike'sHorseBarn 3,132]

I found this out last summer painting a John Deere B. It's mostly in the prep work and being patient. 

[adsm08 2,643]

I have owned two paint guns, and used a few others.

 

In school I used a couple professional ones, which worked well. I've had the HF gun Achto linked to at the beginning of the thread, and it worked well until primer got into the return spring and then the trigger started sticking. I did my whole truck, including bare frame with it, and then only place that I'm not happy with how it turned out is some spots on the cab where I left some of the old primer and the swirl marks show.

 

The other gun I have is an Autocraft suction gun I got from Advance Auto on clearance, no idea who makes them, and I've only done part of one cab with it, but it came out OK. It has more trouble on angles once the paint gets low.