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http://www.harborfreight.com/1-8-eighth-hp-40-psi-oilless-airbrush-compressor-93657.html

Just as the topic says, is this a decent airbrush for a starter? I know NOTHING with airbrushes and am just getting started. I want to keep it cheap in case I don't like it. I found this and the price is right, but I am not sure if it will fit the bill for mini painting or not. I am basically looking to start with basecoats and work from there if I can get the hang of it. I know airbrushes have a learning curve and don't expect perfection out of the gate. So for those who know about such things, will this do the trick or do I need to look elsewhere? And if so, where and what am I looking for.

Thanks in advance for any help.

It's a decent airbrush compressor, yes, if you want a nice basic setup on the cheap, this is what I started with, and would get it again in a heartbeat. The compressors are almost the same.

http://www.amazon.com/Airbrushing-Performance-Multi-Purpose-Dual-Action-Airbrush/dp/B001TO578Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328907367&sr=8-1

Haven't used one, but there is a review here for the airbrush, but not the compressor: https://sites.google.com/site/donsairbrushtips/harbor-freight-deluxe

A compressor with a tank is nice to get constant air pressure, something like http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0038D38AA/ref=oh_o06_s00_i01_details

Take a look at Don's site https://sites.google.com/site/donsairbrushtips/home for objective reviews on quite a few brands of airbrush (including harbor freight).

Also, shop around... Harbor freight tends to sell fairly cheaply made tools at a very fair price, but you get what you pay for. TCP Global sells a lot of the name brand airbrushes for a VERY competetive price (often times 40%+ off MSRP). Take a look at the reviews and price shop a little before settling on a harbor freight tool. You've probably looked into it enough to know if you'd like it. Of course budgets are always an issue, I understand, but buy the best you can afford and it will pay off in the long run. I don't own a Harder-Steenbeck ($400 airbrushes) or anything but my Paasche VL has survived the last 30 years and still runs like a champ (I also have a Talon TG for detail). You can buy those for about $50-$60/ea. for the airbrush alone and they'll last you forever. Think about parts availability too... buying a knock off for $20 less than the aforementioned brushes might save up front but what happens when you need a new tip, needle, or air valve? Paasche or Badger both readily sell replacement parts cheaply online and in hobby stores...

Just my 2 cents. Welcome to the world of airbrushes!

I actually have the harborfreight compressor and airbrush. I got it when it did not have the regulator on it so I had to purchase one and buy a few adaptors to make it work. The compressor is great while the Airbrush itself is..meh. It works great for basecoating but is prone to clog all the time no matter how much you thin your paints. and is a siphon feed which is sub par to gravity. But I picked up a iwata eclipse on the cheap from ebay.

The purchase is worth it for the compressor and regulator alone but I would purchase the above suggestion from amazon just for the simple fact it's a gravity feed.

Nowoo wrote:Take a look at Don's site https://sites.google.com/site/donsairbrushtips/home for objective reviews on quite a few brands of airbrush (including harbor freight).

Also, shop around... Harbor freight tends to sell fairly cheaply made tools at a very fair price, but you get what you pay for. TCP Global sells a lot of the name brand airbrushes for a VERY competetive price (often times 40%+ off MSRP). Take a look at the reviews and price shop a little before settling on a harbor freight tool. You've probably looked into it enough to know if you'd like it. Of course budgets are always an issue, I understand, but buy the best you can afford and it will pay off in the long run. I don't own a Harder-Steenbeck ($400 airbrushes) or anything but my Paasche VL has survived the last 30 years and still runs like a champ (I also have a Talon TG for detail). You can buy those for about $50-$60/ea. for the airbrush alone and they'll last you forever. Think about parts availability too... buying a knock off for $20 less than the aforementioned brushes might save up front but what happens when you need a new tip, needle, or air valve? Paasche or Badger both readily sell replacement parts cheaply online and in hobby stores...

Just my 2 cents. Welcome to the world of airbrushes!

I'll disagree slightly (in the spirit of conversation!) with the above. When you're first getting into airbrushing and are not sure how much you'll like it/use it, I think it's worthwhile to keep the investment at a minimum. Buying the best you can afford comes for when you upgrade the brush or compressor down the road when you're sure you want to stick with it, and your current set up is limiting you. YMMV, but this is/was my opinion on it when I got started.

The link to amazon I posted above is a "masters series" airbrush, which are essentially knockoffs of iwata style brushes. I worked with mine quite a bit, and it was excellent quality considering you got compressor + brush for 95 shipped to your door. Replacement parts are available for these (not sure about other off brands, but the masters series at least) off TCP Global for reasonable prices. Everything from springs, seals, nozzles, needles, etc. The only piece I had break on mine during the year I owned it (and painted ~15 tanks, based/primed ~100 infantry, and other projects) was the nozzle, which, admittedly, was my fault for turning on it a bit too hard with the wrench. I got a replacement noddle/neezle/air cap for ~$7 + shipping from TCP Global.

I've since replaced my brush after about a year having decided that I enjoy airbrushing and it'll be a staple for my hobbying, and bought a harder & steenbeck infinity 2 in 1 (this is their top of the line airbrush for our purposes) for $300. They have much more affordable (and still high quality) entry level brushes in the 150 range called the evolution. If you're buying a decent airbrush, I'd recommend browsing http://www.chicagoairbrushsupply.com/ . They have the pretty much all the brands, not just H&S, including iwata, badger, etc. They're got pretty much everything you could ever want airbrush related at great prices + free shipping on orders over $99. They also run sales pretty often, so check their facebook page/header of their webpage for the current deal, usually 5-15% off of everything, or just airbrushes, or just compressors, etc etc.

Solid advice, Targetawg. I was going to mention Chicago Airbrush but trailed off there. We're of different schools when it comes to making purchases but to each their own.

@OP - Bottom line, do some homework, make sure you don't sour your experience with a brush that won't do what you expect.

Can you easily get replacement parts for some of these lesser known airbrushes?

Skippy wrote:Can you easily get replacement parts for some of these lesser known airbrushes?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no, before you buy any brush, I'd follow the advice Nowoo was getting at: make sure it's supported/has accessible replacement parts. Before I bought my brushes i looked into online vendors/etc. to ensure if something broke, I could fix it.

I researched airbrushes (I'm a bit detail oriented admittedly) for probably a month before purchasing, watching good youtube videos and reading websites/asking friends.

One of the most useful set of airbrushes tutorials I found was this guys:

http://www.youtube.com/user/SMConsortium/videos

He has a whole series of "airbrushing for the beginner" videos where he explains how it works, how to clean it, the basics, advice on how to choose the right brush/compressor, and how to use it (the basics). I also found him watchable, though ymmv

Harborfreight makes a variety of compressors that have a tank attached. They will be larger but cost around the same price as the smaller one. A few fittings will be required to transfer over to the airbrush hose. The same compressor can be used for a lot of other things too.