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Hey all,

I'm looking to upgrade my neo for Iwata airbrush to something with a bit better quality and generally a better brush.

I'm thinking of picking up a Badger Velocity or a Krome. Has anyone used these for airbrushing minis?

Anyone have any other suggestions? I'm based in the uk

I have several airbrushes including the iwata hp-cs and the badger krome and I love them both but in my opinion the krome is probably the best airbrush I have used to date. just remember cleanliness is godliness keep what ever airbrush you get clean and lubricated and you should have no problems.

I don't have a Krome, but I have it's predecessor, the Renegade Spirit. They're almost identical and have like, 85% parts commonality. They are excellent airbrushes, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who already understands the fundamentals of airbrushing.

I would not recommend it as a first airbrush, as in my experience it doesn't handle improperly thinned paint as well, and the little horns on the front will allow you to easily bend the needle if you're careless - for that I'd recommend something a little more forgiving like the Badger 150. You're not a beginner but I felt obligated to add that in case one sees my post later.

Yeah its pretty much 50 : 50 krome or harder and steenbeck

The harder and steenbeck infinity 2 in 1, looks like a reasonably priced airbrush with two needles.

Prices are similar but the fact spares seem to be a bit harder to find in the UK for the Badger brushes

The best airbrush design I've ever seen is Harder & Steenbeck,

http://www.everythingairbrush.com/acatalog/Harder_and_Steenbeck_Airbrush_Kits.html

while the other big brands are perfectly good, I didnt get on with Badger, and havent tryed Iwata or paasche. But after doing my research I decided that the most annoying thing about any airbrush is the tiny little thread that so many of them use for keeping the nozzle in place. H&S dont use this, instead the nozzle is a bit chunkier to hold and just slots into the air cap with a ptfe seal atht ebase to keep it airtight, good ol german engineering makes it such that only finger tight is enough too.
The only tool needed with a H&S is the needle seal alignment screw driver (which would be needed with any brand tbh) To replace the needle seal which is at the very center of the airbrush, you need a special screw driver with a prong in the middle that screws (or unscrews) the seal holder and keeps the seal centered in it all at same time. That only comes up once in a blue moon though, and to begin with you can expect 6months + of tool free usage to begin with.
Another nice feature they do (which I havent seen anywhere else) is the trigger design, they have a circular piece that the trigger rocks back and forth on instead of the usual hinge, much nicer and smoother tbh.

HairySticks wrote:
The best airbrush design I've ever seen is Harder & Steenbeck,

http://www.everythingairbrush.com/acatalog/Harder_and_Steenbeck_Airbrush_Kits.html

while the other big brands are perfectly good, I didnt get on with Badger, and havent tryed Iwata or paasche. But after doing my research I decided that the most annoying thing about any airbrush is the tiny little thread that so many of them use for keeping the nozzle in place. H&S dont use this, instead the nozzle is a bit chunkier to hold and just slots into the air cap with a ptfe seal atht ebase to keep it airtight, good ol german engineering makes it such that only finger tight is enough too.
The only tool needed with a H&S is the needle seal alignment screw driver (which would be needed with any brand tbh) To replace the needle seal which is at the very center of the airbrush, you need a special screw driver with a prong in the middle that screws (or unscrews) the seal holder and keeps the seal centered in it all at same time. That only comes up once in a blue moon though, and to begin with you can expect 6months + of tool free usage to begin with.
Another nice feature they do (which I havent seen anywhere else) is the trigger design, they have a circular piece that the trigger rocks back and forth on instead of the usual hinge, much nicer and smoother tbh.

You do put forward a very nice case for getting the H&S brush.

gilljoy wrote:


You do put forward a very nice case for getting the H&S brush.

Hehe, I realise that I'm a bit of a H&S fanboy But seriously cannot fault my Evolution Silverline, Would really like to justify replacing it with a CRplus model but theres nothing wrong with my silverline after 24months of usage. Its had 1 set of new seals and 2 new needles in that time.
Seals eventually will all go, but the needle will only ever need replacing from the user damaging it (most often when cleaning or accitdentally stubbing it into the job when working without a needle cap - hair line detail work needs that cap off)

Another nice thing I might take advantage of soon, is that all their brushes can fit any needle/nozzle set up, Mine is a 0.2mm which I got for freehand custom guitars/cars/laptops/bikes and the likes. But for approximatly £30-40 I could get a needle, nozzle and aircap setup in any size for my brush.