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Been painting for a about 2 years now and have gotten proficient with most of the tricks of the trade. Started off with a cheap airbrush (60 Euro or so) and moved on to an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS thinking it was time for a piece of equipment matching my growing skillset + it was starting to get worn out, the nozzle had chipped, down to my last needle and overall it was hard to keep the airbrush internals clean.

Strange thing that happened was that the older and cheaper airbrush just seemed to be so much more pleasant to work with. The main difference was needle size, the old airbrush had a finer needle, it did get clogged easier than the iwata airbrush but over I had alot more control. Also the trigger system on the Iwata just seemed too sensitive (got big clunky hands..).

I ended up forcing myself to work with the Iwata and eventually learnt to deal with its drawbacks, but recently I have decided to look for a new airbrush and I was hoping somebody could help me figure out what to get? You can look at my gallery pictures, I know how to paint, self taught amateur, I think I can handle a high end airbrush and I am willing to put down some money for it.

Any advice?

Not used an iwata piece before, but I can vouch for Harder & Steenbeck, their tooless design is pretty handy and makes for easy break down, clean and rebuild. (the only tool you ever need on one is the needle seal alignment thing.)

What drawbacks precisely do you have on the iwata? The have an incredible reputation, so I've never really come across people having major issues with them.

My H&S Evolution Silveline Solo, is still running perfectly 2 years later, Its had a couple of needles and nozzles, and the needle seal changed once. I've got a full set of spare seals and stuff for when they do go eventually.
Its 0.2mm nozzle can be a bit finicky with regards to paint mixes, but thats true of any fine nozzle/needle, even more so with 0.15mm's. For an easier time 0.3 or 0.4mm would probably be more easy going with home mixed paints. But will struggle on the fine detail side of things compared.

Shopping for a brush with solvent resistance might be helpful for cleaning. The Silverline models from H&S, aswell as the newer CRplus models, are all claimed to be solvent resistant... I find it to be true as I clean mine with pure acetone, and the seals last for ages. Its a brush designed with custom automotive painting in mind where youd use lacquer based paints and a lot of lacquer thinners; so has to be able to handle the harsher side of paint thinners and solvents that we use.

I have used the HP-CS for about a year now, and though I haven't had any issues with cleaning or finicky/sensitive parts I did become frustrated with not being able to change the size of the needle. I also have a Masters G22 airbrush which sounds reminiscent of how you describe your older/cheaper airbrush.

I've recently acquired a Badger Sotar 20/20, and am thoroughly impressed with the detail I can achieve with it. It does definitely get clogged much more frequently due to the smaller needle. I have heard many good things about the Badger KROME, and the H&S Revolution. I'll probably get one of those next.

The Sotar was on amazon for about 80% off or something ludicrous like that. I'd strongly suggest considering it if you can still get that deal.

H&S Infinity 2-in-1 with .3mm and .15mm needles/nozzles

It's easy to maintain and works great.

Heard lots of good from Badger Renegade Krome, some high-end painters swear by it but I have not tried it personally yet.

The badger krome is a excellent brush.. The only grip I had when I got it was the feel of the trigger when you pulled it back.. Was way to rough for me.. I polished the trigger parts to a mirror finish and it now works 100 times better than before.. That was really my only gripe about it, but other than that a wonderful brush to work with..

Get a badger krome or a sotar (check amazon).

Both are great brushes.

probably because after 2 years youre just too used to the other one. the first time i tried badab black i thought it sucked... i was wrong.

Iwata is the best of the best.