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G'day all,

I'm looking in to buying my first airbrush. There's a few kits I've seen for sale, the ones I'm mostly looking at are the Artlogic kits as they seem to be the most readily available in Australian hobby shops. Either this one...

http://www.hobbytools.com.au/airbrush-compressor-kit-1/

or this one...

http://www.hobbytools.com.au/airbrush-compressor-kit-2a-super-quiet/

The 2nd one is more expensive but the compressor is slightly more powerful and has a tank. The first one is cheaper, doesn't have a tank, but one advantage of the first one is it's sold by a local shop so I can just go down and buy it and bring it home, I haven't found the 2nd one at any local places so I'd either have to drive a ways to get it or get it mailed to me.

The guy in the local shop felt the first kit, without a tank, was a good place to start because even though it doesn't have a tank, the compressor is apparently very quiet and he uses one himself and has found it to be reliable.

Anyone used either of these kits or have any other suggestions in the $200-250 price range?

Do a search in the forum....this topic gets asked literally about ever week (in fact, there was a similar post about an hour ago).

You will find a wealth of information to help you decide.

Now, regarding your two links...

The first one may be just fine.
I have used compressors both with and without a tank - they are fine. Also, the basic brush in that kit looks like a dual action with a gravity feed - this is what you want.

While I have ordered many things before, nothing beats walking in and walking out with it. I would go this route - as you could also maybe get help with it from them.

Now, regarding paints - there are hundreds of posts on those....but if you can, use dedicated airbrush paints (most can be painted on as well) they are worth the price.

The better brands are;
Minitaire, vallejo model air (gaming related) and "golden" brand (more of an artist paint, but amazing).

You can thin other paints, but it takes experience to get it right - there are tons of videos and thread on the paint topic....a search or two will give you a lot of ideas.

welcome to airbrushing!

Yeah, I have read some older threads on airbrushes. Much of it seems rather subjective and so it seems the best bet is to buy something with a decent compressor and decide whether or not I hate it once I try and use it, lol.

I guess my only worry with the compressor that doesn't have a tank is whether or not it will pulse the flow noticeably or produce inconsistent pressure.

Take the 2nd one with a tank. Else you will waste your money and yell lots of swear words.

We need an airbrush forum or something.

Hi man. In regards to buying an airbrush no idea about sparmax airbrushes. I can only comment on iwata, badger, H&S.


With compressors there all pretty similar. Only difference between a hobby compressor and a normal one at super cheap is a few things.

DB - how lowd it is.
And quality parts.

You can use a massive 50L tank and is your best option if you don't mind MASSIVE noise.

I myself use an iwata smart jet pro and a H&S silver line 2 and one as I feel build quality and all that is in matched. Plus I find easier to clean unlike other brushes.

For the 2 compressors that are there the one with the tank is way better as you are not constantly spraying. Like an endless airflow.

Your compressor will over hear quiet fast.


I hope this helpt in some way posting this using my phone bought to sleep so soerybout lay out and spelling.


Regards


James

Compressors with tanks are generally considered superior, but tankless models aren't particularly problematic. Tanks do three things:
1) Provide consistent output pressure - there is no small drop from idle to working pressure when airflow starts.
2) Remove pulsation.
3) Allow the motor to rest between fills.

With a tankless compressor, the first point is easily circumvented if using a dual-action brush - simply set the pressure a few PSI higher. Since air and paint flow are controlled independently and you always start air first, pressure drops to where you want it before you start spraying. Pulsation smooths out naturally over distance. With just 8-10' of hose and a single compressor-side moisture trap, I don't notice any. Granted, I don't do any super-detailed work, but it's both relatively cheap and simple to add a few more feet of hose and another inline trap to mitigate the issue, if it persists. The severity of the third issue depends largely on how much you plan to spray. Six hours of straight work will be much harder on the motor than six one hour sessions with resting/cooling time in between. Most hobbyists are likely to have work patterns closer to the latter than the former, so again, not a huge issue. It takes a lot to burn out the motor on any but the cheapest hobby compressor.

Again, models with tanks definitely are superior. Personally, though, I don't think the average hobbyist sees enough benefit to justify the step up in cost over a serviceable tankless model. If you plan to really work the thing, get the best you can afford. If you'll just be doing light to moderate hobby work, weigh whether the money might be better spent on paints, upgrading your brush, etc.

All that said, neither of the linked deals seem like a particularly great value (an equivalent tankless compressor can be had for ~60 USD, which is what... 65-70 AUD?), to me, but local availability does have its draw.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Complete-Airbrush-Kit-Compressor-With-Tank-AS186-/130512222762?pt=UK_Crafts_DrawingSupplies_EH&hash=item1e63227a2a

My airbrush.

Was in an auto shop and noticed this compressor was on sale:

http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/online-store/products/Stanley-Wall-Mount-Air-Compressor.aspx?pid=342509&utm_source=getprice&utm_medium=cpc#Cross

$109 down from $169. Do you think this might be a better bet? I ran it in the shop and it was pretty noisy, but I only need to run it long enough to fill the tank and then should get a decent painting session out of the 5L tank before I have to run the compressor again, yeah?

It doesn't mention it in the specs, but in the video they say the output can be regulated 85-115psi, is that not enough regulation? Is it possible just to fit another regulator in there?

I think by the time I buy the airbrush itself, hoses and moisture traps, it will end up being ~$200 (the same as the first kit), but then the compressor is twice the power and has a tank to go with it.

Dunno how long the 5L tank will last you.. really depends on the working pressure and air consumption of the airbrush you use.

My Harder & Steenbeck Evolution Silverline 0.2mm runs for just over a solid hour of working at 25(ish) psi from a 24L tank filled to 8bars.
If thats anything to go off; then a 5L tank also filled to 8bars might run for 10minutes or so of constant air without the motor kicking in.

Local hardware store has a 7.5L tank compressor for $89 and a separate moisture trap for $14, I think I'll just go with that assuming the extra fittings don't cost too much and put up with the noise for now. Then if I find myself doing a lot of airbrushing, I can spring for a more expensive compressor.