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I know you're getting a bit emotional but maybe try and stop swearing, the forum has a filter on posts but we still have to read it if we quote you.

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
Again, you keep hammering on this $150 airbrush idea, which is also absurd.

Gee I wonder why I'm hammering on about a $150 airbrush *flicks back through thread*

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
...but something more in the $100-$150 range...

Oh that's right, it's because that's the price range YOU had recommended. I brought up my $150AUD brush because it'd fall probably closer to the $100 side of the $100-150USD range you mentioned.

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
You can pick up an Iwata NEO for $50 in the States.......Both of those are without question better than a piece of gak $20 brush from Master or some other no-name company.

You'll notice I haven't recommended any of the $20 Masters brush YOU keep hammering on about because I haven't used them and I don't recommend things I haven't used or haven't been recommended to me by someone I trust.

If you have other brushes in the $50 range you are recommending, cool! Even better if you've actually used them and can still recommend them. I personally have no experience with the Iwata NEO, but if it's a good brush than that's awesome! You should have listed it in your original post and then you wouldn't have gotten a single reply from me

Also, most junk airbrushes have no customer support either, so if you do end up fething one up, there isn't much you do other than throw it away.

Well the Artlogic I recommended is interchangeable with Sparmax parts. So if you damage a nozzle or a needle you can just buy a Sparmax one as a replacement.

My first airbrush was a $50AUD Chinese cheapo, an Artlogic gravity feed brush (which I'm sure you could get something similar for less in the USA, at the time there was no well-known branded brushes for less than $100AUD and those were Sparmax or siphon fed paasche brushes). You can talk about right and wrong but all you're doing is talking from your personal experience of being put off by cheap junk airbrushes and all I'm doing is talking about MY personal experience of buying a cheap airbrush and being totally happy with it. I can even show you the very first model I painted with that cheap chinese airbrush some 3 years ago...



Maybe not the best, but it's what spring boarded my airbrushing and I doubt I would have done any better with a more expensive brush (especially since if my only option was a more expensive brush I simply never would have bought one, that brush + compressor was at the limit of my budget at the time).

Before I can give you an answer first you have to answer me few questions:

How much are you willing to spend? (There are OK airbrushes, and then there are top of the shelf that will last for ever)
How often are you painting and for how long are you planning to paint? (Long or short term investment)

When it comes to compressors, really good ones can be found for ~100 euros on e-bay. If you want to know more details (what to look for, what to avoid, I'l gladly help).

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
I know you're getting a bit emotional but maybe try and stop swearing, the forum has a filter on posts but we still have to read it if we quote you.

My language has nothing to do with my level of emotional investment, so you should stop being condescending.

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
Again, you keep hammering on this $150 airbrush idea, which is also absurd.

Gee I wonder why I'm hammering on about a $150 airbrush *flicks back through thread*

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
...but something more in the $100-$150 range...

Oh that's right, it's because that's the price range YOU had recommended. I brought up my $150AUD brush because it'd fall probably closer to the $100 side of the $100-150USD range you mentioned.

Right, I did mention a price range while also mentioning several others that are quite good that cost less money, which you conveniently ignore because you're stuck defending a bad recommendation.

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
You can pick up an Iwata NEO for $50 in the States.......Both of those are without question better than a piece of gak $20 brush from Master or some other no-name company.

You'll notice I haven't recommended any of the $20 Masters brush YOU keep hammering on about because I haven't used them and I don't recommend things I haven't used or haven't been recommended to me by someone I trust.

Master is pretty much the North American equivalent to ArtLogic (which as far as I know is not available here) and I haven't said you're recommending them, but they've been brought up more than than once already. Remember, not everything thing is about you.

If you have other brushes in the $50 range you are recommending, cool! Even better if you've actually used them and can still recommend them. I personally have no experience with the Iwata NEO, but if it's a good brush than that's awesome! You should have listed it in your original post and then you wouldn't have gotten a single reply from me

Actually, I didn't need to say anything to keep you from replying, you're free to do so at your leisure. I am under no obligation to craft my posts to your liking.

Also, most junk airbrushes have no customer support either, so if you do end up fething one up, there isn't much you do other than throw it away.

Well the Artlogic I recommended is interchangeable with Sparmax parts. So if you damage a nozzle or a needle you can just buy a Sparmax one as a replacement.

My first airbrush was a $50AUD Chinese cheapo, an Artlogic gravity feed brush (which I'm sure you could get something similar for less in the USA, at the time there was no well-known branded brushes for less than $100AUD and those were Sparmax or siphon fed paasche brushes). You can talk about right and wrong but all you're doing is talking from your personal experience of being put off by cheap junk airbrushes and all I'm doing is talking about MY personal experience of buying a cheap airbrush and being totally happy with it. I can even show you the very first model I painted with that cheap chinese airbrush some 3 years ago...

Again, you bought a cheap airbrush and you're happy with it... good for you. I did get burnt by a piece of gak airbrush and now I know better than to tell people to waste their money. Also, like I explained, my cheap $30 Master airbrush worked and I used it for some time just fine (more or less), something I've never disputed. The point is that it was a useless purchase because when I got a decent quality airbrush I realized how bad the cheap one really was.

Maybe not the best, but it's what spring boarded my airbrushing and I doubt I would have done any better with a more expensive brush (especially since if my only option was a more expensive brush I simply never would have bought one, that brush + compressor was at the limit of my budget at the time).

No, an expensive airbrush doesn't make anyone a better painter, which is something I've already said.

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:
...so you should stop being condescending.

As should you my friend, as should you.

Actually, I didn't need to say anything to keep you from replying, you're free to do so at your leisure. I am under no obligation to craft my posts to your liking.

I don't understand why you're being needlessly aggressive? I never said you NEEDED to say anything to keep me from replying, I said you SHOULD have mentioned it in your first post and I wouldn't have replied.

Like, seriously, I don't know why you're being so argumentative. The first line of my first reply to you was "I agree with the starting cheap idea, with the caveat you still want an airbrush that has a half decent reputation."

You haven't even used the brush I was recommending and I haven't recommended the brush you are attacking, so why on earth are you even arguing with me? I never said go out and buy any old cheap brush, I never said all cheap brushes are awesome.

Many people buy the cheap brush and that's all they ever use, or they upgrade and continue using the cheap brush for stuff they don't want to put through their good brush. Or some people evolve to spraying paints with different bases and keep the cheap brush for different types of paint (eg, using the good brush for enamels and the cheap one for acrylics or vice versa).

There's lots of good reasons to start out with a cheap brush and as long as people are sufficiently informed they can make the decision for themselves.

The point is that it was a useless purchase because when I got a decent quality airbrush I realized how bad the cheap one really was.

And when I bought a decent quality brush I realised how perfectly acceptable the cheap one I bought really was and how glad I was that it was recommended to me by an experienced painter.

But whatever, I've said what I think, at this point it's just being needlessly dragged out.

 Gamgee wrote:
If I was to get an airbrush what else do I need with it? My house is so-so ventilation wise. Is there anything like that I would need?

There are quite are few things to consider if you want to buy an airbrush. As stated already, the obvious and probably most expensive tool you will want is an airbrush compressor. There are a lot of them: consider buying a silent one, (piston not diaphragm). Diaphragm are often called compressor for beginners. Hard to get constant airflow with them. You might end up frustrated and blame the airbrush. Get a piston compressor with a tank (motor won't run constantly). Silent Oil compressor are very silent (like a fridge) as well but often more expansive.And there is maintenance involve in oil-compressor (change oil like in a car..etc). Make sure to have a moisture trap and an air regulator. Check this link it will give you a good indication as what you will need http://www.airbrushgeek.com/start-airbrushing/
You will need paint, cleaning station for you airbrush is also a good investment. I would recommend a face mask to protect you from the paint particles, especially if your house is so so ventilation wise.
Personally, I own the badger patriot 105 and I am happy with it. It has a .5 nozzle\needle. That was exactly what I was looking for, a versatile airbrush good for basing and fine details. The Iwata Eclipse HP-BCS comes with .5 nozzle size (with optional 0.35), the Eclipse HP CS comes with .35 nozzle size (with optional .5 nozzle).......

There you go, good luck to you!

johnnyk wrote:

 Gamgee wrote:
If I was to get an airbrush what else do I need with it? My house is so-so ventilation wise. Is there anything like that I would need?

There are quite are few things to consider if you want to buy an airbrush. As stated already, the obvious and probably most expensive tool you will want is an airbrush compressor. There are a lot of them: consider buying a silent one, (piston not diaphragm). Diaphragm are often called compressor for beginners. Hard to get constant airflow with them. You might end up frustrated and blame the airbrush. Get a piston compressor with a tank (motor won't run constantly). Silent Oil compressor are very silent (like a fridge) as well but often more expansive.And there is maintenance involve in oil-compressor (change oil like in a car..etc). Make sure to have a moisture trap and an air regulator. Check this link it will give you a good indication as what you will need http://www.airbrushgeek.com/start-airbrushing/
You will need paint, cleaning station for you airbrush is also a good investment. I would recommend a face mask to protect you from the paint particles, especially if your house is so so ventilation wise.
Personally, I own the badger patriot 105 and I am happy with it. It has a .5 nozzle\needle. That was exactly what I was looking for, a versatile airbrush good for basing and fine details. The Iwata Eclipse HP-BCS comes with .5 nozzle size (with optional 0.35), the Eclipse HP CS comes with .35 nozzle size (with optional .5 nozzle).......

There you go, good luck to you!

Come on, no beginner needs that kind of compressor.

Beginners need cheap diaphragm compressors with a tank and a pressure valve to get constant airflow.

That costs about 100 bucks, when your piston silent whatever thingy without tank will struggle to deliver constant airflow and still cost twice the price.

Lets agree to disagree. I would not recommend diaphragm compressor have usually no tank...no moisture trap...and no constant air flow.I have heard so many beginners being frustrated with their airbrush when in fact it was the air source (diaphragm compressor) that was at fault!
This PISTON compressor with tank cost under 100 bucks Master TC20T
This will deiliver enough psi and have constant air flow.This is just an example.....

johnnyk wrote:
Lets agree to disagree. I would not recommend diaphragm compressor have usually no tank...no moisture trap...and no constant air flow.I have heard so many beginners being frustrated with their airbrush when in fact it was the air source (diaphragm compressor) that was at fault!
This PISTON compressor with tank cost under 100 bucks Master TC20T
This will deiliver enough psi and have constant air flow.This is just an example.....

That's exactly what I have except I've got two pistons, it's not silent, it cannot do constant air flow for more than a few minutes - i.e. not what I thought you described at first.

I thought that since it was a crappy cheap compressor it was actually diaphragm, my bad.

One important point: if you're going to run that compressor for more than 15 minutes, you need to cool it - I personally run 3x120mm Scythe Slipstreams which keep it cool and enable me to use the compressor for hours non stop.

I was a professional illustrator for years and used LOTS of airbrushes. There is no one brush fits all, that's for sure.

I have my super fine gravity feed Iwata, a cheap Paasche single action, a big Badger for spraying big areas. The one I use the most? The Paasche, because I am not doing tiny details, but overall blends and base coats. It works and cleans easily. I do not want to ruin my nice $300 Iwata on work a $25 brush can do just fine.

Tanks on a compressor are a must. Also, the tank will have a bleed valve at the top and a purge valve at the bottom. When done spraying, get in the habit of bleeding the air out until about 40psi left. Then open the purge valve and blow out the moisture that has condensated in the tank and leave the valve open. When you use the compressor again, close the purge valve before you turn on. This will become a normal routine, reduce moisture in your tank, keep your tank from rusting and GREATLY extend the life of any moisture inline trap you make have.

Good luck!!

Some outstanding advice here. If you are undecided, this:
https://www.amazon.com/Master-Airbrush-Multi-purpose-Dual-action-Compressor/dp/B001TO578Q/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1490720855&sr=8-4&keywords=master+airbrush

Is a decent starter brush to see if it is something you want to develop. As time goes on you can upgrade to a better brush.

It may sound like blasphemy, but I suggest starting with Chinese Cheapo and a good compressor. Having a 10-50$ Chinese Gak is a good way to start learning and won't regret if you rekt it during the learning process. You will learn how to dismember it, clean it or just use it recklessly without worrying too much. If i put a brand new Iwata tru what I've put my first Chinese cheapo I'd be fallen sick and dead by now.

An AS186 (masters) compressor for $100 and a brand name brush you can afford. I'm partial to the iwata hp-cs but the harder and steenbeck ultra is a great brush too. Cheap Chinese brushes can work, but they're clunkier and make an already steep learning curve much steeper.

I started with a Harbor Freight airbrush compressor and a Harbor Freight (cheapo, little quality control, made of Chineseum) siphon-fed brush. Couldn't do anything with it. I returned the brush and bought the oft recommended Masters airbrush (G44, double-action gravity-fed) to solve the problem. It made things even worse (manufacturing defect, impossible to solve with replacement needles/nozzles... as I figured out MUCH later ), and I stopped trying for a while.

After even more research (I certainly didn't go into it blind, and I'm talking about a whole extra month or two of following threads on Dakka, reading blogs/articles, etc.), I struggled and cursed and struggled some more - and made the Masters brush work... sort of. Frustrated even with that, I grabbed another HF siphon-feed (and a Badger paint cup - the HF cup design was dumb and the Badger fit the feed tube perfectly, while also actually functioning) and it worked like magic, by comparison. Still using the same ~$60 airbrush compressor.

The main issue with cheap knockoff airbrushes is rarely with design. They're knockoffs, after all - cheaper copies of proven models. The issue is partly cheap materials and MOSTLY poor quality control. Masters brushes are just as bad as Harbor Freight's, if you don't luck out on either order. It's entirely possible to get identical performance out of a $20 and a $100 airbrush - not just comparable results, mind you, but identical performance - the odds are simply stacked in favor of the pricier product. Above a certain range, if it doesn't work right, it's almost always user error. In the shallower end of the pool, though, it's a tossup between ignorance and shoddy equipment.

Personally, I think starting out cheaper is the way to go... if you're willing and able to play the 'cheap tool lottery.' I have a local HF store, so I can exchange a defective item on my way to/from work. That means I can easily afford to gamble on a compressor, an angle grinder, a bandsaw... whatever it is I buy. They know their stuff is cheap and QC is weak, on the production side - they have a return/exchange policy that reflects this, so the consumer isn't boned. If you have to do all of your ordering online, shipping costs and return hassles might make you spend as much to get a passably functional cheapie as buying a decent, if simple, airbrush outright. I still own my garbage Masters brush, simply because the return cost would have been the better part of what I initially paid for the damned thing.

On the compressor issue... at the core, you just need an air source capable of pushing paint. If it can do so at a reasonably constant rate, all the better! Compressed air cans are inefficient (both in terms of cost and consistency of pressure) but workable, in a pinch. Air pigs (pressurized air tanks), CO2 tanks, SCUBA tanks... even inflated tire inner-tubes have all been used with great success. Household/shop compressors, regulated down to <30PSI with some granularity in the finer tuning (usually a secondary regulator, somewhere down the airline), work great. For airbrush-specific compressors, are two pistons better than one? Yes. Is a tank desirable? Definitely. Will a simple, single-diaphragm airbrush compressor (like the generic "can with a heatsink and moisture trap" model that just about everyone sells, from Harbor Freight to Badger to Iwata to random Ebay sellers from India and/or China) do just about anything the average hobbyist painter will need? I'd say yes. More frequent running (i.e. every time you're putting out air and/or paint) will wear on the guts faster, you may experience a bit of pulsation, and the moisture trap isn't as effective without the comparatively big expansion chamber that an air tank provides, but most of us don't need to airbrush hairlines and impossibly smooth and subtle gradients with highly fluid inks. A basic, tankless compressor (with attached moisture trap) and a 6-10' hose is enough in temperate/dry climates to mitigate noticeable pulsation and avoid spitting water. I've been using that exact setup for years, now, with no issue (seriously - I have to work heavily for an hour in the hottest room in the house during the summer to get anything close to 1/4 of the moisture trap filled - even with that, I've NEVER had issues with water in the airline... but I do, admittedly, not live in the Caribbean, on the Gulf Coast, in Hawaii, etc.). If it's humid, add an in-line trap and a few more feet of hose. That, a bit of research, the will to practice, and a serviceable (regardless of price) airbrush are all it takes to avoid the basic pitfalls. Nothing more.

Would I recommend spending as little as possible to get the bare minimum equipment and jumping right in? No. If that's all you can afford, though, then you'll need to learn everything you can, pray, learn some more, pray to a different god, practice, pray to ALL the gods, then read/watch and practice some more. Don't worry - you might get it in a few years. Do I think that you necessarily need to spend more than, say $100-150 (USD, depending on your available sources) to develop basic airbrushing skills, gain access to new techniques, shortcuts, and potential speedup of your workflow? Hell no. Do I think that spending an extra $50-100 will help ease things along? Yeah, quite likely.

Basically, read everyone's advice, both in this thread and others, but take every individual opinion with a grain of salt. Some people have been burned by overly cheap or expensive products, while others have had uncommonly good experiences with those same items. Some people only use airbrushes for priming/basecoating in a single color, others use them for 90% of their painting.

TLDR: I like to sit on fences. If you have a chance to try airbrushing out for free, do that first. If not, see if you can try by buying, with the option to return, conveniently. If all else fails... read up a ton, think long and hard about your needs/goals, then spend more than the bare minimum, knowing that you don't need to spend the maximum, either. See? All about straddling those fences.

Thanks oardie.
Excellent advice on trying airbrushing for free, that will also help you see how airbrushing is with a proper setup, proper thinning, etc.
I think your example highlighted exactly why you need to buy a $100 airbrush from a good brand (that's Iwata for me, others like H&S, fewer like Badger).
As a noob, you have no idea at all how things should work, and the best way to learn fast is to not have to deal with problems you can't possibly understand or manage.

In my experience, that starts with having a good airbrush which cannot be the problem.
Then paints that cannot be the problem, like Vallejo Model Air, which can be used without being thinned, so that you don't need to learn thinning at the same time you're struggling with airbrushing.
And the compressor/tank cannot be the problem either, you need that tank + pressure valve compressor or else you'll never be sure that your problems don't come from inconsistent air flow or something like that.

I personally started with priming, base coating, and blending a secondary base coat.
Then I learned how to do peripheral highlights (on the border of the item I'm painting), then other highlights (inside the model area, like raised edges etc.) - I'm not a pro at all but I can tell you things became infinitely simpler when I purchased a real airbrush and airbrush paints.
I did manage to get some results with the cheap chinese airbrush and paint I had thinned myself, best results were with GW paint, worst were with "art" acrylics.
The thing is, I only really started learning airbrushing when I had an airbrush with fine control and paints which couldn't be the problem.

Get a $50 air compressor, tanks if you want to paint at night, pressure regulator and some air line plus a water trap (not that big a deal if you compressor is in a dry space). You shouldn't consider your air supply as only a tool for an airbrush. Air tools are a thing and they will never fry just keep them well maintained. I would also recommend isolating pads and a baffle box this will reduce vibration greatly and protects your ears. Make sure you drain your tank every now and then; in the process of compression water begins to drop out of the air and collect at the bottom of your tank causing rust and reduces capacity (water cannot compress like air). run the pressure regulator right before the brush so that you change air flow to adjust for drops in the tanks pressure (really only matters if you are painting with the compressor off like at night time). Brushes I would buy something with a warranty and has interchangeable needles and nozzles keep the pamphlet that comes with the brush it will be helpful to look at the disassembly guide when you are cleaning the brush. Besides that an airbrush is pretty much the same. Trust me I was able to disassemble 4 different brands of HVLP guns for a company i interned at just by one guns pamphlet. Warranty and interchangeable parts those are the key things to look for in a airbrush. Siphon is good for long periods of the same paint gravity is good for lots of small batches of different paints. Always spray your brush out after you clean it it will save you lots of headache

Dont start off with a chinese knockoff, they are exactly that, Knockoffs. They dont work properly, they are gak and if you break any part of it, you are buying a new Airbrush.
Go get a Neo for Iwata. it is a proven starter for airbrushing. its anywhere from 50$-80$ It works like magic.
you NEEED a tank, not just a compressor, a tank will allow for constant airbflow while a compressor will cause you to get un even paintjob.

UK here, this is what I bought:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Voilamart-Action-Airbrush-Compressor-Stencils/dp/B0192X5HFI/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1491088996&sr=8-18&keywords=airbrush


Is it amazing? like [redacted] is it, however I bought it for priming to save money on rattle cans and be able to prime indoors without stinking the house out all year round.

Its turned out pretty good for applying base colours, camo on WW2 tanks, zenith shading on 28mm models and similar, I'm no artist, its capabilities are a decent match for mine, and the compressor can drive a abetter brush if I get one later.

This is the second one of the same basic compressor I've bought (burnt the first one out over three years), its paid for itself several times over in rattle cans for priming and varnishing.

So far I've been using this:



I wouldn't dare calling it chinese knockoff, since I've once found a knockoff of this exact same model (so a knockoff of a knockoff would be really weird). It cost me like 20ish euros. And it gets the basic job done pretty well, imo. Well, at least for basic basecoasting, layering and an occasional small detail.

Though now I'm really thinking of buying Harder/Steenbeck Infinity 2 in 1, since I feel like I want something of a higher quality/performance/more precise detail work. AND, that I've actually had some time to get to know what to do and what not to do with airbrush/airbrush parts/etc (I guess I would've ended up ruining the expensive one if I bought it as my first)

I had a very expensive Badger Silent Air compressor (which weighed a ton!) and starting using my cheap Husky 1.5 gallon, since it was so much easier to cart around and did not need oil. The only drawback was it was much noisier. However, once it charges up and you set your pressure to around 20-25, it will only come on after the tank pressure gets below that. So, it pops on for a bit, then shuts off.

Plus, I can use this same compressor to air up my tires, blow out my garage, run my pneumatic tools, nail guns, etc. Attach a quick release connect available at any hardware store and good to go.

I ended up selling my Badger compressor...