I am planning to buy an airbrush and I want you opinion. What is the best airbrush that is worth the cost

So far I had used Gunze Sangyo (mr. Hobby) and badgers, I will say hand down Gunze Sangyo, they are a little more expensive, and spare parts are hard to come by, but they are so much easier to control, and you cannot beat 0.3 mm spray lines. (They came out with one recently with 0.2 mm spray line even)

So I will vote for Gunze Sangyo.

Stressor,

That is a difficult question. What are the most important factors for you?

If getting the finest line possible is what you are after, then I recommend Iwata hands down. I have also heard good things about Tamiya, Gunze, and the Badger 360.

If cost is a factor, then I would recommend an Aztec. They are not as good as the brushes I mentioned above, but they provide a lot of bang for the buck.

I have an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS, a Badger Crescendo 175, and had an Aztek. (not sure on the model) I prefer the Iwata, but I still use the Badger a lot.

HTH,

Scott

If you're new to airbrushing - then I'd recommend the Paasche H or VL and the Badger 150. All of them are easy to use and rugged. Dependability equals cost in these three brushes and can serve you well for a decade or more. They're good tools to learn the craft.

They're also great to learn advanced painting techniques. It does little good to sink a ton of money on an advanced airbrush if your skills aren't up to the challenge. I see many guys run fine equipment and still get mediocre results. Cut your teeth on one of these and you might find that one works for you very nicely indeed as you get better handling an airbrush.

Gunnie

Stressor, Guntruck has hit the nail on the head. I bought a Pasche VL and tried to figure out how to use, spraying enamels. I got so disappointed in the results that I quit even trying to use it. It collected dust. After asking some folks here about spraying Model Master Acryl out of the bottle without thinning it (they said I could) I picked up my ancient Testors single action airbrush, that a lot of people said was not "good" enough. I have been having a blast. Thing works like a charm. I figure once I get the fine line thing down with the "cheap" airbrush I'll break out the VL and try that, and maybe upgrade later. If it wasn't for the people on this site I would still be painting everything in colors I could get out of a spray can. Start off slow and practice. Don't start with a Stradivarius and get upset because you are not making beautiful music.

:-) I've been using a Badger 200 single action for years and have had good results with it. I am now looking for a gravity feed double action. I was thinking of a Badger 175 o 155, but have recently looking at a German make, which is new to me, Simair. It is similar to the Badger but has interchangeable colour cups which would suit my requirements perfectly. The brochure says that it comes with a 0.2 and 0.4mm needle/nozzle set. I'm not sure if that is the finest line it's capable of but if that's what it means then it would be perfect. Dave's Gunze brush is of interest because of it's fine line capability.
To get back to your question, for your first airbrush I would recommend a single action, any make would probably be fine. Think about second hand (problem here is that it might not have been looked after, but likely only needs a good clean) Air supply is a major factor, a simple diaphragm compressor will do but you do need a holding tank (to prevent pulsing) and a moisture trap/regulator. A little trick, to save the cost of a holding tank, use 2 hose sizes from you regulator. the larger diameter one first, then the smaller one. The larger will act as a holding tank :-)
Mal

I used to own a Gunze airbrush too (I forgot the model) but when I moved in here I left it back there in the Philippines. I recently ordered online for a Badger Crescendo set. I still have to see if it's as good as they say it is. Anyway, I hope you find a good one thats cheap.

I own Both a Paasche H & VL And love both of 'em.....

Aztec 470. Reliable and inexspensive(for an airbrush).
capnjock

I use a Badger 150 which I have had for 9 years now...

problem is, I have worn through the chrome coating on many parts due to the cleaning
(I clean after each use)

so I am looking for a new one too (maybe) and was hoping there might be brushes out there which are easier and more importantly quicker to clean?

are Iwata airbrushes easy to clean?

I have an Iwata revolution (wanted to see what it could do) and I like it very much. Still using it and getting use to it.

But I also have the badger 150 and 200 anthem. Love my anthem, it has a good weight to it and basically is pretty forgiving. The 150, never had anything bad to say about it. Also have a badger 100, but thats my throw away brush, use for the stuff I dont dare with the others.

And I have the one I only use for certain projects and thats the paasche turbo. Difficult to understand at the beginning, but once you do, everything is possible and nothing is impossible. If you have the time and MONEY for the turbo, go for it. I dont think anything out thier beats it if you want fine lines. Example, I was painting those ghq 1/287 scale tanks with no problem. Forget any of the other AB for those jobs.

Do you guys think that $151 CDN + 15% tax (about $105 US) is expensive for an Aztek airbrush AZ4709 ?
http://www.currys.com/airbrush/prodinfo1.asp?prodID=40&SubcatID=1

That price isn't too bad, IIRC, that's about what I paid for mine a little over a year ago.

Guarnere,

Check http://www.bearair.com

They seem to have good prices.

My vote goes to Tamiya. Buy the Basic Spray Work set. It comes with a compressor. It costs between 4,000-5,000 pesos at Lil's (walk to any branch).

If you have a compressor, my vote still goes to the Tamiya family of airbrushes (the HG variety). What can I say, I have a thing for gravity-feed airbrushes.

They're easier to use and clean. As for the abovementioned item, there are spare parts available for the spray gun if any component gets lost or broken. The parts are less expensive than that of Badger.

My 2 cents.

Ron