Hello all,

Let me start by saying I know only what I have been reading the last couple of weeks regarding airbrush equipment goes so I am certainly a newbie here.

Looking at an airbrush system with the Eclipse HP-CS airbrush and a Master air compressor. I see a kit on line for $279 which seems reasonable to me but if I price it separately, its seems I can get the same airbrush and a slightly better compressor for the same cost. Wondering what I am missing here? (Not sure if I added the image correctly)



Thanks,
Brian

I honestly don't see any substantial difference,if you can afford it, a compressor with a tank is always better.

from the TPC website the TC-40 has more power but not much more, probably that power is lost in the second fan of the TC-320 model, but I bet the compressor itself is identical.

My compressor with tank is from Artlogic but its same as the TC-40T and i am very happy.

I tweaked your post slightly to improve the presentation of the image, the "/thumbs" part shows a thumbnail-image, by removing it you get the bigger picture.

Compressors:
The ones in the image are noisy little beasts without a tank. Living with the noise is up to you, since you have a basement I presume that irritated neighbours and family isn't an issue.
A tank eliminates the pulsations in the air pressure caused by the pumping action of piston type compressors. These pulsations will be a problem when trying to do fine detail works with the airbrush. Those simple compressors are good enough for learning the basics but after a while you will want to get one with a tank so don't waste money on an item you will replace after a while.

Since you have space (basement) I would strongly suggest taking a look at garage/mechanics/DIY/homeowner type compressors. The tanks on those are large enough to give you a lot of airbrushing time from one filling of the tank. Run the noisy compressor while you (and possible family) is doing something else. Shut it off completely beforeyou start painting and enjoy the silence, the low noise psssssshhhh from the airbrush can be quite calming but the RATATATATATATATATAT!!!!! from a noisy compressor (machine gun nest) rattles my nerves.
Make sure you buy a compressor with a pressure controlled shut-off, this will run the compressor motor until a pre-set air pressure is reached, when you consume air the pressure goes down and the racket starts again. My reason for telling you to shut it off completely with the manual power switch (or pulling the cable) is that the air pressure limits for these automatic shut-offs are usually set at 6 psi (on) and 8 psi (off), since you will be spraying at 2.5 psi or lower there will be lots of usable air in that tank when the RATATATAT starts at 6 psi. This can be quite startling when you are fully concentrated on your work.
By cutting the power to the compressor you can enjoy all that air from 6 psi down to 2.5 or 2 psi before the airbrush starts losing its mojo.

A compressor with a 2 gallon tank is plenty big enough for airbrushing, if you want to run air powered tools (nike guns, grinders, et.c. and so forth) you need something bigger.

If space/noise was an issue I would strongly recommend getting a silent compressor (as noisy as your fridge).
These cost a lot more, US $400 and upwards ....
Building a sound isolating enclosure is cheaper, being in an other room is the cheapest way.

No Robin c’mon they are noisiest than the Italian made super silent compressors but are not a lot more than my old fridge,definitely not noisy little beast,but i agree I would never buy a compressor without tank

What kind of fridge was that? Steam powered?
I had one of them small piston jobs and my .22 cal pistol is louder but not much

Yep it’s a pretty old beer fridge i admit but my compressor when is running (I have a tank) is pretty quiet...definitely less than my 22cal rifle...less noisy than my old dremel

Well, that seems pretty quiet.
Mine sounded as if someone was banging a plank with a hammer a foot from my ears.
My options were to get a silent one or go deaf .....

Yeah, get a tank type compressor, better pressure control, no pulsing and make sure you get a good regulator and a water trap. I'm running off my big automotive compressor. I can paint for days without it kicking on.

My big regret, I got the little silent compressor when I was still living in the old house and I couldn't shake the walls, now that I'm a "Land Lord"(this term always makes me laugh, translated directly into my language sounds very medieval) I was thinking of selling the mini-compressor and getting me something bigger,DIY type ,with a nice big noisy tank

Hi all,

Thanks for your input and thank you Robin for fixing my original post.

To further show how little I know, I actually have a good contractor grade compressor but I’m thinking it’s too loud to be running all the time, not considering that I could run a small airbrush for quite some time on one tank of air. Seems my compressor issue is solved.

That being said, what are your opinions on my choice of the Eclipse HP-CS airbrush, and the price?

Thanks
Brian

I have no experience with that Iwata but I still think it is a really good airbrush. You may want to shop around a little for the price though.
I googled 'Iwata 4207 Eclipse HP-CS' and found this US retailer:
https://se-jbtools.glopalstore.com/iwata-4207-eclipse-hp-cs-gravity-feed-airbrush/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_5H69v2w6wIVidmyCh1AdgDREAQYAiABEgK6pfD_BwE

here is another one:
https://repaintsupply.com/iwata-4207-eclipse-hp-cs-airbrush-p176.html
US $ 154:88

Don't rush it, research before buying.

/ Robin

I like the trigger style airbrushed and am currently using a Grex TS3 but Iwata makes one to called the Iwata NEO TRN1.

Hi Patrick

A trigger pull does seem intriguing. I’ve googled a few reviews but I can’t get a handle on how the single tigger pull can control both air and paint flow. How do you change one independent of the other?

Thanks
Brian

i have a Grex tg3 and i am super-happy,i find the trigger style more comfortable and easy,when you pull first you have only air then slowly engage the needle,i like it also because is modular,many different cup size and needle,0.2-0.3-0.5-0.7,and with the fan cap paint large area it's a breeze because turn in to a spry-gun,IWATA are awesome but they are not modular at all in the majority of cases,for the same reason in my wish list i have the Infinity CR-Plus

http://www.grexusa.com/grexairbrush/tritium.php5

https://www.harder-airbrush.eu/en/infinity.html

Vicious' description is right on about the operation of the Grex. Here's a quick video describing the basic operation of the trigger and how to control paint flow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYw434wAoxM

Fan spray cap demo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGFoMwNDB4I

Airbrush clinic by Grex

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0qOO4r3Rro

The various caps are held on by strong magnets

The Grex is a bit more than the NEO TRN1. I have the TS3 because I like the side mounted cups and you can switch them to left or right side. For decade I forced myself to use dual action airbrush that were designed for right handed people. Being left handed it was uncomfortable and awkward. Not until I got a Testors Airbrush, a rebranded Aztek, was I able to switch the paint cup to the other side making it easier to use.

I started off with the Badger 150 where the paint cup swings both ways. I also have a few where the cup is on top.
I usually control the air pressure with the pressure regulator on the compressor. Sort of halfways single action but controlling the paint instead of the air

I got a paasche h after I purchased the Aztek and you could only control the paint flow. Using it with my WR Brown Speedy it did a very good job laying down base coats and single colors.

Spraying two colours is fiendishly difficult, I tried to paint a chess board once but it was a total failure ...

You have to have one color acrylic and the other enamel, so they stay separated....