Had to choose between a $200 gun and a $600 gun last year

Picked the mid-range IWATA over the cheap Master. The old timer at my shop told me to just get the good one first. First job was a 2018 Ford F-150 fender in Phoenix. Paint laid down so smooth, no orange peel at all. Anyone else regret scrimping on spray equipment?

3 comments

3 Comments

logan_ellis1mo ago

Funny how that works out right? The cheap gun route taught me too. Bought a $150 siphon feed first and it was a total pig. Had to learn viscosity and pressure the hard way. Every job was a gamble. But man when I finally got a decent gun that cheap one made me appreciate good spray patterns. Those years of frustration paid off when I could actually feel the difference. Now I can paint with pretty much anything and make it work.

nancycooper1mo ago

You know a buddy of mine? He grabbed a pawn shop gun for 40 bucks and spent six months fighting spitting and inconsistent patterns. By the time he saved up for a proper HVLP, he could diagnose a paint problem just by listening to the gun sputter. Said that junker taught him more about fluid dynamics than any YouTube video ever could.

the_richard1mo ago

Funny, I went the opposite way. Bought the cheap Master first and honestly that $200 gun taught me more about paint than any expensive tool ever could. Got to feel exactly what happens when atomization is off, when air pressure is wrong, all that stuff. You learn real fast when you're fighting with equipment that doesn't forgive mistakes. My first few jobs had orange peel and runs all over the place, but I figured out how to lay down a decent coat with that thing. By the time I could afford the fancy Iwata, I had the skills to actually use it right. Seems like buying nice gear out the gate just skips all those valuable screw ups.