My birthday is coming up and I've got a few hundred bucks to squander - can't afford anything of real value, but can waste smaller amounts to help the economy rebound. I've got two places: in one I have a Harder Steenbeck Evolution and in the other an Iwata Eclipse both backed up by a Paasche VLS for broad strokes. I can think of many good reasons to think buying a Harder Steenbeck Infinity would be pure waste considering my present tools. Yet I'm too old for an iPad and it's something that I'd like to have. What I tell myself is that for fine detail work (they come with a .15 nozzle default although they take up to .40 - and use the same needle/nozzle as the Eclipse) that the Infinity would pay off with better results or just be fine to use. Has anyone out there used one? Is there any real world difference between an Infinity and an Eclipse or does the Infinity just look neater?

Eric

well, I can't comment on the eclipse but I've been using the infinity cr-plus since christmas and I can only recommend it. first off and my favorite about it: it's very easy to clean. I use an ultrasonic cleaner and plain tap water and it removes even two-day-old tamiya and gunze paints with ease (I haven't tried with enamels though). in between sessions I just empty the cup, give the needle a few wipes with a brush and spray half a cup gunze thinners or acetone through it and that's all it takes... apart from that it feels nice too. it's the first airbrush I've had hands on where you can actually effectively control the amount of air-pressure depending on the pressure you apply to the trigger. another advantage over most other airbrushes I've used is that little gadget that lets you control how far you can pull back the trigger. that way converting the airbrush into a very 'sophisticated' single action airbrush when you need it. quite useful when you're trying to draw straight lines or what not...

Cheers, Max

Max,

What size nozzle/needle to you use? Do you just put just the nozzle in the ultra-sound? I use water based paints usually and they can actually be harder to clean because the polymer will solidify when dry. (They're easier to clean if one is diligent.) But you're right about the ultra-sound for clearing out a nozzle: very nice gadget. Some companies recommend against putting the whole brush in: might do harm to the gaskets. One thing that sounds good is that the Infinity may use a more elaborate gasket arrangement. My Evolution does let paint get between the trigger and the cup.

My only gripe with the Evolution is that the nozzle and needle are very fragile. Every Christmas my airbrush gets a new needle/nozzle - sure makes a difference.

Thanks for the encouragement. There's odd satisfaction in owning something you want but know you don't need. It's a hobby, right? And model boats are cheaper than real ones - I know that because my brother has three in 1:1 scale and they cost more to run in one year than I'd spend on models in a century.

As a dealer as well as a user of H&S products, I can say that the Infinity is well worth it.

If you can afford to, get the 2n1, as then you get the best of both worlds with the .15mm needle/nozzle, as well as the .4mm set, and also get the 5ml paint cup as well (the solo comes with only the 2ml cup)

You find the Evolution needle nozzle 'fragile'? What are you doing with it? I have had the same needle in my Infinity for about 2yrs, and still works as good as new.

The needle and nozzles for the Infinity is no different than those for the Evolution, just the added .15mm size (which you can also use in the Evolution). Beyond that, the special aircap for the Infinity, and the trigger limiter on the back of the Infinity, both of which can be retrofitted to an Evolution.

If you already have an Evo, maybe just buy the parts that the Infinity has, instead of a complete airbrush, that is of course unless you just want another airbrush.

I have the evolution 2´n´1 for about 9 years and still as good as the day I bought it. I have added the quick fix to control paint flow and also bought a 0.15 needle/nozzle last year for finer painting. I used the 0.4 once. The 0.2 is the most common ... especially for tanks and dios.
In my opinion you cannot go wrong with H&S. Never had any problems with the needle/nozzle.

Eric, I have the 0.15. works fine for virtually eveything from base coating to camouflages and shading...
when I clean it after sessions I usually take the whole thing apart and drop all the single components in the ultasound. the only parts that I've never cleaned so far are the lever, middle components and the end piece.
the gaskets are still fine. however, from my experience there will always be some paint finding its way through the gaskets into the main body... although its much less paint on the infinity than on all my other airbrushes...
I fing the needle and nozzle to be solid enough for my purposes. so far I dropped the thing twice and nothing happended also the nozzle looks to have thicker walls than the one I have on my Badger 100LG for example. so I don't expect it to tear as easily as these things usually do...

cheers

Yes. I have the infinity, and it's a wonderfull airbrush.

Also very easy to clean.

Really highly recommended!

Dave

I LOVE my Infiniti 2 in 1...I was tired of damaging the needles/nozzles on my Tamiya and Iwata airbrushes and replacing them every 6 months or so. I bought my Infiniti about 5-6 years ago and I've yet to destroy a needle on it, but I did manage to strip off the finish on a nozzle when I used a ultrasonic cleaner and some simple green on it