Hi

I'm going to start having a crack at airbrushing after many years of brush painting. Now I've decied on a compressor Badger BA1000. However I've had 3 recommendations of 3 different Badger airbrushes - 150 , 200 and a 350. I've been told that the 200 is best for beginners, less fiddly to put together and clean, no need to change over needles for fine work etc. I'll be using mainly for applying base coats and camo on tanks and aircraft. However I just need some more advice from the guys who know more. I have limited space to work (kitchen) thus reason for a mediun sized compressor. Any help guys?????

Hi Chris and welcome to the site!

The 3 brushes you mention are, I believe, siphon feed meaning the cup will attach to the bottom or side and use the air pressure to draw the paint up. A better choice, in my opinion, would be a siphon feed with the cup fixed on top. Working in the kitchen...with a siphon feed the cup may fall off (its happened to me) whereas with a fixed cup gravity feed you will just need to watch that you don't tip the brush over too far.

The Patriot is a fair priced brush in the same price range as the ones you listed. If you can swing a little more the Krome is a very good choice and easy to use and clean.

Badger reviews

Thanks for the advice, I must admit I did look at both the 105 and Krome. However I have a budget for approx £140 for both a decent compressor and airbrush and have been searching eBay and found the BADGER BA1000 compressor for £70 and the Badger 200 (£60) and 350 airbrushes (£80). So fit the budget well, however I could stretch if other airbrushes are better. I was told for beginners single action is the best and move onto to double action. Looked @ 200 and 350 as both single action. How easy in terms of ease of use , cleaning and changing needles etc are the Krome and 105?? The Krome is probably a bit too much out of my price range but be handy to know for future.

Ah yes, I forgot that Badger prices are a bit more in the UK. Another you may want to consider is the Iwata NEO:

Neo

NEO again

The 200 is a nice brush and it looks like a good price for it.

Personally i kind of disagree on the single action advices that often is given to new airbrushers. While it is easier to handle it is also less versatile. On top of this you are bound to want a double action soon anyways as you progress. The top cup advice is a good one. I started out with siphon fed and it suited basic covering and bigger camo jobs. The top fed AB i evolved to is much better suited for fine work.

I do not know if it would be any cheaper as compared to a badger but the revell professional is actually a Badger vega. I scored mine for about 90 euro's.

I've recently just started using my airbrush that I've had for a lot of years now and I have a dual-action Paasche VL siphon feed and it is good but I wish I'd went for a top feed as the cup has fallen off once or twice, probably due to my inexperience, and am scared in case it happens again and get paint everywhere! I'm looking for a new airbrush shortly, and on a limited budget and my choice would be a neo by Iwata. Check eBay or www.airbrushes.com .Most are around the fifty quid mark. I've still to look at a compressor which I can change the pressure on so I can't comment on that yet. Stevie.

My 2 cents' worth: I'm an Old Guy, and have been in modelling and professional graphic arts and illustration for over 35 years.
When I reach for an airbrush and it has to work right with little messing around, I reach for the Badger. It works every time, it's priced right, it is easy to maintain, and it paints really good in everything I feed it..enamels, laquers, acrylic..no problem.
I have a drawer full of Paasche brushes which are always in various states of non-functionality, and the next drawer down is for all the spare parts needed to make them paint.
I have a Badger brush so old it has no number on the body. It has painted portraits, retouched photos, painted a hundred tanks and planes, and has so far in 40 years (I'm serious) had one set of needle and spray head replaced, and one air valve rebuilt. 40 years.
I just bought (about 6 months ago) a new Badger 150. No complaints. I have always used bottom feed brushes and have never had the paint cup fall off, and I use the jars for large overall colors too..no problem.
I say Badger, without hesitation.

My 2 cents too! Iwata Eclipse HP-CS or Badger Krome, Top/Gravity feed, Dual action. Worth every penny and ya get what ya pay for. Iwata easier to clean though. Good luck Chris.

I've never owned an Iwata brush, but i have used some in professional shops in the past and I like them, they are good brushes.

Chris,
I second the dual action gravity feed advice you've received so far. I own 4 airbrushes, two Badger (one of them is a 200 and my first airbrush) and two Iwata. I don't want to start a Badger vs. Iwata debate, but I am exclusively using the Iwata airbrushes now. I can wholeheartedly advise and suggest you to invest in an airbrush which you'll be using for years and years, whichever you choose to go with. If I were you, I would get an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS. It is dual action, gravity feed, it can do background work as well as fine lines and it is a pleasure to work with.
Good luck with whatever you choose and have a fun with it.

I've had a Badger 150 for about 25 years, and I haven't used it since changing to a gravity fed Iwata HP-C+ about 8 years ago.

Airbrushing suddenly became so much fun once I started using the Iwata.

Do not waste your money on a single action brush, you will be buying a double action brush to replace it pretty quickly, so it will just be a waste of money.

Each to their own as far as siphon feed or gravity feed (top or bottom) but like I said, after changing to an Iwata HP-C+ I've never looked back. Far easier to clean, uses far less paint, has more control, can spray finer detail. I can put a tiny drop of paint in the cup and spray it, I can't do that with the Badger as it needs much more paint in the cup, and there is much more wastage when compared to the Iwata.

The Neo is ok, but it's not made by Iwata, it is made by a third party and sold by Iwata and it's fit and finish is not at the same standards as their other ranges. It is a good budget air brush, no doubt about it, but it isn't to the same standard as the rest of their line, nor is it up to the same standard as the Badger 150.

If you can afford it, the Iwata CS or C+ would be a great choice.

Have been using the Neo for Iawata (Gravity feed) for the last 6+ month. Works nicely for my needs, easy to clean and no problems so far with Tamiya and (after I got the thinning right) Revel Aqua. Not "best of breed" but a good price/performance ratio for Joe Average Modeller

Honestly, I'd scrape the money for a Patriot. It's a robust brush on it's own but the ability to easily adjust trigger tension and the ease of disassembly and cleaning make it hard to beat. It also has the significant advantage that for the price of an entry level double action brush you get a solid workhorse that you will be able to use for years, making the need for upgrading later voluntary instead of a given.

I also have to admit, I don't think beginners are well served with single action brushes. The learning curve is a little steeper, but not a lot, and you can do so many things with it that it turns the airbrush from being a refillable spraycan to a standard tool. This means that the beginner will use it more and thus get better in a shorter timeframe. IMHO, anyway

Okay guys, Maybe I missed something but I actually own both a single and double action airbrush. I rely on my single action for primer coats and for gloss and flat coats. Just because you buy a single action airbrush to get started with doesn't mean you have to toss it just because you upgrade to a double action. Both of my brushes are paasche's and I have had them for close to 20 years without a problem other than the usual of bent needles and such but again they are still painting up a storm and parts are easily obtained to fix any minor problems. Oh and by the way, welcome to the fun zone!! LOL Have fun!!!!

You just made the point, you've got two airbrushes.

A double action airbrush will do what a single action will do, but not so much the other way around.

So get a double action at the beginning, and save buying two airbrushes.

BTW, I do have 2 Iwatas, Eclipse HP-CS and an Iwata HP-plus for fine work and camo. Best investment i ever made on those 2. I also have a good Badger 150, but the Iwatas spray circles around the 150 all day long so its relegated to spraying bases and ground work. Thats Another 2 cents...which comes to 4 cents, but ill stop there before it gets too expensive!

I think that's a good point Lonewolf - that the single action is still useful especially for varnish and primer. Why run that stuff through your high detail/ fine work brush.

This concept "beginners airbrush" it seems a bit strange. Its like saying I just passed my driving test and I need a beginners car. Or I just started using a computer and need a beginners computer?

If your serious about modelling - you need an airbrush if you want to achieve the best paint finishes. There is no getting away from that point.

OK - from experience when I got back into modelling 7 years ago. I bought a compressor which came with a budget airbrush and also straight away and dived in and got Iwata Tr-2 so a pretty serious investment. Ok since then -- I still use the Iwata 7 years later. The budget thing is still in the box - I used it once i think. Seriously the iwata is easier to use and most importantly to clean. If you want to use an airbrush just get practicing. Since then a few years ago I bought a HP-C - for fine work... and then about 6 months ago I bought a cheapo £12 quid top feed dual action.

Why the cheapo - well like lone wolf I use it only for acrylic primer and varnish --- and thats all. The reason - well if you have acrylics primer like Vallejo mix up with some lacquer primer --- well you get a big goo gunk sticking the airbrush up. Its not the end of the world - but it takes a heck of a lot of cleaning - to even get it spraying again. So I now have the cheapo as a dedicated primer/ varnish brush.

These makes Iwata, Badger, Tamiya, Paasche they are all the quality makes - and that does make a big difference! You need to spend some money if your going to be serious about it. They all will need repairs at some point - so does your car right? Usually the needle accident bent and especially the nozzle - which is soft metal and will split after a few years use.

NOW - of course if your not serious about modelling and so forth - maybe just wait - go to a show. If little cars are there - they demo the brushes you can try and experiment. and take it from there before parting with I would say £300 - £350 for a quality brush and compressor.

best
Mark