The second in a series of airbrush reviews, in which Paul Howard takes an airbrush, and using consistent methods, analyses its qualities so that it may be compared with other airbrushes.



Link to Item

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

Nice series for all who need help with airbrushes. One pick though is the use of measurements that use things like .8"...!? I know VERY few builders that use rulers graduated in tenths. Metric would be better or at least for this 'ol woodworker maybe 32nds or 64ths...! ;-)

Laurie,
Thanks for the feedback and for taking the time to read the review. I believe I have included metric equivalents for the line widths in the evaluation. The inch readings for several lines would be about 2/3 to 1/2 of a 1/64" measurement, hence the reading presented in thousandths i.e. .008". That line is not measurable on any ruler I have as I believe it would measure approximately 1/128". I simply want to avoid using terms like "hairline" as some manufacturers use that term quite loosely.

Again, thanks for the feedback,
Paul H

Can I just say that Paul received some feedback after his previous airbrush review regarding his use of measurements, and for this review he provided conversions between US and metric systems.

The feedback then made me curious about the subject of the "thou", i.e. thousandths of an inch, as I too was surprised to see the mix of fractions and decimals used for subdivisions of an inch. There is a quite interesting Wikipedia article on the subject here which backs up what Paul says about the difficulties of expressing some subdivisions in terms of fractions.

" The introduction of the thousandth of an inch as a sensible base unit in engineering and machining is generally attributed to Joseph Whitworth who wrote in 1857:
...instead of our engineers and machinists thinking in eighths, sixteenths and thirty-seconds of an inch, it is desirable that they should think and speak in tenths, hundredths, and thousandths...
Whitworth's main point was to advocate decimalization in place of fractions based on successive halving...

...phrases such as "scant 64th" or "heavy 64th" were used, their communicative ability was limited by subjectivity.
"

That seems to go along with what Paul says about the use of terms such as "hairline" being vague. I think while rulers may not be graduated in 1/10ths, but in 1/64ths, this article seems to say that calipers and micrometers are graduated in 1000ths.

Anyway, off topic, and I'm making no criticism of the above observations, but it may be of interest to those also wondering about the mixture of decimals with inches.

Nice review. Looking forward to read your findings on the Tamiya superfine.

I own this same Airbrush and its an amazing piece of kit....HIGHLY Recommended! I use it for pre-shade, post-shade on Aircraft & Armor and free hand camo on Armor and AFV's with outstanding results.

Gary

How's the review of the Tamiya Superfine going?

I finished the spraying before I left last week on a business trip. I hope to be able sit down and complete the measurements and writing by this weekend or early next week.

Paul H

The next piece on the Tamiya HG Superfine was submitted this evening. Once the editors have a chance to do their magic, it should appear. Hopefully the info will be useful to someone.

Cheers,
Paul H

Great! I'm looking forward too it!

Thanks for the rewiew I went hunting on Ebay and found one new for $125.00 shipped new and seller has a good track record so you can get these discounted if you look around some.Thanks again

Ron,
That's a really good price for the Iwata HP-B+. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I have mine. I'm glad the review was helpful.

Congrats!
Paul H

Outstanding review

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback!

How does the Tamiya Super fine and the Iwata HP-B compare with one another? Are there advantages of one over another. I know you said both are great airbrushes.

Greg,
The spray performance is really close. The Iwata sprays cleanly at a very slightly lower pressure, but the Tamiya has less trouble spraying Tamiya's paint. The brushes feel totally different in your hand though. The Tamiya is very slightly fatter in the body, which is noticeable and may be a plus if you have big hands. The things that would decide between the two would be the features each has. The cutaway handle on the HP-B+ is nice as is the integral finger rest. The HG Superfine has a slightly taller trigger and a lid that I use a lot and is easier to clean for me. I use the Tamiya more for general model stuff than the HP-B, but I use the HP-B when I do artwork or when I need to be really exact because it points more like a pen for me.

There is really no way to screw up in choosing between the two brushes. Pick the features you want and go, just don't listen to anyone who says they are the same!

If there are specific questions I can answer, let me know. I bought both and haven't regretted either purchase.

Cheers,
Paul H