You are right, they (Olympos) are no longer being manufactured - but, the cease in manufacturing is much more recent than not. If you never had an Olympos Micron from the mid 80's, then I would suggest that you have nothing to base your statement on - comparing old to new, other than opinion. Having had a mid-80's vintage Micron, I can assure you they are not what you get when you purchase today. The SP model they are hyping as the best illustration airbrush of all time didn't exist back in the 80's, or even 90's, the L3 head system is newer tech, but you seem claim it is the same as the old stock? Maybe with time travel
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It is fine to have your opinion, and you are welcome to it. Just as those who feel that the Olympos Micron is not what it once used to be are welcome to have their own opinion.
From this message and further you seem like developing your own theory on Olympos airbrushes production based on your opinion. There’s not much information on the web about the company to say exactly what was and where. FB page is not company’s profile. How something not existing these days could have working web page? It’s a page created buy a company selling airbrushes that are not produced any longer and as it’s stated that will not be produced in future.
Concerning SP and also C model cup shape I could say that you are mistaken.
You can see Olympos commercials right in the first Airbrush Action issues on the very first pages. The magazine exists since 1985. All the ads are from 85-86 years issues. There are also other Olympos ads in other further issues.
Here are the scans which show that shape of C-200 micron is the same today and also you can see on that very page SP-A model, which existed at the same time as Olympos microns models did.
I’ve got some microns from Olympos and they have the same body shape as they had 30 years ago, you can see it on the photos. Can’t say about the quality or the performance, as I have what I have and can not compare them to other Olympos microns (bought back in 80s’). I don’t know when actually mine were produced, maybe also in 80s’ I can’t say it.
But definitely all Olymposes I have, come with rubber needle packing. Question: when Japanese airbrushes begin to come with teflon packing? I think that Olymposes that are sold now were produced before that date, as there’s no use for all Japanese airbrushes produced at one factory to be produced differently. Now all Japanese airbrushes come with the teflon needle packing.
Modern Japanese airbrushes have better outer finish of the bodies that speaks for that Olymposes were produced when the technology of the factory in the past couldn’t give such a quality finish as these days.
I’ve got one Iwata over ten years old that has better polished body before the plating than all my Olymposes have, so it’s possible to say that Olympos production was at least before the date mine Iwata was produced. Again, there no use to produce airbrushes at one factory of different quality, moreover that Olympos company invested in factory develompent, saying this they’d rather have the best possible finish that the factory technology could give then, than something else.
I think, but it’s only mine opinoin based on above said observations, that Olympos stopped its production before Iwata started producing new High Performance Plus series. It’s possible to find that date.
Concerning internal parts they have the same quality at least from appearance. Modern Iwata has a bit better machined air nozzles from my observation, to say exactly – center hole. It’s not strange as the technology develops. But threads and shapes of the air nozzles are identical of both brands.
You can see now on Olympos sales site, they have in stock one item where C200 comes in plastic box with an extra head as it was many years ago, as you state ”old Olympos” had.
I hope this clears up some issues.