Hi From Pennsylvania

I can't speak for Badger, I haven't liked the ones I've held comfort and balance wise, so have never used one. However I am a massive fan of the HP-CS. It is a fab brush, and though not the cheapest, it's not that expensive compared to some either. And for it's hardiness/build quality and versatility it's hard to beat IMO. It is capable of really fine detail, but can also cover larger areas (relatively speaking) and anything in between. So while it is a bit more money, the long lasting hard wearing parts, and the variety of what it can be used for make that extra money suddenly make sense in the long run. It was my only brush for 3 years, and did everything I asked of it, from tiny murals to leather jackets, to automotive. I now have a micron for really , really fine work, but still use the HP-CS as well. It's .35 nozzle is a bit more forgiving of paint ratios than a dedicated detail brush, and the self centering nozzle and one piece trigger assembly make cleaning and maintaining a breeze - less fiddly parts to deal with. It's ideal to learn on, but not something you will outgrow. There is also a .5 needle and nozzle, if you wanted to get it and swap it out as needed.

Badger users around here seem to favour the Krome, I am not sure about the 155. I know that they have good customer service and loyal customers. I'm just an Iwata chick, but I'm sure the badger guys will give you the reasons they love them.
 
Badger 105 is their gravity feed workhorse. They use a dual angle needle design which makes them great t shirt brushes, but a little different than other manufacturers.

I also have a badger Krome but it costs more than the hp cs. It is a great airbrush. Even though i never use it these days.

They also manufacture thayer and chandler airbrushes the vega being the most popular line.

There is a point where you get favorites based on brand it is like arguing chevy and Ford.

I believe @RebelAir is a badger man. He also is one of the few who use bottle feed brushes for all sorts of fine art. He should be along soon.
 
I figured it was a Chevy vs Ford thing. Everybody knows Chevy is the best! lol Just kidding.

I looked at the Iwatas and they are very nice. Gravity feed seems to be the preferred choice and I'm not sure why. I like that siphon feed is so easy to cleanup and switch paints.

I didn't know you could "tag" people on this site. Very cool! It looks like RebelAir hasn't been on in a few weeks.
 
Last night I was on Amazon and I put the Iwata HP-CS brush and Master TC-20T in my cart. I also added an inexpensive inline water trap for the brush end, a quick disconnect MAC valve, and one of those plastic cleaning station containers. I'll probably order it today.
 
JatoTheRipper said:
I figured it was a Chevy vs Ford thing. Everybody knows Chevy is the best! lol Just kidding.

I looked at the Iwatas and they are very nice. Gravity feed seems to be the preferred choice and I'm not sure why. I like that siphon feed is so easy to cleanup and switch paints.

I didn't know you could "tag" people on this site. Very cool! It looks like RebelAir hasn't been on in a few weeks.
Click to expand...
Yeah tagging folks is very nice. Reb has had a lot of stuff going on, he is an amazing artist and has posted many videos.

For me, the bottles and changing colors quickly is not much of an advantage unless im gonna do shirts or something.

Most art will be done with small amounts of paint. If i were mixing colors for a picture than it may be helpful. On larger pieces. As it stands now i use a couple of drops of paint at a time unless im doing a helmet larger panels with lots of solid colors or a helmet or some such.

Also many who build up paintings with transparents in monochrome etc will do it like the following

Put in reducer and paint (lots of reduction) paint the piece for the softest parts, add more paint in cup (so less reduced) keep painting add more paint etc etc

So as they paint they keep making the paint darker and darker.
 
A Badger 155 is a good gun, for me it is the ultimate brush but some just don't like siphon feeds LOL, it is a very versatile brush and many model hobbyists use them when they move on from the cheaper brands, but these days they ain't that expensive. If you do go a Badger Anthem, get a fine line conversion kit for it also, this takes it from versatile to beyond :) I personally don't feel any other brush on the market can do as much or as well across so many airbrush diciplines and needs as the anthem can but that is a personal opinion only, nor to start heated discussions about who's is best as ultimately any brush can do good things in the right hands, even the cheapies, the only difference is the cheapies you have to fix more LOL, best of luck in finding the best one for your needs :)
 
Thanks for your feedback. I'm torn between the Badger 155 and the Iwata HP-CS.

I was set on the Badger 155 because it's less expensive, but still a workhorse. But then the more I read about the Iwata the more I wanted to try it as well as gravity feed.

I'm still thinking and researching.
 
I won't try to convince you about a 155, don't want to be blamed if you don't like it LOL, but if your doing models I would recommend a siphon of some description. They generally have larger spray pattern ability which is good for medium to large sized models, a gravity unless armed with a larger needle can be a little harder for some to get smooth bases with. (I'd even suggest a HVLP Gun or trigger grip touch up gun or similar for bases). and even when you do get some smoothness to the base out of a gravity you'll be re-filling it every few passess and stopping starting all the time I don't think is the best way to base. If doing high detail fine art on your models later you can always consider a gravity for that need but some siphons can get some pretty good detail at times, good luck, research them all and hopefully what you get suits you well..
 
oh I did forget to mention something which I always forget but shouldn't. The Anthem does have a much steeper learning curve compared to some other guns so instant results may not always occur. It has a 3 in one needle which is why its so versatile but also why its a little bit more of a control freak gun..The 150 could be an alternative as it comes with 3 separate needles and head assembly's from fine to coarse, it does mean you have to stop and change needles out which some don't like to do but lots of alternatives out there m8. Is anyone running an airbrush course near you? If so ring up and explain you would like to try a few different guns and would it be OK to come along for a session, even if it costs you a few bucks, actually holding and trying various guns is truly the only way to get the right one for you..Good luck.
 
Thank you for mentioning that. I have read about the "stepped" needle and I was curious how difficult it is to use. A steep learning curve isn't desirable at this point. I'm still learning airbrushing. So that's definitely another factor to consider.

I have messaged a few RC body painters on Facebook as well as searching RC forums and a lot of the guys prefer the Iwata HP-CS while some use other brushes in the Eclipse series.

I don't plan on painting an entire body with a detail brush. For that I will get a general sprayer.
 
Here are two quick paintings from tonight. Food coloring on a paper towel.

My lines and control are definitely getting better. But I need to work on my artistic ability! LOL

I used to be a decent drawer, but I haven't done it in decades and it shows.

Baby steps...
22181770550_9b882707cc_k.jpg

22182945479_8bed147c2c_k.jpg
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
Hi from New Jersey
Replies
6
Views
210
Franc Kaiser
Franc Kaiser
Warbolter
Hello from Vancouver, BC Canada!
Replies
15
Views
230
JackEb
JackEb
A
Live from New York...
Replies
12
Views
127
JackEb
JackEb
P
New member from East Anglia
Replies
13
Views
175
Franc Kaiser
Franc Kaiser
Juanma
New member from Spain
2
Replies
24
Views
349
Juanma
Juanma
Back
Top