Time to upgrade

[jbuckley421]

About 6 months ago, I purchased a cm-c+ v2, to supplement my eclipse hp-cs. I find myself using the micron almost exclusively now. The eclipse is just frustrating more than anything, the control isn't near as precise, and I really wish it had the MAC valve. I know there are inline valves available, but is there anyway to upgrade my trigger to perform more like the micron? If not, I'm considering just purchasing a new brush. I would like something that's gravity fed, and preforms like the micron, but is more suitable for larger work. I'm pretty partial to iwata at this point. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

[Ronald art]

nothing preforms like a micron , the eclipse is a good airbrush I use one myself next to my micron and I find it all comes down to the trigger finger and the feel for the airbrush I have 5 Iwata's and all except for the microns have a different feel but it only takes a few sec to get used to the way they preform and yes you can get the same detail out a eclipse as you can get from a micron it is just not as easy as with a micron

 

[jbuckley421]

Also, input on oil/water separators and other

nothing preforms like a micron , the eclipse is a good airbrush I use one myself next to my micron and I find it all comes down to the trigger finger and the feel for the airbrush I have 5 Iwata's and all except for the microns have a different feel but it only takes a few sec to get used to the way they preform and yes you can get the same detail out a eclipse as you can get from a micron it is just not as easy as with a micron

I agree, I can get almost the same detail from my eclipse as the micron, but its a lot harder. I guess what I'm asking, is if someone has experience with a larger brush that has similar features such as the mac valve and trigger performance as a micron. Any experience with the "High Performance" or "Hi-Line" series? I'm planning to spend around $600, if need be.

 

[AndreZA]

My Micron helped me to control my Eclipse, and basically all my other guns, better. Both my Micron and Eclipses have all the same springs in, all have polished needles and modified needle caps. I can get pretty tight lines with my Eclipses but it is easier with the Micron. They all have there place in the studio. You do not need detail if you're going to stand 3' away so that is when the Eclipses come out.

 

[markjthomson]

Depends what you mean in terms of trigger performance. You can get soft springs, they are nice...

 

[Squishy]

For slightly larger work, with the added bonus of being able to do fine work also, I can't think of anything better than the eclipse. It's the ultimate all rounder IMO. How long have you had the eclipse?? Just wondering if it's worth giving it an overhaul? New nozzle, needle, and as mentioned if you wanted you could change out the springs too. (Maybe even a new teflon seal??), you could also get the .5 set up for it, to make it even more versatile.

 

[jbuckley421]

The micron is just smoother, I can't explain it beyond that. I don't think its the spring weight so much as the design. Also, The taller, square finger pad is nice.

 

[jbuckley421]

I've rebuilt it, and have parts to rebuild it 2 more times, if anything goes wrong or missing (I'm good at dropping small parts, haha) Might consider the .5 kit though! There's nothing "wrong" with the eclipse, its been good to me the last 2 years, just wondering if there's another option I might be happier with.

 

[RebelAir]

you obviously like your micron so use that ..Problem is here your kinda asking how can I do big space work with a detail gun..You cant is the basic answer. Detail guns are for detail Gravity guns aren't made as much for bigger mural work so if that's what your after buy the one with the biggest paint volume capacity you can LOL. That's what siphons are made for and where they excel over gravity, each horse has a track so to say. A lot of pro's who do high volume or large works tend to gravitate towards an Anthem. They have simply the best set up bar none for fine through to very course work without needle change. It can do your detail but also spray much larger base needs. You say your after an iwata and in that case can't help you as I know few iwata's that are essentially set up for mural work but they may exist..but if going into business you need to drop the loyalty and go with what will better make you money, having a few brushes across the range best designed for the job need..Bills to pay and all LOL. If painting a little bigger detail guns become irrelevant as your painting bigger anyway, but are good to help tighten things up but it also depends what you want to paint, a mural on the side of a bike is a different gun compared to the same mural on the side of a car, for that you'll want a workhorse of a brush..and a siphon feed so your not getting up and down every 30 seconds you empty a cup, but really does depend on the size you want to paint. Can't imagine doing the whole side of a car with a micron LOL

 

[Nessus]

For broader work, I use an HP-TH. Similar in capability to an Anthem on paper, but with some key differences. I don't have an Anthem, so I can't compare directly, but I think the trade off between the two is the HP-TH will get you broader spray than the Anthem, while the anthem will have more crossover with fine line ability. Basically the anthem is journeyman which can do both, but not quite as well as a specialist brush, whereas the TH is more specialized for broad work the way the Micron is for fine detail. The area of utility overlap will be larger with the Anthem, but a TH & Micron combo will get you a a wider overall capability range.

I want to say which one is better depends on how big you consider too big for the Micron (i.e. at what size line/spray pattern would you put down the Micron and reach for something larger, or at what size would you rather put down the big gun and pick up the Micron), Lines of about 4 mm are the TH's comfortable low point, in my experience: it can technically go lower, but it gets hard to see what you're doing due to the head size, and the lines aren't as crisp. The Anthem, from what I've seen, can go almost as low as the HP-CS.

The TH will likely have an easier time with larger pigment particles, due to both the needle geometry, and the fact that it's gravity feed. It can also operate at lower pressures due to the latter, and has that MAC valve you want. Both have large color cup/bottle sizes available, but the Anthem's are much cheaper and easier to source.

If you just want to shore up the Eclipse anyway, I highly recommend getting a KCS trigger + soft spring. The KCS trigger is slightly taller than the stock Eclipse trigger, and changes the feel a surprising amount. Not just in terms of finger travel: it changes the distribution of force in a way that makes the trigger operation feel mechanically smoother. I highly recommend the KCS trigger to anyone who owns any Eclipse because of this.

I don't recommend the .5 kit for the Eclipse if better control is what you're after. The .5 kit allows for more spray volume, but the trade off is noticeably shortened trigger travel between "fine line" and "full blast". I have the .5 kit for my CS, and I don't really feel it's worthwhile in general, as the difference in spray volume and paint thickness it can pass is actually negligible.

 

[jagardn]

Hell, I prefer the Eclipse to the HP-CH. it gets me nothing besides a harder to maintain nozzle and a MAC valve that I don't use. If your Eclipse isn't performing, it probably just needs a good cleaning.

 

[AirbrushGary]

About 6 months ago, I purchased a cm-c+ v2, to supplement my eclipse hp-cs. I find myself using the micron almost exclusively now. The eclipse is just frustrating more than anything, the control isn't near as precise, and I really wish it had the MAC valve. I know there are inline valves available, but is there anyway to upgrade my trigger to perform more like the micron? If not, I'm considering just purchasing a new brush. I would like something that's gravity fed, and preforms like the micron, but is more suitable for larger work. I'm pretty partial to iwata at this point. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Another vote for the Badger Anthem. Also look at the Badger Universal 360 which can be used as a gravity feed or bottle feed. It uses the same needle as the Anthem (which is bottle feed only). That needle is pretty thick with a nice long taper to it for good detail and broad coverage at full draw on the trigger. It has a long travel to it and allows you to lay down a lot of paint fast. What you are seeking may not exist exactly the way you are requesting. Your question put into firearms terms is akin to asking for a shotgun capable of long range sniper shots. The CM-C is the sniper here and most .5 and above airbrushes being the shotgun. The Anthem would be like a Marlin 30-30. Hope that makes sense.