Which German airbrush to choose?

T

TattooGabby

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So I am thinking of buying a detail brush. Not that my primary can't do detail work it can although at .30 I think I want a .20. I told myself I wasn't going to rush and grab another airbrush until I was fully comfortable with what I have. Meh, it's my birthday soon and I want to buy myself something. I am going to wait two weeks. That way I can be certain to make a good decision. I am also trying to cap myself at 150€. So with all that being said I have come up with 3 AB models.

1) the EFBE Artis I ( allegedly Giger was an EFBE man )

2) the Grafo T1 ( I personally love the gradual action trigger concept ) this will run me 180€

3) the Hansa 181 Chrome ( this is the cheaper version of the Grafo )

I might make other considerations, although I don't want an IWATA Micron, I have a nice Japanese AB and don't need another right now. I also like the idea of getting something European or even better German as I live in Germany so it will be easy to acquire spares. So what do you guys think? .20, gravity feed with small cup, and European. Am I overlooking any good options? I know someone will say Harder & Steenbeck, however both Grafo and Hansa are owned by H&S. Thanks in advance.
 
Yep, i would say h&s if you want something german. You may think about the evolution line. You may know the adresses already but have a look at airbrush4u or airbrush-city.
 
I got both a hansa 281 which was my first real airbrush and a grafo t2. they are underrated. The hansa line nevertheless uses other parts while the grafo spare part wise uses the same as evo and the infinity. The grafo is a great detail airbrush but keep in mind it is a dependend double action (you just pull the lever and at some point the color follows). I never have a problem switching between the systems but others say it is. Would prob be good to try one if that is possible.
One thing that I didnt like is that actually the lever is a maintenance part aswell. I dont go into details now but that I didnt like at all. If you want more info just let me know.

The efbes from what I heared offer a very good quality also they got both controlled and the "normal" double action. I was conaidering one too some time ago, but if I am not wrong you cant take the air cap off, that I didnt like.
That are just my oppinions. Fine details are no pr0lems with a grafo and I doubt with a detail efbe aswell... it is more about avaibility etc that counts. I personally still use the grafo along with a micron.
 
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If you should live near luxembourg you can try my grafo and hansa


If I was near there, then I would be there this weekend. However I am all the way in Bavaria ( Bayern, Nürnberg ) it's about 5 or 6 hours away. Thanks you for the offer though. Also thank you for the response. It is very informative. Please go in to detail about the trigger being a maintenance point.

The EFBE is my first choice but there are two things that concern me. Apparently even ordering directly everything is custom made to order and it may take 4 weeks, but I will get exactly what I am ordering. Also I believe the company is in a liquidation currently and I am unsure of the future for them. I suppose I could just ask, as they are very good about answering emails.
 
Oh one note about EFBE they have a mini cap that exposes the needle. They done advertise it on the site but it can be special ordered. Although yes the cap and the cover are one piece as I understand it.
 
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I have a GRAFO T2 and have previously owned an EFBE B1 and C1. As far as build quality goes I would put EFBE ahead here they are built to last. Mine were the fixed double action ones but After using them for a while a just could not get the same detail as I could with my Micron. Atomisation from the Micron for me was way better than both German brushes. The other thing I wasn't keen on with the EFBE was that you couldn't take the needle cap off unless you had the special cap which was another 30 euro or something. I was always grabbing the Micron over the German brushes so I got rid of most except the GRAFO T2. This a great brush for larger areas but again, for me atomisation falls short of the Micron but on a par with the HP-C. I also had the Infinity and again that to compared to the Micron was not quite there. An EFBE C1 in independent double action with the robust air-cap would be my choice if I had to choose a German Brush.
 
Well I specifically don't want a micron right now. I don't think that helps me make up my mind any.

As for the atomization what do you spray? I primarily use inks for fine detail work and I have never had a problem getting clean small lines with ink. I have found acrylic much harder for detail work.
 
The GRAFO is a great brush but I think because the air to paint ratio is generally set ....unless you adjust the nut in the back, it can have different spray characteristic from 1 paint load to the next if the consistency isn't the same. That,s generally what always happened with me any way only because I am crap at mixing paints. With an independent double action its easier for me to compensate for this. But that's just me, its not the same for everyone.
 
And that is a terrific explanation. I think this is what I like ink so much. Thinned it's typically the same as unthinned.
 
And that is a terrific explanation. I think this is what I like ink so much. Thinned it's typically the same as unthinned.
Yes I would say with a consistently consistent paint like inks or liquid watercolor they would be fantastic when tuned in.
 
I love the H&S Evo AL Plus. It's comfortable, light, and very capable of detail. The .2mm nozzle is great for most of the work I do.
 
I try to show with some crappy pics I took. The trigger mechanism works that the trigger metal piece slides over the metal piece that opens the air valve. uploadfromtaptalk1408550250482.jpg. So with the time you see a scratch that gets deeper with time and affects the trigger mechanism. uploadfromtaptalk1408550311837.jpg.
Nothing that bad and nothing to change each month but it happens with the time. The lever is about 20euro and the other piece about 2.
Nevertheless for the price and versatility of the grafo (at least the T2) it's in my oppinion still a great brush.
 
That's not so bad. Thanks for sharing.

At what point did the Hansa start using the same system? The older models from Hansa look just like the Iwata HP-C and HP-B I understand the pastors are interchangeable too. I am referring to the Aero Pro 200 and 300. I suppose those aren't worth getting.
 
So I think my mind is made up to go with the EFBE. I have realized that my contact with the company has been with the owner. If nothing else they are still handmade ( hand machined ) and the owner if the company can take the time to respond to questions. This is the kind of company I want to support.
 
So I don't know if I have just inherited someone else's nightmare or just scored the deal of the year.

ru2ede9e.jpg


All three EFBE airbrushes. One complete. One needs a nozzle, needle and cover. The other may just be a body. Although I won the auction on flea-bay for 38€ roughly. I will hopefully get them next week. Wish me luck.
 
Braver then I am lol. Looks like a lot of missing parts
 
I have been emailing the owner of EFBE and would like to think I have a good channel of communication with him. Worst comes to worst, I mail them to him and have them refurbished at the factory. Has to be cheaper than the 250€ each of those would cost new.
 
Oh hell yeah, not saying it's a bad deal at all. Cost of repairs should still be far lower than new cost combined.
 
Yeah they run 260-280€ a piece. Expensive to say the least. But I believe most of the parts I need are about 150€ total. I hope
 
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