Grafo T1 Sudio Report (and I’m not happy!)

[Electric Cat Dude]

Midwest airbrush out of Chicago Illinois recently had a sale, so I purchased a Harder and Steenbeck Grafo T1.

A few things stand out here. First it appears H&S decided to phase out to older Grafo spray regulators in favor of the Evolution/Infinity regulators and includes that type on my T1. Not bad in and of itself; the 0.15mm regulator on my Infinity CR Plus works just fine.

What I do have a complaint about is the quality of the welding and brazing on the color cup.

The quality on the brazing is atypically sub-par for H&S and similar to that found on Olympos brushes manufactured 40 years ago.

On top of that, the included 0.15mm needle has a small burr on the top, disrupting the fine line capabilities.

I’m saddened to see this happen as all of my other H&S brushes have featured superb workmanship. Hopefully this is not a trend with Harder & Steenbeck products.

 

[DaveG]

I have a handful of Grafo's that date back to cold war era Liepzig (GDR) production - which predate H&S production, as well as a few more recent models. I enjoy the "T" series, with the T1 being my favorite, I would say. I actually prefer it over the Infinity any day of the week.

I'm pretty sure the brushes are assembled by soldering rather than other processes, which usually take place at higher temps. Sometimes solder flow can look a bit different than others... sorry you got one that sticks out to you. The only thing that has been noticeable to me in terms of production changes has been the color and base texture of the anodizing. I have several where the blue of the handle is very consistent, while my most recent purchases have had a different shade of blue. Interestingly, I have also noticed it in the orange of the H$S infinity's, too.

As for the needle, I am guessing it has the new V2 as indicated by the contouring at the back? At any rate, if it was anything less than perfect, you should have very little trouble getting a replacement from the vendor. I hope in the end, you will wind up enjoying the brush, as I have. They are pretty cool.