DaveG
Airbush Analyst
I got asked about one of these in another thread, but thought to put the info here in case someone else should be curious, it won't be buried where it does not belong
I purchased Grex XD to satisfy my curiosity as to what the build was like in it's comparative price range. I chose the XD which has the smallest color reservoir with the intention of using the brush for fine detail work.
My impression is that overall, the fit and finish of the brush is pretty good. It feels nice in the hand. The bottom line on this brush is that I found it's action to be a bit ambiguous to use, and paint flow initiation can be a guessing game. This airbrush is capable of producing some nice, fine detail. On par with many other .2 set up's that I have. The issue for me, is that it is a brush that makes me work harder to achieve those results. For me, the trigger feels stiff, and is tiring to use for long periods. Even after quite a bit of fiddling with the springs, and such, I have not been able to achieve a feel with the trigger that I feel comfortable with. I've adjusted the needle chucking spring, and the trigger actions still feels a bit gritty and stiff - when compared to many other brushes I have.
In addition to lack of feel with the trigger, I find it hard to predict when the paint flow will be initiated through the stroke of the trigger. Hitting the sweet spot between air and paint delivery to get the finest of details is a real chore on this brush, and it does not seem to be consistent each time.
Head, nozzle needle - all look pretty standard. I have not had any trouble with these bits as of yet.
One of the reasons that paint flow may be a bit off - if you compare the above picture with the one below, you can see the Grex head allows for more room around the nozzle, as well as the nozzle being off center as compared to the Iwata HP-B+ head pictured below.
A direct comparison between the Grex XD (bottom) and an Iwata Hp-B+ (top) shows how close they are. Brush bodies are almost identical, they have the exact same length, and contouring towards the head end of business. Handles vary, so the overall length is just a tad different... While the head pieces look almost identical, the Grex nozzle uses different threads, and is a different length than the Iwata...
As it is, it remains a brush that I do not use very often, as I have others that are easier to use for anything I may decide to reach for this one for. It has also satisfied my curiosity, and I have not felt a need to purchase another.
EDIT: Since initially writing this, I took another look at my brush. Didn't think it would be fair to leave the nozzle that far off center if I was willing to fix some less expensive brushes. Vladimir had asked about the brass colored ring behind the nozzle. So, when I removed the nozzle to investigate an answer to his question, I took the time to concentrate on centering it when I reinstalled the nozzle. I got it much better, and found that it improved the line quality enough to call it a difference. While I was at it, I worked more on the trigger as well. In the end, maybe I am being a bit too harsh on the brush, as it will produce fine details. The one issue that remains is that paint flow initiation is a bit ambiguous. In order to work more consistently it is necessary to work at a higher initial air pressure than many of the other brushes I am used to. Of course, working at higher pressure brings it's own set of problems when trying to do fine details... It is necessary to use a fast, high pressure blast of air to get the paint drawn off the needle to start - but then you can let off on some air, and work normally - so, it helps to initiate paint flow on a scrap of paper held near the work surface, and then carry on to the task at hand. It will maintain a flow relatively easily.
I purchased Grex XD to satisfy my curiosity as to what the build was like in it's comparative price range. I chose the XD which has the smallest color reservoir with the intention of using the brush for fine detail work.
My impression is that overall, the fit and finish of the brush is pretty good. It feels nice in the hand. The bottom line on this brush is that I found it's action to be a bit ambiguous to use, and paint flow initiation can be a guessing game. This airbrush is capable of producing some nice, fine detail. On par with many other .2 set up's that I have. The issue for me, is that it is a brush that makes me work harder to achieve those results. For me, the trigger feels stiff, and is tiring to use for long periods. Even after quite a bit of fiddling with the springs, and such, I have not been able to achieve a feel with the trigger that I feel comfortable with. I've adjusted the needle chucking spring, and the trigger actions still feels a bit gritty and stiff - when compared to many other brushes I have.
In addition to lack of feel with the trigger, I find it hard to predict when the paint flow will be initiated through the stroke of the trigger. Hitting the sweet spot between air and paint delivery to get the finest of details is a real chore on this brush, and it does not seem to be consistent each time.
Head, nozzle needle - all look pretty standard. I have not had any trouble with these bits as of yet.
One of the reasons that paint flow may be a bit off - if you compare the above picture with the one below, you can see the Grex head allows for more room around the nozzle, as well as the nozzle being off center as compared to the Iwata HP-B+ head pictured below.
A direct comparison between the Grex XD (bottom) and an Iwata Hp-B+ (top) shows how close they are. Brush bodies are almost identical, they have the exact same length, and contouring towards the head end of business. Handles vary, so the overall length is just a tad different... While the head pieces look almost identical, the Grex nozzle uses different threads, and is a different length than the Iwata...
As it is, it remains a brush that I do not use very often, as I have others that are easier to use for anything I may decide to reach for this one for. It has also satisfied my curiosity, and I have not felt a need to purchase another.
EDIT: Since initially writing this, I took another look at my brush. Didn't think it would be fair to leave the nozzle that far off center if I was willing to fix some less expensive brushes. Vladimir had asked about the brass colored ring behind the nozzle. So, when I removed the nozzle to investigate an answer to his question, I took the time to concentrate on centering it when I reinstalled the nozzle. I got it much better, and found that it improved the line quality enough to call it a difference. While I was at it, I worked more on the trigger as well. In the end, maybe I am being a bit too harsh on the brush, as it will produce fine details. The one issue that remains is that paint flow initiation is a bit ambiguous. In order to work more consistently it is necessary to work at a higher initial air pressure than many of the other brushes I am used to. Of course, working at higher pressure brings it's own set of problems when trying to do fine details... It is necessary to use a fast, high pressure blast of air to get the paint drawn off the needle to start - but then you can let off on some air, and work normally - so, it helps to initiate paint flow on a scrap of paper held near the work surface, and then carry on to the task at hand. It will maintain a flow relatively easily.
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