Grex XGi3 review + G-mac valve talk

[Leakyvalve]

So I bought this and a G-mac valve off ebay and they both showed up today.

G-Mac valve is exactly what I was looking for. Large wheel and gradual adjustment of air pressure. Didn't even notice any weight issues.

XGi3--- The appearance is pretty good. But even the Chinese cheap brushes have pretty good chroming.

I took it for a spin right out the box. First thing, the whole trigger setup is horrible. The trigger POPS!! down for air, nothing gradual about it, and back and forth needle movement is very very stiff. It has NO adjustment for needle spring pressure. You have to cut coils on the spring to lighten it up. The trigger top itself was very uncomfortable to me. The edges are too angular. Some people might not find that a problem.

I do like interchangeable cups. That is a good idea. You can take it completely off and have an HP-A style
inkwell.

The removable magnetic needle cap is a neat idea. The Nozzle cap, though, is so fat because of the magnet that it throws you off a bit when aiming the brush. There's this big blunt fat front end on it.

Ok so how does it spray? I tried a couple paints in it. Some Trident and some Etac EFX. It didn't WOW! me by any means. Very lack luster. By this point I added some glue to the trigger to get some feel back. That helped for sure. So what does lack luster mean? It had a problem with both paints by pulsating a line and wasn't able to trail off a dagger stroke. It wasn't smooth, but had uneven spray pattern. You could pick up on it and see it. This was when you were getting into the detail range of line thickness. It got better the more air pressure you ran. Up to 55psi is where I topped out at. As a blender and fader, it seemed to do alright. BTW, I took that same paint and ran it through a .18 cmc+, and it ran prefect down to what must have been 10-15 psi. Microns are just that good, and they spoil you.

My verdict is that I would never ever buy one again. It has no use in my arsenal. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Squishy]

That's the trouble with these kind of brushes, they look shiny and pretty, but spray about as well as a can of whipped cream. Good to know the valve is worth having.

 

[jord001]

What a shame that the Airbrush isnt very good, They are not a cheap brand so I would have expected a lot more from them. However, the g-mac valve is really good quality, I have one and it's been going strong for many years.

Lee

 

[JackEb]

@DaveG may be able to shed some light on the airbrush, your problems may be standard, they may not be, but very few here use the grex brushes.
as for the Mac Valve its awesome !!

 

[DaveG]

I purchased a Grex XGi2 not too long ago because I had heard peoples opinions about the brushes varied from my experience with an Grex XD that I have. Seemed there was enough of a difference to make it worth checking out.

I put this album together- https://www.facebook.com/1063587837080137/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1726275924144655

I too found the brush preferred a higher working pressure in order to atomize paint well. Once the pressure was upped, it would atomize very smoothly, produce very good shading and color fades, but does really lack in the ability to produce any fine detail work. I have my sample working pretty well with the stock air valve spring (there is a lot of adjustment to be had there) and a different needle spring. Trigger actions is actually quite decent. My conclusion is not all that different than the one reached previously in this thread. I have one, most probably will not use it for much, and it remains a brush I would not personally recommend purchasing.

 

[Leakyvalve]

I purchased a Grex XGi2 not too long ago because I had heard peoples opinions about the brushes varied from my experience with an Grex XD that I have. Seemed there was enough of a difference to make it worth checking out.

I put this album together- https://www.facebook.com/1063587837080137/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1726275924144655

That was a great write up. Imagine if a newb had to deal with all that. Maybe they wouldn't know any better.

Anyways, I already sold it. Cost me $12 to test drive it for a few hours. $12 to learn to never ever buy another grex airbrush again is worth it.

 

[amrogers3]

This writeup is appreciated. I am a newb trying to work my way through minature painting with an airbrush. I bought one of these and most likely will return it or sale on ebay. Seemed very heavy to me. I think I may pick up an Iwata instead.