Hello from Spain

Reni.

Young Tutorling
Hello All,
Reni here, a complete beginner in all art forms. I picked up a second hand unbranded airbrush+compressor+box of Vallejo model air for not a lot of money about 2 months ago. The aim was to see if my polymer clay creations look better airbrushed then painted with a traditional brush. Actually there are 2 brushes in the kit, 1 bottom feed with 0.3 needle ( I haven't tried this ) and a gravity with 0.2 - since they are unbranded I don't know if one can believe the docs :p
When I tried the airbrush for the first time something clicked inside me. Such a delicate tool making paint appear so beautifully without effort. Now I need to split my time between learning sculpting and airbrushing :-D
At the moment I'm just trying to learn dots, lines, daggers. On some of the practice sessions I'm trying clouds and this week I got a kiddies coloring book (or whatever it's called). Since it feels so good to hold the AB and color things with very little movement I'm looking to upgrade to something a little nicer.
Probably to a Sagola Xtech 100.
My reasons are ( not in any particular order ):
my sculptures are small so only a tiny amount of paint is needed
built quality is very good for the price ( according to the limited # of reviews I've seen )
cupless brush looks amazing
supporting the local economy

Does anybody know about a reason why I should reconsider the Sagola?

Many thanks for your input.
 

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Welcome, Reni!

I'm not familiar with the Sagola brushes, so I can't offer much help there. For a first-timer, you seem to be doing well. Someone (@DaveG) should be along soon that can give a better opinion.
 
Hi, Reni - welcome aboard. The Sagola is probably much more known in your neck of the woods - so, you may be able to find more info in the form of local opinion. There are not many of them available in our market place (in the US). I have had the opportunity to use one. While it seemed well made, unfortunately there were a few issues i had with the sample i had here that hindered it's performance. I would guess the issues I saw were more likely random, and perhaps not a sign of the overall prospect of the brush - but, without seeing more samples, it is just a guess on my part. I have the ability to tweak a brush, and was able to get the sample I had here working quite well with minimal effort - so, will say when it does what it is supposed to do, it works nicely. Not at all sure where the price point in your country puts it in comparison to other brushes. Here they would be more towards the high end of the market, and I am a little skeptical they really fit there. I am just speculating based on the one sample I worked with (along with a bit of conversation I have had with a few others users from other countries), however...

I would say if the local buzz has them as being respectable, I would go with that. Those that use them regularly will have all the tips and tricks to getting the best out of them.

For anyone that is not sure what the Sagola is - I would say they are similar to say, an Iwata Eclipse, with a desire to be considered a little more refined.

I am sure no matter what you decide, if you just continue to put in the time and practice, you will get the results you are after with your sculpts. I look forward to seeing more.
 
Welcome Reni. Glad to have you aboard. The Sagola products have started gaining a great reputation in the U.K.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for the warm welcome Everyone!


...
I have the ability to tweak a brush, and was able to get the sample I had here working quite well with minimal effort - so, will say when it does what it is supposed to do, it works nicely.
...
For anyone that is not sure what the Sagola is - I would say they are similar to say, an Iwata Eclipse, with a desire to be considered a little more refined.
Would you tell me what tweaks you had to do on the sample? The cheapy ab of mine needed a good clean from dry paint. Then needle tip straightening, polishing, nozzle sealing followed with cleaning the trigger/area + light oil to make it smooth. Tasks that don't need any special equipment I'm very happy to do, anything more complicated I'm not sure about.
Regarding the pricing. The model I'm looking at starts at €120 new ( goes up to €170 in the most expensive stores ) while the Eclipses start at €170. This nearly 50% difference is the same for second hand ones.
 
Thanks for the warm welcome Everyone!



Would you tell me what tweaks you had to do on the sample? The cheapy ab of mine needed a good clean from dry paint. Then needle tip straightening, polishing, nozzle sealing followed with cleaning the trigger/area + light oil to make it smooth. Tasks that don't need any special equipment I'm very happy to do, anything more complicated I'm not sure about.
Regarding the pricing. The model I'm looking at starts at €120 new ( goes up to €170 in the most expensive stores ) while the Eclipses start at €170. This nearly 50% difference is the same for second hand ones.

I would have a hard time paying a 50% upcharge for an Eclipse to put against the Sagola.

On the sample I had here, there was an issue with the handle not being sized correctly on the internal bore. If I had the handle on, it would bind the needle chuck, and hold the needle back, or feel harsh/rough through the trigger. Even worse, it appeared like someone already tried to use a dremel or some other rotary tool to hog out the handle, and it was still grabbing. It could easily be seen in the anodizing where they tried to fix it. This brush was a sample from the maker, so someone really made a poor error in judgement sending this one out for trial. There was also something with the nozzle cap. This one I would have to go back to find my notes, but I am pretty sure it did not screw down far enough to allow for good suction over the nozzle without going much higher on air pressure vs. an Eclipse. Almost all tests I performed, as far as initiating pressure, line thickness, quality, spray pattern, atomization, etc. were won by an Eclipse. After some trial and error, I was able to use a wrench to really crank down the air cap to get more nozzle protrusion for better suction. In the end, I was able to get performance very, very close to that of the Eclipse - as long as i left the handle off ;).

These issues I suspect were not the norm, or perhaps not a frequent issue(s) - but, without having more examples to try - these are the impressions I was left with.
 
I would have a hard time paying a 50% upcharge for an Eclipse to put against the Sagola.

Thanks a lot Dave for your input.

If my new brush arrived with issues you have seen I'd just send it back :p Though I'm hopeful that won't be necessary.

Once I get it, I'll report back. Thanks again!
 
Thanks a lot Dave for your input.

If my new brush arrived with issues you have seen I'd just send it back :p Though I'm hopeful that won't be necessary.

Once I get it, I'll report back. Thanks again!

I am sure you are gonna be fine with the brush when it arrives! Look forward to seeing your progress with both the sculpts, and the paint.
 
Hi Rene welcome to the forum. I know savona sprayguns have a good reputation as a few of my spray painting friends love them. I can't comment on the airbrush though. Dave has highlighted the issues he had w
 
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