Iwata / Badger Airbrushes

[Phatboy]

Iwata / Badger airbrushes

I was asked to write a review by a member as I use these airbrushes and he said it would be helpful so here goes……
Airbrushes gravity feed internal mix
Badger Krome with 0.21 fitted / 0.33 left pic
Iwata HP-C plus with 0.2 fitted / Right pic normally comes with a 0.3 fitted both airbrushes have 1/3 oz cups there between £135 -£170 (uk) not sure other countries pricing,

I mainly use Auto Air and Wicked which I have to say are awesome paints

Badger - The Krome comes with fine and ultra fine needles, tips, and spray regulators. I got the .21mm ultra fine setup its very well made The word Krome looks like its be laser etched in, The plastic hand rest is comfortable. It can be removed with a set screw on the rear, and also fits other Badger airbrushes. The trigger Is not shiny chrome it has been treated with a special anti-friction finish, and so has the rocker. Badger calls it Glydecoat its like a Teflon coating Trigger action is very smooth. The needle limiter, It limits needle travel it has a numbered collar with a set screw this allows you to calibrate it by tightening the limiter all the way down so the needle can't move, and then adjusting the numbered collar to zero. Be careful if you do this. Its easy to damage the tip from excess pressure. The paint cup has good access for cleaning. this airbrush is fairly weighty and longer than Iwata some people may like this.

Iwata – the HP-C plus I have a .2 fitted which is not standard and does come at a extra cost,it comes with a .3 fitted, it feels very solidly machined, and it's exterior was flawless with the triple plated finish. The action on the handle is decisive and there was no slack to contend with before the needle responded, which was further enhanced at the rear with a preset handle which limits the travel of the needle allowing you to control and maintain continuous paint flow. the paint atomises fantastic and to Strip and clean is simple, spares are easy to get hold off it’s a very no-nonsense workhorse, and it came with a 10yr warranty!!

These are both fantastic airbrushes and they both are much more capable of very fine lines an creating artwork far beyond my talents!!!
I tend to favour the Iwata for the way it atomises the paint and easy clean up and its lighter and shorter than the Krome.

This review is only my opinion into these airbrushes which I use, I apologise if this is not the best review I have never written one before!! But just to finish I want to say……..

While good tools are critical to any project, the results you get, as with any tool, are dependant on the abilities of the person holding the tool. Put a cheap airbrush in the hands of an experienced airbrush artist and you will get amazing results. Put the best airbrush made in the hands of someone who has never held one and the results would be very different to say the least.

Hope this helps alittle

Please feel free to abuse my poor review!!!

 

[Cordyk]

Fantastic little reveiw there Phatboy, i think it's great that you have done this and it will be of a lot of help to people not sure which brush to buy, I have as you probably know just bought the HP-C plus and think it is a fantastic brush, still getting used to it but because of how it feels and works with such ease it just inspires yourself to do more and attempt trickier things.
It has my vote.
Good job mate, it would be great for others to do some little reviews of different brushes so anyone not sure of what to buy could just look on this forum for an opinion.

 

[Paul]

Thank you Phatboy! That is exactly what I was looking for when I asked. This forum is fantastic. I have only had my Krome a short time and am very impressed wit it. I did swap the extra fine set up with the fine(.33?) because I am new to this and trying to use a textile type paint. Mine came with the needle seal a little on the loose side I Think. It had no drag at all when installing the needle and I noticed it was allowing a small amount of paint to stain the needle behind the seal. It is adjustable so I tried tightening it about a half turn and found out that was way to much. This adjustment is very sensitive so watch out for that. I had to back it back off quit a bit to get it right. I think Badger could of used a finer thread on it. I also lightened the adjustment for the trigger spring tension and found it to feel much more responsive with the lighter pull on the trigger. These adjustments along with a good lube made a huge difference in how smooth and responsive it feels. I have noticed slightly more over spray than I expected. I'm sure this has more to do with me and the paint I'm using but I would love to see how it compared to the Iwata. Could this have something to do with the better atomisation you mentioned The Iwata had? Over all, the Krome is a quality gun that will give me a lot of room to grow in too. It is light years ahead of my older Badger 150 and 175 I picked up used when I started out a little over a month ago. For other newbies out there wondering if getting a better brush to start with is worth it, I for one say yes. I noticed an improvement over night in what I was able to do when I picked up the Krome. It was a confidence builder the first time I used it. I wish I could play around with an Iwata to see what everyone seems to love so much. I might just pick one up to see what I'm missing out on if anything. This is a great forum! I think it will become the place to go for airbrushers around the world in time. I feel fortunate to be a small part of such a great community of people from around the world! I'm a former Marine who has seen first hand the uglier side of the world think it's great to see so many people from around this world getting along and helping each other out. The love is being spread! Thank you everyone. Keep the paint flowing!

 

[OzAirbrush]

Great review Phatboy, good job!

I also have a HP-C+, great brush and well finished.

I have also heard good things about the Badger line as well, love to try one one day.

I think either brush is an good choice, given that it comes down to how the brush feels in your hand and sprays for 'you'.

Cheers,
Mick.

 

[Phatboy]

no problem glad it helped.........as the over spray problem maybe try turning your pressure down alittle, are you pulling back on the trigger to much an trying to get to the desired opacity to quickly?? i have attached couple of pics showing spray patterns first one at 15 psi slight trigger you can see (water not paint) is quite uniform in direction but the further back trigger show the dropets going wayward this is like a venturi effect the droplets go in and out (hairy look on pic) of the flow with the force/pressure

 

[AndreZA]

Nice work. I would love to see a spray comparison of about 4 guns with the same needle/nozzle setup at the same pressure and the same trigger pull.

 

[Paul]

Phatboy, Once again, thank you. I just got my hands on some Wicked paint and I'm not seeing anywhere near as much over spray now It's probably a combination of me not using the other paint properly and trigger control. I've just had a short session using Wicked and am very happy. I can't wait to attempt the eye again now. My results have greatly improved overnight just by switching paints!

 

[Phatboy]

Nice work. I would love to see a spray comparison of about 4 guns with the same needle/nozzle setup at the same pressure and the same trigger pull.

will try and sort that andreZA when I get new camera mine was stolen!!!! so only using a cheapo digital one at the mo

 

[Phatboy]

Phatboy, Once again, thank you. I just got my hands on some Wicked paint and I'm not seeing anywhere near as much over spray now It's probably a combination of me not using the other paint properly and trigger control. I've just had a short session using Wicked and am very happy. I can't wait to attempt the eye again now. My results have greatly improved overnight just by switching paints!

Glad it helped Paul, loving the wicked detail paints.....spray really nice
look forward to seeing your artwork, keep spreading the love