Siphon or gravity

[Fallen Airbrushing]

Newbie here wanting to know the advantages and disadvantages of both siphon feed and gravity feed airbrushes.

Peoples experiences would be greatly appreciated

 

[Squishy]

For me it's just the preference of how it feels in my hand. I prefer gravity as I feel unbalanced with a siphon fed brush. However I know with siphon fed guns you can change the bottle, clean the gun, and then be ready to go with a different colour pretty quick. I just don't feel comfortable with them, I guess it's different for everyone, but that's my reason.

 

[RebelAir]

Agree with Squishy on that one for sure, everyone's has a comfort factor when it comes to guns, I like syphon fed as the bottle gives my other hand something to comfortably grip when wanting to control a stroke...One of the main differences is basically how much paint you can "store" on board..I do a bit of auto and large mural work so needless to say I want quite a big paint capacity or else I'd be stopping all the time to refill, I find I can also get the gun at a greater angle say if I'm leaning over a hood painting without as much chance at spillage, not something I'd confidently attempt with a gravity feed..Syphons are useful as well as mentioned for quicker paint change out but with a gravity feed you'll still come quite profficient at cleaning the bugger out quick...So its really a case of either or LOL and ultimately what kind of painting you desire to do..Auto, large work and T-Shirts etc I'd recommend syphon, fine detailing work and for reduced paint wastage I'd prob go a gravity, if you can afford to, one of each is prob the best idea.. ..GL

 

[02baller]

Well this is a personal preference. I do prefer a gravity feed myself but I do have badger 150. With the gravity feed
you will have a quicker response with the paint. If your doing textiles like shirts, siphon feeds are the choice for most.
Its quicker to clean and change the colors. So, it's going to be your personal choice of what is comfortable to you. Hope this helps you out little. Good luck.

 

[IMCustom]

"Gravity pulls the paint down to the nozzle's tip. The paint 'wants' to be sprayed. It's economical and can function on a drop of paint. You can also use less air pressure to effectively atomize the paint. Less pressure means the built in abililty to spray finer details than the other configurations. Siphon using fast moving air generates a low pressure zone at the nozzle's tip. This pulls the paint up through the stem to get atomized. They do require a bit more air than a gravity feed airbrush but make up for it with the ability to hold far more paint depending on the bottle size attached. "

Personal opinion siphon fed is easier to change paints and clean, or you need the large volume of paint. Which isn't as much of a concern anymore with the Kustom TH series (I believe) from Iwata which not only has a good paint capacity but also has a tip that can change into a fan pattern! If that isn't a concern, I would go gravity or side-fed. Side-fed would be my #1 choice.

 

[Fallen Airbrushing]

Thanks guys all your info helps... I bought myself a iwata neo gravity fed to see how it feels... Im doing canvas and helmets so yeah haha!

 

[IMCustom]

I haven't heard too much of the neo series, let me know how it sprays!

 

[Fallen Airbrushing]

Im excited to use it and see how it goes also.. The pack only comes with the airbrush a big mouth bottle and thats it you will need to order yourself more needles and tips as they arent included. That is a pain the ruckass

 

[Fallen Airbrushing]

Used the neo mate and for $60 its an awesome airbrush! Im only a brginner so its awesome to me but one thing i would like to change is the trigger its design isnt grip friendly

 

[IMCustom]

I guess for that price you can't expect a micron! Glad to hear it's doing well for you though.

 

[Fallen Airbrushing]

Oh man if i could get my hands on a micron id be in heaven ... Maybe this competition might give newbies a chance to win something

 

[n4wdn]

I too am new to airbrushing and I use both. I use the gravity feed for spraying larger areas and the syphon feed for detail work or very thin paints.