Time to invest in an airbrush

[S-tier Adam]

Greetings forum,

I was hoping for some advice in regards to which airbrush to get. I've been scouring the internet and the forums here trying to gather as much information as possible, but I still can't help but feel overwhelmed by the decision.

My birthday is coming up, and I'm very grateful that my Mom is more than willing to get me an airbrush. She doesn't even seem to care about the price tag. That being said, I don't want her to spend a fortune on it. She is very wonderful, saying that she recognizes my talent and wants to support my career and see it take off. She's a professional artist as well, except she's a traditional illustrator. She used to have a Thayer & Chandler and originally recommended one of those. So she has airbrushing experience, but she says all the brands she's looking at now are new to her. I haven't seen any one single opinion regarding a T&C online. What I have seen a lot of are the Iwata, Paasche, and Badger brands.

She actually found an Iwata set that she was willing to purchase for me. We were both under the impression that Iwata is top of the line, so it's maybe a good idea to get the best possible airbrush now so I don't have to upgrade later. I wonder if one of these wouldn't be TOO good for me and I'll have a hard time controlling it.

I do tackle learning curves head-on, as intimidating as airbrushing might be. I'm really not good at brush painting though. This is one of the main reasons I want to move to airbrushing is that I really struggle with brushes. I'm good with colors and layers, but the application is always pretty inconsistent and I never know how much to dilute the paint.

Anyway here are the 3 kits I'm mainly considering. Of these, which do you think would be best suited for someone like me who is an experienced artist, but a complete newbie with airbrushes and fairly weak in the area of painting overall?

Iwata Hp-Cs Eclipse
http://www.tcpglobal.com/itemdetail_...T-4207T-MASTER

Badger 360
http://www.ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_nk...mId=8274712707

I've also heard the Badger Sotar 20/20 or something like that is good, but I have trouble finding that one.

As far as Paasche, I really don't know which model would be good.

I don't necessarily have any particular reason other than I typically like Japanese made goods, but I guess I'm kind of leaning towards the Iwata. I don't know how good a deal that set is though. I don't know anything about compressors really except for the monster one that powers my pressure pot and I can't use that for airbrushing.

Any input would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

[Vince-Vell]

instead of me typing it all out, i did a few reviews on my yutube channel on the airbrushed i use.

http://www.youtube.com/user/VinceVellCUSTOMS/videos

i explain which ones i use them for and stuff. Nothing like in depth reviews but trying to get to the point.

Stay away from badger, you will spend more money in the long run on parts.

Iwata is the way to go, ya its expensive but worth it in the long run and resale value.

[Spazzy]

My fluid nozzle for the Iwata cm+ broke the other day cost me $54 to get a new one...I thought it was a typo since I bought one for an eclipse and it was only $10...got to be more careful with these tiny pieces.

[Vince-Vell]

ya iwata parts are much more expensive then Badger, but im going on years now with my Iwatas and only bought back up parts, have yet to have any major issues.

My badgers i was buying needles every month almost and by the end of 2 years it more expensive then iwatas.

Have to treat your airbrushes with care, clean then and they will last you a long time.

[S-tier Adam]

Thanks Vince, that's very helpful. It must have been a much older post I had seen of yours that had me confused. I was all gung-ho about getting the Iwata, and then I saw somewhere that you were recommending a Badger. Pretty sure it was you, but yeah must've been old, I have a bad habit of never looking at the date.

[S-tier Adam]

The Iwata set arrived yesterday! I'm excited to try it out.

[DynamicMenace]

i need an air brush i guess. so the Iwata is the way to go?
any other options out there for beginners? for solid coloring and details?

[law1349]

I sat in on Jim Capone's painting class at Wonderfest last month and he tried using the Iwata they had there. It worked so poorly he just stopped trying and talked the rest of the time. I'm sure there are horror stories for all brands, but it was just embarrassing. I have a Badger that's decent I guess. I prefer to paint by brush whenever possible.

[DynamicMenace]

thats encouraging..

yeah i use brushes too. but brush marks are a pain in the ass.

[Jesse321]

You should look into an H&S (Harder & Steenbeck) Infinity or Evolution.

Both come with multiple apature/needle/nozzles for everything between super fine and general purpose spraying.