Looking at getting a paint gun for mostly primer and maybe some single stage sometimes. Want a decent gun but not trying to go broke ( got brother that went to refinishing school and has a nice SATA for the fancy stuff). I'm considering a Harbor Freight one since he also has one for primer and stuff and actually really likes it. I was looking around though and ran across TCPGlobals website. They have any gun you could want but also have their own brand for very good prices ,as good as HF. Anybody ever used their guns? The price being the same or close, the main advantage I see in the TCP one is that you can get rebuild kits for em. Just looking for anybody's experience with this brand good or bad. Thanks
I have a couple of cheap guns from harbor freight that I use strictly for primer, they spray just fine for that and I have sprayed base and clear out of them when I was playing around. They do perform well and are cheap guns I can afford to throw away after a year or two. Look at the cost of a rebuild kit for the tcp gun versus the cost of the HF gun I bet that when the HF gun is on sale for $9.99 it is still cheaper than the rebuild kit and like I said my guns last usually a year or two until I need a new one and I use my guns almost daily, if you only plan on using it occasionally then it will probably last you a very long time.
TCP guns are all right and so are HF. But to get the best out of both guns it's not good to spay primer out of your finish gun you use a 1.7 tip on primer and a 1.4 on paint for the most part. So if you buy cheap guns make sure you buy them with these tips
Divillbiss makes a nice gun for around 100-150$. It comes with about three different sized caps for spraying various materials. I thinks its there "Finish Line" line of guns.
e That sounds like advice to follow. I have an hvlp gun that I picked up off the fly by night tool truck a few years ago that I have never used plus a regular style HF gun again new. I bought them and haven't sprayed anything since.
You usually get what you pay for man. Just depends on what you plan to do with it. Id look for a used "good gun" like a sata, iwata, devilbiss...
My local paint place, had a sale on a package deal of 2 guns. One for painting and one a little larger for primer. It was right around $100 plus tax. You might try your local paint shop!
my first rig was a Vaper 3 gun deal for around 100 bux. a 1.7, 1.4 and 1.0 touch up. i learned with those , and learned their limitations. i have HF guns for various stuff, but i never use them. great for primer. i learned how to get clear down pretty good too. i think the vaper set i bought is the same as the HF guns. probably the same as most of the generic guns on the market. the devilbiss finishline and sharpe are good guns. you'll never find a nicer piece than a sata or iwata. no matter what you buy experience will yield the best results. on a gamble i bought the durablock 007 interchangeable head system, and i couldn't be happier. one body, three heads (1.3, 1.4, 1.7) and i bought a 1.2 for auto air. that aside, the greatest gun in the world is just a hunk of metal if your air supply sucks. make you've got all the CFM you need to shoot what you're shooting.
Thanks guys, I've done alot of research and by far agree that you get what you pay for. Like I said in the original post I have access to some really nice guns when the time comes to spray nice paint. The HF will do what I need it to do so I'm really just wanting to know if the TCP one is comparable or better. I would tend to think that a plac that specializes in paint products etc... would sell a little better quality generic product than HF but don't know that. I need it to spray single stage right now. I was gonna get a 1.5 tip for paint and was told I could spay most primers also. Any body else got specific experience with the TCP guns? Gonna check the local paint supplier also. Thanks for the help.
When gun shopping, always ask if their are parts available for it. Tips, needles, seals, air caps, cups and lids all may need to be replaced at some point, depending on how well you clean it and whether or not you drop it. Don't laugh, I accidently stepped on the hose once on my way to the car and dropped a gun that was full of clear. If you buy a bargain gun, it may or may not have parts readily available at your local paint store for just such emergencies.
I've got a great compromise gun for you. At Smartshoppers.com, I picked up an HVLP DeVIlbiss Finishline gun for under $100. They also sell the needle/cap sets very reasonably priced, unlike some other brands. So, gun and a couple different cap sets, and you've got a primer gun, a flake gun (same big tip), and a base/clear and single stage gun all in one. You just have to be scrupulouse in cleaning the thing between the different paints! Not a cheapo gun, either, they are pretty good quality!
I agree, I use the FL3 and love it. It came with a 1.8 and a 1.5 tip and I bought a 1.3 for clear. I also bought a regulator/gauge from Len at Autobodystore.com. The nice thing is parts are in stock, at one of the paint stores locally. BTW, as with any HVLP gun, make sure you perc it after you spray, but before you disassemble for cleaning. It eliminates a bunch of heaches later. Don't ask how I discovered this...
I'll second, third, whatever the Devilbiss setup as well. I've never had one but I've sprayed Mark's before and it seemed pretty nice. For a first gun or even a go-to gun, I don't think you can beat them as far as price/parts/quality.
Yeah, Ill agree with Chopped Olds SmartShoppers Cant be beat as far as Prices, I bought an Astro Pneumatic HVLP with a 1.9 tip to spray primer. It sprays a nice wet 9 in pattern. Just keep it clean. I also perc the gun after using.
i used to use a binks model 7, i still have them. my first hvlp was a astro knock off. i used it for primer it just couldn't hang when i started using high build primer the tip was to small. i got a sharpes hvlp it has a 2.3 tip and sprays that thick stuff like a champ.
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