That $300 paint gun I swore was overpriced actually laid down the cleanest coat I've ever done on a fender in Portland last Tuesday.

I was dead set on my old harbor freight special until a shop buddy dared me to try his and the orange peel just disappeared, anyone else had a tool totally change their mind after being stubborn about it?

3 comments

3 Comments

nora_dixon1mo ago

Yeah the orange peel disappearing is the real tell lol. I did the same thing with a Fuji spray system, swore up and down my old turbine was fine until I borrowed a buddy's and it laid down finish like butter on a cabinet job. The difference is usually in the air cap and needle combo, that $300 gun probably has a much finer atomization that just smooths out everything even if you're not the best at trigger control. I'd say it's worth the splurge if you're doing anything clear coat or metallics where you can't sand and buff every little imperfection.

mark3611mo ago

Ruby, you're close but it's the fluid tip size doing the heavy lifting there.

ruby_rivera761mo ago

Ugh that "real tell" part hit me hard. I convinced myself my old gun was fine for way too long, then finally borrowed a friend's setup and felt like an idiot for waiting. It's crazy how much easier the whole job gets when you're not fighting the tool the whole time.