[novafreek6872]

Anybody out there using this model for clears or have any thoughts on it?

http://www.astrotools.com/default.as...num=EUROHE103&

TIA

[69 widetrack]

To me it looks like a copy of the Walcom gun. It sprayed nice but had trouble with the nylon gasket in the head. Being a copy it may be hard to get parts for it and to be honest I haven't used my Walcom's for over 8 years. The guns I prefer for clear now are the Sata line, the Devilbus GTI, (I know it's old technology but it does lay clear down nice) and I recently purchased an Iwata. I really like the Iwata because it stainless steal construction lets me shoot water born base as well. Andy, when it comes to guns it's all about what works for you, there is no one paint gun that will be head and shoulders above the rest. Paint jobbers, (If they have an in house rep) will have demo guns, factory paint reps will have jobber guns. Ask around and see if you can try one, if they want to sell you one they should let you test drive it. I haven't repped for a few years now and I still get calls when new product or equipment comes out...no harm done in asking, if they don't let you try it, talk to painters in respectable shops...they are usually happy to give you there impressions and if you get to know them well enough might even let you try one.

[novafreek6872]

I saw that it has a 11 - 13" fan pattern on it and the price is right. To be honest those two things were my motivators... Just wish it came in a 1.4...Strange! I'm not looking to spend a bunch of money, but I thought this might do a fair job with clears,,, a step up from my $35 HF gun, which I could use for bases

I think its around $120 which about the same as the sharpe fx3000 but no where near the $300 for the Devilbiss gfg 670... if I wanted to spend that much, I'd go for a used SATA or Iwata... right now , I could do around $100 but not quite ready to make a big leap right now

[69 widetrack]

If I can make a suggestion Andy...spend a little extra now and reap the benefits for years. I do understand that top name guns cost money but, redoing just one paint job because your equipment farted or misfired is going to cost you a lot more. I look at the work you've done and if you did that with less than professional equipment I think it might be refreshingly scary what you can do with equipment that is designed to spray today's products. Save, beg, borrow, do everything short of steel to get the right equipment in your hands, especially a paint gun. Many people will say that it's not an absolute necessity to have top of the line equipment to do top of the line work...somewhat true but, if you have top of the line equipment the chances of you doing top of the line work is greatly improved.

In short, don't spend the $120 on the Astro, save a little longer and get the one you know is going to do the job to your expectations...and I know your expectations are high, it shows in your work.

[novafreek6872]

Thanks man. I think I will hold off for a bit and see what pops up used on fleabay. There are so many good guns out there its hard to choose!! I think a sata 3000rp might fit my painting style pretty well judging from a few videos Ive watched of people using them... but on the other hand, painting in my garage, I would love the low overspray of the lph400... I keep reading that its a good base gun but not so hot for clears... any opinions on that one?

[69 widetrack]

The Sata is an excellent gun, I still use mine often, even with the low VOC clears that are out now (in Canada we can't buy clear any more unless it's VOC compliant) It also shoots solvent bases nicely. The best all around gun I have now is the Iwata. It shoots both water born and solvent bases like a champ and it lays clear down every bit as good as any of my Sata's or GTI's...it is however a little slower on clear coat application and I have to watch the speed of my product on big jobs.

I haven't sprayed with the IPH 400 and can't give you a definitive response. I know one of the Factory Reps here in town has one. I can give him a call, get him to let me borrow the gun on the weekend and report back to you...I have a few small pieces to do this weekend anyway and he's only a phone call away. Who knows, I might be an owner by Monday.

So if your not in a hurry, I'd be happy to do that for you.

Ray

[novafreek6872]

Sure... no hurry here.

Which Iwata are you currently using the W400?

[69 widetrack]

I've got the good old 400. It still lays water born base down better than most any gun I've used. I had one when I was a Factory Rep and liked the way it felt in my hand, excellent balance. See what I mean about personal preference. I use the 3M PPS system and clean up is a breeze.

As far as clear goes, I prefer my Sata or the GTI.

I'll call my buddy and get back to you on the IPH 400

[69 widetrack]

Andy, I took 5 minutes and called my buddy, I've got the LPH 400. He's dropping it off tomorrow morning and I'll have it till Monday. He claims that if I like the 400 I'm going to love the LPH...time will tell. Maybe I'll spray the few pieces I have in the morning and get back to you in the afternoon.

[fireboat]

Widetrack, that is pretty cool of you to do all of that to help Nova out.

[69 widetrack]

Originally Posted by fireboat

Widetrack, that is pretty cool of you to do all of that to help Nova out.

Well thank you...I'm what you might call semi retired and to be honest I've been wanting to try the LPH 400 myself...this gave me the excuse.

I enjoy giving back to the trade, it just seems that fewer and fewer people are getting into it and especially those that have a similar passion as so many of the people on this site. Andy (Novafreak) seems to be one of those people that not only has the passion but he's willing to learn and is a veritable sponge when it comes to soaking up knowledge...how can you not try and help.

It's not that big a deal, I'm just waiting for parts to arrive for my next build and have some extra time.

I mentioned one of the mantras I told a young painter years in an earlier post, "knowledge is power, passing that knowledge on is powerful, it's up to the individual to to decide if they want power or to be powerful".

Ray

[69 widetrack]

Short note for Andy, the LPH 400 arrived about an hour ago...I'll get back to you this afternoon.

[69 widetrack]

OK Andy here goes...I took the LPH 400 for a test drive. I had a discussion with the donor of the demo gun as to set up pressure and what equipment (1.3, 1.4, 1.8) for what product. I used VOC compliant solvent based base coat, Envirobase water born base coat and 2 different clears, a VOC compliant clear and Nexa 642 clear (Old non VOC compliant technology, can't buy it in Canada anymore but still have some).

I sprayed test panels first, about 3 feet in length by 1 foot wide. I used both the water born and the solvent bases with the 1.4 set up. Excellent results, great atomisation, laid the base down flat with excellent metallic control. Nice large even pattern. Ease of trigger function was very noticeable and what I really enjoyed was the balance.. Using the PPS system from 3M I never found the gun to be top heavy even with a full large cup on top. (don' worry I saved all the reduced material). Great base gun, similar to the older 400 model but improvement in pattern and air transfer efficiency (Less over spray and less taxing on a compressor).

Clear Coat...I sprayed one panel with the solvent based VOC compliant clear and one panel with the higher bodied non VOC compliant clear. I used the 1.3 tip for the first coat on the non VOC compliant panel. It laid down OK...I found that I needed to slow down my gun speed to get the finish I wanted...like it wasn't putting enough product on, same gun set up as on the base and my pattern seemed smaller, (understandable, clear is a heavier product than base coat). Second coat of clear I selected the 1.4 set up. I got what seemed to be more product but had to work to get the finish. I backed my gun up about an inch to 2 inches. I had the same experience with the non VOC compliant clear. It seems that you need to work the product to get that killer finish.

As I have said in previous posts, a paint gun is very dependent on the individual painters spray techniques personal preference. The LPH 400 is an improvement over the previous 400. It does seem to lay base down flatter and as far as metallic control I would say that they are about equal. Clear coat application is also improved and as I mentioned a paint gun is largely personal preference and I would have to say I still prefer the Devilbus GTI for clear. I seem to get better flow with less effort. The LPH 400 had a larger pattern but like I said I had to work it to get the desired results.

All in all I would recommend this gun especially for someone who might be a little "gun shy" and is afraid of getting runs in the clear. Another thing I did like was the noticeable difference in over spray, it appeared to be much less, especially when spraying clear.

Would I buy this gun...YES...Will I buy this gun... I am married and need to pass it by the war department before I purchase it. The gun I used will be up for sale at the end of this year and I have first dibs on it...YES I will buy it.

Hope this helps
Ray

[novafreek6872]

Ray,

Thanks for the great write up, you always go above and beyond to help people out, and I really appreciate it!!!

It seems to me that all the great clear guns really blast it on with a good amount of overspray. Would you say that's a fair assessment?

I've been looking at this gun alot, and it's around $300 shipped on fleabay...DeVilbiss Plus High Efficiency Gravity Feed

I know you like your Devilbiss. What are the big differences between yours and the model I linked? More overspray with the 670? Its not HVLP. That might work good for me because I'm more used to high pressure sprayers.


Thanks for all the help

Andy

[fireboat]

Nova, I am only repeating what I have read as I have no first hand experience with these particular guns.

The GFG670 Plus has been a very well liked gun on all forums that includes several tips. It has been around for awhile now.

However, the hot Devilbiss at the present time is the "Copper" Tekna with the 7E7 aircap. On some other forums this is "the" gun to get unless you are willing to shell out for a Sata or Iwata.

It is only about $40 more than the Plus on Ebay at $339 with free shipping.

I am sure that any of the guns that you are considering are great. I am just throwing out another gun consideration to make your decision process more difficult, lol.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Devilbiss-TE...6ecaf8&vxp=mtr