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Your preferred base coat gun?

30K views 64 replies 18 participants last post by  benchracer1 
#1 ·
Don't laugh but I have had good results with my devilbliss finishline gun for basecoats. What do you prefer?
 
#4 ·
There is nothing wrong with a FLlll gun. My biggest complaint was the overspray which wont get with the Iwata. Yes, there is some, but the gun pressure of 14-16psig at the inlet, lessens it by a lot - which is a savings in materials.



This is with the IWATA LPH400 w/1.4 tip and representative of the rest of the car, My avatar above.



Cheap at approx $500+/-

Dave W
 
#6 ·
I don't paint real often anymore, but still spray basecoat with a hvlp pressure cup accuspray model 10 I bought I'd say around 1995. Got turned onto it, cause the shop I was working in at the time, and was impressed with how much easier laying metallic with it then the conventional I had, or the mattson hvlp gun the prior shop I worked in had. Dont have a ton of experience with a lot of different brands of hvlp's but most of the early ones really sucked.

Never had any luck with the accuspray for clear, but works great for laying metallic and pearl even, can get a huge even pattern out of the thing. Don't have to do much mist coating. Kind of an airhog and really likes to have a good flowing regulator, but material useage and overspray are good.

I broke down and bought an iwata lph 400 a few years back. Haven't used it much, but liked what I seen. Plan on it being dedicated clear gun, but bought the base cap just in case. I haven't seen a need to try it for base, as I am pretty happy with how my old accuspray handles that.
 
#7 ·
We use the Finishline III gun for both base and clear at my shop. I have seen the Iwata and Sata guns and have never been impressed with them. You have to move too slow with them.
This is a 2010 Challenger where we used the Finishline for both the base and clear. The graphics are air brushed with clear coat applied with the Finishline III over them.



Frank Cox
Cox Custom Cars
 
#10 ·
I have a Lph 400 and love it. Never tried the FinishLine III so I can't compare the two of them. But as for the iwata I really like how lightweight it is. It lays clear nicely and sprays base very well but you can also get runs and have mottled base with the same gun and any gun no matter how much it costs. Alot of it is in how you spray, if your used to spraying with the finishline and are getting good results then stick with it. The iwata is a little slower I admit but the overspray is less and you do use less material. Its going to be more of a personal preference. Me well I love my gun and am glad I bought it.
 
#11 ·
I just hate these "what gun should I buy" questions as there is no real right answer for everyone but let me point out two things and it may help you decide.

First in a days time, I may talk to 2 -20 professional painters a day, through out Canada and the US and if I go back even 3 or 5 years and you held a 45 to my head and said what gun do professional painters use, I would say with out a second thought, 99+% use either Iwata or Sata or even both for say 50-60%.

Second, I cannot tell you how many times a newer painter, be it a guy that has done 4 or 5 jobs or one that has been full time for a year or so, has told me he bought an Iwata or a Sata and he could not believe how much better the paint jobs were.

Anything under $400 is not a gun to give you a top notch finish, maybe OK for car lot work or everyday "lower grade" insurance work.

A funny note, I have a friend that owns a high end shop in Atlanta, he has six painters right now and all they do is the higher end insurance work, and for years on his employment app, it asks the painter to list every paint gun he has, no SATA or IWATA, no interview. His attitude, "if you don't own, you are not a painter, just a sprayer"
 
#15 ·
BarryK said:
I just hate these "what gun should I buy" questions as there is no real right answer for everyone but let me point out two things and it may help you decide.

First in a days time, I may talk to 2 -20 professional painters a day, through out Canada and the US and if I go back even 3 or 5 years and you held a 45 to my head and said what gun do professional painters use, I would say with out a second thought, 99+% use either Iwata or Sata or even both for say 50-60%.

Second, I cannot tell you how many times a newer painter, be it a guy that has done 4 or 5 jobs or one that has been full time for a year or so, has told me he bought an Iwata or a Sata and he could not believe how much better the paint jobs were.

Anything under $400 is not a gun to give you a top notch finish, maybe OK for car lot work or everyday "lower grade" insurance work.

A funny note, I have a friend that owns a high end shop in Atlanta, he has six painters right now and all they do is the higher end insurance work, and for years on his employment app, it asks the painter to list every paint gun he has, no SATA or IWATA, no interview. His attitude, "if you don't own, you are not a painter, just a sprayer"

No disrespect, but I WASN'T asking what gun to buy. I am planning on making a new purchase soon, and was looking for feedback on what people have had success with and just overall prefer and why. I am a hobbiest, so I dont lay paint every single day. But saying someone isnt a "painter" because they don't own a certain type of gun is kind of a bull**** statement IMO.
 
#18 ·
.....but asking the same question 3 or more times wont get any better answers. You got several responses from folks besides me, an amateur, who are not only good, but gifted which I'm not. If you want better responses, well you aren't asking the right questions then, are you :D :D :D ?
 
#20 ·
Anyways, thanks to all that responded. I guess this discussion is closed now. I think I know what gun I am going to pick up. If anyone else has any personal experiences with a gun they would like to share feel free, but I wont be asking for anymore opinions on the subject, it appears those that matter have responded on the subject.
 
#21 ·
orangejuiced86 said:
But saying someone isnt a "painter" because they don't own a certain type of gun is kind of a bull**** statement IMO.

Well, maybe to you it is bull-st but its his business and two years ago when we were on a trip, he told me his lowest paid painter was ave $1400-1700 a week, I guess he can make his own rules and hire the best of the best.

No real problem with this, as the painter with his Devilbus can always get a job down the street for $350-400 a week.

I guess it would be like Dale Earnhart getting his engines at auto-zone to save money, it would be penny wise and dollar stupid, to say the least.
 
#22 ·
Well as usual with anything else on an Internet forum, this thread has become dumb and basically drifted off of the original topic. I'm done. Again I appreciate most of the responses! I think I have a good indication of what gun I may be happy with if I choose to purchase it.
 
#24 ·
Hahaha...

orangejuiced86 said:
Picked up an Iwata LPH400 LVX for a rediculious price. I'm anxious to use it!
I just saw thsi post and it makes me feel much much better that I just picked up a Finishline III and plan on painting the base and clear with it. I really like the finsih on the car you shot with it.

Heres my opinion or I guess question. If I was to shoot 2-3 coats of good quality clear and plan on Buffing and polishing the Sh%^$%^$ out of it. Would the gun to shoot clear really,, really make that huge of a difference? Pardon if this is just a ridiculouis question but Im a beginner.

I know a shop has to flip a profit and maybe a quality gun will save many hours of work etc.. but..... I still havent heard a good rational answer for a DYI at home painter should dish out $300-400 more for a better gun. Maybe Im missing something?? Or if I paint 5-10 cars with a Finishline or Finex3000 wont that just make me a better painter when I use an Iwata???
 
#25 ·
There is absolutely nothing wrong with a FL3 gun - if you have all four tips. The Iwata's and SATAs just make it a lot easier - if you can afford that level of gun. The biggest advantage with me using an Iwata is the fact there is virtually no over spray plus the fact you can get by with a smaller compressor due to much lower air pressure and volume requirements.
 
#26 ·
My side work load is increasing by the day. I bought the LVX brand new in the box for $200. I wanted a more consistent gun for metallics because I prefer to panel paint cars when doing completes.

Plus at $200. Come on. I couldn't pass it up.

I lay clear with a PLUS gun and I can tell you that clearing with that gun compared to the flg3 is night and day! Speed and overall finish!

I'll let you know how I like the lvx 1.3 next weekend when I use it! Can't wait!
 
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