New Base/Clear gun recommendations for the DIYers in the $200-$400 range

Jorge M. said:
The


The W-400 from Japan may be a different gun than the one you get in the US. The Japanese version has no cutout slits on the nozzle, I sell SPI to a painter that owns one here in Canada, haven't had a chance to play with it. It may not be compliant as well, just something to keep in mind if you care for that.
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True. Possibly different and non-compliant. I certainly don't care. I have plenty of documentation saying I use compliant guns and one for my older W-400. None of the documentation that comes with a gun has serial numbers so.....For Pete's sake, those 16 buck guns from Harbor Freight say they are compliant and when you spray with one to get decent atomization no one can see you for the cloud of overspray. I tried to tune my brother in laws so he could paint his race car. On a side note though, I have found those guns with a 1.8 nozzle and make a mean 20 buck primer gun that I don't mind letting my helpers use so they don't have to use my SATA KLC.

Thanks for your input. That issue my be important to some readers. I don't know if it is compliant but I can tell you, I don't see any difference in spraying with it versus my old US market W-400. I have not noticed excessive material use to suggest it has poor transfer efficiency. But, I only use it for flow coat so I don't spray with it daily either.
 
Do highend turbine spraying system spray clears well like highend coventional guns.
 
Does anybody know anything about the Iwata Air Gunsa Impact AZ3 HVLP guns or a Binks SV100GW? They are both in the $250 to $275 range. The Iwata can be had for $225 or so if you shop around.
 
So basically the primer guns don't matter much, but the BC/cc guns or Ss guns do.

So with a choice of three guns for the normal process of primer work, BC and SS work, and then the all imprtant clear work, what is a multiple car-project person to buy?

I have found the devilbiss finish line a quite finicky gun. It also has so many little crevices and such inside it is difficult to clean. I would hate to have to clean it to get one color out and use it for another color soon after. That would be disaster.

I consider it a primer gun. I would want very much to have a much more quality and adjustable gun for the stuff you would actually see on a car.
 
You guys will probably laugh....But for metallic base coats I use my old Binks M1G. Perfect layout even with dark blues. It doesn't do a bad job with high solid clears either.
 
I just went through this. I have a w400 I really like, but had an issue and held everything up. Did a ton of research and got recommendations from Barry(lph400 with a purple air cap). Ordered what he recommended, only for it to get lost in the mail for over a month(thanks FedEx Memphis). Needing to get going I bought 2 1.3 Iwata Kiwamis, and a 1.4 needle and nozzle from Japan. Got them in about a week and love them. Both guns and the needle set was less than the other option that was lost in the mail.
 
AAE said:
Barry recommends the purple cap? I thought he likes the silver.
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New gun time!

Hey guys. Long time lurker, looking at two different "packages". I've mostly painted frames and undercarriage with a little paint and body, which has become a lot of full restorations. On previous projects the HF & 3m guns were up to the task, but now I need an adult gun. I have a W400 that I...
www.spiuserforum.com
 
Purple cap is a good basecoat saver, it works at very low pressures while still making a wide fan. It takes good adjustment and technique to use. I'm not sure I would recommend it to a beginner, but it probably depends on the person. I sold mine because I thought it was too finicky out in the middle of truck hoods where I sometimes can't keep the gun at 90° to the surface.
 
My 2 cents and reasoning. I suppose you can rationalize your way into any decision, but for me who spent $800 on only the Diamont base and who is saving ?K's $'s on an auto paint job and worked beaucoup hours on body work, why would you not want to spend the extra money for a professional quality paint gun??? And as mentioned above, you can sell it afterwards and retrieve 1/2 of your purchase cost. And IMHO, the really great painters can likely take the cheapest gun out there and get a quality job, But if you are a newbie painter, I think it is best to stack the odds in your favor as much as possible and use a top tier paint gun.
 
20mercury said:
My 2 cents and reasoning. I suppose you can rationalize your way into any decision, but for me who spent $800 on only the Diamont base and who is saving ?K's $'s on an auto paint job and worked beaucoup hours on body work, why would you not want to spend the extra money for a professional quality paint gun??? And as mentioned above, you can sell it afterwards and retrieve 1/2 of your purchase cost. And IMHO, the really great painters can likely take the cheapest gun out there and get a quality job, But if you are a newbie painter, I think it is best to stack the odds in your favor as much as possible and use a top tier paint gun.
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I'm the same exact way. When learning or trying something new, I want decent equipment so I can adjust my TTP's to get the desired results. You simply can't learn how to do something right with junk tools.


That said, I do really like the Iwata Kiwami. I'm not sure why they are a Japan only item, but they shoot better than my w400. Massive fan, and great coverage. If they sold it in the states it would be a $600 gun instead of the $280 it is in Japan. It even uses the same replacement parts as the high dollar US versions.


I have a purple HF gun. It works, better than a roller most times.

I have a black widow, it's better than the purple HF, but a distant 2nd to the w400, and way behind the Kiwami.

I've heard good things about the Fuji-Spray, but haven't tried one yet.
 
I’ve had several Sharpe siphon feeds over the years and that wasn't going to work for what I'm doing now. So I bought a Devilbiss Finish Line. I tried it out on a file cabinet to spray some Kirker SS. Total waste of time and money. Don't buy a cheap gun. Now I have a Tekna Prolite and primer gun.
Best tool purchase I ever made!
 
I have several lph’s I’ve been using for ages. I love them. They just suit/fit me well. Reminds me I have a purple cap new in a box somewhere. I should find it. I was always curious how it sprayed. I pretty much use the orange caps for everything. The kiwamis are also a great gun. By far the best bang for the buck you can get right now. A pro level gun for homeowner price. Sagolas are also a very nice gun but they’ve increased the prices significantly since I bought them years ago.
 
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Toolin said:
I’ve had several Sharpe siphon feeds over the years and that wasn't going to work for what I'm doing now. So I bought a Devilbiss Finish Line. I tried it out on a file cabinet to spray some Kirker SS. Total waste of time and money. Don't buy a cheap gun. Now I have a Tekna Prolite and primer gun.
Best tool purchase I ever made!
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The Devilbiss FLG-5 manufactured in Brazil and sold throughout the European countries is a good spray gun. The FLG-5 was not manufactured within the United States but, I read somewhere United States Devilibiss manufacture has introduced the FLG-5 to be sold in the United States. I have a feeling this was done because of the large sales in Europe and Australia.

I bought one and had it shipped from Europe. It cost me $160, with shipping. It's been a great gun for spraying SPI epoxy.

Many great reviews of the Devilbiss FLG-5 on Youtube.

I've read many poor reviews of the American made Devilbiss Starting & Finishline guns.
 
MJM said:
The Devilbiss FLG-5 manufactured in Brazil and sold throughout the European countries is a good spray gun. The FLG-5 was not manufactured within the United States but, I read somewhere United States Devilibiss manufacture has introduced the FLG-5 to be sold in the United States. I have a feeling this was done because of the large sales in Europe and Australia.

I bought one and had it shipped from Europe. It cost me $160, with shipping. It's been a great gun for spraying SPI epoxy.

Many great reviews of the Devilbiss FLG-5 on Youtube.

I've read many poor reviews of the American made Devilbiss Starting & Finishline guns.
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Maybe I baught the US version. Mine is a FLG4 and quite heavy. As my daughter at the age of 4 , 22 years now would say "I can't like it"
 
Toolin said:
Maybe I baught the US version. Mine is a FLG4 and quite heavy. As my daughter at the age of 4 , 22 years now would say "I can't like it"
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Yes US had the FLG-4. It's a completely different gun than the FLG-5. I have a 1.4 tip, they also have 1.3 which was recently introduce, and a 1.8 tip.

Here's a couple of videos of the FLG-5 in action.

 
MJM said:
Yes US had the FLG-4. It's a completely different gun than the FLG-5. I have a 1.4 tip, they also have 1.3 which was recently introduce, and a 1.8 tip.

Here's a couple of videos of the FLG-5 in action.
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Impressive! As you said FLG-5 is nothing like an FLG-4, the FLG-5 looks a lot more like a Tekna than a FLG-4.
 
I've got a W-400 Bellaria 1.4 that I've been well satisfied with. I think the Kiwami is the replacement for the Bellaria. About $200 from Japan on Ebay for the Bellaria, and I've seen the Kiwami on there for about the same price.

Bought a FLG-5 1.4 about a year ago from the UK based on Gunman's reviews. About $130 shipped to my door in 3 days. $105 for the gun and $25 shipping. I was honestly prepared to be disappointed, thinking there's no way a hundred dollar gun can be as good as the reviews say it is. Only thing I've done with it was to prep a kinked fender I've kept around, and sprayed it with SPI black SS. I can't say anything about how it would work on base or clear, but it laid that SS down slick as glass.

I'd seen a few things in the past that said the FLG-5 is made in Brazil, but mine is marked made in the UK.
 
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