Best choice?

[littlerick]

I have been bashing around and looking for a new ab that will be good for me and not break the bank!

After a lot of reading and watching the reviews.. I decided on the H&S range.. German made, good price, good spares and available easily. I'm not gonna go in and buy top range, in fact its the starter ab, The Ultra.

The Ultra comes in top and bottom feeds and with 0.2 and 0.4 needles. I am going for top feed as I think its better for what I need. As for needle... They do a solo or a 2in1 set, as a beginner would I be better off getting a solo with a 0.2 or 0.4 needle or go the extra £20 and get the 2in1.

 

[AndreZA]

Rick, the Ultra uses the same needles and nozzles as the Evolution and the Infinity so you get high end stuff there. I just do not like the the press in cup. Also you can not remove the needle cap the closer work and easier tip cleaning. I love both my Evo and Infinity and if you can do without some of the features, the Evo is all you need.

 

[littlerick]

Yes.. i may upgrade to one at a later date.. For where I am now, I think the ultra will do me. I'm not planning on making any money, just enjoy the hobby and see what happens.. If I get good enough and do earn anything, you can bet your ass I will get a upgrade!

Is the 2 in 1 a good buy or will I just end up using one needle all the time, if so I would just buy the solo in 0.2 or 0.4.

 

[haasje dutchairbrush]

Like AndreZa said the needle and nozzle are interchanhable for all H&S. As those are the parts that define how an airbrush paints you are only paying for the extra options with the more expensive H&S guns (though an infinity works considerably better at low pressure in my experience)

I think the 2 in one is the best deal here the 0.2 you can use for the smaller work and the 0.4 is easy for bigger parts of a paintig. This is also the strength of H&S. If you want to do something large like a sky you can just switch the set to 0,4 where with any other brand you'd need a different gun.

 

[AndreZA]

Depends on what you are planning to do. If you are only doing big paintings, you will never use the .2 and vice versa.

 

[littlerick]

Upto now... i am just painting on a4 card or paper, got some a3 to do something on. No real direction, just painting stuff.. want to try portraits when i'm confident enough.. I'm no artist and probably never will be, but it makes me smile Maybe just go with 2 in 1 and have it covered eh!

 

[AndreZA]

Then .2 will be great. And Like Haasje said, the .4 to fill bigger areas like the background. But practice with the .4 because using a small nozzle is another daemon to battle.

 

[littlerick]

sweet thanks

 

[Madbrush]

I would pay the extra and go for the two in one, having both options can be very handy sometimes and changing out is very easy with their system.

With the needles fitting all of their brushes, if you do upgrade you have the most expensive parts as spares if you ever decide you you like the higher end brushes better than the ultra.

 

[Mr.Micron]

My question to you littlerick is what is your goal?
What did you have in mind when you decided to airbrush?
For me it was painting an Native American theme on a 1954 Pontiac that my wife bought me for an anniversary .So my goal it automotive but I paint on anything and everything.
Like you I thought the airbrush only needed upgraded as my skills grew. But I was given an offer to buy my dream airbrush. At that time is was a Iwata CM-C+ but with the .18 set up. After getting it , It sat in the box for a good while prior to me having the guts to take it out and even try it.
But once I did I found myself growing faster and effects I struggled with came a lot easier.
So do not let your mind set or skill level make you feel you are not ready for a detail brush it will only make your airbrush learning easier.
Of course this is just my opinion.
I now have an Infinity with the .15 set up and love the way it sprays I have yet to use the .4 set up unless you count the larger cup.

 

[littlerick]

My goal, was to paint my bike and helmet... I have however enjoyed painting on paper and card and havn't thought about bike or helmet for a while. I would like to just learn how to paint and maybe produce a consistent quality of work. My main bottleneck is the fact that I'm an unemployed, unskilled 50 year old with very little money. So I'm buying what a can afford at a push. This will enable me to enjoy the hobby a little better than my cheap chinese ab's and that alone will help me progress. If a bargain comes along and the cash is in my pocket... I will buy it!

 

[Mr.Micron]

Always keep you end goal in mind. I do understand money troubles and having to stay on a budget been there before.

 

[xvwarrior]

Hi littlerick, in my opinion you would benefit from buying and using the two in one, if nothing else to get the experience of the parameters each set up can achieve. However I fully understand the cash situation, as Mr.Micron say's, "been there". I would say, buy the best you can afford, if thats just the 0.2 set-up thats fine. Dont forget you gotta buy medium to spray through it also. It can get expensive, the bottom line is to have fun and you can also cover quite large areas with the 0.2 even if it takes a little longer to cover.
cheers
Iv

 

[Squishy]

Always buy the best brush you can afford, and if this is the one then cool. But it may be worth considering that you run the risk of outgrowing it, and then having to buy another brush to be able to get to the next level, so in the end you will have spent out for 2 brushes, or left with a brush that may end up holding you back and frustrating you. In this case, not being able to take off the head cap may make it harder when you start wanting to get more detailed. So it may be worth considering whether that scenario will work for you and if buying another more expensive brush at a later date is not a problem. If money is an issue (and lord knows I'm with you there *sigh*) is it worth maybe waiting a little longer and saving up the extra £30 -£35 for the next model up, (with only one nozzle set up admittedly, but eventually you will need to replace a needle and nozzle anyway, so could switch then) and be able to work towards to your ultimate goal, and beyond with just that brush. Or maybe as it's not too far away from xmas you could hang on and hint towards getting the extra cash if that's a possibility?

I had to go through these thought processes when I got my brush. I ended up waiting and got my Iwata hp-cs, which while not a bank breaker is still a lot of cash to me, for a hobby. Over 2 years later it was the best thing I could have done, it allowed me to come on in leaps and bounds, learning was so much easier with a quality brush that co-operated, and with parts that held up and did not need frequent replacement. I use it all the time, and I don't think I will ever outgrow it. Of course I would still love a micron when I win the lotto Lol,

 

[littlerick]

Thanks for input guys.. I will go for the 2 in 1 kit and see how it goes... I know the tip doesn't remove on this model, but I do have a lathe in my shed and maybe I could custom make something. Be easier when I have it to see if its possible, cant see any reason why not.

I know almost everyone says Iwata, but I still think that over all the H&S is better suited to my needs and budget and I havn't found any bad reviews anywhere... I was looking at the NEO, but the Ultra seems better over all.

 

[Mr.Micron]

Thanks for input guys.. I will go for the 2 in 1 kit and see how it goes... I know the tip doesn't remove on this model, but I do have a lathe in my shed and maybe I could custom make something. Be easier when I have it to see if its possible, cant see any reason why not.

I know almost everyone says Iwata, but I still think that over all the H&S is better suited to my needs and budget and I havn't found any bad reviews anywhere... I was looking at the NEO, but the Ultra seems better over all.

Neo is Iwata's own knock off. .35 set up and like the other knock offs it is hit or miss.
H&S is a great brush and I think it will be a good all around airbrush for you.
The Krome is another good one when you can find them in stock.
If you have a local shop where you can go see them in person and hold them it may help you choose which fits you the best.

 

[littlerick]

I'm not aware of anywhere around here that has anything airbrush related.. I'm a internet junkie and tend to go online or everything. I'm in a small village in lincolnshire, not much of anything, but its bloody lovely!

If any UKers know of any let me know.

@xxvwarrior I got a good deal on 50 250ml bottles of autoair paint, a mix of transparent and autoborne. Also 4 bottles of reducer and a couple of the cleaner. Should last me a week or 2

 

[Melbee]

Hi littlerick,
If you've never read a bad review on an Ultra then let me help you. The very first airbrush I got was an Ultra 0.2mm and I hated it. I would never recommend it as a first airbrush unless you want to make your learning a misery!! Why? The push in paint cup leaked when I was painting and after I cleaned it, the cup would ping out almost everytime I got hold of it. The Trigger started to stick after a short time and it never really felt right after that however much I cleaned, lubed and tweaked the air valve spring. The needles and nozzles are very thin brass and get damaged easily. And for learning I found the 0.2mm setup way too small and paint dilution fussy to be able to paint without constant problems and frustrations.

I too was very taken by the H&S airbrushes concept with interchangable parts which is why after a lot of research I choose the Ultra as my first airbrush but believe me, it was a mistake. I was also under the false impression that I should get the 0.2mm because I was fixated on the whole detail business when I first just needed to learn how to airbrush. So after I threw in the towel with the Ultra I made the mistake of buying an Iwata HP-SB+ 0.2mm which is a lovely airbrush but the 0.2mm setup was again too small to help me learn.

Eventually I bought an Iwata Eclipse SBS 0.35mm which was my absolute saviour!! For the first time I could concentrate on getting paint onto paper without worrying too much about the paint viscosity. Together with Com-Art paints my learning curve went up in leaps and bounds. The Eclipse and my Microns are my favourite airbrushes and I have tried a few now, I would never part with it. It was the best value for money, the best learning tool and stays the easiest and best workhorse airbrush I own.

So my advice would be stay away from the Ultra, you can buy an Evolution nozzle cap that splits for it but you can't change the rubbish push in paint cups. You will definitely want the bigger nozzle setup, so if you insist on getting an H&S, get an Evolution o.4mm, you can always buy a 0.2mm setup later. But I would just buy an Iwata Eclipse 0.35mm HP-CS like Squishy uses and learn to enjoy this fantastic hobby. It's forgiving with paint, easy to clean, tough as old boots and parts are reasonable.
Cheers Mel

 

[wmlepage]

I was thinking of you Mel and all your Ultra issues when this first showed up.

 

[jagardn]

I'd agree with Mel. Get the EVO or Infinity. I have both and they are great airbrushes. I can't speak for the Ultra, but it is the Neo of the Iwata world. Entry level brushes are hit and miss from most of the things I hear.