pcDoc
Gravity Guru
My other thread (Micron vs. Infinity) was more about asking for help on which gut to buy next. In this thread I would like to share my thoughts on both guns I have (my personal opinion). But of course everybody is welcome to add his/her experiences and thoughts about those two guns and how they compare.
Warning: will be a longer one...
Some facts to start with:
Iwata Custom Micron CM-SB2:
Price: 420€
Nozzle: 0,18
Cup: side cup with 3,8ml
Adjustable trigger: pull down and pull back force adjustable
H&S EVO 2in1 (the classic one):
Price: 156€
Nozzle: 0,2 + 0,4
Cup: gravity feed 2mm + 5mm
Adjustable trigger: pull down force adjustable
I did use the CM-SB2 in two sessions now, so not too much experience, but I tried quite a lot of different things with it already, so I think I have at least a good idea of what it can do and what not. (limited with my skills of course).
Trigger response (the first thing I noticed immediately):
Evo: About 1mm or less when pulling the trigger back, where there is no action. You feel a little resistance when the trigger starts pulling back the needle.
CM-SB: The slightest movement of the trigger and paint goes through the nozzle.
I used to the Evo, but this was one of the things I don't like about it. For areas or larger to "normal" size things absolutely not issue and it works perfectly fine for me, but when it comes to really fine details I struggled a bit with that! In this case I was really positively surprised by the CM-SB2! It feels more intuitive and much easier. And I have the feeling that the Evo increases paint flow quicker, so I can control it better with the Iwata. As with almost everything there is a but! I guess that is just how you are used to it, but if you push the trigger down, you need to be much more careful as with the Evo! The trigger is that sensitive, that if you pull back just a very tiny bit (by pushing the trigger down), you have immediately paint coming out. No risk on the Evo here. By adjusting the rear spring you can "improve" that a bit, but I do really like that very soft resistance when pulling the trigger back! I will get used to it!
Fine details (and I mean really fine details ):
Evo: I can do fine details with it, no question about that! But mainly due to the trigger I always struggled with getting consistent fine details. I bought the Quickfix accessory, which is nothing else as a needle limiter (21€). I can tell you since I bought that thing, I use it for almost every really fine detail work! It makes it soooo much easier for me to get consistent details like hair or similar! That quick release button is wonderful and a great idea! The second thing I was struggling with was low pressure and extreemly reduced paint. I get more a dotted line, than a clean line.
CM-SB: First of all, the needle limiter is crap! I don't know why, but I don't like it at all! And I can fully understand your comments, that most of you don't use it. Now having said that I have sooo much more control with the CM, that I don't really need it! To get really fine lines is just a pleasure with the Iwata! It works much better at lower pressure and a fine line is a solid line, and not a dotted one!
With both I'm getting good fine details, but here I do see the CM as a clear winner! When I do some very fine dagger strokes I relatively often get some paint coming out of the Evo when I release the trigger. Nozzle is clean and needle ok. On anything larger than hair fine details this is not an issue, but as I love to do some really fine details this was a pain and I always blamed myself for not releasing the trigger right, or stop the motion to early. With the Iwata I didn´t have that a single time so far!
Cleaning:
Evo: It is that simple to clean! No tools needed, good access to everything. Not really anything I can complain about here! As the cup is removable it is really as easy as it can be. There is always a bit of my paint (Schmincke and Molotow One4All) in the nozzle, when I clean it (and I do that after every session (even if it is just half an hour), but it removes easily.
CM-SB: Well, not really difficult to clean, but you need to be very careful with the nozzle. It is simply too small and fragile in my opinion. The side cup is not difficult to clean, but it is definitely more work than the cup of the Evo, which is done in seconds, whereas the side cup you need to detach, unscrew the bottom, clean it with a brush, and so on. It seems like my paint is not really that sticky to the nozzle. I couldn't find any paint in it after 2 hours work with it.
Even though the Iwata is not really difficult to clean I would definitely give the win to the Evo in that category.
Versatility, Spareparts & Accessories:
Evo: nozzle: 15€, needle: 10€, planty of accessory! You can have nozzles 0,15 0,2 0,4 and even 0,6! Also with the cup you have plenty of options: <1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 15ml, 50ml! Quickfix, an adapter to turn it into a syphon feed airbrush as well! I cannot image there is a more versatile AB out there! Availability where I live is great!
CM-SB: nozzle 65€, needle: 27€ and everything else is pretty expansive as well! Accessories I only have the softer spring (5€), which in my opinion doesn't really make that much of a difference the way I spay, but for those who prefer a softer trigger, it is noticeable! There aren't too many other accessories what I found, other than a larger cup and a slightly larger nozzle 0,23! Not sure if the difference between the 0,18 and 0,23 nozzle is significant enough to buy it it for that price, but maybe someone who has tried both can comment on that. I didn't even find a lid for the side cup and I think how it is build this wouldn't even work. Availability of spare parts where I live is pretty limited, but nothing an online shop wouldn't solve!
This win goes VERY clearly to the Evo in my opinion!
Spray pattern:
On this topic I don't want to comment yet. At a first glance I liked the one from the CM-SB much more when I tested it on normal printer paper. On airbrush paper I couldn't really see too much difference and on a canvas I'm currently working on there is no difference at all visible to me. In terms of overspray the Evo is already pretty good, but the CM is a bit better! There is hardly any overspray!
Value for money:
I clearly think the Evo (especially the 2in1) is the better deal! I'm obsessed with ultra fine details, so I absolutely do not regret getting the CM-SB as it clearly is better for fine details. But I don't think it does a so much better job when doing "normal" size stuff, though it is for sure not worse! It is simply just not worth 3,5 times the price of the Evo if you don't need those really fine details!
Conclusion:
I almost took away the conclusion already in the previous paragraph as there is not much to add! It might seem as an unfair battle between those two guns, but I think they are not that far away from each other as many might think! The CM is really a fine gun and it can do most of the things slightly to extreemely better than the Evo. If it is worth the additional money everybody needs to decide him-/herself. I will definitely not give away the Evo, but currently I struggle a bit with switching guns due to the different trigger behavior, but lets see if I get used to that! Maybe I will use it more with the 0,4 nozzle in the future as I have the CM now for the details.
Warning: will be a longer one...
Some facts to start with:
Iwata Custom Micron CM-SB2:
Price: 420€
Nozzle: 0,18
Cup: side cup with 3,8ml
Adjustable trigger: pull down and pull back force adjustable
H&S EVO 2in1 (the classic one):
Price: 156€
Nozzle: 0,2 + 0,4
Cup: gravity feed 2mm + 5mm
Adjustable trigger: pull down force adjustable
I did use the CM-SB2 in two sessions now, so not too much experience, but I tried quite a lot of different things with it already, so I think I have at least a good idea of what it can do and what not. (limited with my skills of course).
Trigger response (the first thing I noticed immediately):
Evo: About 1mm or less when pulling the trigger back, where there is no action. You feel a little resistance when the trigger starts pulling back the needle.
CM-SB: The slightest movement of the trigger and paint goes through the nozzle.
I used to the Evo, but this was one of the things I don't like about it. For areas or larger to "normal" size things absolutely not issue and it works perfectly fine for me, but when it comes to really fine details I struggled a bit with that! In this case I was really positively surprised by the CM-SB2! It feels more intuitive and much easier. And I have the feeling that the Evo increases paint flow quicker, so I can control it better with the Iwata. As with almost everything there is a but! I guess that is just how you are used to it, but if you push the trigger down, you need to be much more careful as with the Evo! The trigger is that sensitive, that if you pull back just a very tiny bit (by pushing the trigger down), you have immediately paint coming out. No risk on the Evo here. By adjusting the rear spring you can "improve" that a bit, but I do really like that very soft resistance when pulling the trigger back! I will get used to it!
Fine details (and I mean really fine details ):
Evo: I can do fine details with it, no question about that! But mainly due to the trigger I always struggled with getting consistent fine details. I bought the Quickfix accessory, which is nothing else as a needle limiter (21€). I can tell you since I bought that thing, I use it for almost every really fine detail work! It makes it soooo much easier for me to get consistent details like hair or similar! That quick release button is wonderful and a great idea! The second thing I was struggling with was low pressure and extreemly reduced paint. I get more a dotted line, than a clean line.
CM-SB: First of all, the needle limiter is crap! I don't know why, but I don't like it at all! And I can fully understand your comments, that most of you don't use it. Now having said that I have sooo much more control with the CM, that I don't really need it! To get really fine lines is just a pleasure with the Iwata! It works much better at lower pressure and a fine line is a solid line, and not a dotted one!
With both I'm getting good fine details, but here I do see the CM as a clear winner! When I do some very fine dagger strokes I relatively often get some paint coming out of the Evo when I release the trigger. Nozzle is clean and needle ok. On anything larger than hair fine details this is not an issue, but as I love to do some really fine details this was a pain and I always blamed myself for not releasing the trigger right, or stop the motion to early. With the Iwata I didn´t have that a single time so far!
Cleaning:
Evo: It is that simple to clean! No tools needed, good access to everything. Not really anything I can complain about here! As the cup is removable it is really as easy as it can be. There is always a bit of my paint (Schmincke and Molotow One4All) in the nozzle, when I clean it (and I do that after every session (even if it is just half an hour), but it removes easily.
CM-SB: Well, not really difficult to clean, but you need to be very careful with the nozzle. It is simply too small and fragile in my opinion. The side cup is not difficult to clean, but it is definitely more work than the cup of the Evo, which is done in seconds, whereas the side cup you need to detach, unscrew the bottom, clean it with a brush, and so on. It seems like my paint is not really that sticky to the nozzle. I couldn't find any paint in it after 2 hours work with it.
Even though the Iwata is not really difficult to clean I would definitely give the win to the Evo in that category.
Versatility, Spareparts & Accessories:
Evo: nozzle: 15€, needle: 10€, planty of accessory! You can have nozzles 0,15 0,2 0,4 and even 0,6! Also with the cup you have plenty of options: <1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 15ml, 50ml! Quickfix, an adapter to turn it into a syphon feed airbrush as well! I cannot image there is a more versatile AB out there! Availability where I live is great!
CM-SB: nozzle 65€, needle: 27€ and everything else is pretty expansive as well! Accessories I only have the softer spring (5€), which in my opinion doesn't really make that much of a difference the way I spay, but for those who prefer a softer trigger, it is noticeable! There aren't too many other accessories what I found, other than a larger cup and a slightly larger nozzle 0,23! Not sure if the difference between the 0,18 and 0,23 nozzle is significant enough to buy it it for that price, but maybe someone who has tried both can comment on that. I didn't even find a lid for the side cup and I think how it is build this wouldn't even work. Availability of spare parts where I live is pretty limited, but nothing an online shop wouldn't solve!
This win goes VERY clearly to the Evo in my opinion!
Spray pattern:
On this topic I don't want to comment yet. At a first glance I liked the one from the CM-SB much more when I tested it on normal printer paper. On airbrush paper I couldn't really see too much difference and on a canvas I'm currently working on there is no difference at all visible to me. In terms of overspray the Evo is already pretty good, but the CM is a bit better! There is hardly any overspray!
Value for money:
I clearly think the Evo (especially the 2in1) is the better deal! I'm obsessed with ultra fine details, so I absolutely do not regret getting the CM-SB as it clearly is better for fine details. But I don't think it does a so much better job when doing "normal" size stuff, though it is for sure not worse! It is simply just not worth 3,5 times the price of the Evo if you don't need those really fine details!
Conclusion:
I almost took away the conclusion already in the previous paragraph as there is not much to add! It might seem as an unfair battle between those two guns, but I think they are not that far away from each other as many might think! The CM is really a fine gun and it can do most of the things slightly to extreemely better than the Evo. If it is worth the additional money everybody needs to decide him-/herself. I will definitely not give away the Evo, but currently I struggle a bit with switching guns due to the different trigger behavior, but lets see if I get used to that! Maybe I will use it more with the 0,4 nozzle in the future as I have the CM now for the details.