Iwata NEO CN N4500 Review

Lol yeah. Again I'm not knocking it for it's price tag.

The Japanese nozzles all work perfectly without the goop.
Can't say the same for every oring nozzle without a sealant
I think the goop is an effort to keep paint out of the threads from the other side... Or simply hold it from rotating loose.

The oring is a good indicator the brushes could be hit or miss and almost a certain indicator that replacing a nozzle could be hit or miss, otherwise they'd just eliminate it altogether.

It's why it's only found on sparmax, neos, and Chinese brushes.

Sparmax and neo both being a step above the Chinese imo. The Chinese brushes biggest two limiters in the heads being the tip of the nozzle wall is left quite thick and the aircap holes are just poorly straight drilled ..leaving a jagged , egg shaped hole under magnification.
 
Still would be far less to overcome when tuning at home vs a Chinese brush.

And I don't even mind tuning one of those in so.... You know ,I'm sure I wouldn't mind a neo myself.
 
My review of the Neo is 6 years old. I know it should be dated, but I just never got around to it. I felt it was a decent airbrush for detail but a bit delicate for a beginner. I wouldn't recommend it to a guy who wants to blast a lot of paint on model cars. I'm not fond of screw-on cups because the access for cleaning is not as good.

Don
 
I'm revisiting this older thread to add some more recent information ;).

I have been working with several name branded brushes that originate in the same Taiwanese facility that produces the Neo for Iwata. These newer examples are a good bit above those I had several years ago, in terms of quality and performance. Fit and finish is a game they have certainly stepped up in.

One of the areas I have become most interested in is the use of an O-ring seal on the nozzle. Like many, I have always looked at this as a potential method of making up for less than stellar machine work. Examining the more recent examples that I have recently acquired has me seriously rethinking this position :thumbsup:. Quite the opposite - what I am seeing is actually some very good machine work, with very good tolerances incorporated. I am seeing a seal that was positioned to prevent air from entering the paint stream if bypassing the threads of the nozzle. Not to help center the nozzle, or make up for poor tolerances in the threads of either the nozzle, or nozzle post. The nozzle, and nozzle post both appear to be very well machined, and between examples examined seem to hold very tight tolerances.

nozzle o_ring1.jpg

The seal and construction used here, should not be confused with those found in low quality, cheap Asian constructions - that appear to replicate the system. In the cheaper Asian builds, you can see how badly the O-ring is distorted, and misshapen when installed in a space ill machined to receive it. By contrast, the O-ring in the Taiwanese builds fits into a space that was properly designed, and machined to accept it just the way an O-ring is supposed to be used.

Here is a typical Chinese build in comparison -

nozzle o_ring2.jpg

The examples of brushes that I have been working with that originate in the Taiwanese facility that produce the Neo have been (so far) flawless in performance. They were all relatively inexpensive brushes, under $90US. They produce nice, fine lines, and very smooth atomization. Now, the Neo parts get shipped off to main land China for assembly vs. the brushes I am working with - which are assembled in Taiwan. I don't expect much difference there... To better evaluate what the Neo is today, I have ordered one. Because I have found variation in the Name in the past, I went ahead and ordered several (no, I won't keep them all!), so that I can see if I find any real variation in quality among today's production.
 
I am really considering one soon. I have heard a lot of bad reviews, but have also seen the knowledge, or lack of, associated with them....
I have also heard a lot of good things too, so I want to find out for myself....
 
I started working with the first of several Neo CN's that I will be checking out over the next couple of weeks. My initial spray testing has the brush working just as I would want it to, with no surprises, or disappointments. Nozzle alignment is spot on within the nozzle cap...
neo-cn1.jpg nozzle-alignment1.jpg
 
I have spent some more time working with, and examining several Neo CN's. I have found nothing that would preclude me from using this brush for just about any project I may want to tackle. I examined several samples, and each of them appears to be quite consistent in construction and performance. A much maligned brush that I am really glad I gave another look. My opinion on them has certainly changed - I can honestly say it gets a thumbs up from me :thumbsup:.

There are a few things I will point out, though - even though set up as a .35, the same as an Eclipse, this brush will not move the same volume of paint as an Eclipse, nor will it be anywhere near as forgiving with paint reduction. The Neo has been designed to work at lower air pressures. Paint reduction will be really important to working with this one, and it may not get along with a very broad variety of paints. Cranking up your air pressure to compensate for heavy or improperly reduced paint will have little, or no effect on this brush Compared to an Eclipse, I would call the spray characteristics on the Neo as "delicate" - This could be part of the reason for such mixed opinions coming from new users when encountering this brush.

I have more information on my FB page if interested: https://www.facebook.com/davegs.airbrush.exploration/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2480841345354772
 
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