To Renegade or not to Renegade...

Jesse Knapp

Young Tutorling
Okay, so after about a 6 year lapse I just put my airbrush station back together. I have always used Badgers, and have three 155's which I think are awesome and great for large things like shirts and backgrounds...like that bottle fed.
So, I want to do some other stuff, and I have a Renegade side feed, but I don't care for it. The brush works okay, just the side cup is detachable and though it has its benefit, I just..just don't really like it.

So..I'm going to buy something in the next few weeks. Is there really an appreciable difference between the Renegade and the Iwata CS?

I know its the craftsman not their tools, but still there are differences between things I've never used or even held an Iwata so I don't have any frame of reference.
Jess
 
I have a Renegade Spirit (the side feed) as well as the Iwata Eclipse.

I did not care for the Spirit in stock form. The large, gravity style side cup I found to be ridiculous. It threw the brushes balance way off to one side, and not being able to remove a cup with paint in it kinda undermines the idea of having a removable cup to begin with. I also did not care for the size... seems unnecessarily heavy to me. Now, I rectified all these personal preference issues and turned my Spirit into a brush I like using. I made an adaptor to use more normal color cups - both Aztek and Iwata, on the brush. I also use a Sotar handle on the brush which alters the balance, and shortens the OAL. Lastly, I altered the air valve retainer, and spring to soften up the trigger feel, making the brush feel more responsive.

renegade spirit1.jpg

So, with all of that customization - I can tell you that the Spirit is a brush I almost never use. On the other hand, an Iwata Eclipse HP-BS is a brush I could use on a daily basis. I just adore the performance is provides, with a minimum of fuss. Now, I know some will say, well it is because it is an Iwata, etc... but, you get to know me a little better and you will see that brand has little to do with anything for me. I care about how they work. I have enough variety to reach for anything I want each day, and I tend to stick with the ones that perform the way I want a brush to perform - mostly, I could care less about brand.

eclipse hp bs1.jpg

Breaking it down into category, the Iwata is simply a better build than the Badger. Machining tolerances, fit, finish - they all go to the Eclipse. Trigger feel and function, the Eclipse. Atomization - Eclipse... you get the idea.

Now, in stock trim - you may find it easier to pull a fine line with the Renegade, but the quality of the lines once you get to a size that is compatible between them (and they are fine) will go to the Eclipse. The Badger offers the ability to choose between three nozzle/needle sizes on the brush, the Eclipse only 2. With that said, the stock .35 Eclipse will allow just about the same range of spray pattern as the three different Badger set ups combined. While I do have the CS, I choose the BS more often, simply because it matches my use better. I seldom need that much paint in a cup at one time... I also have the SBS, but that is another story ;).

I should also add here - while I do prefer the Eclipse, the Renegade is also a very nice brush. They are normally less expensive than the Iwata brushes, and when on sale can be had for very reasonable prices. The Sotar style head/nozzle will produce some very nice work. If you were leaning toward Badger because you like the brand, you will most likely be cool with your decision to purchase one.

That's my .02 on the subject ;):p:laugh:lol:D:)
 
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David,
Thank you for your response. I'm not brand concious either - except maybe for Harley Davidson, but that's about a lot more than ..well anyway ..
So, I do love my Badger for one reason -that ability to pull out the needle without taking the handle off. So, other than that I'm not married to them.
So, after your response I think I'm sold on Iwata..now then, there is the Eclipse HP CS (159.00 ) or HP-C Plus (188.95)...so what is the main diff twixt the two?
 
The Eclipse series uses a larger, self centering nozzle, while the HP Series uses a smaller, precision nozzle. On the .35 Eclipse, they have actually gone to using the same sort of precision nozzle, but permanently mounted in a larger self centering cone. So, what really makes them different is the way the air is channeled within the head system, and over the nozzle.

The HP series atomizes finer, while the Eclipse series will move a respectable amount of paint on demand. That said, the Eclipse will come very close in the ability to produce fine detail and smaller scaled work - it just takes a bit more attention to trigger control vs the HP series.

There are some physical differences - the trigger and associated parts vary between the two models. The air valves are a little different, as are the air passages through the brush body. I have, and would use both, for just about any of my daily works... Now, I tend not to use "C" cup brushes that much, so would be reaching for the HP-C+ when I was working on a larger background, where I might then switch to an Eclipse HP-BS (B Cup) to work on detail. Having said that, the brush I use the most often is actually an Iwata HP-B (or HP-B+) that I have worked on a bit.
 
The eclipse is an awesome brush. I love using my SBS. It gets a great amount of detail also, with good paint reduction.

Sent from my HD1905 using Tapatalk
 
thanks guys.. well.. its a horse rce between the Eclipse HP CS and the HP PLus C..I like the larger cup size.. I have a few days to think it over still. I do appreciate the feedback!
 
thanks guys.. well.. its a horse rce between the Eclipse HP CS and the HP PLus C..I like the larger cup size.. I have a few days to think it over still. I do appreciate the feedback!
I don’t think you’ll go wrong with either brush Jesse, so flip a coin and get that sucker lol. I have both the HP-CS and an HP-C. As Dave has said, performance wise they’re very similar with come small difference. I think you could simply go with whichever one draws you a little harder and you’ll be happy.
 
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