Fell off the wagon

Or possibly something designed along the same lines of how Russia designs military aircraft or other military hardware on. That is, refine an airbrush where it absolutely needs to be refined and do not do so where it doesn’t in order to save costs. So a lot of attention to detail on the machining and finish of the internal parts and interfaces, the needle taper, the regulator and the nozzle throat, while eliminating additional finishing and refinement on the exterior.

I measured a BUNCH of brushes to get an idea of what acceptable tolerances may be between manufacturers. I used test indicators, gauge blocks, gauge pins, micrometers, calipers, and a few other instruments to examine scores of parts. I don't think based on the results I found that I would draw that conclusion. It does sound really good, though.
 
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View attachment 67302 View attachment 67303 View attachment 67307 View attachment 67308 I have no problem explaining it Simon. If, by chance, I am wrong I will be the first to admit it and will change my opinion. I know DaveG will know:thumbsup:.

Early last year I wanted to build my own airbrush. At the time I was spending a lot of money buying Badger items from www.usaairbrushsupply.com

I had bought a Badger Renegande Krome and a Patriot 105 off eBay. I wanted a "C" cup so I chose the Vega 1500. I built it as I wanted it, with spares. It cost me around $125 US as I had to buy all the parts separately from USAAirbrush.

When it arrived it looked like the attached pics. I contacted USAAirbrush and asked if I had gotten an "Irregular" or "Factory Second" as the finish was poor. The Customer Service Rep CC'd me on the email she sent to Ken in regards to the finish. His reply to her was that the marks were from the "tinning" process of mating the cup to the shell. Perhaps I'm wrong, it seems to me that the Patriot and the Krome are made the same way. They seem to have *perfect* finishes.

I've never chromed anything but I believe that items are sent through a bath of some sort to remove the tinning before they are sent to chroming.

It's the poor finish on this brush, and the lack of Badger standing behind it, that caused me to stop buying from Badger. The shell was around $25, my cost. How much would it have cost them to send me one in good condition?
I wouldn’t have been happy with that finish either Mate. I’d have done the same as you and agree that the response is a bit crappy.
 
A while back I watched a live feed where it was plainly stated that (paraphrasing here) "the goal was to produce affordable brushes that work, and that imperfections where acceptable". "If you need a perfect finish, you would have to pay more..." I won't say what I thought of those comments, but will say I was surprised by them. I continue to buy Badger product (on occasion), but usually try to do it through other retailers or online sources.
I’m guessing I think the same as you regarding those comments Dave. Seems a daft thing to say on a public forum.
 
I wouldn’t have been happy with that finish either Mate. I’d have done the same as you and agree that the response is a bit crappy.

I'm not certain but I think Ken was unaware that the Customer Service Rep CCd me on her email to him. I think his response was directed at her to tell her what to say. Just a guess.

I thanked him for explaining the chroming process, maybe a bit snide as I think I understand the correct way to do it. And asked how the Patriot and Krome weren't like the Vega I got. More speculation, the amount of Vega 1500s they sell in a year can't be too many, at least as compared to the Patriot and Krome.

I also introduced myself, gave some of my background and told him I owned around 35 Abs, most of which were T&C or Badger. I got no response.
 
Well it is an age old argument do you want product that proforms like racecar but it looks like one on the inside and outside too. Or do you want a Rolls Royce graceful inside and elegant outside and proform's well. Then there are Lamborghini's beautiful inside, outside and as close to a road going racecar.
It is a choice I have made many times as a manufacturer for customers, fuction over form has being my fall back.
Ken was maybe thinking he was selling a racecar.
That said I have 5 Chinese A/B none look like that vega cup attachment. They all came with 3 needles/nozzles and 2 caps each. By the time I finished playing musical needles ,nozzles and caps, they all work pretty well
 
Well it is an age old argument do you want product that proforms like racecar but it looks like one on the inside and outside too. Or do you want a Rolls Royce graceful inside and elegant outside and proform's well. Then there are Lamborghini's beautiful inside, outside and as close to a road going racecar.
It is a choice I have made many times as a manufacturer for customers, function over form has being my fall back.
Ken was maybe thinking he was selling a racecar.
That said I have 5 Chinese A/B none look like that vega cup attachment. They all came with 3 needles/nozzles and 2 caps each. By the time I finished playing musical needles ,nozzles and caps, they all work pretty well


I've read this a number of times and I'm not sure what you are saying. Does the Vega brush I received look acceptable to you?

I don't understand your race car analogy either. Most race cars I see are well finished. Only when you get down to the lower end (financially) of the sport do you see poor looking cars. If Badger were a race car team I would think they would be in the top tier. Their competition is and would be Iwata, H&S, Grex, Paasche, et al.

Take a Porsche entered in the next 24 hours of Le Mans. What would people say if it had runs and heavy orange peel in the paint? Would you be willing to buy a Rolls or Lamborghini with poor paint for the full price? I wouldn't want to buy a brand new low end Chevy that had bad paint.

I have searched both the Badger and USAAirbrush sites for the disclaimer DaveG posted. Nowhere can I find (to reparaphase Dave's paraphrase) "The airbrush you receive may look like a POS". If you can find it on either site I will change my tune. When I bought the Vega I thought I would get a well finished AB. There was no reason for me to think other-wise.

Just my opinion as far as Ken thinking he has a race car. He wants to sell airbrushes. The more the better. If they are substandard I doubt he cares. If they get a complaint they can just blow it off, as in my case. Perhaps if you jump up and down and kick and scream they might send a good replacement. I didn't do that. I took my business elsewhere.

:)
 
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For a while there, Ken was doing a live feed on Sunday afternoons (I have no idea if they still do them). That is where/when I heard his comment(s) about the finish on some brushes.
 
For a while there, Ken was doing a live feed on Sunday afternoons (I have no idea if they still do them). That is where/when I heard his comment(s) about the finish on some brushes.


I'd be curious to know if he ever repeated it on a later broadcast.
 
On a different note, I usually frequent a pizza shop on Tuesdays. There is a young lady who works there and is usually the one who makes my food. When I was there Tuesday she said that she had put her notice in and Saturday would be her last day. I asked what her plans were. She said she was going to take some time off and then start college. I asked what she was going to study and she said a few things I wasn't clear on but graphic design was one and so was art.

I asked if she had an airbrush and she said no but she would like to try it. Today (Saturday).I gave her the Revell Flex that is the actual topic of this post. I do not have a spare compressor so I couldn't help her with that. I did give her a list of what she should look for in one and other things she will need to know. It will probably be a while before she uses it but she said she would send pics when she does.

I like to get newbies started:).
 
On a different note, I usually frequent a pizza shop on Tuesdays. There is a young lady who works there and is usually the one who makes my food. When I was there Tuesday she said that she had put her notice in and Saturday would be her last day. I asked what her plans were. She said she was going to take some time off and then start college. I asked what she was going to study and she said a few things I wasn't clear on but graphic design was one and so was art.

I asked if she had an airbrush and she said no but she would like to try it. Today (Saturday).I gave her the Revell Flex that is the actual topic of this post. I do not have a spare compressor so I couldn't help her with that. I did give her a list of what she should look for in one and other things she will need to know. It will probably be a while before she uses it but she said she would send pics when she does.

I like to get newbies started:).

What a lovely gesture :thumbsup::)
 
What a lovely gesture :thumbsup::)

It's something I choose to do. When I find someone who I believe will get into the hobby I like to help them. This is my way of doing a "Pay it Forward".

It's not like I don't have enough of themlol.
 
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