JDWilson Posted March 27, 2010 Report Share Posted March 27, 2010 Hello all, I have a newbie airbrush question that I can't find an answer for searching through past posts. If anyone could point me to a previous post that answers this question I would appreciate it. Otherwise, answers in following posts here would be much appreciated! First, I just want to paint jerkbaits and crankbaits. I am not looking to hand carve my own. Just buy either existing lures and repaint, or use unpainted blanks and go from there. In researching airbrushes via google before I found this board, TCP Global comes up prominentily as you all well know. And they feature "Master" brand airbrushes prominently as well. However I can't find any posts here that compare these to the others mentioned? How do Master's rate against the Iwata's, GX207, and others? I'm liking the pricing of the GX207 with the 3 tips and the 1601 compressor. But Master has some at comparable price points too... I know many will recommend the Iwata for good reason, I just wasn't wanting to spend the $200 it will take to get an Iwata and compressor. How are the Masters? Any good? Not so much? Opinions to help a newbie make a good purchase would be much appreciated! Thank you! Jeff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted March 28, 2010 Report Share Posted March 28, 2010 The master brand is an import copy of well known brushes. They work alright but do reqiure alot of maintenance to keep working properly. Why I do not know but they do. I have a few. I also have some name brands but that does not matter. Now lately I have purchased one on ebay that is the same one I got from tcp for 26.00 shipped from hong kong. And I mean the same exactly. It is a gravity feed with a 3 tip. No hose but that is easy to get. If you need parts you can get them from tcp but for 26.00 is it really worth getting parts, Ok maybe a needle but not much else. Hope this helps. If you want the seller of those pm me and I will give you his name.Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted March 28, 2010 Report Share Posted March 28, 2010 I haven't seen any comparisons of Master a/b's to other brands here on TU but if you Google the brand, you can find other sites with strong opinions pro and con. You have to draw your own conclusions. My take from what I read is that some guys have had good service from them while others criticize the durability and quality. Maybe that is just guys running down a bargain brand by comparing to a brand that costs 3X as much. You do get what you pay for in airbrushes and you can't expect a Chinese copy of an Japanese Iwata HP to have the same quality. Whether it's a rational choice depends on your budget and the likelihood that the one delivered to your door works to your satisfaction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atrophius Posted March 28, 2010 Report Share Posted March 28, 2010 I haven't seen any comparisons of Master a/b's to other brands here on TU but if you Google the brand, you can find other sites with strong opinions pro and con. You have to draw your own conclusions. My take from what I read is that some guys have had good service from them while others criticize the durability and quality. Maybe that is just guys running down a bargain brand by comparing to a brand that costs 3X as much. You do get what you pay for in airbrushes and you can't expect a Chinese copy of an Japanese Iwata HP to have the same quality. Whether it's a rational choice depends on your budget and the likelihood that the one delivered to your door works to your satisfaction. I have to agree with Bob. I have 3 master AB that came in a package, and they get the job done. It is my first set of AB so for the price and me practicing I feel I made a good choice. I am not sure how much more maintainence they are, but they are not hard to clean and take care of. I always just clean it up after use. Honestly, if your panting baits, your using stencils and mesh/netting to get a lot of the effects you want, so not sure how much "quality" one needs unless its an ease of maintenance. So in short, they are good starter brushes in my opinion, and I really dont see the need for myself to upgrade to anything else just yet. It does what I need it to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted March 28, 2010 Report Share Posted March 28, 2010 I have to agree with Bob. I have 3 master AB that came in a package, and they get the job done. It is my first set of AB so for the price and me practicing I feel I made a good choice. I am not sure how much more maintainence they are, but they are not hard to clean and take care of. I always just clean it up after use. Honestly, if your panting baits, your using stencils and mesh/netting to get a lot of the effects you want, so not sure how much "quality" one needs unless its an ease of maintenance. So in short, they are good starter brushes in my opinion, and I really dont see the need for myself to upgrade to anything else just yet. It does what I need it to. That is a real honest answer from some one who is doing the same thing you want to do. As for maintenance I am talking about it is the seals and bushings and the needle screw on the end(the prongs that clamp the needle break easy) . And when you clean your brush alot this gets sorta annoying. The finish on the needles is rough so it wears on the seals more than others. Some of the parts like the needle seal screw back out over a short period of time. Now for me it is real easy to fix once I see what is going on. But for a rookie it may be a bit of a challenge. That is why there is alot of post about how ti fix the problem with my brush. And it does matter how much you use the brush. My copies are used for small jobs that dont matter much, but when it counts I use the ones I can count on to do what I want it to do. Hey Bob how much do you want to bet that the iwata is not made in japan either. Just like there rods that are made in thialand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted March 28, 2010 Report Share Posted March 28, 2010 Frank, mine said Japan but what do I know? I bought a Japanese domestic market Shimano reel a couple of years ago and Malaysia was stamped on the reel foot. The reel works great. When all is said and done, you're buying the engineering and quality control of a particular company, not the nation of Japan. I trust Iwata so am not concerned about where they build it, just so they build it to the usual Iwata standards. Lots of companies noted for high quality products have moved manufacturing to Malaysia and Thailand, or contract with companies there to build products for them. The Abu Garcia Revo line of reels is another recent example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDWilson Posted March 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2010 Thanks for all the good info guys, I really appreciate it! Since I've never so much as touched an airbrush in my life, anything dealing with maintenance issues scares me. And given the fact that per the posts on this site the Iwata atomizes better and eases the learning curve, I think I'll probably go with the Revolution BR. I can handle the $73 and I'm trying to buy a cheaper compressor off ebay to go with it to keep my startup costs down. One question for you all, is the 30 PSI compressor enough for what I'm trying to do? Or do I need one like the TC-20 that goes up to 50ish PSI? Thanks again for the replys! Very helpful! Thanks, Jeff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris Posted March 29, 2010 Report Share Posted March 29, 2010 Has anyone ever used a Grex airbrush? I did a google search and their a/b get good reviews. Just looking for a personal review ... Grex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted March 29, 2010 Report Share Posted March 29, 2010 JD, If you see an airbrush compressor advertised at 30 psi, that's the max it will develop when the airbrush isn't operating. Press the trigger to get air flow and the "max" psi becomes about 15 psi, which is the "working" psi. The working psi on airbrush compressors is usually about 15 psi lower than the max advertised psi. IMO, you can do some painting with 15 psi but you definitely want a compressor that will develop at least 35 psi working psi. I think of one advertised as 50 psi is marginally adequate. You also get some minor air pulsing with many small airbrush compressors, which is not ideal for paint control. I think a survey of TU painters would probably suggest that the best value is a regular tool compressor that includes an air tank of 2-5 gallons. Attach a water trap and a pressure control with gauge to it (They often include one) and use it as you would any other airbrush compressor. The compressor will develop 100 psi, stored in its tank, and the regulator will reduce the psi to whatever level you want for painting. The compressor will turn on occasionally, depending on the size of the tank, but you will be painting in silence most of the time. This is probably the ideal setup if noise is not issue and you can find tool compressors for $59 and up. The table top airbrush compressors are not exactly silent either. I couldn't run one inside my house without my wife complaining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrykerLures Posted March 29, 2010 Report Share Posted March 29, 2010 (edited) Well I just ordered an Master S622-L Professional Twin Pack Studio Airbrush SetFrom eBay last night, It hasn't gotten to me yet. but Ill post once I get and test it out. I read a bunch of review about it and Its suppose to be a pretty good one. It was $94 for 2 Airbrushes, 6 Bottom feed Bottles, 3 Different Needles 0.3, 0.5, 0.8mm, I think it's going to be a pretty good one, I can interchange Bottles without having to wash and clean the Paint Cup right away which I REALLY Like. I waste so much time Washing it out every time I want to change colors. It (supposedly) sprays from Hairline to 2". I'll let everyone know how it works when I get it. I hope this helped a little - Bryan Edited March 29, 2010 by StrykerLures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDWilson Posted March 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2010 Bob, thank you so much for the info! Much appreciated! After I posted the question last night I searched the forum a bit more and found your and other previous posts on compressors with tanks, etc. Your comments make perfect sense. I actually already have a 1 gal pancake compressor with 100 PSI max. After your comments and others in other posts I think I'd be better off to just use that. It might be a bit small in capacity, and it's a little loud, but I can handle it. I'll order a regulator and trap when I order the Revolution. If at a later time I find that it's kicking on too much, I saw Harbor Freight has a 3 gal compressor with regulator (no trap though) for $50. I'll upgrade to that one later if needed. Again, from a total newbie, I really appreciate all the advice to get the right set up to be successful! Thanks! Jeff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted March 29, 2010 Report Share Posted March 29, 2010 You can buy pressure regulators with dial indicators and moisture traps at Home Depot for reasonable prices. They also carry hose size adapters to put everything together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDWilson Posted March 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2010 Thank you Bob! I just bought a TFR-3000 off Ebay/TCPGlobal for $16.99 and free shipping. Looked like a good one and a little cheaper off ebay than buying directly from their site. Good to know I can get fittings locally if needed. I'll check what comes with it and see if that will work! Now all I have to do is figure out what paint to buy first!! (colors/type that is). Thanks! Jeff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted March 30, 2010 Report Share Posted March 30, 2010 JD I think you made a good choice and know you will be happy. As for compressors if they are to noisey put them out side and run a hose in. There is nothing that says you have to hear the noise from it. Stryker Your choice is not bad either and only real close friend know that I love the 8 tip on the master brush, but then they call me a hoser when I am painting. That tip will empty your cup in nothing flat, I like that. Good luck guys and lets see some pics Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
