Hi everyone,

I am looking to spray a few parts of my car (bumper, hood and fix a bunch of scrapes) and I am looking for a spray gun that runs for less than 50$, honestly the cheaper the better as I have a very very tight budget. I know that you get what you pay for, but I know that I will not be doing much spray work at all. I am looking for something that will give acceptable results for use on a hobby basis. I will be looking to use the same gun for primer, base and clear coats

I was looking at some older guns like the Devilbiss QGA 501 or JGA 502 or this Speedaire 12581 http://www.ebay.com/itm/321470105568?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

I know that the older spray guns will be much less efficient than newer guns, but would an older gun w/o any upgrades give me better results than newer guns in the same price range?

I really don't have any experience spraying, but as with everything regarding working on cars so far, I have managed to teach myself. I an not opposed to an option with more of a learning curve, but where better end results can be achieved. Your help is much appreciated.

knz wrote:Hi everyone,

I am looking to spray a few parts of my car (bumper, hood and fix a bunch of scrapes) and I am looking for a spray gun that runs for less than 50$, honestly the cheaper the better as I have a very very tight budget. I know that you get what you pay for, but I know that I will not be doing much spray work at all. I am looking for something that will give acceptable results for use on a hobby basis. I will be looking to use the same gun for primer, base and clear coats

I was looking at some older guns like the Devilbiss QGA 501 or JGA 502 or this Speedaire 12581 http://www.ebay.com/itm/321470105568?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

I know that the older spray guns will be much less efficient than newer guns, but would an older gun w/o any upgrades give me better results than newer guns in the same price range?



I really don't have any experience spraying, but as with everything regarding working on cars so far, I have managed to teach myself. I an not opposed to an option with more of a learning curve, but where better end results can be achieved. Your help is much appreciated.

Hi knz, see it's your first post so welcome to the Forum. I read your post yesterday and had some thoughts but thought I'd hold back and see if others might give advice but none yet so at the risk of getting flamed, here's my thoughts. First off you made no mention of what you have for an air compressor which has tons to do with what you can get away with on the spray gun topic. The old JGA 502 was and can still be a very good gun in the hands of someone who knows how to use a siphon feed gun. Not that there's any secrets to setting one up but buying a used one that you haven't had a chance to try could mean you'll need to put a rebuild kit in it to make it the gun it once was. Also the transfer efficiency with those guns is far below HVLP gravity feed guns hence you will use more paint. Another issue might be the tip size on a used gun. Probably be anyone's guess what size it will be and that will affect what and how you will shoot with it. Don't get me wrong, I have a JGA 502 and 4 or 5 other top line siphon feed guns and they are still capable of laying product very well. That said I have moved to newer guns and been very pleased with the performance, but they aren't $50 guns. You stress the cost factor and very limited use so IF you have compressor enough I would suggest taking a look at the Harbor Freight purple gun, 47016. I bought one to try and haven't used it yet as I have much better guns on the shelf also but one of these days when the project is right I will give it a try. They can be bought for about $12 new with a coupon and if you take the time to dissemble it and get all the assembly gunk out of them there are guys who rave about the quality paint job they are capable of doing. Longevity seems to be the down side but that doesn't seem to be an issue with you according to your post. The one I bought came with a 1.4 tip which is capable of shooting primer if you reduce it a bit more than they recommend as most suggest a 1.8 tip for high build and the 1.4 will handle most single stage paints as well as Base Coat / Clear Coat so you could use the one gun for your limited work. Another issue is air consumption, it will require more CFM than the siphon feed guns you listed. Just my thought s reading your post, the HF guns often take a beating here by real experienced guys that have better quality tools but for $12 I think you'd be hard pressed to buy better for what you describe as your needs. Good luck and again welcome / Coy

Thanks a lot for your thoughts! This is exactly the type of response I was looking for. I have considered the Harbor Freight spray gun, but I was just afraid it was too cheap to be any good at all. As for the air compressor, I don't own one, but thankfully I have a few friends I can borrow one from. I know my one friend, hers is a 4' tall unit. I have not examined it closely, so I don't know the specs, but I think there is enough volume for the job I need. Worst case scenario, I can scrounge up enough money to buy myself a decent enough air compressor after my next paycheck, but that is the least preferred option.

In choosing a gun, I have considered the cost of rebuild kits in planning my budget. I know I have a very limited range of options, but I still would prefer something that I can use again down the road. I am going to strongly consider the HF gun with your recommendation, but I've also watched a couple youtube videos on painting (trying to learn as much as possible before trying myself) where they seem to use the guns as disposable??? I would like to down the road respray more of my car, and a few panels on my parents cars, so I'm just hesitant. (I've also had some bad experiences with Harbor Freight and try to avoid them, not to mention the closest store is over an hour away from me...)

I have been trying to find info on these older guns, but google comes up with nothing? A lot of the listings for these older guns are pretty detailed in terms of part numbers, but there is no info to be found on the part numbers!! I was, for example, looking to find the tip size of the AVI5FX spray tip on a JGA that is listed at 10$ but there is no info to be found at all.

I believe the term "disposable" comes from the fact that the price of another gun makes the issue of repairing a moot point, not that you will only get one job from the gun. Like I said before one key issue is to completely disassemble the gun and clean it. There is a YouTube video on this and worth watching. Not a long term gun for continual use but I don't think you will need to replace it soon with the limited use you plan on. I hear you about some of the HF tools. Things like drill bits and many other tools are very soft metal and won't hold up. Others [considering the price] get the job done well and stay in the tool cabinet for quite a while. Even if you take a look at what you think are US brands closely you will see Made in China on the packaging on lots of them. Your choice and I'm sure not suggesting you need to run out and get a 47016 but if I had your project in front of me I'd certainly give it a try. Many guys swear by them and others say no good. Can't buy 2 burger meal deals for $12 and think you might be able to order on the net and have one shipped to your house if you don't have a reason to be in the big town where they are. Good luck and let us know what you wind up with.

Just a tip when picking a gun, pay attention to the CFM @ 40 PSI requirements of the gun versus the CFM of the compressor you are using. If gun requires more CFM then compressor can supply then paint won't atomize and will be lumpy and dull (been there done that). Also, I recommend Milton V high flow couplers to get the air to the gun (amazon.com). The typical couplers available at the big box stores are very restrictive and choke air flow.

Steelman sprayguns work well and are $39 shipped. I bought a 1.5 conventional model and was impressed. The link is a 1.4 hvlp I believe. The gun looks a lot like a sharpe finex 2000 and 3000 also made in taiwan possibly even by the same factory.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Steelman-99106- ... 4d0307eeaa

thanks for all the replies, I ended up getting a new job and decided to put painting off until I could get a more quality gun. I'm looking again now, and I am trying to find a newer used Devillbiss or Sata. Im looking to spend up to 150$ on it. Does anyone have experience with the Anest Iwata MX4015-06GC? There are some new ones available for a tempting price?

Any particular models to look for or avoid in these brands? I was thinking of trying to get the Devilbiss Starting Line or Finish Line gun for the base coat and the clear coat, and getting a HB gun for a 2k epoxy primer. Thoughts?

You haven't yet mentioned what capacity compressor you have. This is important because it will determine what size gun you can run.

I know nothing about an Anest Iwata Campbell but, if you're looking for solid quality in the mid-price range then the Iwata/Air Gunsa AZ3 HTE2 or the Devilbiss Finishline are sound choices. The Iwata will run comfortably on a 14cfm compressor, even on a 12, at a pinch. Consider RP rather than HVLP, too. Unless you're in a mandated area then you'll get much better results from an RP or compliant gun. They generally need less air, too.

Also, there is a huge difference in quality and performance between the DeVilbiss startingline and finishline...the finishline is a much better gun. Even though HVLP it's not as tough to lay out clear as some other HVLP guns, and you can bump the pressure up slightly above spec to get it to behave very well. It does take a lot of air, though.

I keep neglecting to look at the compressor specs... Been working long shifts all week. I will check it tonight. I think its a craftsman, and I would say in the 20-30 gallon range. I cant honestly remember tho, all I remember is that its red and upright lol.