Have I done the unthinkable?

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PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 10:51 pm
I have four Devilbiss Pro Lites. Three are dedicated clear guns - 1.3/T110 for HS clear, 1.2/T110 for MS and a 1.3/TE20 for when I need to match specific peel. The other Pro Lite has a 1.3/TE10 setup and I use this for basecoat. I also have a Tekna Copper which was a dedicated clear gun but has been relegated to general purpose use as the Pro Lite collection grew (still a great gun, though). I can say that the Pro Lite is the best, most versatile gun I've ever used - for me way better than the SATA which is too quick for my style.

I have extra 1.2mm and 1.4mm fluid tips and a few different aircaps for the Pro Lites and Tekna (I try to buy when there are deals including these with the guns). For 2K I have an FLG5 and a Star 4000 1.4 which are both consistent and reliable. For smaller jobs there are a couple of 1.3mm Iwata AZ3s which are more efficient than the "big fan" Devilbiss guns. Plus various primer, midi and mini guns.

Now this may seem extravagant but I typically paint 3 jobs each day and this means up to a dozen gun changes, so having to swap air caps/fluid tips/needles just becomes a giant PITA. The other pros on here will understand. So, recently I decided to add another Pro Lite for basecoat, as a dedicated solid colour gun.

As usual, I went to Ebay first, to get "street" pricing and see what deals were on offer. I came across an ad for a GTi Pro Lite for $175AUD. Given that normal pricing is around $500AUD this seemed exceptionally good, too good. But, it piqued my curiosity and even though I realised that it was a fake, I decided to buy it anyway. I figured that if it was complete junk then I could just return it and then buy the real thing and I was interested in having a look at how well the counterfeiters had succeeded in copying the genuine article.

Although I've bought cheap guns in the past, every one of them has ended up in the bin, so I didn't really have high hopes.

It arrived, very quickly and the first job was unboxing and comparison.

Generally, the gun body is almost an exact copy. Casting, even the grips and "Devilbiss" in the handle is quite high quality - only in a couple of insignificant spots was I able to tell the difference with slight flaws or differences. Other detail like writing was almost identical. The anodising was a different story - rough and a completely different colour. Didn't come off with a little rub with thinners though, so better than other cheap guns I've seen.

Control knobs are a shiny chrome finish (as opposed to machined alloy) so a real giveaway but design appears the same, or very close to the original. Trigger looks exactly the same as does the cup, although the cap on the breather is slightly bigger.

The air cap is marked as T110 but the pattern and size of the air holes looks more like that of the Devilbiss HVLP caps. Design and placement of the writing has more in common with the old GTi caps, but looks good anyway. Machining and finish looks first class.

I can't see any difference in the fluid tip to the real thing. Again first class machining, at least to my visual inspection. Same with the needle.

The air distribution insert is a different story. Clearly a different plastic the big difference is that the locating pin to align it with the seal and body is a separate metal pin, rather than cast plastic. In use this would be a real problem because the pin falls out and I dropped it on the floor where it remained hidden for about 30 minutes while I searched all over.

Overall the gun is heavier than the real Devilbiss at 882g vs 756g. 126g isn't much but makes a big difference when you're painting all day.

So, how does it perform? First thing I noticed is that there was some binding when first pulling the trigger. Tracked this to something on the needle which cleaned off. Made me wonder though - had this thing been used before? After fixing the binding it was apparent that the trigger pull was quite different. Much stronger spring tension and a longer first section for air only, with a corresponding shorter pull for the fluid. I could get used to it but I'd prefer the lower resistance of the genuine spring.

Put some thinners in the cup to check out the spray pattern. I must say I was quite surprised! It was very even and easily adjustable. Fan width is a little less than genuine but quite usable at close to 300mm.

I had a job to paint a door and guard, off the car which was an older Toyota Corolla so some room for variation. Decided to give it a run. I was painting with Cromax L400 which is quite thin. Colour was silver so that should test how well the gun handled metallic. The base coat went down quite smooth in one tack and two light wet coats. I did notice a little trouble getting the gun aligned to the door panel so that ends of the spray pattern were even. Same thing happened on the horizontal test sprays I did. Spray pattern was a nice cigar shape and looked quite even, but didn't have quite the same tapering off as the genuine gun. This actually resulted in some banding - something that rarely happens to me. Fixable with a drop coat but counts against the gun a bit although I'd adjust after a couple of uses.

For clear I used our everyday HS. The real 1.3/T110 handles this clear with aplomb - laying down super smooth and easy. Not so this gun. Peel was very evident as a short sharp chop, not unlike some factory finishes so a plus, in the sense that matching to other panels would not be too difficult. Atomisation, even of the HS clear, was quite good and there was, at 28psi dynamic inlet, very little bounce back or overspray. In this sense the gun performed more like an HVLP and material use was actually less than I expected. The gun is advertised as LVMP so this much seems right.

The locating pin issue is a major one. Without the pin the spreader can't be aligned and the prospect of spare parts from a dodgy Ebay seller is pretty slim. I'll have to find a way to secure it. I think that if I can do this then the gun may have a place in my repertoire. Don't know how long it will last but it does look like genuine parts will fit.

I don't condone or support fakes in any way. I was going to return the gun but that would just lead to it being sold to someone who doesn't know the difference. Instead I reported the issue to Ebay who were very good and appreciated my doing so. I have no doubt that the seller will be sanctioned. Perhaps the seller will just be a phoenix and come back under a different registration but that's beyond my control. Hopefully the lesson will be learnt and some disincentive served. I do know that Devilbiss are active in tracing the manufacturers of these copies and eventually they'll get the factory. I'll go ahead with my original plan and buy another Pro Lite, so Devilbisss won't lose a sale to these IP thieves.

Do I recommend buying one of these guns? Even given that it seems to be a credible performer and particularly at the price point, no, I don't. I bought it and kept it to satisfy my curiosity and I can afford to do this, both financially and in terms of having other guns. For those who are working within a budget and looking for a bargain then I'd suggest the FLG5 would be a better choice.

Original on the left
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Original
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Fake - notice the problem loose locating pin
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Internal passages do look a little different
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Chris

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PostPosted: Sun Nov 25, 2018 3:21 pm
Thanks for the excellent write up on this gun. :goodjob:
1968 Coronet R/T


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