Iwata AZ4 HTE-S Impact Junior

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PostPosted: Fri Oct 18, 2019 12:16 pm
Just ordered one of these.

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I've been using the ANI R150, which is not bad, but the silly seal on the fluid cap keeps being damaged by thinners when cleaning and that drives me nuts (having to change it all the time).

Been waiting for this new Iwata for over a year while they only sold in the Eastern European market for some reason, but now they're available. At under $200AUD ($135USD) they're pretty good value and if it works as expected I'll be very happy.

Should be here by the end of next week and I'll do a review after using it a few times.
Chris

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PostPosted: Fri Oct 18, 2019 4:31 pm
That does indeed seem very reasonable for that gun..... What tip would you be using the most with it, just curious?
Metal, wood, fiberglass, we work it all... www.furniturephysicians.com We can restore the irreplaceable!

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PostPosted: Fri Oct 18, 2019 7:54 pm
I was leaning towards the 1.2mm, mainly so that metallics would lay down better, but finally decided on the 1.0mm for finer clearcoat performance. I can always put base on a little wetter if I'm worried about the flake standing up too much. Black air cap for automotive.

In the R150 I have both 1.0mm and 1.2mm. The 1.2mm is a touch big for some jobs. Also ordered the 200ml cup which should be enough for the average bar. The gun will take the 600ml cup from my AZ3s if I need bigger.

Apart from the smaller, finer fan being better for jobs like bars (reduced likelihood of runs and more even finish) the very high transfer efficiency will, I hope, save me about $10/bar in paint and clear that currently (if I'm using a Pro Lite) just goes into the exhaust filters as overspray. That's around $50/week saving in materials alone, meaning this gun should pay for itself in around a month. Add another $10/month that I'm spending on seals for the R150s and it looks like a good deal. We'll see when I get it and test it.

I'm never disappointed with Sprayguns Direct. Ordered yesterday at 10.45am (AEDT) and when I came in this morning there was an email timestamped 11.47pm that it had been despatched. Usual time from England to Australia is 4 days (although I've actually received stuff in 2 days), so I should have it by mid next week.
Chris

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PostPosted: Sat Oct 19, 2019 6:53 am
I definitely want to get some more feedback from you on how it's working out for you.
Metal, wood, fiberglass, we work it all... www.furniturephysicians.com We can restore the irreplaceable!

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PostPosted: Wed Oct 23, 2019 2:10 am
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Howzat?!! Ordered 18/10/2019 at 10.30am, delivered 23/10/2019 at 1.00pm, England to Australia.

Bit disappointed that there was nothing in the box apart from the gun and the pot, plus some instructions. No gun spanner or the usual toothbrush. :(

Initial impressions are that it feels nice in the hand and quality appears up to the same standard as my AZ3s, which is what I expected, but nice to confirm.

I've fitted a gauge, so can't use it today while the thread sealant sets up but looking forward to tomorrow. :happy:
Chris



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PostPosted: Sun Nov 03, 2019 1:03 am
NFT5 wrote:
2019-10-23 14.23.31.jpg


2019-10-23 14.28.05.jpg


Howzat?!! Ordered 18/10/2019 at 10.30am, delivered 23/10/2019 at 1.00pm, England to Australia.

Bit disappointed that there was nothing in the box apart from the gun and the pot, plus some instructions. No gun spanner or the usual toothbrush. :(

Initial impressions are that it feels nice in the hand and quality appears up to the same standard as my AZ3s, which is what I expected, but nice to confirm.

I've fitted a gauge, so can't use it today while the thread sealant sets up but looking forward to tomorrow. :happy:


Curious how much cfm this mini gun requires ? Before ordering across the ocean .
Thanks

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PostPosted: Sun Nov 03, 2019 12:40 pm
Very economical with air.

az4htes.jpg


Review still coming. Haven't had a job to really use it on yet.
Chris

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PostPosted: Sat Nov 23, 2019 8:07 pm
Been a run of big jobs lately but finally had a little bar blow-in yesterday that was perfect for trying out this gun.

The gun body is a bit larger that most mini guns (more of a midi size, than mini) and fit's nicely in my hand. Well balanced and although a little heavier than the R150 it is very comfortable to use.

In use the spray is very fine with really excellent atomisation. Almost too good even though that was partially expected, given that I'd bought the 1.0mm setup. It was actually a bit of an effort to slow down so as to get the base wet enough to get even metallic distribution. Not so much of an issue with the clear, which was a fairly light MS clear with no reducer.

So, first lesson is that I probably should have bought the 1.2mm.

Fan size is about 150mm at around 150mm off the panel. As per the instructions I ran it at 15psi. Seemed crazy low inlet pressure but I saw very quickly that you just wouldn't want any higher given that atomisation was excellent. At this pressure and fluid nearly fully open the clear coat results were really good - a near perfect match for the Mercedes bar that I was doing.

With the 1.0mm though, I wouldn't be using a primer or heavy base and definitely not an HS clear.

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Bottom line: With this setup this is a lovely gun for small jobs. Painting a full panel would be possible but I wouldn't try it, however for small parts it would be excellent. With very low overspray it would be a hit with the SMART repair guys as well, being very easy to control exactly where you want the paint to go.
Chris

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PostPosted: Sat Nov 23, 2019 9:10 pm
A separate post to cover the gun itself.

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Overall visual is of quality manufacture with no visible defects in casting and machining of quite high standard. Knobs for fluid and air control are well made and easy to use, providing good control of settings. I had fully dismantled the gun when I first received it, cleaned thoroughly and greased/oiled, so this was to be expected but the degree of control was nice to note.

Settings were fan fully open and then back in about 1/3 turn, fluid fully open and back in about 1/2 turn, air fully open.

I forgot to take pics of test spray pattern on paper. Will add that later but, as mentioned above the fan is about 150mm and well suited to a 50% overlap.

Trigger is pressed and very smooth and comfortable to use. Chrome plating appears to be of very high quality as is attention to detail like nicely finished edges.

Worthy of mention is the finish on the gun. Black, it's slightly grippy and cleans very easily.

Air cap is not retained within the screw on ring. Not a problem, as long as you remember and hold on to it when dismantling/cleaning. Nice black anodising on the air cap - looks cool but not suitable for long term soaking or maybe heavy scrubbing. Cleans up easily if done soon after painting.

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Cup on mine is the 200ml size, which is ideal for small jobs. Screw in base with a brass fitting is the same size as my AZ3s so using the bigger cup would be possible. Cup and lid are "Akulon". This plastic does have a tendency to stain and goes a bit yellow with ageing. Doesn't seem to affect performance at all. The cap screws on with a lip around the thread to reduce spillage and an excellent non-drip breather that actually works.

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Fluid tip incorporates air distribution and this makes it one of the easiest and quickest guns to dismantle and clean. No spanner is provided with the gun but the standard old Star gun spanner works perfectly.

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Side by side with the ANI R150 that it is to replace. Note that the AZ3 has the fan control on the back of the gun so it doesn't get moved inadvertently - a much better arrangement. Also note how the AZ4 has a moulded in shape to fit on your hand between thumb and forefinger. Again, this negates knocking adjustments out.

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In summary, this gun is well worthy of the Iwata brand. Made in Italy by Air Gunsa (owned by Iwata) it's well made and very competitively priced. It performs well with good atomisation and is extremely economical with air consumption. Used with a lighter MS clear it lays down really well, almost completely flat.

Recommended for those who do smaller jobs the 1.0mm is probably better suited to small parts while the 1.2mm would suit small panels.

I have two AZ3s (bigger brother to this AZ4) and they have proven to be almost bullet proof. The AZ4 appears to be made almost the same and I would expect it to perform and last just as well. I'm impressed enough to have decided to buy a 1.2mm.
Chris

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