Now I am NOT a pro painter, but I can paint. I have always used the old style cup guns , my gun now is Binks #7,But now its time for a new gun and i am seeing several types on the market, HVLP seems about the most common. I thought they required a special unit and/or heater to use, but I am now told that they have special valving to operate at lower pressures and do not require that unit. also the cup above types seem good for jams or tight places is that so? I am shooting (or will be) enamel w a hardener.
i use an hvlp to paint my iron work, have never painted a car, no special air system just use low pressure, the guns i buy are just cheep import crap and i cant see then ever doing a good job on a car, and you have to take them apart and clean all the crap out of them before you ever try and use them.
I went from a Binks #7 to an Iwata LPH-400 LV and love it. It uses about a 3rd of the paint my #7 used, to do the same job. I am not a pro painter but do enough work that I figure at todays paint prices it will pay for it's self in less then a year. And the paint lays down sooo nice and smooth. http://autobodystore.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=IWA1&Category_Code=2I
If you're not going to use it all the time, it may be a waste to get a good one (Sata, for example, over $400). I recently bought a Devilbiss Finishline HVLP gun, to use for primer. Good thing about it, is you can buy needle and cap sets relatively cheap, like 30-40$ compared to over 100 for Sata. So the gun I bought from primer, with a 1.8 tip, can be converted to use with Metalflake, with a 2.0 or 2.2 tip, or regular basecoat/clear, with a 1.3 or 1.4 tip. I would suggest this gun for someone who uses it occasionally, and for different uses. Very economical. The best price I found was at smartshoppersinc.com. They sell autobody supplies, tools, paint, etc for the best price I've found online. The Finishline cost me under $100, compared to Eastwood's over $150.
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