HVLP sprayer

[Greenman]

Have any of you used the lower end units? I'm thinking about a Wagner. If it works, it would save me several hundred (possibly over a thousand) bucks on a project I'm doing now. I've never used one, and I'm wondering if the low end units (under $200) work as advertised.

The main issue is over spray, and the tremendous amount of masking I'm going to have to do. They claim these things produce very little over spray.

 

[drnickriviera]

What kind of paint are going going to use with it? What are you spraying? You'll have to mask no matter what you use.

I haven't used one, but have seen them operate. They seem to be painfully slow to me. I have a big airless unit, a turbine HVLP system and various automotive guns, and I have to move out if I don't want runs.

Keep an eye on craigslist for a turbine sprayer. I just picked up a second one for $230 with an automotive style gun.

 

[SearchMaster]

I bought a Wagner when I had to paint a playhouse/treehouse a few years ago. I didn't have to mask too much on that particular project, but it was upwards of 30 feet high and the sprayer definitely saved a lot of time and effort.

It worked fine and did a good job. It's been in storage for a few years...I pulled it out to use on a project recently and something had gotten majorly gunked up (I think insects - I cleaned it up pretty well) so I'm not sure if I'll be able to use it again without some effort. It saved me time and money originally so even if it ends up being single use it was worthwhile.

 

[Greenman]

I'm painting interior trim in a house, doors and jambs, windows, crown, a lot of everything. I would normally do a traditional paint job, spray the doors and brush out all the trim. But it looks like masking the windows and trim and spraying it will be faster, if I can get a very controlled spray pattern. I have an airless, but it puts out too much paint and to much over spray.

 

[franksta]

I'd have no qualms about using a Harbor Freight one if I didn't have access to a SATA.

 

[Greenman]

I'd have no qualms about using a Harbor Freight one if I didn't have access to a SATA.

I generally can't use Harbor Fright tools on the job, unless it's a very short single use. I absolutely have to have dependable gear, the cost of a breakdown consumes any savings in a very short time. Harbor fright makes some acceptable limited use equipment, but they're inconsistent. Some tools are good enough, some are garbage, and it takes to long to figure out which is which.

 

[weadjust]

I used a Wagner HVLP sprayer to paint my kitchen cabinets. I had to thin the latex paint with Flotrol to get it to spray in a nice even pattern without spitting blobs of latex paint.

 

[vi edit]

I have a Milwaukee branded one that doubles as an airless paint sprayer and has a HVLP function too. THe problem I had with the HVLP setting was that it worked great for doors *after* it had this intial sneazing of giant globs of paint that it horked all over the place. I basically had to put a bucket or drop cloth on the ground and bleed off the first couple seconds of spray and then bring it up and start spraying things down. It did a great job on my doors once I got the hang of of it. It was *HIGHLY* sensitive to humidity also. That was almost as big of a factor as anything.

I know that the unit I had would not work for what you want. That inital "splatter" being the reason. You'd have to mask feet away from where you were spraying to get that stream started.