Professional airless paint sprayers

[MDKing]

Can anyone recommend a good professional airless paint sprayer that feeds from 5 gallon buckets? I've used the Titan ones from Lowes but they don't last as long as they should for $600-$800 bucks.

what do you guys use?

Thanks,
Allan

[drfrightner]

Allan do something different here... go to a real paint store rather than Lowes or Home Depot. A real paint store will sell the professional brands.

In other words go to a place that sells paint ONLY!

Larry

[Darksidestew]

I have been airbrushing and painting for 36 years.

Here you go...

http://www.devilbiss.com/

stew

[MDKing]

Larry, I don't see many paint only stores, maybe Sherwin Williams is all I can think of, do they sell sprayers?

need something like this http://m.homedepot.com/p/Campbell-Ha...70D/203222748/

Thanks Stew I'll check them out.

Allan

[scary bill]

The secret to the airless sprayer is keep them clean and clean well after use. When you think you have cleaned it enough, spend the same amount of time to clean it some more. Disassemble it COMPLETLY, clean clean clean. That is what I have found to be most of the problems.

[zombietoxin]

Scary Bill is exactly right.

So, here is my experience-

I checked all the options from $99 to $2500 and read lots of user comments.

I finally found a online seller that seemed to tell it like it is- sorry can't find him now, but his advice was this:

Buy as much sprayer as you can possibly afford while considering your intended use. Pay until it hurts and you will thank yourself a thousand times. You are paying yourself after all.

Professional painters have no reason to be messing around with sub $800 sprayers.

Property managers generally do not need to spend over $1000.

Weekend warriors, however, are stuck between paying someone else or trying to cheap it. In this area his advice was golden for us. I bought a Spraytech unit for aroud $350 (it was as much as $600 elsewhere), but I paid for an upgrade on the spray gun. Then I followed the most important rule- CLEAN THE PISS OUT OF IT! And disassemble everything after build season and clean it again.

It is NOT a pro level sprayer and honestly most comments about it were "one season at best", but ours is still going 4+ years. Best money ever.

[MDKing]

Thanks for the info guys. Do you guys have to water down your paint for your sprayers? We always have, as well as adding flame retardant further waters it down.

Allan

[gadget-evilusions]

We do not thin down our paint for airless sprayers. We do add the appropriate fire retardant.

[drfrightner]

Every city has paint only stores because those are the only paint stores that professional painters will go to ... they sell things that the home depot places don't and they will have professional sprayers for both sale and rental. I found one right here... http://www.budekes.com/inourstores/

In fact you might be able to go to a craigslist and and find yourself a used one. At our shop we have two sprayers and I think they cost around 1500 new and we bought them from professional paint stores.

Larry

[ZombieRaider]

I've got a Graco one from Lowes/Home Depot, it's about 8 years old and still going strong.....I highly recommend the 2 or 3 foot extension that goes on the end of the nozzle....This allows you to take longer strokes and reach higher without a ladder, even with a ladder you don't have to go as high......It will also help keep you out of the spray area.....Another feature I like is the T-handle nozzle, if it clogs you simply turn the t-handle so the nozzle itself turns 180 degrees, simply pull the trigger to back flush, turn the t-handle back and keep spraying.....This has saved me a fair amount of time from cleaning out tips while work is in progress....If your using an older bucket of paint, make sure it's strained first, keep your filters in the paint sprayer changed and you should be able to do a project without to much down time if any.....It's also extremely important to clean the sprayer out very well after each use to make sure it works for years to come....I've had that Graco about 8 years and have sprayed about 30 to 40 gallons and it's still working good.....I've sprayed some pretty thick paint and didn't have to water down.....ZR

[nitelife222]

Graco is the best!

I second that! Graco is the only brand of airless paint sprayer I would ever buy. I have had mine for around a decade and it is still going strong. That being said, it cost a pretty penny and it has been in the shop a time or two. But without a doubt I would buy another of their products if I ever intend to replace my current set-up.

I've got a Graco one from Lowes/Home Depot, it's about 8 years old and still going strong.....I highly recommend the 2 or 3 foot extension that goes on the end of the nozzle....This allows you to take longer strokes and reach higher without a ladder, even with a ladder you don't have to go as high......It will also help keep you out of the spray area.....Another feature I like is the T-handle nozzle, if it clogs you simply turn the t-handle so the nozzle itself turns 180 degrees, simply pull the trigger to back flush, turn the t-handle back and keep spraying.....This has saved me a fair amount of time from cleaning out tips while work is in progress....If your using an older bucket of paint, make sure it's strained first, keep your filters in the paint sprayer changed and you should be able to do a project without to much down time if any.....It's also extremely important to clean the sprayer out very well after each use to make sure it works for years to come....I've had that Graco about 8 years and have sprayed about 30 to 40 gallons and it's still working good.....I've sprayed some pretty thick paint and didn't have to water down.....ZR

[evilbeaverhaunts]

bought a Graco airless sprayer when I was building my house 8 years ago, it has been great. I bought the prosumer unit it was around 1100 but well worth it, it sprays both water based and oils (never needed to thin any paint type). Biggest thing clean it very well and it will last, even if soemthing goes wrong with the prosumer units, they usually have a rebuild kit for $60+ and away you go again.

Good luck,
EB