Product Review- Harbor Freight Dual Action Airbrush
Posted on March 5, 2009 by aaronredbaron
Anybody who has played much with spray painting can tell you, there is a huge difference between a can of spray paint and an airbrush. In the world of airbrushes, there are the entry level single action units, and the more controllable dual action units. The difference between the single and dual is night and day, with the single action units being little better than a can of spray paint. Several times in the past I have had the opportunity to use a friend’s expensive dual action airbrush; they lay the paint down so smoothly it can be almost hypnotic. On a recent trip to the discount tool store Harbor Freight, I came across their line of Central Pneumatic Airbrushes and accessories. Normally, a quality all metal dual action airbrush could run you upwards of $200, at Harbor Freight I was able to pick one up for $15.99.
What Does Dual Action Mean?
With a single action airbrush, you have one button which controls the flow of air as well as the flow of paint. With a Dual Action the controls are separate. With most of the Dual Action airbrushes, including this one, you push down first, which controls the air, and then you pull back to control the flow of paint. Separating out the controls allows you to make sure it is cleared, and if you always hit the air first and let off the air last, you can prevent the splatter that is commonly associated with the single action airbrushes.
It Allows One To Paint Well, But You Also Need The Skill
Although a good value, the Central Pneumatic airbrush is made of chrome plated brass, while most of the more expensive airbrushes are made of stainless steel. My painting experiments were kind of frustrating for several reasons. I had to filter the paint because most of the paints had little flecks of dry paint. I also learned that although I could put down a great looking base coat and do fine with solid colors, I am terrible at producing good finished products. I am a bit of a perfectionist and my final paint jobs are, to put it nicely, beyond ugly in my super critical opinion. Let it suffice to say the airbrush seems to controllable; it can be fine tuned to deliver the amount of paint you need, and it sprays a nice consistent mist (assuming there are no dried flecks of paint!). I was very happy with the quality of the airbrush, especially for the price, but rather disgusted with my final results. I’m not giving up just yet on airbrushing, but I sure am not publishing any pictures until I have something I’m not embarrassed to show!
