help me pick a paint gun

[beetlecrx]

Im planning painting my own car and have no idea which gun would be the best to get, is it worth buying a higher priced sata or going with a mid priced gun, im hoping not to spend more then $200 , if i can get a quality one for less ,great. but if a higher priced gun9over 200) makes everything easier and alot better quailty of paint job i will be willing to spend the extra $, im planning on spraying ppg epoxy primer, primer and single stage urathane, im looking to get a conventual gun with a lower cfm output as im not sure what compressor i will be using, any help on making this decision would be much appreciated,

[Bklyn63]

well, depends on how many paint jobs your going t odo in your lifetime.

I personally believe the best tools to buy would always last forever.

I have a sata rp digital. its an awesome gun. I used it a few times and the results were stunning.

If you have the $$ buy a sata if not I hear the sharpe guns are great for the money.

[BIG MAC]

You are going to have a tough time spraying primer and color through the same gun. I would suggest buying Sharpe finex guns, 1.8 for epoxy and primer and a 1.4 for topcoats. You can pick them up for about $100 a gun.

[Tim rag'59]

sata is so the way to go...but they are Very expensive...rp is more of a top coat and your nr's are more for your bases...needle and tips..1.3,1.4 and so on,are also important for which application your spraying (single or 2 stage)...spend the money do it right the first time. get a "cheapie" for your primers and spray polyesters(..tend to neglect the cleaning?...you won't feel guilty 'bout ruining it)the larger the needle and tip the more product you'll apply, and buy the good one for the top coats, they atomize better than a generic and they are much easier to clean and tend to stand up to a helluva lot more abuse,used in almost all of the body shop industry's so that's gotta say something.
-Tim

[SHARK]

I agree, SATA makes a very nice gun, even their economy model is excellent, otherwise Accuspray guns have been my choice (They do have hydraulic like feeling that takes getting used to). Your paint supply stores are at times willing to demo a gun for a customer, or you could attend one of their free new product classes, which are usually held at local body shops where you might be able to try examples of a given gun's quality per price. All and all its the painter not the gun. A good painter can pull off a pearl job with a $25 dollar P.O.S. but even a $1500 self contained, heated air, paint system won't bridge the gap of experience. Just the same, there is no reason that anyone can't do a decent paint job with a gun that costs $200 or even much less. The differences in quality and adjustment of the high end guns out there are usually minute enough that anyone who doesn't spray on a regular basis can barely tell. As well personal preference of spraying pressure, gun type and material viscosity determine what is right for you. My friend paid over $300 for a nice digital H.V.L.P. gun but he gets better results with a yard sale binks #7 just because he is more comfortable with the old gun. Practice with the gun of your choice is much more important than what you pay for it........

[CymonSez]

SATA all the way try to find a used 95 on ebay or spend the extra green and get a 2000

[Big Jim]

For a first (and maybe, last) time painter. a Sata is probably a waste. Plus the are among the biggest air hogs in the business. A quality 5 horse compressor is marginal. For about $150, you can get a Sharpe FineX kit with a 1.4 and a 1.8 gun. They are decent and, if you grow into the hobby and want to upgrade, they will still serve well as primer guns. I started with a Harbor Freight gun and upgraded as I learned to tell what the differences were. I'm using a Sharpe Platnium now but the HF still sprays primer.