[Shop-talk] HVLP Paint Guns

[Bob Spidell]

Any auto paint experts out there?  I've been researching, practicing, etc. for a while and would appreciate any tips.  
We've been painting with a Harbor Freight HVLP; their 'best' model (quality is relative, I know).

My question: Is it worth investing in a top quality gun and, if so, which brand (DeVilbiss, Iwata, etc.).  I know 
preparation, mixture, technique, etc. is more important than anything, but assuming I've learned a little in 40-50 hours 
of painting will a better gun help? In particular, I watch the 'pros' paint on various car shows and it seems like they 
always get a much wider spray pattern than I can get with the HF gun at any pressure or nozzle setting.  Also, the pros 
seem to move more quickly than I usually do--if I just 'mist' the paint on I get a grainy finish.  Is this due to the 
gun, or something else?

We're backyard painters, so we know we'll never get booth quality, but, is a better gun worth an extra $300 or so?  We 
have several projects to paint so I could justify the cost, given we're saving thousands and will get reasonable quality 
(albeit with a lot of extra sanding).

We're shooting PPG Omni, single stage only.

TIA,
Bob

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Bob Spidell           San Jose, CA            bspidell at comcast.net

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