Badger Air-Brush Co. Model 105 Patriot Fine Gravity Airbrush, Stainless Steel

It's a very good airbrush. The cleaning is very easy. The cup is constructed very well on the airbrush body.It can spray an even layer of paint. I can use very well with Angelus paint and with the bit thicker 4 coat matt finisher.

This airbrush is absolutely amazing. A lot of people will say that this is just a beginners airbrush and while, yes, it is perfect for a beginner it can and will take you so much farther too.Highlights:Dirt cheap, really. You can get this airbrush for $20-30 more then these cheap knock off airbrushes; and it is still 1/2 to 1/10th the price of the high end airbrushes.Easy of cleaning and maintenance. Compared to other airbrushes a golden highlight is the size and fitting of the tip. Without exaggerated it is 3 times or more bigger then other airbrush tips. This means when (not if) you accidently drop it during cleaning it does not disappear into the carpet or bounce off in a random direction to never be seen again. In addition, it sits on the body of the airbrush. No special tool(s) needed for assembly or disassembly.No rubber o-rings. When you need to clean your airbrush you can use alcohol (ISP) and it will not deteriorate any delicate parts.Different tip & needle sizes. This airbrush comes with a 0.5 mm tip and needle. For around $10 you can buy a 0.3 mm and or 0.7 mm tip and needle set. This alone will give you a super wide range of applications you can use this airbrush for. Oh and the needles have different colored handles so you can easily tell which size you have installed and which size those that are laying around are.Trigger and Finger Rest. Badger makes a bigger trigger called the High Hat Trigger which will fit on this airbrush. Only difference is a longer shaft so you have a far greater deal of control over how far back you pull your trigger and thereby how much paint you spray out. Badger also makes a plastic Finger Rest that you can fit on here. It is just a few dollars and it just makes the feel of the airbrush in your hand so much nicer. If you aren't going to airbrush for very long it isn't needed, the airbrush standard feel good in your hand. But for extended use it's like adding a pillow to your seat. Not needed but it feels nice.Customer service. Badger has hands down, no joke the absolute best customer service I have seen anywhere. Before I even bought an airbrush I emailed Badger with a question and the CEO called me to give me an answer. Then he said he would be happy to answer any other questions might have and would help be figure out the best airbrush for my needs. Again this is the CEO not some minimum wage off shore customer service representative.Warranty. Badger offers a 100% warranty on their products for life. Yes, at any time you have an issue with your airbrush you send it back to them and they will fix it.American made. To some this matters and to others it doesn't, both camps are ok. Badger is 100% made in America, they source their parts and assemble in the heart of America.Drawbacks:There are only 2 possible drawbacks I can share with this airbrush and even then they are super minor if that.The smallest Tip and Needle available for this airbrush is 0.3 mm. Now before you become concerned with this I will share that I was able to spray a 0.018" thick line easily with this setup so 99% of what you are going to spray this airbrush can do. Oh and when I did spray this I wasn't getting bogged down with "dry tip" or clogs.Badger uses a priority thread for their air hose attachment. That just means you need to buy their quick disconnect instead of a generic. It isn't even expensive and you are going to be getting one for your setup anyway so again, it is only a minor if anything of a drawback.

This was my first airbrush which I bought for scale modeling and model railroading. I chose this brush over the Badger's newer offering, the Renegade Velocity because it was $40 cheaper and had a slightly larger tip making it more of an all around brush.The first thing I noticed when opening the case -- which it comes with a nice padded case that snaps shut -- is that the build quality is very well done. The brush feels solid and sturdy in your hand. The back half of the handle area screws off and on with ease. The trigger pulls back smooth. One interesting feature of this brush is that it has a cut away on the back half that lets you remove the needle without taking the handle off. This works but I've found it's easier to put the needle back into the brush without the handle on, so most of the time I just take it off anyways.Another feature of this brush is that it has a trigger tension adjustment. It comes from the factory set to max (which the instructions point out should be fine for most people) but there is also a small tensioning nut that lets you loosen it up a bit.From reading the manual that it came with it seems to include a lifetime warranty. For the first year Badger will replace/repair anything for you at their cost and after the first year they will replace/repair manufacturer defects provided that you pay for shipping.Overall I've been very happy with this brush choice. I should point out though that compared to the Renegade Velocity the one thing this brush does not have is a trigger stop which lets you limit how far back the trigger can be pulled. While that is a nice-to-have I haven't yet come upon a situation where that was really necessary (then again maybe I haven't used it enough to hit that situation).-------------------------Update October 2012A year and a half later and this air brush is still going great. Aside from looking into the cup or into the nozzle, it almost looks new. This is likely due to the polished finish which makes it easier to clean. I'm still on the original needle and nozzle. After every painting session, I thoroughly clean the color cup, then remove the needle and clean that separately. This only takes a few minutes but I suspect it has gone a long way towards keeping the brush in tip-top shape.I've found the key to perfect operation is good choice of paints. I've shot both cheapo craft paint through this and paint which had been in the sun and was a bit too clumpy. Both did horrible and clogged the brush, resulting in me having to spend 15 minutes cleaning it out. On the flip side, good paint, properly thinned, goes on perfect, every single time. I've learned my lesson. Good pain just makes using the brush so much nicer of an experience.