Many companies make HVLP paint guns: Sharpe, DeVillbiss, SATA and
plenty of others. When selecting a spray gun, think about how it will be
used. An automotive refinisher professional-grade HVLP can cost more
than $500. This might be overkill for the average hobbyist. These guns
are designed to lay down automotive base coat and clear coat to match
modern automotive finishes for hundreds of paint jobs. Most home
enthusiasts won’t be painting that many cars with a single spray gun, so
the boosted longevity of top-tier spray guns isn’t necessary. The more
expensive and elaborate spray guns are also much more expensive to
maintain. Rebuild kits for these guns also have a higher price tag and are
more complicated.
Second-tier manufacturers such as ATD, Mountain, Astro Pneumatic
and Max Air might make a little more sense for the “backyard”
enthusiast, because they are much less expensive and provide a level of
performance that is more than adequate for the types of paint common
in today’s market. A note of caution on the second-tier guns: parts
availability is limited and rebuild kits are few and far between. The good
news is that these guns are so inexpensive that they can be cheaply
replaced when they start to wear out. Most hobbyists simply won’t use a
paint gun enough to wear it out.
This red-handled Siphon fun spray gun by Astro is good for primer
and has all the traditional adjustments. Expect to get a good-quality
gun such as this for less than $50.