I resisted the temptation as a modeler to chase after this so called “Holy Grail” of airbrushes because , as is often the case, puffed up products often disappoint. Nevertheless, the shiny, new thing bug but me, the well-produced videos promoting this brush and the aside testimonials of top modelers compelled me on impulse to buy it. Right from the beginning I began to notice the nozzle clogging due to its open air needle tip design. Paint retarders were no savior. If this thing sprays paint 40% of the time I’m lucky. Id like to use it as a boat anchor but it’s too light and too late to return it. Don’t buy this.
Let me start by saying I love badger airbrushes. I own 9 badgers and will buy another sotar soon. My patriot 105’s are the workhorse and they do it all well. I can throw in a .7 conversion kit pretty cheaply and paint the really thick stuff, use the supplied .5 for general purpose and throw in a .3 conversion for the finer stuff. It’s an extremely versatile ab. I really like the atomization and the trigger response of badgers. That’s the good stuff. Now let me tell you about the not so good.
Since the plandemic, I have purchased 5 badgers. Every one of them has had issues out of the sealed badger box. Either they had missing parts or damaged parts from Badger that did not occur during shipment. No, I am not talking about a bent needle that I can straighten. Badger is hard to reach on the phone. They don’t respond well to emails, and you will more than likely have to leave a message. They will call you back after several days. With that said, once you have a live person on the phone, they will help you sort things out and send you replacement parts. I would not recommend badger to a beginner unless you are willing to learn proper oiling and maintenance like beeswax on the head. Badgers will leak air at the head unless addressed. They also require more oil than my japanese ab’s which have always been great out of the box with no issues. Badger qc and pride in their manufacturing takes a very distant second to the japanese brands. The roughly finished paint cups causes more paint to stick inside the cup and makes for harder cleaning. Fixing air leaks and replacing damaged parts from the brand new badger ab has become common with me now. You may be thinking that you get what you pay for. Not really, gsi creos is actually less expensive now than badgers. Gsi creos will probably come to you in perfect working order and no issues. Badger manufacturing and qc has gone way down in recent years. If you are willing to sort through these headaches you can certainly have an ab that can perform with the best of them. Another thing good about Badger is the cost of parts is much less expensive than the japanese ab’s. They are also more readily available. That’s a good thing because you will need more of them. Still, when i have a Badger ab sorted out, it performs great. They just require more attention than their japanese competitors. With a japanese 75-80 dollar ab, you will marvel at the fit, finish, and quality control. It will also perform well out of the box. With a badger, you will be stunned by the mediocre fit, finish and lack of quality control. I will continue to use and enjoy Badgers but I have come to realize it’s more than likely going to initially be a headache right out of the box.
I just received my sotar 20/20 3 in 1 kit and tried it out for the first time. Everything works perfectly. Easy to use, change out needle sets, and clean up after use. Its a awesome airbrush and worth the price. The only reason Im giving it a 3 rating is that it came in a cardboard box and not a hard case as pictured which is best for storing it. I have two other badgers and they both came in the plastic case. Other than that like I said it works smoothly.
Was excited to use the new Ultra, but out of the box it leaks air from the front nozzle. I have made sure everything was tightened properly and needle was seated properly. An airbrush should not be leaking air out of the box.
I used "golden" high flow black paint full strength out of the bottle. 0.45 needle sprayed effortless, no skipping, splatter. Tip dry 20 minutes later was minimal. trigger adjustment control thing was ok but not impressive. I love the one piece trigger assembly...blows away anything Iwata has. brush fits my hand snug, size 6 ring. I am a fine art painter, canvases as big as 4x6 feet. Paintings are hair line precision. The ultra gives me the precision I want. And with a 0.45 needle can lay down the paint without stalling on me. The no frills brush is a keeper