Compressor - Sparmax AC-27 Achieve vs. TC-610H

[Jens Andrée]

If I'm going to do the airbrush upgrade I will need a new compressor.

My "local" hobby store that I buy almost all of my stuff from has these two in store right now, and a Panzag compressor that I know nothing about.

The Sparmax AC-27 Achieve is the cheapest, obviously, at ~£160, TC-610H costs ~£280 and Panzag ~£220
(the prices are not exactly these ones, but for comparison. I'm using £1 = 10 SEK for exchange rate to make it easier for you)

The AC-27 has a max pressure of 50 PSI and airflow 13-16 lpm
http://www.sparmaxair.com/product_detail.php?id=1&r=3

The TC-610H has a max pressure of 60 PSI and airflow 23-28 lpm
http://www.sparmaxair.com/product_detail.php?id=1&r=7

Panzag has a max pressure of 57 PSI and airflow 20-23 lpm
https://cdn.starwebserver.se/shops/hobbyland/files/438930.pdf

Today I've got the cheapest of the cheapest compressors, or "compressor" to be honest... It's a plastic 10 PSI membrane pump to be honest. Not very good with acrylics like Vallejo and AMMO but works well with Tamiya.

I've spent more money than I could afford really on kits, paints and tools so I'm going to spend money I actually can't afford to be honest on a new compressor and airbrush, so I don't want to spend more money than I have to - but at the same time I don't want to buy something crap that I'm going to have to replace soon anyway...

The AC-27 is a "beginners" compressor but well within range of what I think is needed for scale modelling, but I don't know how good it is. It hasn't got a tank as far as I know and thus has to be "always on". This I can live with.

The TC-610H has a tank and will thus have a more consistent airflow, but will I really notice this on 15-20 PSI?
It's almost twice the price.

The Panzag also has a tank, bigger than the TC-610H but not by much. Also more expensive.

I'm going to buy an H&S Infinity CRplus Two in One airbrush so that's £240 on top of the compressor, plus I will also need a moisture trap but those only costs around £17-ish.

I've got a dual tank 10 bar compressor in the workshop that is adjustable, but I don't know how low I can set it - and it's a lot louder than any of these!!! I already own it so that is one benefit - but it's very heavy, albeit on wheels, but dragging it out to the workshop whenever I need to use the compressor there isn't wishful either.

What should I do? Is the AC-27 good enough or is the lack of a tank noticeable and I'm going to have to buy another compressor yet again next year?

If my cheapo plastic compressor didn't overheat I'd continue to limp on because it sort of works with my Ultra airbrush, but I'd like to progress in the painting department and I think I've reached the limit with my equipment.

Appreciate your input here

Cheers!

 

[BarryW]

Jens I have the 610 and it is an excellent compressor. The tank is well worth it. Not only does it even the airflow but it means the motor is not going all the time you are airbrushing which reduces motor wear and noise. You will not regret the cost of having the tank.

 

[Airfix Modeller Freak]

The Iwata Range of compressors are excellent, you can't go wrong. Also, just a question. Why haven't you checked out the Iwata range of airbrushes? I use the Iwata Hi Line HP CH and they are flawless in performance and cleaning. I personally find the HP CH to be superior to the Infinity. It can be adjusted to a .2 needle from it's .35, has a needle stop, cutaway and a fine pressure control valve. Also, customer service and warranty is the best in the airbrush industry.
Cheers, John

 

[PaulTRose]

220 quid for the panzag???????.....i paid a quarter of that for the same thing with a different name on the side..........worked ok but when it eventually died i bought a cheapo without the tank and find it works just as well

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Personally I'd get one with a tank. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

 

[Jens Andrée]

Hmm... I already kinda knew the answer that tank is the only way to go but my compressor experience are with "real" compressors, the big ones for my workshop that runs all the air tools.

I guess I could park the big compressor somewhere near-ish to where I do my modelling, but in a different room, and run a hose? That way I could deal with some of the noise...
Sometimes you benefit from being divorced when you start to move parts of the garage into the bedroom! :D

If not I will wait for now, try to save up some money, and in the spring buy a proper compressor and the new airbrush. £500+ is outside my pain limit right now - especially with winter coming and heating costs.
But I agree with you that it's always better to buy the right stuff from start, otherwise you'll just have to buy another one anyway, and now you've spent more money than you should've from the beginning trying to cut costs.

 

[Jens Andrée]

The Iwata Range of compressors are excellent, you can't go wrong. Also, just a question. Why haven't you checked out the Iwata range of airbrushes? I use the Iwata Hi Line HP CH and they are flawless in performance and cleaning. I personally find the HP CH to be superior to the Infinity. It can be adjusted to a .2 needle from it's .35, has a needle stop, cutaway and a fine pressure control valve. Also, customer service and warranty is the best in the airbrush industry.
Cheers, John

I have checked the Iwata airbrushes. In fact I have checked the Hi Line HP HC, but it costs quite a bit more than the Infinity and all the reading I've done says the Iwata isn't as easy to clean as the H&S when doing a full teardown - which I do every time, often even between colours, so easy to clean is a must!
Perhaps Iwata users aren't into full teardowns and H&S users are, and thus generating those reviews? I don't know, but I really like my current H&S Ultra and it's super easy to take apart and do a full clean. I'm down to just under 3 minutes for a full clean. A bit longer for my Vallejo matt varnish since the varnish isn't as easy to dissolve as Tamiya paint.

Perhaps I would choose the Iwata if I had the opportunity to test both of them, but I don't have that luxury and after doing a lot of reading I came to the conclusion that the Infinity was what I wanted.
Purely based on reading and the experience I've got from my Ultra.

Perhaps they've got demo units at C4 Open in two weeks time? That's be grand! If not, well for now I'm set for the Infinity until convinced otherwise.

 

[Jens Andrée]

220 quid for the panzag???????.....i paid a quarter of that for the same thing with a different name on the side..........worked ok but when it eventually died i bought a cheapo without the tank and find it works just as well

I kinda knew it was a generic chinesium compressor with lots of different names. I just put it in there for comparison - and the odd chance it was a good one, but I never buy unknown brands to me unless I've got a recommendation because there are so many crappy products out there in a fancy box with a cool name. It doesn't matter if you put lipstick on a pig because at the end of the day it's still just a pig!
Cheers for the heads up though!

 

[Airfix Modeller Freak]

I have checked the Iwata airbrushes. In fact I have checked the Hi Line HP HC, but it costs quite a bit more than the Infinity and all the reading I've done says the Iwata isn't as easy to clean as the H&S when doing a full teardown - which I do every time, often even between colours, so easy to clean is a must!
Perhaps Iwata users aren't into full teardowns and H&S users are, and thus generating those reviews? I don't know, but I really like my current H&S Ultra and it's super easy to take apart and do a full clean. I'm down to just under 3 minutes for a full clean. A bit longer for my Vallejo matt varnish since the varnish isn't as easy to dissolve as Tamiya paint.

Perhaps I would choose the Iwata if I had the opportunity to test both of them, but I don't have that luxury and after doing a lot of reading I came to the conclusion that the Infinity was what I wanted.
Purely based on reading and the experience I've got from my Ultra.

Perhaps they've got demo units at C4 Open in two weeks time? That's be grand! If not, well for now I'm set for the Infinity until convinced otherwise.

Personally, I find the Iwata to be easier to clean. It has a wider neck to clean out the paint and in terms of stripping down the parts, it is no harder than the H&S. Many other modellers are of the same opinion. As long as you don't over tighten the nozzle (which you shouldn't do on any airbrush for that matter) you are fine. Iwatas are also known for smoother trigger action
Cheers, John

 

[John Rixon]

I have this one:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Profession...96963&sr=8-1&keywords=airbrush+air+compressor
It has a tank, it works perfectly with my Infinity CR + and is cheap. Had it 18 months - 2 years and it hasn't missed a beat, just sayin' like!

 

[John Rixon]

A tank is essential, that is non-negotiable, I used to have a really good compressor when I was earning money with my airbrushes, cost me over £400, back when that was a lot (early'80s) I think this one I have now is just as good.

 

[john]

Iwata recommend you don’t remove the nozzle at all, they are both good brands, Iwata have just bought H&S, Although they will remain separate companies, they both have high quality standards.

 

[Jens Andrée]

Iwata recommend you don’t remove the nozzle at all, they are both good brands, Iwata have just bought H&S, Although they will remain separate companies, they both have high quality standards.

How are you going to clean it then?
I always pull out the needle via the front in order not to drag paint through the trigger mechanism...
I can easily do a full clean 3 times in a long session if I'm using many different colours.

I hadn't heard that Iwata had bought H&S? Interesting!
I do understand them keeping the two brands separate as they, in a way, seem like two different schools... Like Android vs. iPhone, or the old classic SAAB vs. Volvo which was the big debate when I grew up in Sweden. (I was a SAAB guy if anyone wonder )

If Iwata airbrushes simply gets less dirty and you get away with a simpler clean and a bit of backflushing then I rest my case, but with my limited experience I prefer to do a full teardown in order to keep everything as clean as it was when I bought it. I'm like that with most things.

 

[john]

How are you going to clean it then?

I can’t understand it either, I would never pull my needle through the back

Important Note: Never remove the nozzle unless it is already damaged. If you thoroughly clean the airbrush, this will prevent the nozzle becoming clogged so that you will not need to remove it. Although made from durable, high-quality materials, this part is small and finely engineered. Accidental damage caused by cross-threading, overtightening, dropping the airbrush, forcing the needle or tools into the nozzle and normal wear are not covered under the warranty.


Available separately is a specialized nozzle tool for removing and replacing the nozzle. We strongly advise that you do not use the basic conventional spanner provided in the airbrush box, but advise that you instead use the improved nozzle tool to ensure you get the right angle and torque without risk of over tightening. This can prevent expensive damage to nozzles.

https://airbrushes.com/product_info.php?cPath=400_405_486_494&products_id=23020

 

[Jens Andrée]

This is why I rejected Iwata and decided to get a H&S instead because I just can't understand how you're supposed to do a thorough clean if you're not supposed to unscrew the nozzle?
I can't see how on earth you're going to clean the nozzle without removing it either because no matter what solvents you're using, stubborn and stuck paint takes time to dissolve and often need a bit of scrubbing...

Also they strongly advice that you DON'T use the provided tool to remove the nozzle and instead buy another tool to do this? Why on earth do they supply it in the package then? Weird?

 

[stillp]

According to the page at https://airbrushes.com/product_info.php?osCsid=hoc9vpsqnq3fhfe6ieojqlf053&products_id=21998
"If you , thoroughly clean the airbrush using the flush and back-flush procedure, it will prevent the nozzle becoming clogged so that you will not need to remove it".
Oh yeah???

 

[Jens Andrée]

According to the page at https://airbrushes.com/product_info.php?osCsid=hoc9vpsqnq3fhfe6ieojqlf053&products_id=21998
"If you , thoroughly clean the airbrush using the flush and back-flush procedure, it will prevent the nozzle becoming clogged so that you will not need to remove it".
Oh yeah???

That might be true. I don't/can't backflush my H&S Ultra by design, but when I've done it anyway it's made a mess inside the trigger once and that was a pain to clean...
Iwata is probably designed to be cleaned this way - and IF it works as well as a full teardown then it's a much faster way of cleaning!

Can Iwata users confirm this?

 

[Airfix Modeller Freak]

That might be true. I don't/can't backflush my H&S Ultra by design, but when I've done it anyway it's made a mess inside the trigger once and that was a pain to clean...
Iwata is probably designed to be cleaned this way - and IF it works as well as a full teardown then it's a much faster way of cleaning!

Can Iwata users confirm this?

I can.

 

[Jens Andrée]

I can.

Cheers!

So - when you nozzle is clogged, is it still a simple task to remove the nozzle and clean it like you do on the H&S airbrushes? (apart from the fact that you need a tool - and not using the supplied tool... )

Does the backflushing malarkey work as well with stubborn acrylics like AMMO of Mig as it does with fantastic paints like Tamiya and MRP?

This might mean that Iwata is back on the menu when a purchase is made, but I'd want to try one first before I part with my money.

 

[Airfix Modeller Freak]

Cheers!

So - when you nozzle is clogged, is it still a simple task to remove the nozzle and clean it like you do on the H&S airbrushes? (apart from the fact that you need a tool - and not using the supplied tool... )

Does the backflushing malarkey work as well with stubborn acrylics like AMMO of Mig as it does with fantastic paints like Tamiya and MRP?

This might mean that Iwata is back on the menu when a purchase is made, but I'd want to try one first before I part with my money.

Yes and yes. It is no harder in my opinion. (Pardon the pun)
John