Will portable airbrushes take over? I think so.

[The Rat]

I haven't used an airbrush since my old Badger, bought about 50 years ago, bit the dust, and it was the ultra-cheap bottle type, not gravity feed, which hooked up to a can of compressed air. Only good for spraying large swaths of paint, and even doing that poorly. But I've been looking around, and I'm seeing the portable ones becoming more popular.

They're not as good as a regular one yet, but as with many things in this world, they are getting better, and will no doubt continue to do so. And I firmly believe that in a few years large compressers will be up for sale on ebay or similar sites, as people transition.

Here's one video I watched today that shows the present state of the art, and I was impressed: Autolock Portable Airbrush

ed-note - fixed the URL - frank3K

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Nice and affordable in addition to being "portable" which might be a good advantage in getting rid of the cumbersome hose. 

[Frank3k]

That was a good review. I ended up ordering one, despite having a nice airbrush setup.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

That was a good review. I ended up ordering one, despite having a nice airbrush setup.

I was even more impressed to see the reviewer demonstrate the ease of use and ability to use other airbrushes with the handheld compressor.  Definitely a win for the modeler in expanding on your airbrushing capabilities.  There was another airbrush offered at Amazon.com that included an airhose but also about $20.00 more than the other one that was reviewed. 

[Frank3k]

That was a good review. I ended up ordering one, despite having a nice airbrush setup.

I was even more impressed to see the reviewer demonstrate the ease of use and ability to use other airbrushes with the handheld compressor.  Definitely a win for the modeler in expanding on your airbrushing capabilities.  There was another airbrush offered at Amazon.com that included an airhose but also about $20.00 more than the other one that was reviewed.

I ordered the reviewed airbrush and there was a discount (on top of the existing discount) if you ordered another item from the same vendor. They had a 6' air hose that should work.

I can see using this on the bench for small airbrushing jobs where I don't need the full setup. It should also work well for "sandblasting" 3D prints with baking soda (in a container, of course)

[The Rat]

If you don't have a spray booth (looks in mirror) the portability means that you just walk outside and do what you need to do.

[Frank3k]

I got mine today and the air valve doesn't work (air flows continuously). I attached my Iwata HP-C and it works well. Modest air flow, but not bad - ideal for its intended use.

I took the air valve apart and it's missing the o-ring that all other air valves of this design have... so nothing to really block the air holes. I contacted the company to see what they suggest. If they can't provide a replacement air valve, I'll return it to Amazon for a working one.

[Frank3k]

The company replied and said "that's normal operation!" that's total BS. I returned it to Amazon and I'm getting this one instead.

[Buzzbomb]

I too have one of these setups, very similar to what Frank has ordered, the second time. I tend to use it rarely, but it very handy for quick squirt at a club build day.

Technology will advance to where I reckon that these will largely replace the traditional compressor setup. Outside of spraying a 1/16 tank the capacity of the air compressor is mostly adequate for our needs. Just toss the $15 Airbrush that comes with them or put it aside as a metallics only airbrush if it works ok

[Frank3k]

I just got the second one and it not only works as expected, it comes with a spare battery (not clear on the Amazon page).  Big improvement over the first one.

The pressure is fixed at 20 psi, which is fine. I haven't tried the airbrush yet, but my Iwata works well. It's a little noisier than the first one, but it comes with a short length of hose. The manual is better (not that it matters).