Had to pick between a cheap paint gun and a pricier one for a big job last month

I was doing a full respray on a 2015 Ford F-150 for a guy I know, and I had to decide between using my old HF purple gun or splurging on a new Iwata that I could maybe make work in my budget. I went with the Iwata because the customer wanted a pearl finish and I didn't want orange peel ruining it. First time using it, I laid down three coats and it came out glass smooth with almost no dust nibs. Saved me about two hours of wet sanding and buffing compared to my normal routine. Has anyone else had a tool upgrade that actually paid for itself on the first job in time saved?

2 comments

2 Comments

terryallen1mo ago

Man, hard disagree. That cheap gun woulda got the job done fine, you just gotta know how to dial it in. You probably wasted money on a name brand when the extra time sanding woulda been way cheaper.

spencer_chen61mo ago

Grabbed a $30 harbor freight spray gun for a cabinet job last year. Spent a whole Saturday just figuring out the right air pressure and thinning the paint. Ended up with a nice finish but man did it take time and wasted a ton of material tweaking it. You could be right about the sanding thing maybe I just got impatient.