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I'd seen this spray gun on both the "Triggerman" and "Paint Society", with both seeming to be impressed. My observations are that this truly is a budget gun capable of high quality work! I'm sure that $700 spray guns like the Devilbiss and Sagola may be better in build quality and feel, but I don't think there is really any doubt that the Astro can get very similar results.
There are some things that aren't that great, which I think are fine trade-offs for the level of finish quality you can get from it at this price. The gun is a bit on the small side, in my opinion, like it's 90% as big as it should be. The trigger has a very long throw since it has the needle located kind of high on the trigger. The needle position control dial is not very smooth, which you notice only when cleaning the gun and reassembling it.
On the plus side, there really isn't much to go wrong. The needle and tip are well made. There aren't any gaskets to swell or wear out.
In use, the main thing you notice when spraying is that the air system atomizes the paint very, very well. It comes out like a mist, while a lot of other budget guns come out as more of a spray, even if the fan shape is similar. Basically, the droplet size is just a lot smaller than other budget guns can produce. It also does this at a surprisingly low pressure; I was generally spraying clear at around 22-25psi (read while trigger is pulled). Most budget guns seem to need closer to 30psi; this is a very efficient gun. I did not like the way it sprayed metallic, which seemed to come out a little blotchy as compared to other guns I have. When spraying 4:1 clearcoat, it lays down a lot of paint quickly. I found myself spraying a tad heavier than usual with the same movement speed and overlap. Also tried this with a sealer and felt that it was not as smooth as other guns. In my opinion, this gun is most ideal for clearcoats. It's possible that you could dial in better results with sealer and basecoats with some time, but since I have those dialed in with other guns already, I haven't taken the time to experiment that much.
In the end, this is a gun that is really impressive with clear, maybe not so much with other types of finishes. As a dedicated clear gun, it is a great value!
