Paint gun for hobbiest?
I know I ain’t paying no 800 bucks for a paint gun. 1-150 tops. Maybe.
Nope, and no one should unless you are a pro making your living at it. And 800 is/was Canadian dollars at the time, so in the US it would have been less. I can imagine what they cost now, Ive been out of the trade for a while :)
But I will say this, Ive never seen an amateur paint job done with a low cost gun that could rival what I (or any professional painter for that matter) could lay down with my Sata's, or any other top quality gun. And yes, I have sprayed with cheap guns also, and the difference is night and day. Thats not bragging, its just a simple fact. Another example....Ive been taught how to weld through autobody, now I could go buy a cheap flux core mig welder and do some "acceptable" welding, but would my quality match what a journeyman welder working with top quality tools could do? Not a chance, Id be blown away.
Quality is subjective, and we all have our own opinion of what is good quality and what isnt. Ive silently in my mind (not wanting to be rude of course) picked apart many an amateur paintjob that the owner thought was great. That candy paint job that cousin Ted did in his garage with a HF gun after watching youtube videos looks good to the untrained eye, until someone starts pointing out the mottling, tiger striping, solvent popping etc, then its a whole other story. Hell, even my Swinger was prepped/painted by an amateur, everyone says it looks fantastic, but I know otherwise, and thats why shes gonna get a new paint job, the right way, with the right tools and material :)
This may get me some harsh comments, but it wasnt meant to try to scare away anyone from painting their own vehicle, or to criticize anyone who does, I applaud everyone(myself included) who learns and does things on their own, Im just trying to point out that top quality is achieved by using top quality materials and tools.
I don't have one, but I bet a paint booth can go a LONG way!!
This times 100! I once sprayed a car in a buddies garage, once, at his request. NEVER again will I do that...haha