Automotive Spray Guns – SATA, Iwata, CP, DeVilbiss, Warwick, or Atom X – Best Bang for Buck?

And now the ATOM SPRAY GUN, Nominated BEST DIY AFFORDABLE SPRAY GUN of 2017-2018

Hey it’s Tony here… Thanks for watching this video and checking out the blog today.

After doing extensive reviews on spray guns, the best bang for buck is Atom. The Atom spray gun series is simply in a league of it’s own. With a no o-ring design and pure spraying simplicity at it’s finest.

Here is a question from subscribers that I get asked all the time, “Tony, I have a budget of a couple hundred bucks to spend on a spray gun.  I want to get something pretty good.  What is the best that my money can buy?”

I used to recommend Sharp, the Astro and the Warwick Spray Guns, but now I’ve recently moved all in with Atom spray guns. They are my go-to guns for all of my projects.

My partnership with Atom started about 6 months ago when I met them at the SEMA convention in Las Vegas.

If you’re looking for a high quality, affordable automotive spray guns, highly consider Atom Spray Guns. They are a professional spray gun that will give you German and Japanese style, craftsmanship and performance for a fraction of the cost.

I will also show you samples of the high-end guns like the Iwatas and Satas and their Warwick counterparts and then show you some cheap brands and why you shouldn’t buy them…

Let’s start with the cheap spray guns.

The Harbor Freight Central Pneumatic Spray Gun is a sample of a cheap spray gun, which sells a little less than twenty bucks.  It has a very bad quality.  The trigger feel is very cheaply made and it makes a crunchy noise.

The cup and the threads are plastic.  This is horrible because they strip very easily.

Cheap brands also have poor atomization.  You might get a heavy fan pattern at the bottom.

When you spray your fan, it might get heavier at the bottom section or heavier in the middle.  It has a lot to do with atomization and the quality of the needle, tip and air cap.  So avoid cheaper guns.  Your paint job will come out poorly.

If you have a budget, I recommend at least get a medium-grade gun and get the best of what you can afford.

You don’t have to go crazy and get like a “Bentley” spray gun, if you can get a “Mercedes” at half or one-third of the cost and still drive in style.  You don’t need to spend so much if you can get the same, exact quality and performance out of it.

On the other hand, you have your expensive guns such as the Iwata and Sata.  I have my older Sata RP, Sata Mini Jet and my Iwata 100 Side Feed.

The Iwata 100 Side Feed is one of my favorite spray guns because it has a nice size cup.  You can spray motorcycle fairings and do a motorcycle with two cups.  It’s perfect.

I also have my dad’s old spray gun which he used to spray with back in the day.  His primer gun, the Binks Spray Gun.  I could still mix a batch of primer up and put it in here and it still sprays like a dream.

The important thing is to keep your spray guns clean for it to last a long time.

On an average, the Sata Jet sells for about six to eight hundred bucks, depending on what model you get.  Same as the Iwatas, which are close to seven hundred bucks.

Now, we have the ATOM X Spray Guns.  You should highly consider an Atom Spray Gun because they are of very high quality.  These are clones of the SATA.

These guns are what I only spray with now.  I can get you a model for less than two hundred dollars and it will last you a lifetime. These guns are available at www.ZooLaa.com so please check them out.

The Warwick 891 HVLP used to be an excellent primer gun. Quality control as been declining with Warwick, this is the reason why we no longer promote them anymore. If you’re looking for the best at the best pricing, just go with the Atom X21.

If you compare it with a SATA, they basically spray the same.  The only thing is that a SATA has a digital gauge while the Atom X21 or A20 has the analog gauge, which shouldn’t make much of a difference anyway.

I’ve sprayed with them side by side and you can’t tell the difference.  They feel the same in your hand.

When you’re holding a gun, weight and feel is very important.  So the Atom X21 feels exactly the same as the SATA.  The handle on it is beautiful.

The X21 is Atom’s high end model.  So if you want to spend a little more and get the “Mercedes” of the group, get the Atom X21 MP which is like the SATA RP, or the Atom X21 HVLP version.

The Atom X20 (the more affordable version) comes in a flat carbon steel version.

It’s pretty cool. It’s very high quality and it’s about one third of the price of a SATA, which is about eight hundred dollars.

If you get a kit, you’re looking at a little over three hundred dollars.  If you’re getting the gun alone, it’s just over two hundred dollars.

Now, we have the little brother, the Atom X20.  This is a great starter gun which is super popular among VIP members.  If you are on a budget, I recommend this.  You can get this for under two hundred and fifty dollars.

I’ve sprayed multiple projects with this one, like the Mercedes SLK, a Miata and a couple of classic cars.  All of these came out excellent.  You don’t need to spend five to six hundred dollars for a high quality spray gun that produces great results and will last forever.  So go ahead and check out the Atom spray gun line.

The cup fits the Iwata as well.  It’s the same exact size as the Iwata.  It also comes with a regulator.

We also have a great mini spray gun which is the Atom Mini X16.  This is also popular among our VIP members.  This is good for small detail work.  It is perfect for door jambs and other small projects.

You can compare this to a SATA Mini-jet.  The Mini-jets are even smaller now.  But it’s too small that they feel funny in your hand.  My hand is not huge but I can’t get two fingers in the trigger.  It’s not fully comfortable.

The ATOM Mini X16 has a bigger trigger.  It feels comfortable.  My fingers go all the way on it and cups the bottom of my finger.

Again, I highly recommend the Atom Spray Guns.  They’re the only guns that we use now in the LearnAutoBodyAndPaint headquarters.

If you want to learn how to paint, restore or customize your car, check out the LearnAutoBodyAndPaint VIP course.

If you’re in YouTube, place a question in, comment, like and share this video.  Please click the link to the shop below where you can check out these great guns.  I really think you’re going to like them.

I’ll talk to you soon.  Have a great day! Bye!

-Tony

Other Helpful Links:

Shop ATOM X Spray Guns Here!

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