Used Sparmax accessories and always held anything manufactured in Taiwan in high regard as equivalent to Japanese quality if differing at all is usually only marginally in finish. Already have a number of airbrushes including an Omni 5000. Wanted the bigger cup on my Sparmax over that on the SP-35, so just bit the bullet on a Sparmax Max-3, or rather the Tamiya SX0.3D boxed version of it. Got a great price and couldn't resist.
I too have found the taiwan made products to be of great quality. Grex is also made there. Sparmax quality has been very good on anything of theirs I have seen yet. At least a half a dozen airbrushes, a couple compressors (i dont use airbrush compressors in my setup but thats another story)as well as acessories. several of the products tagged iwata are made by them. And they have joint manufacturing, so I expect them to be around much longer and continue to put out good products. Thanks!
@@TheAIRspace Thanks for the feedback of your Sparmax experience. Been personally using Sparmax accessories for many years. i.e. Badger 5mm to Iwata 1/8" BSP air valve adapters, QR adapters, Silver Bullet water traps, 3 way compressor manifolds and more. Performance has always exceeded expectation, although prices have increased significantly since Iwata bought the brand. Your vids are interesting and useful, your presentation unpretentious. I very much enjoy your channel. Subscribed. Cheers.
I have one of those Bill but its the older Sp35 It's exactly the same I think they only changed the name when they brought out the max 3 and max 4 Great airbrush works well for me.
i thought the sp 35 was the same except the cutout thanks for confirming. I should have mentioned the sp20x. which is also a great little detail brush. Thanks Lee!
Loving your content. Great review. Really glad I found your channel. The advice on using a Metabo compressor was particularly helpful. I suspected I'd regret an airbrush compressor down the line. You helped me lock in that perception. Thanks!
Thanks for this Bill. I've been looking to beefing up my less expensive arsenal of airbrushes and I had been eyeing this one. If I can find it, I'm willing to give it a try. My current workhorse Omni 5000G is still going strong, but nothing wrong with a little versatility.
When I was in the Navy, quite a while ago, parts were coated with "Cosmoline". That may be what was on the airbrush as well. I know if it wasn't that in particular, that I have recieved some automotive/motorcycle parts in the last few years with that on it. Or it's twin with another name. I do know that it is still in use.
@@TheAIRspace It will all come off with acetone if other thinners don't do the job. But you are definitely correct that it all needs a GOOD cleaning before even thinking of spraying anything through it. Also true for the larger paint guns I've paid money for.
Thanks again for sharing. Some great info here. Looking to replace a Master G22. Would you recommend this Sparmax or the GSI Creos ps289? I paint wooden and plastic fishing lures. Thanks again.
the 289 has a nicer trigger and removeable head that makes it a little easier to service. However some people dont like the angled air valve. So that becomes personal preference. there used to be a 50 dollar difference, now its closer to about 30 bucks between them. And the 289 has a mac valve. Id opt for the 289 all day,. Here is a link :) amzn.to/3ZUGDua ++aff link i earn commissions if you purchase through said link+++
@@TheAIRspace Thank you sir again for your time and answers. I knew I should have bought it last night when it was 80.00!! same link. It may have to wait until next month. But when I buy it, it'll be with that link. Thank you Bill.
@@ghmason yeah at 80 bucks i wouldnt have hesitated.. ive seen them drop a few times and i'm always tempted even though I already have them ;/ FWIW i paid over 100 for each of mine, and I believe about 120 on the 270 3 years ago. So price drops are unheard of especially since they have been very very popular.
the eclipse will do better with thicker paints, just because it has bigger passages.. and of course I LOVE drop in nozzles. being a screw in nozzle, you wont see me docking this brush dirty and abusing it like I do some. Aside from that.. the price point is a fantastic value. since i paint a lot of larger things now, it may not get the use my other brushes do. But if I get back to doing 5x7s... and for pulling out eyelashes, i expect this is going to get a lot of use. I still love my eclipses, and my omni is a go too on canvases a lot now. Right now I have, badger, creos grex, iwata, sparmax and olympos airbrushes to use... so im not lacking. :)
I’ve never heard that. However on airbrushes with small screw in nozzles it’s advisable not to disassemble the nozzle any more than necessary always. That would be the same for the neo or iwata high performance brushes. Along with a huge number of airbrushes using nozzles that screw into the body
Thinking about picking one if these up soon. Do have a question about your high flow... what one do you use, bc I'm starting to have an atomization problem but before you ask, yes it is cleaned lol.
well i use lots of high flows.. golden make the only "high flow" brand paint. So im not sure what the question is I guess :) For the record.. maybe nobody else sees it. but i realized I had bent the tip on that needle (when i compared videos blown up I saw it) i was like meh.. its pretty small i'm not gonna make a new video now :) I wish there was a way to edit videos aftrer uploading.. but oh well.
@@dennisscott8641 yes high flow acrylics are one of my favorites.. i use tons of createx for the versatility.. but I go through about 2 golden high flow sets in a year as well.
ive been agonizing for days over what first time air brush to buy. SO glad i watched this video. havent seen anyone else do what you did with the pencil line example. bought it immediately after watching that segment. that was all i needed to see Wow! Newbie question, you said "i put a little reducer in here" is that an attachment to the air brush or some additive in the paint?
Reducer is an additive to paint. The spar max is a solid airbrush. But I have several airbrushes I do like. I’m trying to slim down a few but I’ll wind up buying more. The spar max was one I regretted selling the first time. So it will likely stick around.
@@TheAIRspace hey so I bought the airbrush but I’m at my wits end. No matter what I do, I can only get a few seconds of paint before it refuses to spray. - even if the paint is thinner than thin -thinning with a mix of flow improver and airbrush thinner -even with brand new paint -I’ve tried adding obscene amounts of flow improver -needle is dead straight - I’ve re sealed the nozzle threads and air cap threads -I bought a new nozzle thinking mine was defective. -happens even after a full cleaning. -happens at all levels of psi/bar Only thing that temporarily fixes is spraying at my mat full blast and then I can have a few more seconds of detailed spray then as always I gradually have to spray wider and wider open to get anything out. Is my airbrush defective? Please help :,(
@@katatonicetc.7883 well first what kind of paint are you using? The first step in analyzing a problem is how is it spraying water? Or slightly colored water. But what you describe being paint comes out as you open up is fairly normal tip dry. Painting small tiny details really takes a bit of practice. And when painting really tiny you have to be in constant look for tip dry. You will see many of us painting small detailed things pull the brush away and blast paint off to the side, or picking the tip to where it is second nature.
@@katatonicetc.7883 also aside from tip dry, if it’s a thicker pigmented paint no matter how much reducer you put in the harder it is to paint small And try this. Strain the paint and mix with reducer in a separate cup first And if adding paint directly to the airbrush always add the reducer first because direct paint will always go straight to the bottom and you will always get unreduced paint at first spray if you do. And lastly. Good trigger control makes a world of difference in how things flow. Keeping the air on throughout without and pumping on the trigger makes more impact than I can possibly relate to people.
I wonder why this airbrush is not on sparmax website? are they not longer making it? is it discontinued? this youtube video is just like 6 months old. nice video I think I'm going for this airbrush if I can still find it in a month's time.
In function the sp 35 and max 35 are the same they simply have a different back handle. So parts are the same and available. they have been using that nozzle and needle for well as long as I have been airbrushing, so i dont expect parts are going away anytime soon :) I found Sparmaxs website to be often missing some of their product line. I don't get it either.. but it is what it is.
Love your reviews. Thanks for these. Quick question if I may. Out of the following, which would you recommend for a beginner for painting plastic models? GSI Creos Mr. Procon Boy WA Iwata Neo Iwata Revolution Badger Renegade or Badger Omni 4000(Loved this review videos of yours on this one) Thanks in advance.
tough call if doing a lot of basepainting the omni will do the best with primers etc, But if you plan on detailing things out all of the others will do better detail. So if doing a lot of masking etc, the omni would be great for handling all the basecoating, priming and even clearing in a pinch (on small models) the revolution is better than the neo. And not sure which creos model you are looking at.
well.. no. the talon is a bit of a different piece. i tried one before, they are durable, but they arent smooth if that makes sense. I do think ill get one in to review in the upcoming months. I dont see the talon being as precise as this can get. TBH this brush can go way smaller than I showed on this video.
what's amazing about that.. is i actually painted with it like that. i since repaired the needle. The needle didnt come like that, a victim of my doing. I also seeing the video later saw the hook as well.. it was obviously not noticeable to the naked eye. I have some loupes i keep on hand which if im having trouble or doing repairs can use.
I'm sure it won't be long... I'll dig around and see if any of my suppliers are stocking them.. I do Know maple has them in stock.m but canada prices are a bit higher I believe
Do you have any thoughts on this vs the Sparmax MAX-3? (for painting minis) The MAX-3 has a smaller 0.3mm needle, but a bigger 7ml cup. Not sure what is best
I cannot say ive used the max3 or the max2 or max 4. But here are my overall thoughts. Sparmax is a good quality company, and being owned by iwata definitely not going anywhere. I would be very suprised if you could tell a difference in a .35 and a .3 in use. The taper of the needle plays a much more important role in how a brush performs than purely nozzle size. Id also compare pricing on the max3 and the GSI Creos ps289 which is just step up with a built in mac valve and a removeable spray head (you can use a liner brush to clean them without unscrewing the tiny nozzle like a micron) amzn.to/3gRuk1j "Afflink above"
One has a cutaway handle.. one doesn't. That's pretty much all I can determine is different.. same needle same nozzles. As speculated below may be a name change or possibly they marketed one to another company spec. Hobby lobby used to carry the max 35 .. and others had the sp
if you wanted to do that you may as well get an sp20x Which if you go here, I have a link for that airbrush :) kit.co/Wleonartistry/9-under-100-usd-airbrushes-available-from-reputable-companies-gravity-feed-version
We are in a different pricing category of course. Definitely without trying yours I can't even compare. Eventually I'll have a huge multiple different airbrush videos broken into pricing categories. 🙂
Sparmax is a taiwan based manufacturer. As mentioned they have some joint manufacturing with iwata. There is significant difference in sparmax and a knock off company.
Used Sparmax accessories and always held anything manufactured in Taiwan in high regard as equivalent to Japanese quality if differing at all is usually only marginally in finish. Already have a number of airbrushes including an Omni 5000. Wanted the bigger cup on my Sparmax over that on the SP-35, so just bit the bullet on a Sparmax Max-3, or rather the Tamiya SX0.3D boxed version of it. Got a great price and couldn't resist.
I too have found the taiwan made products to be of great quality. Grex is also made there. Sparmax quality has been very good on anything of theirs I have seen yet. At least a half a dozen airbrushes, a couple compressors (i dont use airbrush compressors in my setup but thats another story)as well as acessories. several of the products tagged iwata are made by them. And they have joint manufacturing, so I expect them to be around much longer and continue to put out good products.
Thanks!
@@TheAIRspace Thanks for the feedback of your Sparmax experience.
Been personally using Sparmax accessories for many years. i.e. Badger 5mm to Iwata 1/8" BSP air valve adapters, QR adapters, Silver Bullet water traps, 3 way compressor manifolds and more. Performance has always exceeded expectation, although prices have increased significantly since Iwata bought the brand.
Your vids are interesting and useful, your presentation unpretentious. I very much enjoy your channel. Subscribed. Cheers.
I have one of these brushes, really great quality for the price point
I have one of those Bill but its the older Sp35 It's exactly the same I think they only changed the name when they brought out the max 3 and max 4 Great airbrush works well for me.
i thought the sp 35 was the same except the cutout thanks for confirming. I should have mentioned the sp20x. which is also a great little detail brush.
Thanks Lee!
Loving your content. Great review. Really glad I found your channel. The advice on using a Metabo compressor was particularly helpful. I suspected I'd regret an airbrush compressor down the line. You helped me lock in that perception. Thanks!
I know many many people who switched to these type of compressors, I Don't really know any pros who regretted it.
Thanks Man
Keep the air on!
Nice review, Bill. Thanks!
Thank you!
Thanks for this Bill. I've been looking to beefing up my less expensive arsenal of airbrushes and I had been eyeing this one. If I can find it, I'm willing to give it a try. My current workhorse Omni 5000G is still going strong, but nothing wrong with a little versatility.
ohh this will be soooo much more detail than the omni.. which i love for different reasons.
Id say its a great companion!
When I was in the Navy, quite a while ago, parts were coated with "Cosmoline". That may be what was on the airbrush as well. I know if it wasn't that in particular, that I have recieved some automotive/motorcycle parts in the last few years with that on it. Or it's twin with another name. I do know that it is still in use.
this wasnt like cosmoline.. im familiar this was more a thread seaslent type product that remained soft.
@@TheAIRspace It will all come off with acetone if other thinners don't do the job. But you are definitely correct that it all needs a GOOD cleaning before even thinking of spraying anything through it. Also true for the larger paint guns I've paid money for.
Is this the best budget detail airbrush? Yes, it is, I have one and i am absolutely thrilled.
They are very good brushes and priced incredibly. I may have mentioned I had one when I first started
Pretty good quality airbrushes I've seen you cover and they are low price.
Just giving people better options than The millions of super crappy ones out there!
Awesome video. Didn't know this was made in Taiwan. So awesome!
Thanks again for sharing. Some great info here. Looking to replace a Master G22. Would you recommend this Sparmax or the GSI Creos ps289? I paint wooden and plastic fishing lures. Thanks again.
the 289 has a nicer trigger and removeable head that makes it a little easier to service. However some people dont like the angled air valve. So that becomes personal preference. there used to be a 50 dollar difference, now its closer to about 30 bucks between them. And the 289 has a mac valve. Id opt for the 289 all day,.
Here is a link :)
amzn.to/3ZUGDua
++aff link i earn commissions if you purchase through said link+++
@@TheAIRspace Thank you sir again for your time and answers. I knew I should have bought it last night when it was 80.00!! same link. It may have to wait until next month. But when I buy it, it'll be with that link. Thank you Bill.
@@ghmason yeah at 80 bucks i wouldnt have hesitated.. ive seen them drop a few times and i'm always tempted even though I already have them ;/ FWIW i paid over 100 for each of mine, and I believe about 120 on the 270 3 years ago. So price drops are unheard of especially since they have been very very popular.
I might have to give this airbrush a try. Price tag 🏷 is way better than the eclipse which is my go to airbrush gun.👍🏽
the eclipse will do better with thicker paints, just because it has bigger passages.. and of course I LOVE drop in nozzles. being a screw in nozzle, you wont see me docking this brush dirty and abusing it like I do some. Aside from that.. the price point is a fantastic value. since i paint a lot of larger things now, it may not get the use my other brushes do. But if I get back to doing 5x7s... and for pulling out eyelashes, i expect this is going to get a lot of use. I still love my eclipses, and my omni is a go too on canvases a lot now.
Right now I have, badger, creos grex, iwata, sparmax and olympos airbrushes to use... so im not lacking. :)
This airbrush is around $70.00 on Amazon at the time that this comment was made.
Ive read somewhere that they dont recommend disassembly of this airbrush is there a reason why?
I’ve never heard that.
However on airbrushes with small screw in nozzles it’s advisable not to disassemble the nozzle any more than necessary always.
That would be the same for the neo or iwata high performance brushes. Along with a huge number of airbrushes using nozzles that screw into the body
@@TheAIRspace thanks i appreciate it
Thinking about picking one if these up soon. Do have a question about your high flow... what one do you use, bc I'm starting to have an atomization problem but before you ask, yes it is cleaned lol.
What I meant to say was are you using golden high flow acrylics?
well i use lots of high flows.. golden make the only "high flow" brand paint. So im not sure what the question is I guess :)
For the record.. maybe nobody else sees it. but i realized I had bent the tip on that needle (when i compared videos blown up I saw it) i was like meh.. its pretty small i'm not gonna make a new video now :) I wish there was a way to edit videos aftrer uploading.. but oh well.
@@dennisscott8641 yes high flow acrylics are one of my favorites.. i use tons of createx for the versatility.. but I go through about 2 golden high flow sets in a year as well.
ive been agonizing for days over what first time air brush to buy. SO glad i watched this video. havent seen anyone else do what you did with the pencil line example. bought it immediately after watching that segment. that was all i needed to see Wow!
Newbie question, you said "i put a little reducer in here" is that an attachment to the air brush or some additive in the paint?
Reducer is an additive to paint.
The spar max is a solid airbrush. But I have several airbrushes I do like.
I’m trying to slim down a few but I’ll wind up buying more.
The spar max was one I regretted selling the first time. So it will likely stick around.
@@TheAIRspace hey so I bought the airbrush but I’m at my wits end. No matter what I do, I can only get a few seconds of paint before it refuses to spray.
- even if the paint is thinner than thin
-thinning with a mix of flow improver and airbrush thinner
-even with brand new paint
-I’ve tried adding obscene amounts of flow improver
-needle is dead straight
- I’ve re sealed the nozzle threads and air cap threads
-I bought a new nozzle thinking mine was defective.
-happens even after a full cleaning.
-happens at all levels of psi/bar
Only thing that temporarily fixes is spraying at my mat full blast and then I can have a few more seconds of detailed spray then as always I gradually have to spray wider and wider open to get anything out.
Is my airbrush defective? Please help :,(
@@katatonicetc.7883 well first what kind of paint are you using?
The first step in analyzing a problem is how is it spraying water? Or slightly colored water.
But what you describe being paint comes out as you open up is fairly normal tip dry. Painting small tiny details really takes a bit of practice. And when painting really tiny you have to be in constant look for tip dry. You will see many of us painting small detailed things pull the brush away and blast paint off to the side, or picking the tip to where it is second nature.
@@katatonicetc.7883 also aside from tip dry, if it’s a thicker pigmented paint no matter how much reducer you put in the harder it is to paint small
And try this. Strain the paint and mix with reducer in a separate cup first
And if adding paint directly to the airbrush always add the reducer first because direct paint will always go straight to the bottom and you will always get unreduced paint at first spray if you do.
And lastly. Good trigger control makes a world of difference in how things flow. Keeping the air on throughout without and pumping on the trigger makes more impact than I can possibly relate to people.
I wonder why this airbrush is not on sparmax website? are they not longer making it? is it discontinued? this youtube video is just like 6 months old. nice video I think I'm going for this airbrush if I can still find it in a month's time.
In function the sp 35 and max 35 are the same they simply have a different back handle. So parts are the same and available. they have been using that nozzle and needle for well as long as I have been airbrushing, so i dont expect parts are going away anytime soon :)
I found Sparmaxs website to be often missing some of their product line. I don't get it either.. but it is what it is.
Love your reviews. Thanks for these. Quick question if I may. Out of the following, which would you recommend for a beginner for painting plastic models?
GSI Creos Mr. Procon Boy WA
Iwata Neo
Iwata Revolution
Badger Renegade or
Badger Omni 4000(Loved this review videos of yours on this one)
Thanks in advance.
tough call if doing a lot of basepainting the omni will do the best with primers etc,
But if you plan on detailing things out all of the others will do better detail.
So if doing a lot of masking etc, the omni would be great for handling all the basecoating, priming and even clearing in a pinch (on small models) the revolution is better than the neo. And not sure which creos model you are looking at.
@@TheAIRspace Ok, Thank you. Much appreciated!
thanks for the review, i'm looking for another airbrush and gives me another option. About the same as a paasche talon?
well.. no. the talon is a bit of a different piece. i tried one before, they are durable, but they arent smooth if that makes sense. I do think ill get one in to review in the upcoming months. I dont see the talon being as precise as this can get. TBH this brush can go way smaller than I showed on this video.
When you show the 3 needles in close up... there is actually a huge hook on the tip of the sparmax needle?
what's amazing about that.. is i actually painted with it like that. i since repaired the needle. The needle didnt come like that, a victim of my doing. I also seeing the video later saw the hook as well.. it was obviously not noticeable to the naked eye. I have some loupes i keep on hand which if im having trouble or doing repairs can use.
Aagh! I guess your review was too good! Sold out! BUMMERS!
I'm sure it won't be long... I'll dig around and see if any of my suppliers are stocking them..
I do Know maple has them in stock.m but canada prices are a bit higher I believe
Do you have any thoughts on this vs the Sparmax MAX-3? (for painting minis)
The MAX-3 has a smaller 0.3mm needle, but a bigger 7ml cup.
Not sure what is best
I cannot say ive used the max3 or the max2 or max 4.
But here are my overall thoughts. Sparmax is a good quality company, and being owned by iwata definitely not going anywhere. I would be very suprised if you could tell a difference in a .35 and a .3 in use. The taper of the needle plays a much more important role in how a brush performs than purely nozzle size.
Id also compare pricing on the max3 and the GSI Creos ps289 which is just step up with a built in mac valve and a removeable spray head (you can use a liner brush to clean them without unscrewing the tiny nozzle like a micron)
amzn.to/3gRuk1j
"Afflink above"
Bill,
What's the difference between Sparmax SP-35 and the Sparmax MAX-35
They both have a .35 nedil
Thank you
Ken
One has a cutaway handle.. one doesn't. That's pretty much all I can determine is different.. same needle same nozzles.
As speculated below may be a name change or possibly they marketed one to another company spec. Hobby lobby used to carry the max 35 .. and others had the sp
I’m going to be at Takover 2 too. Hopefully I get to meet ya😉🤣
If your lucky! Ya goober
any idead if I can fit a .2mm needle in this?
if you wanted to do that you may as well get an sp20x
Which if you go here, I have a link for that airbrush :)
kit.co/Wleonartistry/9-under-100-usd-airbrushes-available-from-reputable-companies-gravity-feed-version
Great video but my Custom Xtreme Patriot Arrow would destroy the Sparmax, head to head :)
We are in a different pricing category of course. Definitely without trying yours I can't even compare.
Eventually I'll have a huge multiple different airbrush videos broken into pricing categories. 🙂
It looks identical to the 10 dollar chinese airbrushes. So where are these Sparmax supposed to be made?
Sparmax is a taiwan based manufacturer.
As mentioned they have some joint manufacturing with iwata.
There is significant difference in sparmax and a knock off company.