Buying Your First Airless Paint Sprayer – A Guide
As a contractor your first airless paint sprayer can be a critical investment. After all Airless Paint Sprayers are often the work force of your painting business. If you are just getting started and looking to decide which airless sprayer would be right for your needs we will cover the important aspects to consider and common airless sprayers that contractors choose for their first Airless Paint Sprayer.
Variable 1 – Commercial vs Consumer Grade
Major airless sprayer manufacturers offer a variety of different product lines with some aimed at occasional consumer use and others aimed at contractor grade use. Some of the primary differences between the two include the quality of the components and how much you are able to rebuild the units. If you plan on using your airless sprayer every day or most days of the week or for more than a few hours a month, you will typically want to consider a commercial grade airless sprayer. The pumps will last longer and be able to be completely rebuilt if there is an issue with them. If you have a single project or need an affordable back up unit for occasional use you may be able to use a consumer grade airless.
Variable 2 – Airless Sprayer Size
Your airless sprayer will come with a Gallon Per Minute Rating. The higher the Gallon Per Minute Your Sprayer will provide the larger fluid tip or even multiple painters you can support with your airless. If you have the financial ability to do so, you may want to purchase an airless that will be able to meet your future painting needs. Higher GPM sprayers will cost more initially but will support you as your business grows. For an idea of what tip size you may want to consider you always check with your coating providers tech data sheet. You can also reference this article with calculator here to have an idea of Gallon use of a variety of tip sizes and how much paint you can expect to spray in a given time. Ultimately you should try to buy the largest airless pump you can afford if you plan on future airless needs.
Variable 3 – Manufacturer of the Airless
Two of the most frequented airless sprayer manufacturers are Titan and Graco. There smaller airless units are the Titan 440 Impact and Graco 395 Airless Paint Sprayer. These are common starter commercial grade airless sprayers. Reading a few online reviews as well as talking with a repair center like us can help you to know if they see excessive breakdown on particular kinds of airless sprayers. You will also want to consider the warranty and or accessories that are offered with the purchase of a new airless sprayer.
Variable 4 – Used vs New Airless Sprayers
If you are evaluating used airless sprayers you will want to make sure they are functioning well so that you do not have to spend additional money on a repair. This can be challenging to do but at the least you want to spray with the airless to ensure you have a smooth piston stroke on both the up and down stroke of your airless. You also want to ensure the fan pattern is consistent and doesn’t fluctuate significantly. You will also want to consider the cost savings compared to a new sprayer and realize many new sprayers offer an additional fluid section for a low cost as well as a warranty which if you will be spraying a lot can often help you from having to buy a replacement or worrying about future repairs for a while.
Variable 5 – Support
A final consideration will be who is supporting your airless sprayer. Did you work with a company who has a good understanding of your airless sprayer and has important repair parts readily available for if there is an issue. By choosing a company with part availability and a solid understanding of your airless you can ensure you will have help when you need it. You may also want to consider if they will perform warranty repair work as this will help you from having to coordinate with a second company if an issue arises with your airless paint sprayer.
Ultimately by considering the quality of your airless sprayer you will need, the size that will meet your needs, the right manufacturer for you, and the support available for your airless you can ensure you end up with a unit that meets your needs for a long time to come. If you want you can contact us for your airless needs today.
