Astro HE 103 1.3 V ANI F160 HPS 1.3 Clear Coat Upol Maximum, Best Value For Money Spray Guns Star

[@dostuffchannel]

I have been trying to decide between the Astro HE and the ANI Compact. Thanks for the great videos!

[@peteshobbies5383]

Hi Buddy, They are quite different, to be fair. The Compact is a big mini, but it is still a mini. The Astro, although not particularly physically big, is a full-size gun, so it is faster, although it does use more air, quite a bit more air.

[@benjaminchu6699]

Good job as always, Pete! They are both bloody good

[@peteshobbies5383]

Hi Benjamin, Thank you, buddy, 😁

[@JohnWD40TC02]

Hi Pete, awesome video as always mate and both guns did a great job laying the clear👌it's difficult to tell on the video as both panels looked amazing but it's good to know that the Astro was a bit better, I expect it's one of those comparisons that only the painter would be able to tell which gave the better finish🤔I do like my Astro as it's a great gun for the price but it's a shame you cant get any spares for it I think I would use mine more if you could as I don't want to wear it out to quickly🙄😂 I thought I recognised that tin you hade the Upol Maximum in it's the sealer round the spout that gave it away🤦‍♂😂I was using the Upol Max this morning and it went on really nice (I hope to post it up later if it stops raining), personally I think the Max is a better clear than the 2080/81 clearcoat so I think you will like it👍 My tip sets for my Porphis are arriving today, really quick delivery this time, only 6 days compared to the 10 days it took for the gun👌cheers Pete👍

[@peteshobbies5383]

Hi John, Yeah, this was a strange one. Certainly, the ANI felt the better gun, but the finish was slightly better on the Astro, I think. Both are also good alrounders. Yes, I think the Upol Maximum is better than the 2080/2081 clears, I originally thought it was the same as the 2081, but I don't think it is. I only had that one chance to use the maximum as the rest of the hardener went off within 2 weeks of opening it, I used the maximum clear with the normal Upol hardener, so I'm not sure if it's the true Maximum experience if that makes sense, certainly went on well in this case. Cheers buddy 👍

[@JohnWD40TC02]

I don't think you can go wrong with either guns TBH but if it will get more use then it's probably better to go with the ANI as it has spares available and they are a good price, depending on how much you like it the Astro would be a great gun and IMO getting another gun to go with it would be an option so you could use the older one as a donor for parts🤔 You know more about the 2080/81 clears than I do as I haven't used it that much, I'm now using the last of my 7.5L kit of the Maximum but even though I have a few clearcoats kicking around I will be getting another kit when I can😁👍 I was surprised that the hardener went of mate as I still have a little left from the 2.5L tin that yours came from, maybe that tin had an air leak, cheers mate and thanks for the feedback on the Maximum clear👍

[@peteshobbies5383]

@JohnWD40TC02 Hi mate, If you read some of the comments on this video from our friends based in the US, it appears spares aren't a problem for the Astro so I think it's quite specific to Europe, and, some have told me, the Australian continent as well where they are the Star brand. Cheers, John, I just saw your post on Instagram re the PRD715 1.3 setup and the PRD717 1.4. For some reason, I'm excited 😊, mad, isn't it 😀

[@Jz9222]

Awesome stuff! I just painted my first car, surprisingly smooth finish but got some runs on my clear coat. How long does it need to dry until it's ready for sanding and polishing?

[@peteshobbies5383]

Hi Buddy, it depends on the clear coat , hardener, and temperature, anything between 4 hours and a few days. Be careful if you just sand the runs as you can go too low on the surrounding areas, so wait for the clear to go quite hard, and use a razor blade to get the runs down, then sand, or, use masking tape on the surrounding areas so you don't go too deep, hope that helps 👍

[@Jz9222]

@@peteshobbies5383 that absolutely helps, thank you!

[@peteshobbies5383]

That's good, cheers 👍

[@WilfredGreen-ov8bh]

my observant is less overspray and lower air consumption with the astro,,,what do you think

[@peteshobbies5383]

Hi Wilfred, I can't say I noticed much difference in the overspray, air consumption wise the ANI , with the HPS cap here, uses less air than the Astro, not by much, but a little

[@Spiritof_76]

I've used the Astro Euro-Pro HE 1.3 for clears and single stage, and the Evo-T 1.4 for semi-metallic paint. Both have worked great every time. Astro will direct sell other needle and fluid tip sets for their paint guns. I bought a 1.9 set to spray primer. For under $300 US the two guns and one extra needle/tip set will spray just about anything.

[@peteshobbies5383]

Hi buddy, certainly in the US, you get a reasonable supply of parts and accessories. It seems most other places this isn't so. The ANI F160 is around the same price, a little more expensive to be fair , certainly I have the Euro Pro HE 1.3 and the Evo T 1.4, the HE is very good although I'm a little disappointed with the EVO T, it has quite a high air consumption and doesn't seem quite as good as the HE, certainly its a better base coat gun than clear. Cheers, mate. Much appreciated 👍

[@Spiritof_76]

@@peteshobbies5383 I completely understand that not all guns and parts are equally available everywhere. I use the Evo-T 1.4 because it lays out the metallic almost like it's floating it on rather than blasting it. The pattern is very soft. It's been great for repair work blending into oem paint.

[@dostuffchannel]

On the evot is your experience with air consumption similar to Pete's? You mentioned a soft pattern with the evot, is that due to a lower air pressure? Thanks

[@Spiritof_76]

@@dostuffchannel I have a large compressor with 80 gallon tank, so I never notice air consumption. I run both guns near the top of their recommended pressure, only dialing back if I have to get into tight spots like dished wheels or undercarriages. Neither push out as much air as the Devilbiss Plus I started out using. I think the Evo-T air cap and passages are designed to give a softer pattern, making metallic basecoats almost dust onto the surface. It's been great for blending repairs.

[@peteshobbies5383]

@dostuffchannel For me, the EvoT is claiming to run at a lower pressure. However, I've been disappointed in its performance at lower pressures. For base coats, it is not such a problem, but it is for clear coats. Its air consumption is really high, considering what you are getting, even more so when you consider you need more pressure than is stated most of the time. I would estimate the air consumption, at usable pressures to be in the 13 to 14 CFM region

[@bosshawg7427]

Hey, Pete! I'm surprised to see you compare those two as we know you're quite fond of the ANI, with good reason. I also have similar sentiments with the Astro. It's impressively compact and light in the hand with a super smooth trigger. It atomizes quite well, although I can't say how it is on paint usage as I haven't used it much beyond test panels. Yet, the thing that's odd about it reminds me of the LPH400... I get the sensation that I'm not pushing it hard enough to get a smooth finish, although it is laying it down quite flat.. if that makes sense. Perhaps not... 😅😂 To be fair, i get that same feeling on guns with larger air horn holes ( HVLP).

[@peteshobbies5383]

Hi Boss, These two in my mind represent really good value for money, so I guess, as they are similar in price, the Astro is cheaper, but not by much if you're in the US, they are good to compare. I think what you are saying makes perfect sense. It sounds exactly like me saying in this video that the ANI seems to put it on smoother than the Astro. When you look at the results, it really doesn't, if anything, and it's really only a small difference and could just be me on the day. The Astro has a marginal better finish. The ANI is definitely more rewarding to use, due I think to it's size and as said before, it looks like it's working well and is easy to use. I think I would still have the ANI. It's more universal, uses less air, and can be serviced for under 15 USD. Cheers, mate, thank you for watching 👍

[@WilfredGreen-ov8bh]

must be devine intervention,,im struggling today to decide which 1 of theses to buy,,,right on time pete❤❤

[@peteshobbies5383]

Hi Mate, I don't know whether it's made the choice any easier 😄, cheers ✌️

[@WilfredGreen-ov8bh]

which uses the least air,for a cracking flat finish

[@peteshobbies5383]

@WilfredGreen-ov8bh Hi Wilfred, Good question and something I was going to mention, the ANI at 29psi or 2 bar uses around 10cfm, the Astro around 12cfm at the same pressure, so around 20% more, hope that helps 👍

[@satamanschmidt3428]

Hi Pete, I don't think you're being quite fair with respect to the spare parts comments on Astro vs ANI. 1) In North America spare parts for the Astro are easily available and only one phone call away. 2) I've been using the Astro gun for years and I've never needed any spare parts for it. Yes, spare parts are easily available for the ANI from Spray Guns Direct and reason that's a big deal is because the gun often requires them. Having all metal seals the Astro has very few parts needed whereas the ANI with it's plastic seals often does. The best spare parts are those you don't need. Also, most American painters, I don't know the situation in Europe I assume it's similar, use a disposable cup system (3M, DeVilbiss, SATA or generic PPS 1.0 since it's off of patent) so who cares what plastic cup sizes are available since all of the disposable cup systems have many different sizes.

[@peteshobbies5383]

Hi Mate, Yeah, I think the situation in the US is quite different from Europe and the Australian continent, which doesn't seem to have any backup at all as I understand it. Maybe you are right, in that I haven't been fair with these two. Certainly, if you look at the comments, you are not the only one saying this. A good reason for reading these comments, I think, which many people do is to get a balanced view rather than just mine, one reason I mention the cups is one of the most common questions I get is where do I get my small cups from, so there is a market. In the UK, the PPS system is by far the most commonly used setup, cheers buddy 👍

[@scottherr642]

I usually agree with you Pete in most things, but the Ani160 is not one of them. Ive had to rebuild mine after as little as 2 jobs. My astro euro has never failed to produce a great finish. Never had a problem with the blue gun if you dont soak the cap itll last forever. Only gasket is in the cap so just normal squirt bottle thinner clean and your in business. Ani sprays good when it works but build quality falls behind even cheap chinese manufacturers imho. Good video though as always.

[@peteshobbies5383]

Hi Scott, It sounds like you've been a bit unlucky with your ANI, I have 3 of the F160, in 1.3, 1.9, and 2.5. I do appreciate that I don't use them heavily, simply because I have so many to choose from and only one pair of hands but the 1.3 and 1.8 have had a reasonable amount of use without any problems at all. One thing I will say is that I've had a few people say exactly the same as you about ANI, so you are not alone, but obviously, I can only say as I find. I actually recommend the F160 to many people, so hopefully, I'm not giving out duff information. Thanks as always, buddy 👍

[@iDerbas]

Hey Pete, thank you for the video, I have a small question, at what pressure you spray clear on Ani F160?

[@peteshobbies5383]

Hi Buddy, I use 2 bar, so 29psi. It works very well at that pressure for clear coat, base coat I use a little less, around 1.8 bar. I think the recommended pressure is 2.2 bar, but it doesn't need that much, ANI recommended pressures are all over the place anyway 😉

[@iDerbas]

@@peteshobbies5383 thank you Pete for the answer

[@peteshobbies5383]

No worries, you're most welcome mate 👍

[@morlinolino3739]

🤔Hey Pete. You said that the ANI F160 give a better finish than the FLG5. The FLG 5 has a #5 air cap. Isn't the #5 air cap the same or at least very similar to the T110 air cap? You did say that the T110 air cap gives the flattest finish. Am I wrong in thinking that the T110 and the #5 air caps are the same/similar? Side note: The Devilbiss Neptune aircap (NEP110B) looks the same as the T110 and the #5 air caps to me.🤷‍♂

[@peteshobbies5383]

Hi buddy, I must say, you sound a little like me in that you are very observant and know a broad range of guns. The #5 air cap used on the FLG5 looks similar to the T110, but that's where any resemblance ends. Its performance isn't anything like as good as the T110. The 5 cap is a much more basic construction and, of course, coupled to a more basic gun. The Devilbiss Neptune 110B is much more on a par with the T110. It's more or less identical in performance

[@Danno74Z]

Hi Pete, On the side of the Astro it has Max W.P.R. 8 bar (approx. 115psi). I assume that abbreviation means Working Pressure. What does the R mean? Normally, what do you set the pressure feeding the gun? Thanks

[@peteshobbies5383]

Hi Mate, Often, manufacturers will put a maximum permitted pressure that the gun can take, so before damage can be done, 8 bar is the highest I have ever seen on a gravity spray gun, it's not however, the recommended pressure, normally, it is a little over the pressure you would use the gun at. In this video, and whenever I use the Astro HE for clear coat, I use 2 bar, so 29psi, you can use a little more but too much above that and the pattern will start to split and application can start to be dry, depending on material viscosity of course, hope that helps 👍

[@bosshawg7427]

Pay no attention to max pressure on any gun. It's assuming there's no regulator to step down on the line pressure after the compressor, so the gun would see max psi from the compressor. Not many run their guns like that, if any. I've used the Astro around 20 psi, but that's on base and MS clear. HS clear would require more

[@Danno74Z]

OK I understand what you are saying when you are spraying. Let me ask it a different way. At your compressor you have a regulator with 2 gauges. One tells you the pressure in the tank and most cutout at 125psi. Then you have a regulator with a gauge that lets you regulate the downstream air from that point. My question is what is that air pressure set too? Thank you.

[@peteshobbies5383]

@Danno74Z I have the output gauge set to full, so in my case, just short of 145psi, but you need some form of regulation along the line, preferably 2. Take a look at this. The second half of this video may be of interest as it goes into pressure and regulation of pressure, kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2OQq4Opq5yifZI I hope it helps. If not, ask away. Hopefully, we can answer, cheers 👍

[@bosshawg7427]

@Danno74Z Pete might do it differently, but in a booth with long air lines fed from a distantly placed compressor, most will keep the pressure up to 90 so as not to choke the supplied air over long distances, then regulate down on a gun regulator (diaphragm is best), or booth regulator. If you aren't going to use a gun diaphragm regulator or booth regulator, you dial the compressor outlet down to about a few pounds over what you need at the gun. You'll still need at least a temporary gauge at the gun to confirm, so it's best just to use a gun regulator with a proper gauge.

[@igord-r3021]

Привет Pete! Сделай пожалуйста сравнение kiwami 3 против meiji force c. Если есть возможность. Очень интересно твоё мнение кто лучше на базовой краске с металиком ,кто меньше тумана делает.Не могу определиться с выбором

[@peteshobbies5383]

Hi Mate, I will put it on my list. It is actually a very good pairing, so It would make a good video, cheers 👍

[@ANDY-we7mr]

HI PETE HOPE YOUR OK AND WELL I HAVE THE ANI 160Q CRACKING LITTLE GUN 🔫 FOR THE MONEY 💰 I LOVE IT IAM THINK OF DOING MY BONNET IF I GET A MATCH WHAT GUN WOULD YOU USED I HAVE A BRAN NEW BOXED SEALED SAGOLA EXTREME AQUA 4600 1.3 NON DIGITAL VERSION BUT I NEED A PRO CAP AND IWATA SERIES DIGITAL VERSION OBS BLUE CAP 1.3 DIGITAL AND A KIWAMI 4 1.3 PETE SPOILT FOR CHOICE 😊

[@peteshobbies5383]

Hi Andrew, Yes, mate, all well here, thanks 👍. Any of your guns will do it, although I would suggest the Gti Pro Lite if you still have it, as it's very forgiving , cheers mate 👍