The Harbor Freight Purple Gun - Trash, or Treasure? The Truth Exposed!

[@brookie1288]

I bought and used one yesterday and although I'm not a pro painter I shot primer, base and clear on one of my projects and it came out good, you get what you pay for, and you have to adjust your technique when working with a less than perfect tool or situation, The tip was not glued in as in the video, I easily disassembled and cleaned it thoroughly before I used It.

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

It's really hit-and-miss. I have bought them where I could get the tip off sometimes, and other times they have some type of Loc Tite glue that hangs on for dear life. But yes, if you adjust the gun right, it really is usable. And I have shot everything from primer to clear with one just the same!

[@kalybnielsen4183]

I have watched a lot of reviews on this gun, almost every one that is disassembled looks like it's goop is something different every time, the one looked like the whole gun was filled with teflon paste. Really inconsistent, but after they are cleaned, people seem to like them. I have never shot paint with a gun, I'm getting ready to get a core support and frame shot, and on the cheap, really cheap, this info is invaluable

[@Rick-Williams59]

I've painted a few Harley Davidson bikes with the purple gun and they turned out great, you're right, the key is always cleanliness.

[@wildestcowboy2668]

You got lucky Ricky cause mine shot sideways. One side Wass heavier

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

Keep them clean, and they ALWAYS perform. A trick I also use, get some brake cleaner and use that to spray through the gun after removing the needle. Works like a charm!

[@DuaneGreer-ov4iy]

My spray tip came glued together also. Once you have it screwed off of the gun, the brass piece has an allen wrench opening in the rear. I put my allen wrench in my vise set the tip assembly on it and used channel locks to remove the actual spray tip. Now I can easily remove the parts for cleaning. Thanks for the video.

[@jamlzak2536]

I've done complete paint jobs with this gun and they all turned out very nice..LVLP/HVLP is a matter of adjusting your fluid to not put out so much when using HVLP guns in my experience and you get much better results

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

YES! These little guns can do just fine! I use them until the plastic gaskets wear out. After that, it's trash can time.

[@kristopherfrootloops6714]

These rigs rock for a hobbiest. 17 years strong! I spray everything with it. Prep is 95% of the labor anyways. I triple moisture filter. At the compressor. End of hose. Desiccant on gun. Ditch that plastic cup. Go stainless. Not like your spraying Lamborghinis. The fine balance to a good spray is thinning vs your psi. I run a reg at tank. And reg on gun. I'm not a professional because all they had was 500$ guns in school and shops.

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

You are ABSOLUTELY right, and that's a great list of things the hobby shooter can do to make that gun perform and get a quality job!

[@PhantomofthePrairie]

Great video, thanks for the tips. I've purchased 2 purple harbor freight HVLP guns, I intend on modifying one of them to a 2.0 for primer.

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

That's awesome! These are great for modifying, since they are so cheap!

[@jonduggan7433]

IDK about painting vehicles, I've never tried it. BUT........ I did paint a shed in my yard and it worked great for that project.

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

If you have an old ugly car sitting around, you should try it! That's how I got started. I wanted to experiment around and see if I could paint my dad's 1978 F-150. Even built a temporary shed out of 1/2 in furring strips and bolts. That was about 25 years ago. Now I own my third body shop!

[@UnconventionalMetal]

No wonder mine sprayed poorly, I’ll be cleaning it out. Thanks for this video, it’s very thorough.

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

Right on! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@charlespartak2435]

take the needle out and polish it...i happen to have a roll of 30 micron emery paper, used for polishing crankshafts ... spin the needle in a cordless drill and work the polishing paper on the tapered tip a few seconds . it performs much better.

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

That's an excellent idea. I will have to try that!

[@p2krazee]

They have changed these guns up a bit. I just bought one, and know nothing about them, nor do I know anything about painting with one, but it LOOKS like they have been improved a LOT. Mine came with 2 tips, and another "touch up" gun!!! $30.00 at H F!!!

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

That's not a bad deal!

[@williamjohnson4255]

Thanks for for the video. My tip was connected as if it has been welded! I was going to return the gun until I saw your video. My tip came out attached to the fluid inlet like in your video. I simply cleaned all of it attached. Instead of returning the gun tomorrow.....I will be spraying with it

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

Awesome! I'm glad it helped out! Let me know how the project goes!

[@drewrinker2071]

My nozzle came out super easy but not the brass ring

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

Cool! You got lucky! Do you mean the brass ring gasket behind the nozzle? One trick I'm using now with these cheap guns is to leave the nozzle in, and use a can of gun cleaner with the straw installed on the dispenser button. Take out your needle from the gun, and feed the straw in all the way as far as it will go into the nozzle. Spray it, and move the straw back and forth about a half an inch and it will clean out that nozzle so well that you won't have to worry about ever taking it off!

[@M.I.A.S..LIFE.]

I buy the green one 😂😂

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

LOL!

[@ghostrangerp.8819]

I found replacement parts for harbor freight guns.....it did take me some time....but they work much better....than the parts it originally came with....

[@shinigamilee5915]

Post a link if you have it. 👌

[@heatherchapple4027]

Where did you find them?

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

That's awesome! I would love to know where you find them too

[@kr2513]

The only problem is the fan control knob it's plastic and solvent wears it out pretty quickly

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

YES, it does. And the gaskets will eventually wear out too

[@keithjones9894]

My friend Pete at swrnc says all you need is 1 gun except for your very high build primer he said I have Binks siphon feed and shots base, clear, house paint their thing is keep your gun clean

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

Truth. You actually can shoot everything you need with one gun, if you know what you are doing!

[@bobgreen3116]

Great video. Thank you for your honest assessment. I can't wait for the video on tiger strips with metallic paint. I have trouble with that, even with a good gun.

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

Just saw your comment, 2 years later! I actually ended up buying a better gun. A MUCH better gun. I landed a deal on the Sata digital, a $1000 gun, for $250. A friend had an extra that he wasn't using anymore. The fan is much wider with this gun, and it's the best I've ever used for metallic paint. The bigger the fan, the less of a chance you have of those dang tiger stripes!

[@brucemorris6319]

I like to never got that nozzle broke loose but did get loose. The threads had some kind of glue or lock tight on them . When reinstalling it do I need to some kind of sealer or Teflon tape on the threads or just screw it back in and tighten it a little ?

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

I would use a little teflon tape, because these things are not machined to perfection. That way you won't have any air escaping through the rough threads, if they aren't an exact fit. It is crazy how tight they get those stupid things bonded on there!

[@rob12449]

About the inside threading, actually threading in general: I'd say all HF guns are meant to be taken apart and cleaned, but sometimes they are screwed up in manufacturing, I had an outside cone that would not hand unscrew, and on the new green gun the inside was so tight it bent the tool and using a heavy duty tool the threads were shredding, in both cases I returned guns for replacement and had no problem with threads. btw these guns have changed and now purple gun has two holes on each air horn huge improvement to the old design having only one hole on each horn.

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

Yes you are right. They have made improvements, but they are still putting some type of thread lock on the darn cones. I don't know why they think that is necessary!

[@kr2513]

Im interested in the drilling of the fluid nozzle for sure but if you need a huge primer gun I suggest the tcp global 2.5 it's ridiculous and they sell rebuild kits all day

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

I was just checking that out! I think I'm going to get that TCP 2.5 gun and use it for primer and also bedliner spraying. I'm going to do a test on the next bedliner job, and will post a video and report the results!

[@kr2513]

@@colorbosscustomautobody8140 there’s a gun branded either rhino liner or raptor liner I forget but it’s a gravity fed gun for spraying that stuff . It’s a 3.0 I’m tempted to just use the 2.5 for that. If it worked 10 times it would be worth it.

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

@@kr2513 I was not aware of that, definitely going to check it out! I've seen is the syphon gun for the bottles

[@thomasheer825]

You might laugh, but I have a 10lt ultrasonic cleaner to clean the guns and it seems to help keeping them in good shape.

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

That's actually a GREAT idea! Can you tell me more about this? Like the brand and model of the cleaner? I think I want to try this!

[@thomasheer825]

@@colorbosscustomautobody8140 all I did was go on ebay and search for a 10L ultrasonic cleaner, however guy I would suggest maybe a 15L unit as the 10L gets rather tight for more than 1 gun. If you use a solvent vice water and for example washing soda ensure the solvent has a rather high flash point as the heater will vaporize it and a possibility of a Big Bang is possible. I find washing soda, 50 celcus temp and several 29 minute cycle makes thing very clean.

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

@@thomasheer825 awesome! Thank you so much for the details my friend! I'm on it! 💥👍

[@siroccowind736]

I got one for shooting primer. It's fine for that. I went for the $30 version which has an attached regulator at the bottom which is nice. I just don't want to use my good gun for primer, it's like running mud through it. I hadn't considered using it for base, I use my good gun for that. (metallics)

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

That's perfect for shooting primer. And they do just fine! I keep all of my old Harbor Fright guns for testing materials that I don't want to run through my good guns, and they do great!

[@rgrg3683]

you need good air set up, and when cleaning the paint gun you need to use the dremal tool to grind of cast8ng inside, use acetone with air after , then you got a $1000 paint gun, 💯👍

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

That dremel tool is a good idea!

[@shinigamilee5915]

I only use this for artwork. It does what I need it too, but I guess it would be better with a better set of nozzle sizes.

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

Oh that would be spectacular. It works great. But the gaskets wear out quick from the cleaning solvent over time!

[@WhhcRs]

The lvlp looks like a rebranded rongpeng R500 spray gun. You can find them sold as the aeropro r500, sprayit sp-33000 and eastwood lt100.

[@rudyarcher4928]

i realize it is pretty off topic but do anyone know of a good place to stream newly released movies online ?

[@tysonneil6915]

@Rudy Archer try Flixzone. You can find it on google :)

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

Yes you are absolutely right. They have the same casting, for several brands. They're probably all made at the same manufacturing facility in China

[@adamhartman4312]

They make other lvlp guns now that are pretty good! I can’t think of any off the top of my head but they do exist

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

Oh yeah? I try to keep my eyes peeled for them. I'd like to get another one. I did just buy the Spectrum 1.3 HTE gun from Harbor Freight last week. I'll have a video report on it soon!

[@adamhartman4312]

@@colorbosscustomautobody8140 cool! Yeah I hear that harbor freight guns are hit or miss though you can get a good one that will last a while or one that you can only spray a few times with. I don’t see a point when Iwata has that budget gun at like 115 and Eastwood gums run about 200

[@marybradley210]

How many gallons is the air compressor that you are using?

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

It's an 80-gallon from Lowes!

[@Thumper68]

Those are channel lock pliers not a wrench.

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

I know that. When you're shooting video and trying to concentrate on one thing, you start talking crazy and forgetting the simplest things. If you shoot videos, you know what I mean

[@Thumper68]

@@colorbosscustomautobody8140 I don’t really shoot videos but I have done a lot of work with customers asking questions and watching while I work the entire time. Drilling water wells and doing pump systems so a lot of close watching and questions money starts going fast as drill spins and goes down 🤣

[@doncaruso1949]

I used a pipe wrench to get mine off,but only the black part came off.

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

Yeah that's what it takes. It's super hard. But doable!

[@55chevytruck]

@@colorbosscustomautobody8140 Allen wrench in the bore.

[@wildestcowboy2668]

Did he say the $1000 gun was a super Nova? A champagne supernova....

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

Yes, that was an Iwata Supernova. They have dropped in price, down to about $600 now. I still get GREAT use out of that gun, and it is still my best clear coat gun

[@gladememmott3001]

Your voice is impeccable LoL... You must sing like a bird. Have you done a video o. The spectrum hte paint gun from harbor freight tools???

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

Hahaha thank you so much! I actually do sing! I have the Spectrum HTE gun. I will shoot a video on it. There's ONE PROBLEM with that gun that people need to know about, and I will shoot a video on it

[@almccallie4314]

Will it spray latex semi-gloss interior paint?

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

I actually tried that, but no. These types of HVLP guns with the 1.4 mm tip are meant for solvent-based paints. The viscosity is way too high on latex paint, and you've got to have one of those big mechanical sprayers to push that stuff out. Even the cheap handheld electric paint sprayers that you get at the hardware store will not be able to push out latex. You could thin the pain, but you are going to pay up price of not getting good coverage if you do that

[@almccallie4314]

@@colorbosscustomautobody8140 ok, I’m not sure where I could otherwise get this type of information. You probably saved me a lot of grief. Thank you for your informative reply. Much appreciated….

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

@@almccallie4314 happy to help!

[@earlrose2084]

Best gun I have ever used!

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

They really do perform well!

[@joelkoonce8559]

Hey , if You forget to clean Your paint gun and you suddenly remember at bedtime right before You snuggle up to Your Wife, NO PROBLEM.

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

[@frankbrooks3348]

I can't a dissimilar mask without taking it out

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

Not sure what you meant by that?

[@victorcalderon4510]

I painted candles with it you just got to work harder not good silver

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

Yes that is true

[@4priusnt]

Good stuff ....you talk fast

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

Hahaha! Thank you! Glad you enjoyed this one. Lots of new stuff coming soon!

[@SOLDOZER]

You never did a follow up video to this. Must be a trash gun.

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

It is, basically. You can't get the nozzle off unless you heat it up with a torch. It's good for a DIY person, if you don't want to over spend on a good gun. I don't bother with them anymore, because once you clean them enough times, the solvent will ruin the gaskets and it will start shooting like crap. But some people buy them, use them 4 or 5 times, and throw them into the trash. Not a bad idea, but I don't like creating waste like that. So overall, if you're really into auto body, it's probably not worth the ten bucks!

[@walterzwart1598]

I have this spray gun. Bad quality. Leaks paint. Every where. Better buy better gun paint is expensive. And resanding takes a long time.

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

This is true though. If you get one bad gun and waste some expensive metallic paint, it's a BIG bummer!

[@deanbrown7643]

Trash used one stay away

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

Yeah, I don't bother with them anymore either. The only thing I would use it for would be for some type of cheap paint that I don't want to run through my good guns.

[@deanbrown7643]

Right on brother

[@deanbrown7643]

Buy cheap buy twice !!!!

[@Dubblesteel]

This gun is trash

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

😅😅

[@tomholskey992]

I've used those for 8 years spraying enamel on equipment. And I cleared a 69 Camaro with one after the real gun blew an o ring and pissed all over the quarter. It did just fine.

[@colorbosscustomautobody8140]

Wow! Yeah, it's all about knowing how to use the equipment you've got in the best way. It amazes me what some people can do with just a cheap gun!