Under 30 dollar airbrush roundup! 183k bd180 bd130 182k and 180T

[@theartworkshop]

excellent video!! I'll always be a fan of economical airbrushes like these. I've gotta pick a few of these up to test out!

[@TheAIRspace]

the 183 really is a nice little brush for almost nothing. And has a .8 needle / nozzle setup that's great for backgrounds and large blocking. I mentioned it multiple times if It was a fixed cup funneling the paint like an eclipse or the patriot and omni I would probably never use my omni or patriot. Thanks!

[@georgewocosky]

Hi Bill ! I refuse to REMEMBER how many airbrushes I own ! 'Been buying up 'neglected & abused' airbrushes for a couple years now - it's AMAZING to me how CHEEEEEEEP some of them end up costing , * besides the bit of lacquer thinner & cotton swabs . . . bit of time & effort - YOU "KNOW" . . . the FUN , FIDDLY WORK ! I have a background as a machinist , & understand TOLERANCES very well . Recently , I've been toying with the idea of NICKEL PLATING to 'FIX' poorly fitting airbrush assemblies . "MAYBE ? ' . Nickel can plate up to .00196 . . . other metals can do MORE . . . 'just a thought to pass on to you ! There is absolutely NO DOUBT that TOLERANCES can vary WIDELY - take 2 minimum & maximum parts that 'fit' . . . one minimum & one maximum of each . . . One pair of parts will fit 'OK, ish' , while the other will be wobbly as hell ! Thanks for taking the time to read this - I love BINGE watching your channel - "V" PEACE !

[@TheAIRspace]

yeah pulling out a pin gauge on some manufacturers nozzles can be eye opening. And is the reason one person can review a brush very highly and another complain of poor performance. GSI and IWATA And Sparmax and H&S tolerances are very close as to in and out of spec. Ive had a lot, a ridiculous amount of airbrushes over time in fact. I go through periods of wanting to slim them down and usually give away Some. I think im around 20 ish right now. But some of my grandkids wanted some, my won wanted to paint lures so he got some. I had a couple giveaways and I sold a few. Ive been seriosly considering machining down a 183k, opening up the base and soldering a solid cup and nickel plating the whole thing. Part of me knows thats madness, but the tinkerer thinks it would be fun. IM no machinist, but with a lifetime working trades and playing with engines and woodworking i have some small skills.

[@lancewhitford8101]

Great video. These brushes definitely have a place on my rack. These do a lot of donkey work which saves a bit of wear and tear on my Creos brushes. I have 180’s, 130’s and a couple of 183’s. My favorite type is the BD-208 which is the same as a 180 but with a 2cc cup. Most of my 180 style brushes have had Creos head transplants (771,270 & 289). Interesting to see you like those round head triggers. I find the ones on Chinese brushes are a bit too small for my tastes and have swapped out most of those for flatter ones. It just goes to show there’s always room for personal preferences when it comes down to the finer points.

[@landwand]

Thanks for making this video. TBH, I thought that all of these airbrushes were actually made by different companies. This gives me really great context in terms of what they really are.

[@TheAIRspace]

Yes many many of the cheaper airbrushes are rebadged. If you look at the video listed in the description 2” airbrushes are the same” It really shines some light on that and asks what are we paying for

[@landwand]

@@TheAIRspace - thank you! I've watched the video long ago, and now it's time for a re-view!

[@derrellreynolds6226]

Great review. Thank you for your work. 👍

[@TheAIRspace]

Thanks!

[@imrozgill9711]

hey , can you screw the crown cap on needle stopper on bd 180 like we can on microns

[@jc2200]

Hey Bill!, I can't say much about the cheap aibrushes! I'm with you 💯 when you said the word budget. What I do know is that thanks to the chinese airbrushes 2 things have come out to be positive. 1.- Pushes all quality brand airbrush manufactures to do better!. 2.-keeps quality aibrushes prices somewhat decent. Like their entry level not much far off from the cheap ones. Great choice for someone who perhaps might just need one for a one time use. Serious question how many airbrushes do you own? I'll start first 11, so gave one away and got one from Dred fx 😂 thanks for sharing👍

[@TheAIRspace]

Some are rubbish for certain. But some are pretty good. Im not even sure how many airbrushes I own.. 6 badgers, 5 iwatas, 3 creos, a grex, Olympos plus what you saw here and more. I went from over 20 down to 12 last year and i'm well past 20 again. And i sold my 771 and am looking at a side feed micron for the rare instances ill use it. I prefer the older SB micron to the takumi.. the takumi made me feel a bit too close. I have been on a bit of a search looking for "good" budget airbrushes. Just for review purposes. I tried slimming down the herd a bit. But they have a way of just accumulating. But you cant really "compare" airbrushes if all you have is a couple. One of the reasons I have so many paints. Of course Painting is my living, and fortunately my hobby is reviewing and buying airbrush gear. I dont have motorcycles or hot rods so this is still wayyyy cheaper. I use youtube revenue to spend back on products. Thanks JC!

[@jc2200]

Head over to iwata they have cmsb micron for 250 just the brush no case or accessories 😊

[@jc2200]

@@TheAIRspaceps I won’t tell Allison how many you got😂 but seriously I’m still thinking about the cmsb micron ..might just get one😊

[@TheAIRspace]

@@jc2200 yup I’m aware just been hesitant to spend with Christmas coming. But it’s a fantastic deal. Ironically if I were buying to review I wouldn’t hesitate. But I only want one because well I do. Believe it or not I’m really frugal about buying stuff for myself. I really really thought about buying a takumi just to make a video review. But there’s no way I’d make the money back and I didn’t like how small they are. Fortunately I was able to try and not buy!

[@jc2200]

I’m in the same boat ! Is more of a want than a need for me as well. The reason I got the cmc which I love was cause I got it on eBay for 275 delivered to my door

[@Dude_Slick]

The 130 looks to be knocking off the original HP-C, Nozzle threads directly to the body, wide round cup, large slotted opening between cup and body. The only real difference is the addition of the needle limiter.

[@TheAIRspace]

it pretty much is. The 130 and the 180 are for certain the most well known of the chinese airbrushes. I think most every single reseller has one of each.

[@TheAIRspace]

On the 180T airbrush, the Model number is correct, however i don't believe Fengda makes it. Ill need to research who the manufacturer is which can be difficult. My aplogies. It very well could still be made by Fengda But they do not list that model whatsoever.

[@CFster]

Is there some significance to all these brands using 180 series numbers? Is it sort of like AS-186 style compressors everyone rebadges?

[@TheAIRspace]

Well it’s not “all these brands”. Fengda has many 180 series brushes Some “brands” use different numbers For instance the bd 130 is a master g22 series. The 180 I believe is is g44 under master rebadge. And it’s a pz360 under point zero The fe 183 is the ag 183 for timber tech I was just reading some of your G-airbrush thread on the old orange forum an hour ago. I considered picking one or all up. But I’m just pretty skeptical myself. I think some people think if it sprays paint it must be good 😅. But let’s be perfectly honest almost any airbrush with proper thinning can basecoat small parts But I got off track. Yup it’s much like many companies stamping their name on a 186 compressor. (Although there have been some improvements made with cooling by some)

[@CFster]

@@TheAIRspace I’m sure Gaahleri would send you a bunch to try. They sent me three and I’m a nobody. It seems they’ve been giving brushes to every YT creator out there. But yeah…nothing special IMO. The polished cups are easy to clean. The eight channel nozzle seems…louder.

[@CFster]

@@TheAIRspace there’s the AS-186, 189, 196 etc…and we knows what makes those different. Like a we know a 186 is single piston and a 196 is dual piston. An AS-48 is 4 pistons. I’m wondering if there’s some kind of 180 number series breakdown of these brushes with specific features.

[@TheAIRspace]

@@CFster the best source I can get some rough data from is fengda uk’s parts list Seems they have a whole store devoted to fengda parts there They make a LOT of models

[@CTBLAS]

Nice video but I won't be buying another cheap brush. I have a bd183 that wasn't bad when new but 3 years later the threads on the big nozzle that tightens against an o-ring to the main body are so sloppy that it constantly leaks air into the paint cup. Chapstick is the only cure but it's a pain. I have a Sparmax sp20x that's a beautiful airbrush. What's your opinion of them (Sparmax's)? They only cost twice what those cheap airbrushes cost but they punch far above their weight in terms of quality and spares are cheap considering they are owned by Iwata.

[@TheAIRspace]

I have a couple sparmax airbrushes. they spray very well. I would mention though I am not a fan of anything that the nozzle has to thread in the body of the brush. While my sparmax airbrushes are great performers.. And at one time I ranked the sp20 as one of the best budget detail brushes out there. I also much prefer a fixed cup. Now if Creos had not come around, the sparmax was positioned as a middle of the price range quality airbrush. And it still is. However now its competition is the creos ps270 and 289. Which are absolutely fabulous airbrushes and a step above the sparmax. Using a head assembly similar to a micron, and actually can be converted to a micron head assembly if someone was inclined. As for the 183 it has the distinction of having that huge .8 nozzle for when you want to throw a lot of paint. As an option. And something i use it for regularly. I have one setup as a .8 and one setup as the .3 both get some regular use. If it had a fixed cup with a wider opening I probably would never use my omni or patriot.

[@CTBLAS]

Thanks for replying so soon. Here in Europe the Sparmax brushes are less than half the price of the Creos ones and spares are much more readily available. Glad to hear that you hold them in high regard.@@TheAIRspace

[@TheAIRspace]

Yes some pricing variation exists. For instance the lowly Ultra here is more than current creos platinum 270/ 289 pricing. Next ill be doing a middle price point comparison.

[@CannonfireVideo]

You say that you can swap out the head assembly between a Micron and the 180. The Creos 771 is also said to be a Micron clone, with comparable quality and cheaper parts. If you put a 0.18 headset and needle from the Creos into 180, would the line quality be similar to what you'd get from a Micron? Has anyone made a test? By my calculations, the whole thing would cost around $110, as opposed to paying roughly $550 for the Micron. The Micron might still be better -- but FIVE TIMES better?

[@TheAIRspace]

Yes i have. A few others have as well. The only thing is the trigger on the micron is going to be better/ smoother. And the mac valve on some of the 180s can be a bit loose and not work as well. But for long before the 771 came out people were swapping parts on these. The muddy water becomes you can buy a 270 for less than swapping one of these. And to be honest if you just make sure you got a sample thats well fit, and put a small polish on the needle the 771 head and needle wont be that much better in ability.. perhaps a little more durable. ive got a couple pz360's (point zero version ) that worked well and lasted a very long time. the difference in line quality was minimal the only downside was the mac valve was pretty bad.

[@CannonfireVideo]

Thanks very much for this information. I take it that the difference between the .2mm Pointzero setup and the .18 Micron needle is insignificant. I have no interest in the MAC valve.

[@TheAIRspace]

@@CannonfireVideo The iwata micron needles are made differently. they have a small double taper and a slightly blunted head from the factory. So they are machined with a bit more difficult process. And those small things do in fact make them better. But the difference in the .18 and the .2 itself is probably not enough to notice in practice. But the needle design itself effects the spray enough you could notice it. Now is that worth the Micron tax? for some yes.

[@TheAIRspace]

@@CannonfireVideo if you have an eclipse you can also see the eclipse uses a very distinct double taper. which contributes way more to the performance than the additional .5 in the 35 versus more common .3

[@CannonfireVideo]

@@TheAIRspace Depends on how much of a MIcron tax you care to pay. An extra twenty bucks or so for the Iwata needle is, for many people, do-able. An extra four-to-five hundred for the entire airbrush is...well, some guys have wives or gfs less forgiving than yours. Also, I've found that one can get a version of the 180 with a smaller cup, which I prefer. I have an old Iwata HP-B which, for some irrational reason, I never liked, even though the performance was and probably still is great. I also have a trusty old Paasche VL1 which needs a-fixin'. I wonder if the Fengda 183 parts would fit in there? An ancient Paasche with a .3mm needle/nozzle is an interesting idea. Thanks for all your videos. Much to think about.