single action and double action airbrush???

hi, I'm currently in the market for airbrushes, and I was wondering what is the difference between single action and double action airbrush, from the pictures they look almost identical, except for the prices.
Is the ouble action airbrush alot better than the single action?

Double action gives you control over the paint flow as well as the air flow, while single action only gives you control of the air flow. THis affects the way the airbrush spits the paint at the model, double actions are very useful in military modeling as they are great for doing camoflauge paint schemes..

But for car modeling, a good single action airbrush should fit just fine.

for auto modeling double action is not necssary since you dont need to do any special effects, mostly single bold colors. i personally have a double action but thats only because i do figure and mecha models as well.

If you can afford the dual-action, get it. It allows you to use air through the airbrush to blow off any dust prior to painting. It allows you to control the level of paint flowing through in tight areas, where you want just a little paint flowing at the time. Areas on an interior, under a hood, chassis, whatever-or carefully filling in a spot on a body w/o covering the whole body w/another layer of paint. You simply have much more control. To me it's well worth the extra $$. Once you go w/a dual-action brush, you'd be hard pressed to go back to a single action. A single-action works well for bodies, and would be a good starter airbrush, and if you spray enough and can afford it, you can eventually move on to a dual action brush.

are there any recommendations out there on airbrushes??? thoughts and opinions on whats good and whats not.

i'm looken at this one right now testors airbrush (http://www.testors.com/Product.asp?product%5fid=A2706)
or should i get a compressor<--expensive :(

thanks

Buy a double action because they spray finer due to being internal mix and if you learn to use it you will like it better,they are better for fine detailing like exhaust system tinting(clear yellow and blue highlights for used look) and smaller parts. Also you can easily setup a double action to be used as a single action. Paasche airbrushes have a thubwheel adjust to set a spray pattern and a badger or othe brands you can loosen the nuts on the needle and pull it out to the dsired amount of paint spray,then tighten nuts and just press down trigger(and don't pull back)it will work just like a single action. If you get a single action make sure it is an internal mix not external. Stay awy from Testor's plastic airbrushes, Badger and Paasche are better quality.

Get a compressor! Wal-mart sells a 2 gallon CAmpbell-Hausfeld compressor with included regulator for about $100. It's expensive, sure, but it'll last you a long time, and will save you a lot of headaches from cans of compressed air.

My recommendation is IWATA, they are a Japanese airbrush company, and like most stuff from Japan their stuff is absolute quality. Everything is machined perfectly and they are low-maintenance airbrushes, however they are a bit more expensive than other airbrushes.

Places like Bear Air and Dixie on the internet have great deals on airbrushes. My favorite airbrush is the Badger 175 Crescendo. Get it with the three tips/nozzles and you can do nearly everything. Iwata's are great if you can find/afford them. The Paasche VL is a very good dual-action brush as well.

I'd steer clear of the the Campbell-Hausfeld compressor. Lately on another forum, several guys have reported that they break down very prematurely. One even had a C-H spokesman contact him, and he was told that the version sold at Wal Mart is one meant for very light duty, and has a reliable lifespan of less than 20 hours of use. C-H doesn't sell replacement parts nor service the units. He was then sent a replacement unit that was a different model that would be much longer lasting...they sent him a refurbished unit, and he's very happy w/it.

I highly recommend getting an Automist 2000 compressor. It is awesome-very compact, extremely quiet, no moisture build up. It's constructed to medical-equipment standards, and is affordable.


http://www.automist2000.com/