Badger Anthem 155

[88Porsche944]

I'm about to upgrade from my current airbrush, and would like to get some thoughts on the Badger Anthem 155. What can you all tell me, any good?

Thanks,
Trevor

[Some_Kid]

Well not to be rude I don't know much about this airbrush. I had a badger 150 it was decent but it was a hassle to clean imo and the teflon wore out pretty fast. I just got a Iwata Revolution CR this past Christmas. It is a joy to have, very easy to clean can handle any job a modeler would need it to do. It can handle all paints and can be found at a good price. I got mine for $90. This is my recommendation sorry I couldn't help with the 155.

[CrateCruncher]

The o-rings in my external mix Badger dried out (yet again) and I was having trouble locating parts. My neighbor loaned me his Paasche VL to make a deadline and I could not believe the difference. Suddenly, as if by some miracle I could airbrush smooth controlled coats, without runs or starved spots. I didn't have to take it apart to clean it and the thing just felt so professional. The double-action allowed me much better control despite being told for years that double action is only for T-shirt "artists". What a crock of horse hockey!

I snapped my Badger in two and threw it in the garbage which is where every Badger should be placed. I picked up a brand new VL with three nozzle sizes, fabric covered hose etc for about $60US at Tower Hobby and consider it one of the best values in the Hobby.

EDIT: OK, to be fair to Badger enthusiasts I admit my Badger experience was with external mix 350 series only. It was responsible for ruining more models than I want to remember. Please run away from this product.

[klutz_100]

Really, if you can afford the Iwata don't even look any further.
There are other good airbrushes but none of them are as good as an Iwata IMHO
I have had brushes from just about all manufacturers so I can honestly make the comparison.

[360spider]

Iwata all the way. Badgers are...eh... :-)

[IanHug]

I haven't tried the Anthem but I've had a 150 and a couple of Iwatas and I'd pick the Iwata every time over the Badger.

Does anyone have experience of Harder & Steenbeck airbrushes - Evolution Silverline in particular?

[Porsnatic]

Anyone has tried the Gunze Sangyo or GSI Creos line?

[Ferrari TR]

So much negitivity...
I'd say the badger 175 would be a better choice for automotive modeling in general.
For painting bodies with automotive paints the Iwata Rev series is awesome. For general painting i use a badger 200 with a medium tip, and a 150 with a fine tip for the fine stuff.

[IanHug]

To be fair. My Badger 200 was and is very good.

I didn't get on with my 150 - just didn't find it very easy to use and found that if I sprayed solvents (Halfords, Alclad etc), they quickly attacked and swelled the rubber '0' rings, making it unusable very quickly.

My Iwata is hugely better, very easy to use and much more resistant to solvents.

[cinqster]

Never read so many negative comments. I've used a Badger 100 professionally for graphics and illustration work for 25 years - it's still going strong (and it gets used for model/auto paints too).

The latest Badger 360 is an ace versatile airbrush. I defy anyone to find an easier to clean double-action airbrush!

[MPWR]

I've not had problems with Badger instruments (except the external mix 350- but we're not really talking externals here).

The 155 will certainly do the trick- but it is not the airbrush I'd buy (or recommend). I would go with a gravity feed instead of a siphon. I use a Badger 100 lately, which I like far more than the siphon 150 that I've had for decades now. I would definitely recommend skipping any siphon feed airbrush.

But the next airbrush I buy will likely be a gravity feed Iwata....

[MustangMuscle]

I don't own any Badger Airbrush, but I have two Iwata's and all I can say about them is WOW! The Eclipse siphon feed (BCS model) is very good at spraying details and small parts (I use it with a side cup for Badger brushes, so the siphon inconvenience is not a problem anymore), and the Revolution CR (gravity feed) is great for bodies. Both brushes are fitted with a 0,5mm needle, but for some reason the revolution sprays heavy medium better than the eclipse (but fine control is much better on the eclipse, it is rather difficult to spray fine details with the revolution, it is more an on/off thing). The cleaning is very easy on both, but the Eclipse is slightly better as the nozzle does not need any wrench to take apart, as opposed to the revolution. Both brushes spray automotive paints without any issue, I have not replaced any o-ring since I bought them (4 years ago).

Oh, and I power my airbrushes with a small and very quiet Iwata Smartjet compressor, on which I added a true pressure regulator to get rid of the "bleeder" one. Don't neglect the air source on your airbrush setup, this is a great source of problems (pulsated air effect, moisture that gets spit on your work, the list is long...). True, it may cost more than a basic Badger or paasche compressor, but it makes a world of difference.

If you really want a Badger, I would recommend to stay with hobby enamels and acrylics, to avoid the o-ring issues everybody seems to have with lacquers. In fact I love Model-Master enamels for Bodies and details, they spray beautifully and can be polished to a high shine with little effort. With a decent airbrush you can achieve a thin coat that does not obscure detail. I know that a lot of people say that lacquers are much better than enamels, and it is true that they are superior in many ways, but they also require a better preparation than enamels (sealer, primer) and are more aggressive on most hobby airbrushes. Plus, I don't find a mirror finish is really adequate for a "scale" appearance (just my opinion here), so an enamel clear is a good option for the final coat on a metallic. Acrylic paints seem to be the future of the hobby paints, in europe Humbrol and Revell have introduced their new line ("Humbrol Acrylic" and Revell "Aqua Color"). i have tested them and like the Aqua Color, easy to apply and very thin when dry.

One tool you should buy if you want good results with enamels (but also with acrylics and lacquers!): A food dehydrator. This cheap machine ($40 at walmart) will speed up the drying tile by a factor of 8, and cures enamels much better and harder. Since the most frequent critic on enamels is their long drying times (search for "enamels take forever to dry" on this forum...), it alleviates the problem and makes these little bottles an attractive altenative again.

Sorry for being so expansive!

[cinqster]

Just a little more on the Badger 360.

It can be used in either siphon or gravity feed!

There's no o-rings to fail either.

[klutz_100]

Originally Posted by cinqster

It can be used in either siphon or gravity feed!

How does the saying go? "Jack of all trades, Master of none"? j/k

A friend of mine recently was given a Harder & Steenbeck Infinity 2-in-1 to review and he was really impressed with it. He said it was the only brush he had found that met/exceeded an Iwata. But then again does the price - several fold.

He really took it through its paces and I have to say honestly that despite the fact that it looks as sexy as hell and I don't doubt the quality of the product, it didn't seem that he could do anything with it that I can't do with my CR (including thin lines).

Personally, I am not maligning Badger airbrushes or implying that they are useless. I am just saying that having had Badgers, Paasches, Azteks and Iwatas - the Iwata wins hands down on quality of build, quality of (my) painting results and ease of use and cleaning. All in all, well worth it's not very large premium in price over its slightly cheaper rivals in the class

[IanHug]

Originally Posted by cinqster

There's no o-rings to fail either.

Actually the 'O' ring I used to have trouble with is part 50-0141 in the picture you posted - same part as in the 150. It used to swell and interupt the air supply - still have a spare packet old spares although the air brush is long gone.