Cordless/Battery Powered Airbrushes

[Volgon]

Hey all! For a while I've considered getting an airbrush. The smooth blends you can get is very tempting for me. However I am not super interested in getting the whole setup for various reasons: painting space, noise, cost; I paint slow and sporadically so I don't particularly want to splurge a few hundred dollars on a setup and find it unenjoyable or too much of a hassle. 

 

I have often seen cordless airbrushes, basically using a rechargable compressor that is directly connected to the airbrush. I've watched some youtube videos on these types and they seem solid. I was wondering if anyone has any experience using these? Product recommendations if you have? They are a much lower cost of entry, generally around $50-$70, which I think is a fair price as a tester. I am not looking to do anything super fancy with it, mostly just for base coating and volumetric highlighting armor panels. Thanks!

[PHS]

this topic may be of some help

 

 

[Volgon]

@PHS Thanks for linking that! I think I had actually read that thread months ago but forgot about it. It looks like yours was one of the lasts post in that thread. Have you had any more experience with it since the Blood Angel in October? Would love to hear your thoughts.

[Grotsmasha]

From the reviews and videos I've seen/recall, they seem to be the goods for base coats, large strokes, but due to the cyclical nature of the air pump, are not great for any sort of precision and finer work.

[PHS]

1 hour ago, Volgon said:

@PHS Thanks for linking that! I think I had actually read that thread months ago but forgot about it. It looks like yours was one of the lasts post in that thread. Have you had any more experience with it since the Blood Angel in October? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Not really had the chance to do much more, just a bit of undercoating really 

it’s ok but as I think I said in the other topic the battery life is awful, you’ll only get a few normal sized minis undercoated before it’s out of charge

 

Also it can be a bit unwieldy with the compressor attached directly, when I get more hobby time I might try and source a length of hose to connect it

 

For basic stuff it’s not bad though considering the price

[Firedrake Cordova]

It doesn't meet your cost requirement, but I think it's worth mentioning you can get super-portable compressors like the Iwata NEO Air (which I haven't used), just in case it has any effect on your thinking (even if only to confirm that a battery-powered unit is right for you).   

[tychobi]

Attached mini compressors generally suffer from performance issues, cleaning difficulties, and short working times.  Inconsistent air pressure was one of the leading causes of spatter in my airbrushing and a cheap compressor with separate tank solved all that. Your price point if all inclusive means a sub standard brush and compressor. The nail art kits off Amazon are just a bit more but are a far superior set up. Good luck!

[Volgon]

Thank you @Firedrake Cordova, more options is never a bad thing!

 

@tychobi The adage "you get what you pay for" certainly applies in this context. Thanks for sharing your experiences. As for nail art airbrushes, I was lumping them all together (hobby kits, nail art kits, etc). Have you had experiences with a specific nail art kit that worked well?