Spray can vs crappy air gun

[txpitdog]

First, I hate to paint. It makes a mess, it’s a PITA, and most of the things I have to paint are small stuff, grating, bar/rod stock, or other things where most of the paint is wasted as overspray.

But the drift trike deserves a good couple coats of paint...and it won’t be the last thing I have to paint. Considering a Harbor Freight pneumatic paint gun sprayer with different nozzles to reduce over spray. Are these worth the cost? Or is a paint gun one of those things where it’s either a good (expensive) one or junk? If I don’t intend to paint unless I have to, is the cost of the gun worth it, or should I just continue making a mess with spray cans and deal with it?

[bowaddict40]

You will have a lot less overspray but if you are not mixing your paint you will waste a lot with mixing to much. Once you figure up your mixing you will save money in the long run and won’t have as much of a mess. If you keep your gun clean it will serve you well. Don’t get the cheapest that HF has. Get the middle of the road gun and you will be fine. You can also look up the TCP mini gun on Amazon. They are great quality for a low priced gun. I have been using one for a couple of years. Hope this helps.

[MadHatter]

Man, HF has some great guns for the money, cheap cheap lol.
Some good YouTube videos on how to set em up.
I wouldn't paint cars for a living with them, but you probably could .
Just make sure your AC can run whatever gun you get.
I've sprayed boats, furniture, etc with them, and they definitely good enough for government work

[flinger]

I painted a Jon boat with a harbor freight spray gun and it turned out good. Just spray some lacquer thinner through it when done then take it apart and clean all the parts for next use.

[bignick612]

I bought a $20 harbor freight gun a few years back to do a large bbq pit with high temp paint. It worked very well for that purpose. But the primary goal there was not a high quality professional looking paint job so take that for what it's worth.

[txpitdog]

Do I get the paint from HD just like regular latex or enamel or whatever and have them mix it? I want bright racing type colors not those decor colors for inside a house