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I ran into this and really liked the comparison. The Tiswall sprays nitro too for a fraction of the Fuji price. Let me know if you try it. I'm sticking to my SATA minijet just because. https://youtu.be/tKgFgBpGwnw?si=9gpQsZxHovcGBvdr

Interesting.
As someone with no real spraygun experience, would it be safe to say that if the Tiswell gun handles the paint it would only be even better on thinner lacquers etc?

Cause its certainly an affordable entry into spraying.

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This is a classic case of you get what you pay for. I believe in buy once cry once. lol

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Or maybe buy once try once…

Not intended as a reply to Mr. Friesen, but rather background info for someone that stumbles on this thread without a background in instrument finish work.

If you plan on finishing your instruments in latex, it would seem that any cheap airless or even the Tiswall might be perfectly suitable. For clear finishes that really want good atomization for a good finish off the gun (mostly stuff that will not be touched again, such as satins and flats), I doubt those options will be satisfactory. For gloss lacquer work as well as for laying down vinyl sealer and urethanes, even an inexpensive Harbor Freight HVLP conversion gun will do well, as those finishes will be sanded between sealer and toner/topcoats.

The Fuji turbine and at least two of the guns we run in the Maryland shop are going on 13 years old and still as new. The turbine gets new filters every few years and the guns get a rebuild kit every 5-6 years or when they show signs of misbehaving. A three-stage turbine will handle just about any finishing chore a guitar shop might need, and the current four- or five-stage Fujis are overkill. The reason to spend the money for something like the Fuji Q4 or Q5 and the T-75G gun is ease of use, durability, and flexibility... they will handle enamels and waterbased finishes as well as the usual instrument finishes, as well as primers and other medium-viscosity work with the right needle and tip set (although we had a decent HVLP conversion gun dedicated primers, and a few more cheap guns reserved for metallics such as traditional Gibson Gold Tops).

The Fuji and other similar capability systems (SATA/Iwata/good knock-off HVLP conversion guns, good filter/dryer rig, and a 60-80 gallon compressor) are all about consistency and year-after-year service... as has been mentioned, 'buy once and cry' then enjoy for decades. Turbines add both portability and extension of out-of-doors spray season to the usual conversion gun/filter/dryer/compressor capabilities.

Finally, even a cheap HF gun, inexpensive pancake or hot dog compressor, and Watco canned lacquer will get a finish on a guitar... more money and better kit gets more consistency and equipment durability. At the very bottom end for initial investment, rattle cans can do the job, but at the cost of some risk to outcomes.

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