Comparison Wagner PowerPainter 90 vs Wagner ControlPro 250 M

— Airbrush. General purpose spray guns — in other words, traditional spray guns that do not belong to any of the specialized categories described below. At the same time, the functionality of such devices can be quite diverse — from relatively small tools for hard-to-reach areas and small areas to quite powerful performant solutions that are already approaching paint stations.

— Airbrush. A miniature variety of spray guns, distinguished primarily by very small nozzle sizes — less than 1 mm, and more often up to 0.5 mm. Thanks to this, airbrushes are optimally suited for delicate work, where accuracy is most important; with the help of such a tool, you can even create full-fledged paintings (for example, those same “airbrushes” that adorn cars).

— Roller. An improved version of the conventional paint roller, supplemented by a paint supply system. Thanks to this, additional convenience is provided during work: there is no need to periodically dip the roller into a container with paint, and the coating itself is applied as accurately and evenly as possible.

— Plaster. A variety of spray guns used not for painting, but for plastering. One of the characteristic features of such tools is the large diameter of the nozzle: thanks to this, it is not clogged with mortar particles and is easily cleaned after work is complet...ed. In addition, plaster guns are usually equipped with rather large (about 5 – 7 liters) own tanks; such a reservoir is usually supplemented with a handle for the convenience of holding the tool with the second hand.

— Paint station. Units designed for large volumes of work, where high performance is of decisive importance. A mandatory feature of paint stations are remote compressors (see below) of high power and large size, usually mounted on a stand or even a trolley for ease of transportation. And often there is no own paint tank at all, and the working composition is supplied from an external container (for example, a bucket). Also note that painting stations often allow two guns to be connected to one compressor at once (see below).

The power consumed by the operation of an electric tool (see "Type").

Most modern spray guns, even performant ones, have a rather low power: for example, models with more than 1 kW are extremely rare, and in most cases, power consumption does not exceed 500 W at all. So when connecting such equipment to sockets, there are usually no problems; only single units of high performance, requiring 3.5 kW or more, have to be connected according to special rules (directly to the shield). In other cases, data on power consumption is most often not needed for normal use and may be required only for specific tasks — for example, to calculate the load on an autonomous generator.

Nominal air pressure in the spray gun.

The general meaning of this parameter depends on the type of instrument (see above). So, in pneumatic models, nominal pressure data is required for connection to an external compressor. It is this pressure that this compressor must create at the inlet to the atomizer; too low values will lead to a decrease in efficiency, too high are fraught with breakdowns and even accidents with injury to others.

In turn, for electric models, the nominal pressure is the air pressure created by the unit's own compressor; the complete atomizer was originally designed for the same pressure. So in this case, this parameter is more of a reference than practically significant; it may be useful only for connecting replacement nozzles to the compressor (or vice versa, for using an existing nozzle with a third-party compressor).

As for specific pressure values, they are primarily determined by the spray system (see below). The diversity here is quite high: the most modest units give out less than 2 bar, 2-5 bar compressors are quite popular , 5-10 bar models are relatively rare, and some powerful performance solutions provide a pressure of 100 bar or more.

Consumption of paint or other material (for example, mortar for plaster) when the spray gun is operating in normal mode.

The higher the flow rate, the more material the tool can apply per unit of time, the better it is suitable for processing large areas and for applying thick coatings. On the other hand, not all types of work require high productivity, and sometimes relatively low consumption is optimal. Detailed recommendations on this subject for different situations can be found in special sources.

The type of spray system used in the device. Different spray systems differ in the format of work and, as a result, in individual practical nuances of use:

— HP (High Pressure) / CONV (conventional). One of the most famous and popular spray systems. The air pressure at the inlet and outlet of such spray guns is approximately the same. The advantages of HP systems are the simplicity of design, large working width, high paint application speed and relatively low air consumption. At the same time, the percentage of paint transfer in such sprayers is very low — more than half of the applied material bounces off the surface due to high speed and settles on surrounding objects. Another disadvantage is that the flow from the HP atomizer picks up fine dust and other "flying debris" heavily; because of this, additional grinding and polishing of the painted surface is often required.

— RP (Reduced Pressure). Modification of conventional (HP) atomizers, characterized by a slightly reduced outlet pressure. This allowed for some improvement in the transfer coefficient and reduced debris levels while maintaining the advantages of good performance, uniformity and low air consumption. Nevertheless, according to these indicators, such devices are still inferior to low-pressure models.

— HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure). Spray system with reduced outlet pressure (a...pprox. 0.7 bar) and large air volumes. One of the key advantages of such devices is a high ink transfer coefficient of at least 65%. In addition, the low speed of the paint supply reduces the level of debris: there are relatively few turbulences that “pull” debris along with them. The main disadvantage of HVLP systems can be called high air consumption; not every compressor can handle such an atomizer. In addition, they require additional filters to protect against oil and moisture entering the air during high compressor loads; and you can work with such a device only at a short distance (usually up to 15 cm), and in order to avoid drips, a certain skill is required.

— HVLP-II (New High Volume Low Pressure). The second generation of HVLP (see the relevant paragraph), which has a number of improvements compared to the original, but is generally similar.

— LVLP (Low Volume Low Pressure) / Trans-Tech. Spray systems developed as an improvement to HVLP. With the same advantages (high transfer coefficient, minimum debris), they consume much less air and have softer requirements for compressors and hoses. In addition, LVLP systems are less sensitive to pressure drops, and the effective spraying range in them reaches 25 – 30 cm. Of the notable disadvantages of this option, one can only mention a rather high cost.

— HVMP (High Volume Middle Pressure). Spray systems with high air flow and medium outlet pressure. Compared to HVLP, due to the higher pressure, they give a slightly lower ink transfer efficiency, but greater uniformity and range.

— LVMP (Low Volume Middle Pressure). Spray systems with low air consumption and medium pressure; a kind of modification of LVLP, characterized by higher pressure. Due to this, the cost is somewhat reduced, productivity, uniformity of application and capture width are increased; however, paint consumption is higher and the finished surface is rougher than original LVLP.

— HTE (High Transfer Efficiency). This marking is used in spray systems for which a high transfer coefficient is claimed by the manufacturers. In terms of characteristics, they are most often similar to LVLPs (see the relevant paragraph) — in particular, they have a rather large effective range. However, specific features in each case should be clarified separately.

— EA (Excellent Atomization). The main feature of such systems, in accordance with the name, is a very high degree of atomization of the material. Other performance characteristics in such systems may be different, these points should be clarified separately.

— HEA (High Efficiency Airless). Proprietary airless spray technology (see "Spray") used in the Wagner brand technique. Reduces paint wastage by more than 50% compared to more traditional systems, as well as more even material distribution, according to the creators. Suitable for water and oil based coatings.

MP (Middle Pressure). Transitional option between the HP and RP described above: it provides a slightly lower working pressure compared to HP, but not as low as in RP. For a number of reasons, it did not receive distribution.

HD (Heavy Duty). A marketing designation used on individual sprayers, typically high-capacity, high-volume sprayers. The specific characteristics of such systems should be clarified separately.

The spray gun has a built-in pressure gauge — a device for measuring pressure.

Such equipment is found in two types of spray guns: pneumatic sprayers (see "Type") and paint stations (see "View"). In the first case, the pressure gauge is installed on the atomizer itself; it allows you to control the pressure supplied to the tool from an external compressor. In turn, in painting stations, a pressure gauge is placed on the compressor and is responsible for measuring the air pressure supplied to external sprayers; this is especially useful when using third-party guns, whose characteristics (including operating pressure) may differ markedly from those of the spray station's complete sprayers.

Tools made in the form of carts — usually with one pair of wheels.

This feature is found exclusively in models with remote compressors (see above): in fact, the compressor is installed on the trolley. This design allows you to roll the unit instead of carrying it on weight; on the other hand, it noticeably affects the dimensions and price, and it is more convenient to carry compact equipment, rather than roll it. Therefore, carts are found exclusively in heavy powerful tools — in particular, most paint stations have this function (see "View").

The length of the hose supplied with the tool.

This indicator has two meanings. On the one hand, the long hose provides more freedom of movement, allowing you to work farther from the compressor; this is especially important when used with powerful, heavy compressors that are not designed to be carried around often. On the other hand, in some cases a relatively short hose is more convenient; a typical example of such a situation is the presence on the farm of a compact compressor that can be constantly carried with you.

Actually, if the compressor is initially included in the delivery set, then the manufacturer chooses the length of the hose, taking into account its features. But if the spray gun is bought without a compressor, you should pay special attention to this parameter. As for the specific length, the shortest hoses found in modern spray guns do not exceed 2 m, but this is often quite enough; a length of 2 – 5 m can be called an average, and in powerful models (mainly paint stations) you can find hoses and more than 5 m.