HVLP Recomendations

[Jeremy Killingbeck]

I am looking at purchasing a HVLP system and would like some recommendations. I was originally planning to buy the Earlex 5500, but then I saw the Fuji Simi pro 2 for $99 more and did not know if it would be worth the extra money. My plan is to only use the spray system for stain and top coat (mostly water based). What do you guys thing about the systems that I am looking at? Will they be suficient for hobby use (1-2 projects / month).

Thanks,
Jeremy

[Prashun Patel]

I have the Fuji Semipro. It's a good unit. I haven't used the Earlex, but have owned the Rockler HVLP which has some similarities. There are 2 differences between them:

1) The hose port on the Earlex gun is behind the head. The Fuji port is under the gun handle. This makes a slight difference in ergonomics in some situations. It's minor, but I prefer the Fuji arrangement over the behind-head
2) The Fuji allows you you dial in air pressure as well as fluid flow. I believe the Earlex only throttles the air AND fluid together. For my Rockler unit, this was a little bit of an issue when trying to dial some things in. The downside of the Fuji is that it does not have gauges on either the fluid knob or air flow. So, I have to use trial and error before each project. A higher end unit would allow you to read your settings more accurately so you could repeat them.