Milwaukee sprayer

[Jeff Todd]

Im pretty interested in buying a sprayer and not having done a TON on research yet. i was wondering if anyone has used this sprayer? I was wondering if it worked as good as it seams I like the idea it having the airless and HVLP in one tool (even is it is slightly larger). Just a little worried that the finish of paint/finish will be less than i would like. I haven't really used a sprayer before, but im a quick learner.. also I have been looking at a Earlex 5000.


http://www.milwaukeetool.com/tools/tools-by-trade/general-contractors-top-tool-choices/airless-finish-paint-sprayer/M4910-20

JT

[Erik Christensen]

Jeff

I have an air-assisted airless (AAA) spray rig and it does a great job of spraying everything I have tried to use it with. It is a more expensive Graco unit so I don't know how this rig will work. I have almost 20 years experience with a commercial HVLP unit and the Graco AAA produces a finish quality as good as anything I got with HVLP.

[Van Huskey]

There was a LOT of discussion about this unit when it first came out with the rebate etc in the Deals and Discounts forum. I assume this has long since been lost. I am surprised that with the huge amount of interest there at the time (and people bought them) that nobody has chimed it.

[hank dekeyser]

I was looking into that also - It was either the Milwaukee, or buy a REAL nice airless. I had a bug up my but because I left my pressure pot sit and it was rusty as heck. Well, after alot of research and looking at the expensive rigs in paint stores, I said screw it and ended up rebuilding my pot (again) IF you plan on shooting laquer with the Milwaukee you will be in for a rude awakening (I'm told) Most of the cost effective airless sprayers will not hold up to laquer (which is what I had intended to purchase one for) - If you have a big enough compressor in the shop I would suggest getting a HF chepo gravity feed to play with. You may find that a conventional gun will work just fine for you. I use the HF chapo guns for stain and small jobs and the results are no less than any other system you can get. For bigger jobs, I'll get out the pressure pot and drop a gallon in it. HF also has a decent pot if you go that route. Just get a siphon feed gun for it and your set. You can get top quality results with just about any gun if you know what you're doing. The biggest difference is the amount of overspray, and the air pressure required to run the gun. Experiment and have fun.

[Rob Price]

My understanding, though, is that it is really two different machines in one. It has the piston driven high pressure airless sprayer, and then you attach a larger hose to the turbine, that goes to the back of the gun, turn down the piston, and now it functions like a regular HVLP with a two stage turbine. It's not pushing the lacquer through with the high pressure piston, but siphoning like a regular HVLP.

I already have a cheapo all plastic Rockler HVLP that has served me well. Surely this can do as well of a job. I'm looking to paint a VERY long wooden fence we just had installed. We also just built a 600 sq ft deck, and after watching the painter (yes, I wimped out and hired someone) stain the deck, with two coats of Ready Seal in one afternoon with an airless sprayer, I decided next time I'd buy a unit for less and spray it myself. Last time I did my deck it was by hand and took forever.

So I'm really looking for something to spray some Cabot's Semi-transparent stain/paint on my fence, but this caught my eye (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOYTIrEPclA) as it converts over to an HVLP unit. I figured surely someone around here has one and can give an honest opinion. Quite frankly, even if I throw the thing away after I finish my fence I'm saving money. I don't want to spend a ton more, because this will pretty much be a once a year stain the deck kind of thing- unless it also turns out to be a decent (large) HVLP unit. Lowes and HD have a similarly priced Graco unit that only does airless.

[Daniel Berlin]

Im pretty interested in buying a sprayer and not having done a TON on research yet. i was wondering if anyone has used this sprayer? I was wondering if it worked as good as it seams I like the idea it having the airless and HVLP in one tool (even is it is slightly larger). Just a little worried that the finish of paint/finish will be less than i would like. I haven't really used a sprayer before, but im a quick learner.. also I have been looking at a Earlex 5000.


http://www.milwaukeetool.com/tools/tools-by-trade/general-contractors-top-tool-choices/airless-finish-paint-sprayer/M4910-20

JT

I have one.
Getting parts is a bit of a pain, milwaukee redirects you to someone else.
The HVLP part works okay, it can certainly atomize okay but not great (it's a 2 stage turbine) but figuring out the right tip selection is certainly trickier.

I've used it to HVLP spray latex paint onto some mdf and trim with no thinning and no problem.
The finish was okay. Certainly better than airless. I am not a high volume user, so i don't use it for HVLP much because i don't feel like setting up the darn thing, cleaning it out, plus wasting some amount in the hoses. i have a nice conversion gun setup for this.

It's fine as an airless sprayer, i've sprayed both paint and deck stain. I hooked up a graco gun to the airless side because i liked the feel better, works great.

Basically, if you are buying it because you think you will use it to put fine finishes onto woodworking stuff on a regular basis, don't.
If you have a need to occasionally paint cabinets or use pigmented lacquers, the HVLP part is fine for this. If you have another need to do occasional house chores like painting a fence or siding or spraying deck stain on a deck or painting trim or whatever, then this machine is probably a good choice for you.

It's basically meant to be a convenient machine to take care of household chores without much expense and that's what it's good for.

If you want something for woodworking only, and want convenience, you will be much happier with an earlex or something (I use conversion guns because I don't feel like having to add retarder due to heated turbine air).

If you have a bunch of money (~1500), go get an AAA setup and spray whatever the hell you want and still get a good finish :D.

[Daniel Berlin]

My understanding, though, is that it is really two different machines in one. It has the piston driven high pressure airless sprayer, and then you attach a larger hose to the turbine, that goes to the back of the gun, turn down the piston, and now it functions like a regular HVLP with a two stage turbine. It's not pushing the lacquer through with the high pressure piston, but siphoning like a regular HVLP.

I already have a cheapo all plastic Rockler HVLP that has served me well. Surely this can do as well of a job. I'm looking to paint a VERY long wooden fence we just had installed. We also just built a 600 sq ft deck, and after watching the painter (yes, I wimped out and hired someone) stain the deck, with two coats of Ready Seal in one afternoon with an airless sprayer, I decided next time I'd buy a unit for less and spray it myself. Last time I did my deck it was by hand and took forever.

So I'm really looking for something to spray some Cabot's Semi-transparent stain/paint on my fence, but this caught my eye (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOYTIrEPclA) as it converts over to an HVLP unit. I figured surely someone around here has one and can give an honest opinion. Quite frankly, even if I throw the thing away after I finish my fence I'm saving money. I don't want to spend a ton more, because this will pretty much be a once a year stain the deck kind of thing- unless it also turns out to be a decent (large) HVLP unit. Lowes and HD have a similarly priced Graco unit that only does airless.

If i switch it to hvlp mode, fluid is still pumped out the hose even without the trigger. The fluid is definitely being pumped/pressurized, not siphoned. There is even a finish setting on the pressure dial, which is controlling fluid pressure, not air pressure.

I used it to spray stain on my deck*+ pergola (solid color) and it works great. I used it in airless mode, but i've also used it to HVLP spray latex paint and it worked fine.
Given what you want to use it for, i think it will work fine.

Just make sure you realize how much overspray airless mode has when spraying the deck :)

[Dave Gaul]

I got one when it first came out with the rebate. 1st sprayer for me. My findings... it seems like too big of a machine for smallish jobs, like a typical hobbyist project. I would think a gun & compressor or an Earlex setup would be more practical for most ww'ing projects. It is designed for a 5 gallon buck, not a pint of finish needed for a typical smaller project...

[John TenEyck]

If you want to stain your fence and deck, why not just use a pad painter? Fast, excellent finish, better penetration than spraying, and no overspray on your shrubs, house, etc. Do the gaps between the boards first with a foam brush, then do the faces with the pad. If you use a pole on the end of the pad you don't even have to bend over to do the deck. Home Depot's top end stain works beautifully this way. Then with all the money you saved you can buy a gun designed for woodworking projects.

[Rob Price]

Because I don't want to spend days staining the fence, I have hundreds of feet, both sides, to stain. I'd rather spray it quickly. The HVLP feature is kind of neat, but looking at it, I would probably waste as much finish (and thinner in cleanup) as I use for most of my projects. I'll stick with my Rockler HVLP and probably go with one of the Graco units, they tend to get good reviews.

[John TenEyck]

If you've never tried a pad painter to stain a fence or deck you should. It is amazingly fast, and clean up is zilch - just throw it in the trash.