My last 2 projects have required painting very dark colors (one was black, the other was a dark chocolate brown). I have a 4 stage Fuji HVLP unit and gun that I have very successfully sprayed SW ProClassic with in the past. However, SW doesn't tint ProClassic as dark as I needed. So I purchased their recommended paint and thinned it as much as I dared. The results were terrible, with sputtering and an alligator result. I went up to a #5 tip with the same results.

All I can assume is the dark paints have more solids, that my Fuji won't handle?

Any suggestions? Do I need to get an airless sprayer or a pressure feed gun? I already have a 80 gallon compressor so have the air supply to run one if needed. If so, what gun is a good value?