[Private_collector]

Wow, that's a lot of Qs.

I only use gravity feed. There are many benefits of gravity over suction. The first one is simply the ability to spray in a very wide range of angles, and because no pot hanging below the gun, you won't accidentally drag it through the fresh paint while applying anothet coat. Imagine painting a roof panel, reaching across to mid line, and trying to fight against fatigue. Don't laugh. After the first two coats, that ackward position becomes rather tiring. Gravity feed allows you to get every last bit of paint out of the pot. You don't have the fear of pot coming loose or leaking when gun is tilted. The air hole on suction feed is always ABOVE the gun, so it is less likely to drip out, if the cap is turned towards the user. People assume the air hole on suction won't leak because of the negative pressure (suction), but this is not always the case in practice.

The High Volume Low Pressure (HVLP, from now on) gives a much more consistent paint flow, and therefore, a noticably better result. HVLP is used almost exclusively when refinish shops are using the Poly paints, 2-Pack, etc.. I started my painting years with suction. The HVLP guns weren't common at that time, because we mostly used acrylic or plain old enamel (or 'jam' as we called it then). Once repair and resto shops started using the far superior polys, we went to gravity guns instantly. The range of fan adjustment and airflow will suit any situation. Different locations require minor changes to gun settings. I'm contantly adjusting my gun during use. If you are using acrylic or enamel, suction will do, but you will most definitely get better results with gravity (HVLP). As the name suggests, you don't waste any of your air supply in trying to draw up paint from botom of a pot! That suction level changes slightly as your full paint pot starts to empty. You won't notice it, but the gun will behave differently, I guarantee it.

There are many brands of quality spray guns and equipment. Devilbiss, Iwatta, CIG, are just a few. You can pay into four figures for some of the very best guns. Most of the better brands will set you back in the vicinity of $200-400. Having spruked the virtues of gravity guns, and how the finish is better, in my opinion, I'm about to say something that sounds TOTALLY contradictory to chasing the best result. All of the spray work on my restoration has been done with a gun that cost less than $50, from Supacheap Auto. Now, I'm working on the assumption that you don't have a sterile spraybooth, and are not planning a full respray on an Aston Martin, so a gun which is setup correctly, and sound technique is all you will need to produce a great finish. Seriously! Everything I have painted so far, has been done outside in the elements, and I don't think anyone could tell. Some of the credit goes to a lustreless paint. Very little shine equals much reduced reflection, therefore any nibs in the paint don't draw the eye like gloss would.

I know you're a fair distance from me, but if you are around this way in the near future (at least before you need to start painting), get in touch and call in. I'll show you how easy it really is to setup a gun correctly and get a good finished product. Once you are aware of WHY certain adjustments and technique are done, the rest just falls into place.

So, in short, don't waste big bucks on a spraygun, but I would strongly recommend a gravity feed gun.