I’m looking for a small handheld paint sprayer for small jobs like baseboards and trim.

Latex paints or water based acrylics.

Doesn’t need to be cordless and preferably in the $500 or under range. If possible.

I’ve seen poor and mixed reviews of the Graco battery units but the plug in ones seem okay. Or a Wagner?

I’ve been painting my baseboards in the garage before install and I struggle to get a nice finish without roller lines. Proper temps and all the things. So for the basement, I’d like to spray.

I had a Fuji but that’s beyond your budget and probably overkill for what you’re looking for. Earlex has a couple sprayers under $300 or so that are highly lauded by a lot of people.

I have a Wagner Flexio 3500. It works pretty good. I used it to paint a 1 car dettached gargage, doors, and trim mouldings. Leaves a nice smooth finish. I used it with latex paints. ~200 msrp, got one on sale at HD for 140 ish. It is an AC powered unit. I do not find the cord to be a big problem.

https://www.wagnerspraytech.co...flexio-3500-sprayer/

quote:

Originally posted by mark60:
... but that’s beyond your budget ....

Holy Shit !!!! I don't believe those words have ever been spoken on Sigforum!!


Rick

I've used one of the cheaper wagner HVLP units & had many problems - possible it was user error prior to me, as I had to reassemble the unit after the owner had cleaned it & put it back together wrong & with leftover pieces.
Assuming it was in good working condition after I repaired it, it still had problems with latex, I thinned it to the maximum suggested & it still struggled. It would do great for 1/2 a door, then start sputtering, ruining the finish & requiring rolling. It did good with water in testing/diagnosing and sprays deck waterproofer (very thin) nicely, so I assume I got it working correctly. I will not attempt latex again. The doors look good (5+ years), but not because of the HVLP.

After that, I bought the 2-speed (mid-price) Graco plug-in - a refurb off ebay. It does a very good job & has been less of a PITA over 10+ jobs than the wagner was in 1. Latex worked out of the box/can - no thinning or futzing. Fill the cup, select the pressure/fan setting & paint. It also handles weird angles & even upside down, the HVLP is vertical-only.
My 2 complaints -
Even the 42oz cup isn't big enough, I was "cutting-in" ceilings & corners. We only had 2 rollers - my mom & wife were using those. I finished in <30 minutes. I painted 2 walls, but it took about the same time as a roller because I had to re-fill the cup so often.
Clean-up. 'nuff said. I don't get it out for small projects. Cleaning may be a pain but it's simple & easy - my stepbrother had it for 3 months & it came back in working condition. He can fuck up anything, so it passed idiot-proof testing with flying colors.

I would like to have a battery powered version, but I don't have the need to justify the cost. I'm a tool whore, so if I can't justify it, you know the cord isn't a big deal.
I would also consider a Pump>hose>gun airless unit for the Gallon/5Gallon capability and better spray tips. Maybe add a shorter hose for smaller projects. For a small + large 'only equipment' use-case, I think that would be the best. Especially with a power roller attachment.
After my experience, I would not consider any of the cheaper HVLP systems. HVLP can do a great job, but it is more finicky than airless on some, very common, situations. Cheaper HLVP is going to be much closer to the margin of error. 1 look at the price of professional HVLP units vs airless & you know the cheaper ones are sacrificing something.

quote:

Originally posted by Riley:
I’ve been painting my baseboards in the garage before install and I struggle to get a nice finish without roller lines. Proper temps and all the things. So for the basement, I’d like to spray.

I was told - Foam roller, light pressure, don't stop while you are touching the surface. It worked.

I may try foam rollers. I’ve been using the recommended mohair but it seems hit or miss.

There is a small Graco that feeds out a 1gal can or 5 gallon bucket that may be worth it since I’ll need to paint the basement anyway.


Thanks!

Earlex 5700 for $350 or the 6700 for $600 (hvlp sprayers - no air compressor needed).

These are very well regarded by woodworkers. The guy who painted my oak kitchen cabinets used the Earlex 6700. The finish is better than most expensive cabinets I have seen. Just a gorgeous finish. (He did fill all the grain first, but, nevertheless, the sprayer did a beautiful job.

I was going to leave a link to the Earlex website, but I see they were bought out by Wagner. Hope Wagner doesnt ruin them. I have owned Wagner products in the past and am not a fan.

Link

Link to Earlex sprayes at Lowes

I have an old Wagner 404 that is great for putting down a lot of paint, best sprayer I've ever seen/used. Can paint the interior of a house in a day. Will put down a mirror finish. I got ripped off buying one of the early Graco's, batteries were shit. I bought a new Graco that takes the DeWalt 20v battery and it is good for small to medium jobs but the paint container system is a pain. Overall not to bad.