Advice please on purchase of hvlp system

[skronk]

Hi all,

Willing to spend up to £400.

Mainly paint and varnish spray on MDF furniture I make at home as a hobby, and some upcycling from 2nd hand shops.

Looked at

Earlex 5500 c. £200
Apollo 1500 c. £300
Fuji Mini Mite c.£400

Apollo and Fuji are 3 stage units which (I read) are better ?
Trying to avoid usual scenario we have all been through....buy cheap, buy twice. Though if the Earlex will suffice then happy to save the extra cash and use it for different jets/needles.
Another point is price of these needles vary quite considerably from brand to brand.
Not too keen on the fact that Axi seems to be sole UK distributor for Fuji, though I have no complaints about them in general.
Earlex seem plentiful and needles are cheap.
Apollo is a bit of a mystery. Not too much info available. They do a 2 stage unit much cheaper but with fixed 1.8 (I think) needle.
There is also a 3 stage unit from Morrells which I have emailed them about.

As you can tell, I am a total novice, so any info appreciated.

 

[Woodmonkey]

I've got a mini mite 3 which I might consider selling as I very rarely use it (and when I have used it I've just ended up making a mess)

 

[skronk]

I've got a mini mite 3 which I might consider selling as I very rarely use it (and when I have used it I've just ended up making a mess)

Woodmonkey... could you have a think and PM me a price please ?

 

[skronk]

Still looking for input from any source available please.

 

[Roughcut]

I recently mulled over getting a larger compressor but im restricted for space so opted for the Earlex Hv5500 HVLP.
I think it cost me around £190 from screwfix.
It comes with the 2.0mm needle and seems ok so far with the paint (morrells) I've used.
Although I also have some water based clear laquer that I haven't had a chance to spray yet, the 1.5mm needle is an optional extra I might purchase in the future if I feel it's needed.
I haven't used it a great deal yet but aside from the noise (it sounds like a vacuum) it looks to be a good buy.
The wood whisperer did a review with the Earlex and a Fuji a while ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lehXSNzqlpE

 

[oakfield]

I have got the previous Earlex model, the HV5000.
I have sprayed loads of stuff with it and get a good finish.
I started by using normal paint, but had to thin it so much to get it to spray.
I then moved on to Morrells,which I think is great, the only trouble is you have to buy s minimum of 5l which can be a pain if you just have something small to paint!
I felt that I was outgrowing the Earlex as it didn't have the power to put the paint down quick enough, so I briefly thought about upgrading to the HV5500, but then thought if I was upgrading I may as well get something I shouldn't out grow again.
I phoned Morrells about their 3 stage unit, but they couldn't tell me much about it! I then settled on the Fuji or Apollo 1500, and probably would of gone for the Apollo as it seemed better value but someone offered me a 3 stage Fuji (quite an old one) for a good price so I got it.
When I got it, it was unusable, but with a bit of fettling it is now spraying beautifully and is in a different league to the Earlex.

I don't think any of that info was very helpful - sorry!

 

[skronk]

I have got the previous Earlex model, the HV5000.
I have sprayed loads of stuff with it and get a good finish.
I started by using normal paint, but had to thin it so much to get it to spray.
I then moved on to Morrells,which I think is great, the only trouble is you have to buy s minimum of 5l which can be a pain if you just have something small to paint!
I felt that I was outgrowing the Earlex as it didn't have the power to put the paint down quick enough, so I briefly thought about upgrading to the HV5500, but then thought if I was upgrading I may as well get something I shouldn't out grow again.
I phoned Morrells about their 3 stage unit, but they couldn't tell me much about it! I then settled on the Fuji or Apollo 1500, and probably would of gone for the Apollo as it seemed better value but someone offered me a 3 stage Fuji (quite an old one) for a good price so I got it.
When I got it, it was unusable, but with a bit of fettling it is now spraying beautifully and is in a different league to the Earlex.

I don't think any of that info was very helpful - sorry!

I also tried Morrells for the sprayer, but could not get the dignity of a response !!!!

Can I ask what paint you use in place of Morrells as, like you I would not need 5 litres at a time !! (and had intended to use ordinary paint)

 

[oakfield]

I do use Morrells for my paint, or pigmented lacquer to be precise.
I just have a few different colours in stock left over from jobs and try to persuade future customs that they want one of them on there furniture!

I have used johnstones, dulux, f&b etc. they all spray well if you thin them enough, but I was thinning some of them by about 50% to get them through my Earlex which is way more than they recommend.

 

[kfenelon]

Try Wagner best HVLP spray units available used them for 25 years in my furniture restoration business

 

[mahomo59]

I use the Morrells ST 1 spray unit, 3 stages. It's brilliant. Up graded from earlex 5000, results are so much better, and so much faster. Bought it with out doing any research on it......as there is none! Went in to pick up my order, 20L, saw it and thought what the hell. So glad I did