Wagner Power Painter - I Stand Corrected

[crokett]

I bought one when we were at our old house to stain a fence. Since then it has painted a couple rooms, stained 3 decks and a play house and painted two sheds. I know everybody hates them and I've been defending mine. Well last month I saw a Graco Magnum DX sprayer on CL for what my Wagner cost new so I bought it. I painted the new shop today with it, and after some initial start up problems (too large a tip size) I can see why people hate the Wagner. I got used to having a brush around to back brush the dribbles and spatters. Today I never took it out of my pocket. I wasn't running to fill the paint cup every 10 minutes, plus the spray gun is a LOT lighter than the Wagner motor+paint in the cup. Lastly, total time to paint and clean up was about 3 hrs, including the initial fumbling and a trip to the store to get a smaller tip. It took that long just to paint my much smaller shed the last time I used the Wagner.

[jkristia]

A couple of weeks ago I was just about to buy the $100 Wagner spray they have in Home Depot when the guy in the paint department recommended me NOT to and instead either rent an airless spray gun or if I needed to do a larger paint job, spend the extra and buy a better one. After I came home I checked the reviews online, and 10 out of 12 said it was a waste of money - so I guess HD has had a lot of complains with the Wagner one.

[crokett]

Well my defense is "I didn't know any better". The Wagner I had worked ok. On exterior stains the spotting wasn't as problematic because I back brush anyway but the Graco is so much better at paint. Mine is a Graco Magnum DX. It is the homeowner/occasional use model but still runs circles around the Wagner. The nearest equivalent might be the Wagner Paint Crew. HD carries the Graco and Wagner lines. Graco renamed it from the DX but you can still get the equivalent. The main advantage over the Paint Crew is mine has the hose you stick right in the paint can. The Paint Crew you pour the paint into the hopper and it is just one more thing to clean. Today I started with one can and instead of moving the sprayer intake to a new can I just poured paint into the first one as it ran empty.

[cabinetman]

Figuring out the best setup for an airless can make a difference. Spraying paint and spraying stains may take a little experimenting. That holds for just about any type of spraying. As in spraying furniture finishes, it's trial and error to get the hang of it.
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[Ed62]

I tried a Wagner years ago. Once was enough for me.

Ed

[herb fellows]

I am, unfortunately, stuck with the wagner power pro. Fortunately, I just have to paint a single metal door.
Unfortunately, using the 'dip cup', I haven't been able to meet anywhere near the 85 seconds to empty it (maybe 3 minutes?).
I've never seen a paint that recommended more than 10% dilution, but that doesn't seem to do the trick here.
Any suggestions on an exterior paint (brand and 'model') and % dilution? Any hope at all of getting it sprayed right with this contraption? Bought it 4 years ago, never used it until now.

[cwsmith]

I have a couple of siphon-feed spray guns (used in combination with an air compressor) that I've used for applying poly, lacquer, and paint. Great for some projects but not something I'd ever try for doing a room... just too much overspray.

I used a Wagner years ago in an attempt to paint the house. Just inadequate and after that initial attempt I through in the towel and had the house vinyl sided.

Earlier this last week I received a rebate form from Ryobi (20%) on any of their new paint systems. Specifically, I'm entertaining the idea of buying the "dual" system. It pumps the paint directly from the can and claims "no thinning" into the supplied roller, pad, or spray gun. They have a video and promo info on their website at www.ryobitools.com

I looked at the reviews on the Home Depot site and the opinions run about 3 out of 4 to the negative, with most citing dripping, lack of control, etc. as a major flaw. However, the few positive reviews cite it as perfect, quick, and surprisingly efficient. Such extremes in opinion makes one wonder if some people just don't know what their doing... or the product has a horrible run of defects.

So, has anyone here looked at this product or have any opinion? I might give it a try and after all, if it doesn't work it can be returned under the 30-day Satisfaction Guarantee. But before proceeding, I thought I'd ask for any opinions.

TIA,

CWS

[crokett]

Herb, how big is the door? I'd brush it before I painted with the Wagner. You will be cleaning up for almost as long as you are painting. I never thinned anything. Never had to. I used both paint and stain directly from the can. Mine didn't come with a dip cup. I've sprayed Behr, Glidden and Valspar from mine, with no thinning on any of them. I don't know what model sprayer you have. Mine came with hoses where you were supposed to be able to suck paint directly from the can but it never worked for me. The sprayer was too wimpy to pull the paint from the can.

Some tips if you decide to use it - oil it with 3 in 1 before use. Put a couple drops in the intake hole before you put the intake tube and paint cup on. This will keep it from jamming. When you want to clean it, the easiest way is to get as much of the paint out of the paint cup back into the can as you are able, then rinse the paint cup and fill it with whatever solvent is appropriate for what you are spraying. Start the sprayer again and spray solvent until it runs more or less clear. Then dump the remaining solvent into a bucket or can and take the sprayer apart. Put the piston, spray tip, valve, intake tube and intake screen into the solvent to soak, then come back in half an hour or so and rinse them.

[BobSch]

I've never used a spray gun of any type before so this question is probably a forehead-slapper but which is "better" an airless system or a HVLP gun?

[herb fellows]

Sorry, it's the wagner 220 'heavy duty' power painter. Airless.

[crokett]

Does it look like this? If so, mine looks a lot like that one except mine is yellow. Came with all the same options though. Anyway, for a door I would brush before painting with the Wagner. You will be disappointed in the quality. If you have to spray it, rent or borrow a larger one.

[catta12]

I have the old yellow Wagner too. I am going to pick up an HF 94572 tomorrow now that I have a compressor big enough to run one. The Wagner worked when that was my only option, but man do they suck compared to just about everything except a brush (and sometimes not even better than the brush).

[cabinetman]

I've never used a spray gun of any type before so this question is probably a forehead-slapper but which is "better" an airless system or a HVLP gun?

Not really a forehead-slapper. The differences in any type of spray gun is what happens to the paint as the gun processes it, and how it gets from the gun to the object piece.

In basic terms, as best as I can describe the difference, air type guns use different types of methods to utilize the paint and air to atomize the paint and make it an air/paint mixture. Air pressure, or volume is then used to propel the paint from the gun. Airless guns utilize a pump that with high pressure forces the paint out the tip. These guns have a high fluid flow and can be useful with heavy bodied paints. IMO, not a gun I would use for furniture finishing.
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[herb fellows]

Does it look like this? If so, mine looks a lot like that one except mine is yellow. Came with all the same options though. Anyway, for a door I would brush before painting with the Wagner. You will be disappointed in the quality. If you have to spray it, rent or borrow a larger one.

OK, thanks for the advice. It is essentially the same, but i don't have the hose for the bucket, just the sprayer. To paint one door (just a side door to the house), I'd really hate to have to rent equipment. By brushing first, then spraying, will it kill the brush marks? If not, I guess there is no good reason to even bother spraying?

[crokett]

I would not use the Wagner on the door. You will be disappointed in the finish and most likely will be back brushing to get rid of the spits and dribbles. Personally I'd just brush it, but it is not my house. If you absolutely must have a sprayed door, get some rattle cans. I think you can even get them mixed now if you need a custom color. I would do the rattle cans before I rented. It would take a lot of rattle cans before it is pricier than a rented sprayer plus there is no cleanup.