This is a review of the new Wagner "Control Spray" hvlp handheld paint sprayer. I also own a professional HVLP turbine setup, conventional sprayers, and a professional airless set up all of which I have a lot of experience with.
This is NOT the same as the Wagner "airless" handhelds we love to bash here on the net.
I purchased mine at HD for $69.00. I had seen them first on a infomercial. The infomercial price was higher but came with more accessories.
The one I purchased at HD came with a 1 qt. cup and a 1 1/2 qt cup, but no lid for either (If you wanted to store paint in one) It also came with a viscosity cup.
I bought the sprayer to paint a few interior doors and to touch up paint on stucco.
Glancing at the instructions I did not see the thinning specs were for latex paint so I thinned the paint to a little thinner viscosity than I do for my professional HVLP turbine setup.
I thoroughly stirred the thinned paint and poured it through a strainer into the Wagner cup.
When you pull the trigger the turbine motor turns on and there is a slight delay before paint comes from the tip. This takes a little getting used to if you are used to releasing the trigger at the end of each path.
The spray pattern is very similar to my professional unit but not quite as fine.
I first sprayed a door. At first glance it had too much orange peel but this evened out nicely as the paint dried. The temperature was around 106 when I was spraying so it may have flowed out even better in cooler temps or if I had added flotrol.
Next I mixed some paint to touch up stucco. This batch was a little too thick so the volume of paint coming out of the gun was pretty low. After thinning further it worked fine
This Wagner unit sprays a little bit slower than my professional rig. $69.00 vs $400.00
Clean up was very easy taking under 5 minutes.
I will soon be spraying shellac and a water bourne poly through the Wagner and will report back with the results. I plan on using this as much as possible and will report back on its durability.
I have no association with Wagner. I am a handyman and a restorer of vintage travel trailers.
Craig McCormick