Wagner Power Painter

[koolmoecraig]

I have never in my life heard anything good about these things yet they are still around.

Has anyone actually had any positive experience using a Wagner power spray painter?

[boykster]

I have a Wagner Paint Crew (the old one, not the Plus which looks like a pressure washer), and it's actually pretty decent for how much I paid for it - $200.  Sure, it's crap compared to contractor grade stuff, the sprayer is pretty cheap, the hose doesn't have a swivel, etc., but again, you get what you pay for.

The hose/sprayer/tips/etc are all standard size, you can easily augment the kit with some better gear if you want to.  Biggest limitation is that the hopper only holds about 2 gallons IIRC.  The pro gear connects directly to 5gal cans of paint so no pouring and longer spraying between changes.

I painted the outside of my entire house with one a few years ago, and other than having to replace the spray tips a few times, the system performed admirably.  I also used it to paint my living room with vaulted ceilings, and a few other larger areas of the interior of my house.

If I was going to do a LOT of projects, I'd buy an entry level contractor sprayer, but for occasional jobs, it's fine.

I have ZERO experience with their smaller units or any of their other gear.

This is the one I have:

Paint Crew

[leapinlew]

I have ZERO experience with their smaller units or any of their other gear.

I bought the smaller one at Best Buy. The Wideshot or something like that. I was using it to paint my ceilings (it was those popcorn ceilings). The things were awful. I bought it at Bestbuy and kept exchanging it. It would last about 1 room and then quit. I had to thin primer to get it through. All I used it for was priming and the ceiling. It took me 8 guns to get through my home...

[mccoy178]

I bought this one and I've been very pleased with it.  As far as thinning paint, that's as simple as adding a very very small amount of water. 

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=133756-97-0500013&lpage=none

[shardian]

The Wagner thing always ruins my project by randomly taking a dump. I hate those things.

[ChadTower]

They're decent for projects where the finish isn't a major concern - fences, house siding, etc.  Have to consider the quality about the same as a Harbor Freight tool, though.  It's not going to last in heavy use.