Hey all,  I was in the hobby shop the other day looking at airbrushes.  How do I know which one to get?  I don't want to spend $150.  What do I look for in a quality one?

LunkersO, a Paasche VL can be had for about $60-$70 at Harbor Freight. They are good airbrushes, good detail and easy to maintain. The Iwata brushes are some of the best but they are pricey, super fine detail and also easy to maintain. Both these brushes are double action which you will need to do fine detail. When undercoating a lot of baits I use an old single action brush, usually one color and no detail. Do not buy an airbrush with out a good compressor, the use of canned air can really get expensive. Dixie Art is one of the top airbrush companys for guns, paint and parts, good folks to deal with. Keep your eye on E-bay, sometimes some really good buys are available.

Well there are 2 different types of airbrushes.A single action,which the paint is externally mixed with air.And a dual action,which the paint is internally mixed with air.Single actions are way more affordable,but I don't think you will get as smooth of a blend or fade with a single action.Yet a single action is much easier to clean up.I use both actually.I do most of my painting with a Badger 200 dual action.It cost about $90.Most single action will only cost $20.I use the single action for primers,my base coat,and splatter backs(which there is a trick to).Another thing you will have to check on is an airbrush compressor.They tend to run around $200 bucks.I would subjest using cans of airbrush propellant to start.Hope this is some help. CJ

I would invest in a Iwata HPCBS airbrush double action  try bear-air.com. its about 90.00 and its probably one of the bast out there, alot of plastic modelers use them

Thanks for the quick and detailed answers!  I am going to have to do some shopping.  Thanks again!