List Price: $314.95
Sale Price: $258.95
Today's Bonus: 18% Off
This is a pretty decent entry-level compressor. If you're just getting into airbrushing or you know you're only ever going to work on small projects, this is an excellent purchase. However, if you're potentially at risk of working on anything larger than a model kit or a t-shirt you'll probably want to bite the bullet and get something with a larger capacity now rather than later. I've recently started customizing bike frames and on the long strokes this compressor's capacity can feel frustratingly anemic.
So to sum up:
Small projects = good
Large projects = bad
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I saw this air compressor at the Iwata booth during the 2010 Trainfest in Milwaukee and was immediately smitten with its quiet operation.This is my first airbrush compressor purchase, having avoided them in the past due to noise and vibration. I am using it with Badger Patriot 105 and a Binks Wren airbrushes. At home I can operate this compressor inside without disturbing the rest of the household occupants. However, quiet comes at a price of limited air volume; the specs show ~0.64 cu ft per minute. This is sufficient for most usage, but if you need high volume for very fine paint atomization, you may be wanting. For this reason I also purchased a Badger Cyclone which provides almost three times the air volume, but is slightly louder and exhibits much more vibration. had the Cyclone for $95; a price I couldn't resist.
Some things to know:
1. The Iwata Smart Jet comes with two hoses, but the coiled hose is to connect from the compressor outlet to the gauge/dryer inlet. The coiled hose provides some air accumulation and filters out the pulses from the compressor. The second, straight hose connects the dryer outlet to your airbrush. The dryer outlet is a standard 1/4" pipe thread but doesn't seem to be tapered. See item 4 below.
2. Iwata hose-end products all use the standard 1/8" air connections. Included with the Smart Jet are three adapters to connect to Badger, Paasche and Aztek airbrushes. BTW, the Paasche adapter fits my Binks Wren.
3. The compressor starts and stops instantly and does not "walk" during operation, startup or shutdown.
4. Iwata hoses and fittings all use O-rings. This means all fittings seal finger tight. But if you connect to non-Iwata products that expect tapered pipe thread connection you'll employ quite a few wraps of teflon tape to get a good seal. I discovered this when connecting a Home-Depot standard quick disconnect to the 1/4" compressor output.
I use the Smart Jet for the bulk of airbrush work, using the Cyclone only when I need the extra volume. To facilitate easy compressor and airbrush changeout, I utilize 1/4" quick disconnects at the compressor end of all my hoses, and Iwata 1/8" quick disconnects at the airbrush end.
Bottom line is if you want a quiet, compact compressor for airbrushing, get this unit.
Best Deals for Iwata-Medea Studio Series Smart Jet Single Piston Air Compressor
This compressor is excellent for building plastic models. It's not too heavy, runs quietly, shuts off when not in use, and it has a very long hose for your airbrush so you can be far away. I use this primarily inside of an apartment and it's silent enough that it doesn't bother anyone else. One thing you should consider is that to adjust air pressure on this model, you have to open a valve on the moisture trap which, at very low PSI, creates a constant hissing sound which prevents the compressor from shutting off when not in use (as intended). It sprays just fine but it is markedly louder at lower pressure.I use this in conjunction with an Iwata-Medea Eclipse HP CS Dual Action Airbrush Gun / Gravity Feed to build Gundam models and it's been great.
Honest reviews on Iwata-Medea Studio Series Smart Jet Single Piston Air Compressor
I was quite disappointed when I realized the smart jet does not have a true pressure adjustment gauge. After reading so many great reviews about it and after extensive researching the various type of compressors I thought this was the ideal compressor. I even went to a few stores to look at compressor The sales woman at one of the stores told me the compressor she was using was a smart jet and it obviously was not or they had added another pressure gauge independent of the moisture gasket.To adjust the pressure you must bleed the moisture gasket to lower the pressure and obtain the desired psi. If I had known this was how the iwata pressure was adjusted and the only way to lower the psi or that opening the adjustment gauge causes the unit to cycle on and off, faster and faster as you lower the psi's. Until the compressor is running constantly non stop and is not cycling on or off. The other selling point of the iwata is how quiet it runs but hearing it constantly running it begins to sound pretty loud. Also because it is not shutting off it is running very hot to the touch and a shutdown from overheating is bound to happen and definitely not preserving the motor as advertised. .
The ability to turn on and off is one of its major selling points and the one of two differences between the smart jet and the spring jet. The sprint jet runs constantly and costs $50-70 less than the smart jet. But the ability to cycle on and off and its quietness are reasons for my purchase/ A feature that I am not able to experience with the smart jet because I need to set the compressor's psi around 12-15 for my intended use. I cab not be utilized at15 psi without the constant cycling on and off and the continuous noise.
I use the compressor around 13-116 psi for make up and it begins to get really warm and uncomfortable hot after running for after 5 or 6 minutes since it is not cycling on of off. minutes. Perhaps if I was using it at the maximum psi of 35 I would benefit from the on/off feature. I don't have a need for the higher psi which, incidentally is not high enough to use with all of the Iwata airbrushes or paints.
I am very disappointed that I spent over 250 for a major feature that can not be done at the at the lower psi. It is advertised as preserving your motor because of its ability to cycle on and off pressure gauge for adjusting. I guess it would have been ideal I had a use for something requiring use at the maximum psi. But if a "true pressure gauge" adjustment is wanted to cut down on noise, preserving your motor and less noise because its not constantly running this is not the unit. So it is not meeting my expectations at all and I am very disappointed with my iwata air compressor. I could have saved $150 of the $280 spent, if I had purchased a cheaper compressor that had a real pressure adjustment and advertised the noise level of 50 db the same as iwata. This is not the fault of the vendor, But I am so disappointed in this compressor. This compressor was a colossal waste of $270 when a comparable compressor can be found for 100.. I feel cheated and am very disappointed.
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