Paint sprayers were initially invented in 1887 by a man who was looking to ease his painting job. The job at hand was painting a multilevel basement and the invention was only adopted for commercialization after 1893.
Since then, the paint sprayer has undergone incredible upgrades to become a must-have tool for every painter in town. You can even get a miniaturized version that you can use for your own DIY house painting jobs.
But how do you pick out the best paint sprayer? The two main categories are airless paint sprayers and air paint sprayers. Both use paint atomization to dispense paint. The purpose of paint atomization is to enable even paint distribution.
Fun Fact: A throat doctor, Dr. DeVilbiss invented the medical atomizer to ensure even distribution of medicine in special applications back in 1888. It was his son, Tom DeVilbiss, who decided to adopt the technology for paint spraying purposes.
Atomization was further improved with the introduction of electrostatic painting that uses an electric charge to atomize paint so it can stick to the powder-coated surface that is being painted.
In order to better decide which sprayer you should buy, you need to understand the difference between an airless and an air paint sprayer. An air gun paint sprayer uses an air-pressurized spray gun to apply paint.
On the other hand, an airless paint sprayer, on the other hand, uses a high-pressure pump to atomize paint particles. There is also a hybrid category of air-assisted airless spray guns used in factors for a flat-line application.
Airless vs air paint sprayer: Applications
Each type of paint sprayer is for particular applications. Air paint sprayers work better with thinner paints and are best for painting furniture, cabinets, molding, and doors.
Airless paint sprayers, on the other hand, work better with thicker paints. They are best for painting exterior surfaces such as decks, shutters, fences, walls, and ceilings.
READ ALSO: The quietest 80-gallon air compressors on the market
Airless vs air paint sprayer: Pros and cons
Air paint sprayers are cheaper and they dispense paint at a slower rate which makes it stick to surfaces much better; making them better for smoother finishes. Unfortunately, this also makes them wasteful as the air forces out more paint at a time.
Air-free paint sprayers, on the other hand, handle bigger jobs better on account of their faster paint pumping rate. Conversely, the highly pressurized sprayer does make them much more expensive.
Conclusion
You can only compare airless paint sprayers vs air-assisted paint sprayers based on the project size, kind of paint being used, anticipated result, and surface. If in doubt, lease one first before you spent money buying your own.