THE MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONALS

Sprayers linked to profitability—which do you prefer?

by Brian Sodoma

sprayer 2A 2014 survey of professional painters asked what piece of equipment paint pros couldn’t live without: 89% said their airless sprayer. Many paint pros have learned to spray their way to profitability through the years. But asking them which sprayers they think are the best brings plenty of debate.

One pro’s view

Terry Begue can’t live without his Titan Impact 440 airless sprayer. The long-time Akron, Ohio-based paint pro has perfected his spraying methods through the years to increase profitability. He’s even written a book about it. And Titans have delivered for more than two decades for him.

Begue buys his 440s brand new and pays between $800 and $1,000 for them. He claims to get 400–500 jobs out of each one. Parts are reasonably priced and he could rebuild them, but with the attractive price point, he’s happy to buy new ones when seals crack and pistons need repacking. “The units are so cheap, we could buy one every week and still be profitable,” he added.

Other preferences

Many pros swear by Graco as well, and longevity is one of the key reasons mentioned. There also seems to be no shortage of pros that prefer to rebuild them and claim more than a decade of service out of each.

Fabio Silva, a CertaPro crew leader in Pennsylvania and proud owner of Graco Ultra Max II 595, 795 and 1095 units, is one of them. Silva, whose sprayers start at $1,500 and climb to more than $3,000, does his own maintenance.

“Gracos are really easy to figure out and it’s easy to find parts. I replace the pump kit every two years and the piston every five to seven years myself and they just keep going,” he said.

The Ultra Max II 1095 is popular among pros for its ability to accommodate two hoses. Sam Attenberg, founder of Advanced Painting Group in Carlsbad, CA, isn’t comfortable with doing his own maintenance, but he’s happy to pay someone every few years to rebuild his Graco 1095. Attenberg stumbled across the unit about 10 years ago.

“To be honest with you, I didn’t know any better. … I needed a sprayer for a job and the guy at the counter showed me this one. I bought it and have been really happy,” he said.

Want to hear more from pros about pro’s sprayer preferences? Read the full feature article in the upcoming June/July issue of inPAINT® magazine: inpaintmag.com

Current Issue

Current IssueRead the current issue in page-turner format.

Read 

 

 

 

Free Subscription

Sign up for your FREE subscription to inPAINT magazine, delivered directly to your mailbox.

Sign up

Connect