In the big scheme of airbrushes and spray guns, choosing the right airbrush compressor is the least important step and possibly the most expensive step.
Those who want to make the best choice should answer these three questions first.
How much capacity do you need?
Will a noisy compressor be a problem?
Is electric power a problem?
Some quick suggestions for impatient buyers. Read on below for a detailed guide.
Best Airbrush Compressors for 2020
Most of these are quite an airbrush compressors
| Compressor | Model | Features | Max Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Iwata-Medea Smart Jet Air Compressor $259.49 | General purpose, illustrations, hobbies, models, craft, makeup | 35 PSI |
 |
Iwata-Medea Studio Series Power Jet Pro $495.75 | Multi-purpose, 1/6 HP, 2 liters tank | 70 PSI |
 |
Badger TC910 Aspire Pro Airbrush Compressor $138.42 | 1/5 HP, Quiet, 3-liter built-in tank | 57 PSI |
 |
Paasche D3000R 1/8 HP Compressor with Tank $100.98 | Compact, quiet, 1/8 HP, 3-liter tank | 20-30 PSI |
 |
Master Airbrush Compressors $199.96 | Various models, cheap affordable | 57 PSI |
Choosing the right Airbrush Compressor Reviews
The prices of compressors produced and marketed for airbrushes may differ. This variety is determined by the performance and characteristics of the compressor. Such compressors can be purchased from most art supplies stores as well as Amazon and come in a variety of sizes. Make sure the compressor is rated for the type of Airbrush you will make. These compressors are suitable for airbrushes used for miniature painting, scale modeling, fine art, illustrations, nail art, body art, and crafts.
Iwata Media Smart Jet Air Compressor
Smart Jet Compressor is an oil-free piston-type compressor perfect for use with fine (low viscosity) type paints such as Comart, Golden Airbrush Colors, and a fixed nozzle, gravity-fed airbrush, or a low-viscosity siphon-fed airbrush. This setup does not work well with an airbrush and textile colors such as Paasche VL unless you refine or reduce the airbrush textile colors.
Iwata Media Studio Series Power Jet Pro
Here is a suitcase-style Airbrush compressor. Oil-free piston-type Airbrush compressor in a metal case. These are perfect for a home or apartment. studios to be used with fine paints (low viscosity). If you need a silent compressor, you may want to give this type of compressor a look. Again, it does not work well for high viscosity paints, such as textile colors with a floating nozzle, unless you dilute or reduce the paint.
Badger TC910 Aspire Pro Airbrush Compressor
While Badger offers products for almost all Airbrush painting, the TC910 is best understood as a hobby model that can be used for certain commercial purposes with certain projects.
This compressor has some solid features.
For example, while the engine transmits a maximum of 57 psi at the same time, it produces a sufficient power of 1/5 HP. This compressor also comes with the largest 1-gallon air storage tank.
This compressor is intended for easy transportation. Firstly, the whole kit was placed in a metal box with non-slip feet. There is a handle on the top of the box and there are even two cases for Airbrushes.
All this shows that the Badger should be taken quickly and easily on the go for use on the spot. If you choose to do this, be prepared to wrap an approximately 20-pound compressor kit.
Paasche D3000R Air Compressor with Tank
Paasche is one of the better compressor brands for airbrushing and the D3000R performs admirably.
While there are a number of cool qualities and features about this compressor, one of the most impressive is how quiet it is. Unlike many other compressors for airbrushing, the Paasche D3000R only produces a pallet of 46 dB when turned on – which is not a steady state of this compressor. From a perspective, 46 dB is slightly higher than a quiet office or homeroom, but softer than moderate precipitation or normal speech. Even if other compressors for airbrushing claim to be silent, they will be forced to match Paasche in this regard.
In terms of standard features, Paasche is sufficient, and the engine of the compressor can produce 1/5 HP, which is good. Of course, the ¾-gallon air storage tank reduces the noise of this compressor only by reducing the need to be always on. 40 psi is good, but not the most impressive on our list.
Paasche D500 Oil less Piston Compressor
This is an oil-free diaphragm-type compressor and works well for very light-duty airbrushing with a gravity-fed airbrush and low-viscosity paint.
1/5 H.P. oil-free piston compressor with regulator and moisture trap. The compressor is equipped with an automatic shutoff switch that turns off the compressor when the airbrush is not used. It provides power up to 20-35 PSI depending on the airbrush used. Very quiet work.
Silentaire Sil-Air 50-24 Silent Running Airbrush Compressor
Here is a pretty much working (40 decibels) half-horsepower compressor made by Silent Air for the airbrushing market. This size compressor will produce limited T-Shirts and will provide the required PSI using textile colors and siphon-feed airbrushes. It would also be good to use Auto Art with motorcycle murals.
Silent Running Automatic Operation Moisture Trap With Sequential Regulator To Prevent Rust Line Pressure Gauge Internal Painted Tank Tank Pressure Gauge Thermally Protected Portable Specifications HP (Horsepower) 1/2 Voltage: 110/60, 230 / 50-60 Output: 2.15 CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) Maximum Pressure: 114 PSI (pounds per square inch) Operating Pressure: 84-114 PSI (pounds per square inch) Noise Level: 40 Decibels Tank Size: 6 Gallons Made in Italy
Airbrush Compressor Buying Guide
Airbrush compressors! How much confusion is Airbrushing looking for a good reliable air source for a custom painting? The main purpose of this tutorial is to clarify the many options you should choose when purchasing an airbrush compressor.
How much capacity do you need?
Here is the basic formula to determine how much airflow capacity you need.
Total Air Volume Needed x 1/(Duty Cycle) = Compressor CFM Requirement
Check your setup. How many airbrushes and sprayers will you use at the same time? It does not count in succession. This gives your Total Air Volume Required.
The total Air Volume required is the bare minimum. Prodigal. Do not buy anything that pumps anything less than this number. Bad. Very bad.
But still, there is something else to consider here.
Duty Cycle, normally given as a percentage, means that the compressor motor should only operate for that percentage of every hour the compressor is used. It is recommended that you do your best to keep your compressor running for a long time.
Examples
50% Duty Cycle = runs 30 minutes for one hour of use.
25% Duty Cycle = 15 minutes running for one hour of use.
Will a noisy compressor be a problem?
Compressors, especially large ones, can be high. It is very, very noisy. There are four ways to handle noise.
- Give her the fairy tale treatment – in a land far, far away.
- The muzzle is like a dog barking loudly…
- Do not buy a noisy compressor.
- Avoid using all of the compressors together and use compressed gas cans.
Give her the fairy tale treatment – in a land far, far away.
In fairy tales, everything always happens in a very remote country – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and even modern fairy tales such as Star Wars (I don’t know if I would call Yoda a fairy godmother …).
Lock your compressor in a dungeon or tower or drive to New Jersey. If you don’t have your own dungeon or easy access to Trenton, the garage shed, even a closet, works great.
All these methods work because noise softens with distance.
If you decide to be medieval in your compressor, make sure that your choice provides excellent ventilation, compressors will ultimately use air.
Also, keep the compressors away from the elements. Most compressors are covered with rain and snow.
Potential, fairy-like problems.
Do not discharge your own noise problems to your neighbors. It is not nice to wake the neighborhood in the dead hours of the night, as the inspiration hits you on your head with 2×4.
Do not forget to take care of your compressor. Out of sight out of mind. Don’t fall into that trap. You will have to empty the tank and moisture traps, check the oil levels, blah blah blah.