The question we hear most often is “which model should I start with?” The answer does not depend on price. It depends on three things: trigger action, paint feed, and head size. Once those are clear, choosing a model is simple.
1. Single action or double action
Single action means you press the trigger down and air and paint come out at a rate you set beforehand on the body. It is the easiest to learn and suits base coats, large flat areas, model work, and anything that does not need the paint flow changed mid-stroke.
Double action means you press down for air and pull back for paint, so you control the amount of paint while you spray. It suits gradients, portraits, nail work, custom automotive painting, and any detailed work. It takes longer to learn but covers far more ground.
If you are unsure, ask whether your work needs the paint to change weight within a single stroke. If it does, buy double action from the start — it is cheaper than buying twice.
2. Siphon feed or gravity feed
Siphon feed puts the bottle below the airbrush. It holds a lot of paint and lets you swap bottles quickly without washing the body, so it suits large areas and jobs where you change colour often.
Gravity feed lets paint fall into the airbrush from a cup on top. It works at lower air pressure, atomises more finely, and wastes very little paint, so it suits detail work and close-in spraying.
3. Head size
The number you see — .38mm, .75mm — is the opening in the head. Smaller means finer lines, but the paint must be thinned well and it clogs more easily.
- .20 – .38 mm — fine detail, thin lines, portraits, nails, small-scale models
- .55 – .75 mm — the all-round sizes. If you can only have one head, pick from here.
- 1.05 mm and up — large areas, thicker paint, fabric, furniture
Many Paasche models are sold as sets with all three head sizes included, which costs less than buying heads separately later.
Which model suits whom
- Starting out, general work — the H, single action siphon feed. Tough, easy to clean, parts always available.
- Want gradients from day one — the VL, double action siphon feed. Paasche’s best seller.
- Fine detail and portraits — the Talon or Vision, gravity feed, heads down to .20 mm.
- Tanning and nail work — the Millennium or TS, which run at low pressure and spray continuously.
- Large areas and furniture — an HVLP spray gun will serve you better than an airbrush.
Do not forget the compressor and hose
Every airbrush needs steady air. Most work happens between 15 and 30 psi. A compressor with a tank gives steadier air than one without, and a moisture trap is essential — water carried in the air leaves spots on the work.
Paasche threads are 1/8″ BSP. If you already own a compressor or hose, we stock adapters so they will fit.
In short
Pick the trigger action for the kind of work, the feed for how much paint you use, and the head size for how fine you need to go. If you are still unsure, contact us — we are the official Paasche distributor in Thailand, we stock every part, and we advise in Thai.