Badger 100 side feed Review
7/2011
Badger makes three side fed airbrushes, the Thayer & Chandler 6000, the Renegade Spirit, and this one, the 100SF.
First Impression
It has the same solid feel and smooth action typical of my other Badger airbrushes. Mine has the new Glydecoat treatment on the trigger and rocker, and that might help. The handle is chrome plated brass, which makes it a bit tail heavy. It balances about where USA is stamped. But, it sits nice in the hand. Coast Airbrush shows it with an aluminum handle in their website. That would shift the balance closer to the trigger. Notice it still retains the little trigger adjust screw that was discontinued in the 150.
It comes in a left or right hand version. I think mine is the right hand type because the hole for the cup is on the right side. But, I could be wrong. The T&C 6000 and the Spirit have holes on both sides and a plug for the unused one. The 100SF doesn't.
It weighs 69g without a cup. The small cup is 12g, and the large one weighs 17g.
The 100SF shares functional parts with the other brushes in the 100 series and the 150. So, spray characteristics should be similar.
The proportions of the body are very different. Here it is next to the 150. I've removed the handles.
The body is shorter, and the trigger is much closer to the nozzle. This would be nice for doing close work.
It has the same lack of trigger tension adjust range that I noted on the 150. But, in this case since the body is so short, you could use the longer 105 / 155 needle tube and have plenty of adjustment.
Parts Breakdown
Here it is disassembled.
Mine came with the .25mm fine tip, spray regulator and needle. You can also get it with the .5mm medium parts, and it would accept the .76 heavy parts if you needed them.
The side cups are something new to me. There are two sizes; 1/8 oz. and 1/16 oz. Here I show them next to a 1/4 oz. siphon cup on the left.
I think they will be more difficult to clean. The bottom is removable as shown above. The spout makes a sharp turn and runs down inside the wall of the cup, and the hole is so small that swabbing it out is probably not an option.
Here is how the 1/8 oz. cup fits on the airbrush.It seems kind of awkward sticking out like that. But, with a hose hooked up, it's not that bad. I read a comment that it tends to fall off. But, I don't see that as likely if it is installed with a firm push and a slight twist.Of course, the great advantage of this arrangement is that you can tilt the cup to any angle you like.Badger doesn't offer a cap, so you don't want to swing it around too much.
Theoretically, you could hold the brush vertical and paint. But, if you do that with the large cup, as shown below, the cup bottom extends past the head and limits how close you can get. This is even true if you are anywhere near vertical.But, it's not a problem with the smaller cup.
Trying it out
I put a couple drops of food coloring in the small cup and tried it on a paper towel, and I wasn't getting the results that I know such a fine needle is capable of. The trigger action was stiffer than I am used to and affected my control. So, I swapped some parts out with my Patriot. I installed the Patriot needle tube to get more adjustment range on trigger tension, and my modified air valve for a lighter touch. With that change I did the doodle above. I believe I could do better if I filed down the crown spray regulator a bit. I didn't use the little trigger adjust screw.I discovered one reason people might have trouble with the cup falling off. I am right handed, and during use I noticed that my knuckle kept pushing against the cup. I can see where this might loosen it.I rinsed out the cup, and when I unscrewed the bottom, there was color still in it. So, this looks like something you can't skip.
Conclusion
This brush is meant for detail work, and it should be great for that. The tilt-able cup allows it to be used in any position. It uses the same parts as the 100LG and 150, and could be used as a general purpose airbrush. But, the small cups put it more in the class of the 100G and 100SG. With the cup on the side, there is nothing blocking your view, and no cup hanging off the bottom, and you may like that. With a 1/8 oz. cup, it's priced the same as the 100G, SG, and LG at Coast Airbrush.
I have to admit that it seems a bit awkward to me. But, that's probably because I'm just not used to it. And, that's why there are different styles to suit different tastes.
My thanks again to Ken for the sample.
Feedback
A fellow named Curt, who goes by the handle Netz on the ARC forum informed me that he has a 100SF just like mine and he's left handed. With the cup on the right and holding the brush in your left hand, your fingers don't push against the cup. This makes a lot of sense, and it would appear that I actually got a left handed airbrush. By the way, he likes his 100SF.
Please note: I received an e-mail from James Morikawa. He bought a right handed 100SF thinking the cup would be on the left side. It turns out that is not correct. He checked with Badger and was informed that the cup fits on the right side of a right handed 100SF, and the left side of the left handed model. So, my sample is a right handed model after all. Thank you, James for setting me straight.