Badger 175 Crescendo Review

6/2011

The Crescendo is a real work horse airbrush. I've read that it was originally designed for T shirt artists and their thicker paints, and it is still used by many of them. It has been the first double action airbrush for a lot of people. I got the one with the medium tip and needle.

First Impressions

No one would call this a dainty airbrush. After using several standard size airbrushes, this one feels like holding a potato. My 155 is about .43 inches in diameter. The body of the 175 is .62 inches. And, it weighs 96g without a cup versus 77g for the 155. It's just slightly nose heavy due to the plastic handle, but comfortable to hold. It has a very solid feel.

Trigger action is nice and smooth. You might notice that the trigger is not shiny chrome. Neither is the rocker. They both have the new Glydecoat anti-friction treatment that apparently Badger is phasing in on all their models.

The handle is two piece plastic. The rear section snaps off for easy needle extraction. But, there is a little play in this connection that I don't like when I hold the brush. I don't feel that it's that much trouble to unscrew the handle for cleaning, so I'll probably glue the two parts together.

Parts Breakdown

Here is what it looks like disassembled. I didn't dismantle the air valve because it's just like all other Badger air valves.

The arrows point to two parts that are shared with the 155 Anthem. The tip is the same .76mm Anthem tip, and the trigger assembly is basically the same as the Anthem. The large brass piece (the tube shank) must be tightened all the way or it will turn when you loosen the needle chuck. Just in front of the needle chuck is the tension adjust for the trigger. The 175 has a pressed-in needle bearing, like most Badger airbrushes. But, it's bigger in diameter and has a different part number. Badger will replace it free if it ever wears out. There is only one O-ring, a tiny one in the air valve.

Here is how the brush looks next to an Anthem.

The overall length is about the same, but the trigger is closer to the nozzle. Each square is one inch.

Notice that the needle sticks out past the spray regulator on both brushes. It can be snagged if you're not careful.

Here is a comparison of the 175 and 155 medium needles. The 175 is the upper one. I have polished the 155 needle. The shaft diameter of the 175 needle is .07 inches instead of the 155's .05 inches. But, the tapers appear identical. And, I expect spray characteristics will also be the same.

I picked up a fine needle at Coast Airbrush for $3.95. Parts are cheap for this brush. Here is the 175 fine needle next to a Patriot needle. The 175 is the upper one. Again, the shaft diameters are different, but the tapers are the same. The .5mm fine tip and spray regulator are the same parts as used on the Patriot, so I expect it will spray similar to a Patriot or a 3155.

Here is the 155 rocker on the left, and the 175 on the right. The 175 rocker has to be bigger because of the larger body. Notice that it's not shiny. This is due to the anti-friction treatment. It's a little easier to install than the 155 rocker, just because of its size.

Trying it out I did my usual doodle with green food coloring on a paper towel, with medium parts. It's funny how quickly I got used to the fat feeling. It's actually very comfortable to hold, even without the addition of leather pads. It sprays just like my 155, which is just fine with me. Clean up is just as easy as the 155, except you have to pop off the handle to pull the needle; big deal. I sprayed some enamel on a plastic bottle, and if there is a difference in the way the 175 and 155 spray, I can't tell it.Note: Not everyone likes the way the 155 medium tip sprays. At first, the taper is very shallow, and spray control is similar to a fine needle. And then, when the trigger is about half way back, the taper changes suddenly and the trigger becomes much more sensitive, and the spray angle much wider. But, the 175 can be purchased with a fine head and needle, making it more like the 3155. This won't give you the wide coverage of the medium parts, but still sufficient for most models. And, fine lines are easier to obtain.

I did the doodle again using the fine needle, with a tip and spray regulator borrowed from my Patriot. This is about as good as I can do with the Patriot. By the way, some people brag that they can use their gravity fed airbrushes with just a few drops of paint. I put just two drops of food coloring in the cup and did this and a bunch of other stuff on a paper towel. When you first pull back on the trigger, it all gets sucked up into the head of the brush. And then, it's essentially a gravity feed.Conclusion

My wife likes those big fat ball point pens. I don't. But, obviously she is not alone, or they wouldn't sell so well. An airbrush is kind of a similar thing. If you have large hands, or just like the feel of a large body airbrush, this is good choice. It's certainly sturdy and easy to care for. It has the same wide range of spray pattern as the 155. And, a fine tip, spray regulator and needle are available, which make it perform like a 3155. One thing that is unique to it among Badger airbrushes is that it also has a 1.0mm tip as an option, which must make it spray like a fire hose.

I've seen people ask on forums for an airbrush that will do everything. Well, unless you need really fine detail, this one comes pretty close. Some might think of it as an entry level or crafts store airbrush, maybe because of the plastic handle. But, I don't think that does it justice. It's actually a very nice instrument. And, parts are very cheap.

Coast Airbrush sells the 175 for $2 more than the 155. So, there is very little price difference.

My sincere thanks to Ken Schlotfeldt for the sample.

Nozzle Trivia

Why do you suppose Badger and Paasche nozzles are about 0.25, 0.50, 0.76, and 1.00 mm?

Well, it could be because they are American companies that use inch measurements instead of metric.

0.01 inches = 0.254mm

0.02 inches = 0.508mm

0.03 inches = 0.762mm

0.04 inches = 1.016mm

Those are nice round numbers in inches.

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