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7/2011
According to the Airbrush Museum, Thayer & Chandler began making airbrushes in 1891. In 1998, they went out of business. And, in 2000, Badger bought the product line and has been producing them ever since. The Omni 4000 is one of the most popular models.
The one I received seems to be an improved version. For one thing, it has the Patriot style tapered cup rather than the round bottom one shown in the manual. The new cup has better access for cleaning. It also has the Glydecoat anti friction coating on the trigger and rocker, and the new Teflon needle seal. The protective head cap and cup lid are no longer metal, but function just as well.
It weighs 88g, about the same as a Patriot.
One feature of the Omni line that I believe is unique among Badger airbrushes is a cap on the nozzle that can be inverted to either protect or expose the needle. The picture on the left shows it in the protect configuration and on the right to fully expose the needle. Actually, you can remove it and still use the airbrush, as the spray regulator is the section just behind it.
Here is the brush disassembled.
The needle seal is just like the one in the Krome. It is screwdriver adjustable, but a very sensitive adjustment. As you can see, the tip is the no-washer, free floating, self aligning type, making it easy to clean and care for. It comes with a wrench for the head, and you really should use it. The O-ring on the body has to be compressed a bit to get a good seal between the tip and body.
The Thayer & Chandler airbrushes all have the rocker permanently attached to the needle tube. Here too, there has been a modification.In the picture on the right, the upper rocker assembly is the Omni and the lower one is from my older Vega 1000. Notice that, not only is the Omni rocker darker in color due to the Glydecoat treatment, but it is a different shape. Also notice that the pin that secures it to the needle tube has been raised.According to Ken's blog:These modifications adjust the rocker lever’s height, eliminating any possibility of the rocker lever receding into the trigger slot and reducing any possible surface friction between the trigger and the rocker lever. The result is a smoother triggering action. The trigger is very smooth.The handle has a cutout, which I guess is nice if you want to yank the needle back. But, I never find this necessary.
The tip has a different part number than the one in my Vega 1000. Here they are together above. The Omni is the top one. I can't see any difference. They are both .5mm.
The needle looks the same as my Vega too.The Omni is the top one above again.
Trying it out
I did my doodle with food color on a paper towel, and it produced some surprisingly fine lines for a .5mm tip. But, I have to admit that I removed the nozzle cap, so I was able to get really close. And, I shortened both springs a bit to make the trigger action lighter.Trigger control was very good and smooth.The channel between the cup and needle seal retained some color after flushing with water and needed to be swabbed out. An fine inter-dental brush worked well for this.
Conclusion
I really like this airbrush. I also like my Vega 1000. But, this one has the larger cup and the removable nozzle cap. And, I like the adjustable needle seal.
I still say the Patriot is a great airbrush. It's a newer design, and has great features. The Omni has the channel between the cup and seal that needs to be swabbed out, but that only takes a second. And, you do need a wrench to tighten the head. Plus, you have to remove the handle to pull the needle. But the Omni is every bit the equal of the Patriot in performance. In fact, I can do finer lines with the Omni. And yet, maximum coverage is at least as wide as the Patriot's. It's just a really good general coverage airbrush.
Thank you Ken for the sample.
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