# Easy beginner spray gun, but holy ear protection batman.......



## DustyM

Mike,

Thanks for the thorough review here. I've been eyeballing this system for a while, as I'm hoping to reface my kitchen cabinets sometime this year, and figured spraying would be the way to go. It's a small kitchen (10 doors, half a dozen drawers): do you think this would work well for my intended purposes? I'm wanting to use it for this project, but then pick up spraying shellac and top coats on my shop projects afterward.


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## Mike_D_S

Dustin,

I think this would work, especially if you're objective is to spray mostly tin to med-thin finishes. With the limited adjustments, you would jet need a little practice if you've never sprayed before.

I'd recommend building a sample face frame and maybe get a piece of 1/4 ply for a side panel and finish those to get the hang of it before committing to the full piece.

Mike


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## DChap

This is a spot-on review of the Earlex 5500. For the money, I do not think there is anything better. It is easy to use and easy to clean. Pictured is a hutch I recently built for my daughter. She wanted it painted white. I sprayed latex paint and it was my very first time using this sprayer (or any sprayer). The finish turned out smooth and even. I am very pleased with the unit. I do agree with all the downsides listed in the review. I wear hearing protection while I paint and the constant air flow (even when you are not spraying paint) requires care not to cause ripples, or blow dust or debris on your wet finish. It is manageable and I am still very happy with the purchase.


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## mdhills

I have this Earlex and have used it to spray General Finishes High Performance water-based topcoat and General Finished Milk Paint, both with good results. I was especially pleased with the milk paint result.

DChap, what did you use to spray latex? (I had the impression that HVLP systems were often a bit challenged by the viscosity of latex)-nozzle? brand of paint? any additives?

Matt


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## DChap

Matt, I sprayed Sherwin Williams HGTV latex paint (from Lowes). I used the 1.5 tip in the sprayer and thinned it down enough to comply with the viscosity requirements of the sprayer and it worked really well. No additives, just water.

Doug


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## splintergroup

I'm not familiar with the 5500, but I have the 6900. The gun end of the hose has a valve, much like a dust collector sliding gate cutoff, not readily apparent with a quick glance.

Anyhoo, this allows you to control airflow.

I agree with the noise comments!


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## oldbob13

I have had this unit for 4 years. Love it.
We spray Lacquer (pre cat) and its the easiest thing I have used.
We do not clean it or empty the pot. Just pick it up, turn it on and go.
I have a 1 mm needle.
I think that you may have stretched the hose as ours fits fine.

BobT


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## Mike_D_S

So here's the first project we used this on where we sprayed the Zinsser BIN primer (easy) and then 2 coats SW ProClassic WB Alkyd-Acrylic (thinning with distilled water 10% took the cup vis from 200+ down to about 60). It turned out pretty good overall even with my first run at using the HV5500. I found it to be a bit touchy on getting the adjustment just right for the paint. Down a little and I didn't like the spray coverage and up a bit too much and it was spitting a bit.


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## bbasiaga

Mine does not seem to be that loud. Quieter than a vacuum cleaner for sure.

I do have the hose problem. It would be nice if that last wrap fit in there. Overall I love it though. I posted a review here as well.

Brian


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## sonic578

Been using Earlex for about 3 yrs, but results ranged from poor to ok. Probably user error / inexperience.

Most recently I'm spraying a cabinet (face frame) with SW Proclassic waterborne acrylic (semi-gloss). 1.5mm fine finish needle. had to thin (water) by about 10-15% to get down to the desired viscosity (160s). After a few failed attempts, the spitting subsided and (finally) decent atomization occurred. With this combo I had to choke the flow down considerably, which slows down the application to the point that it is quite slow - ok for small items, but I would not want to tackle anything large.

Are there any options to achieve similar fine atomization at a higher flow rate with such thick paint?


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