Question:

What brand of high pressure spray equipment do you sell or recommend? Is one really better than another?

Answer:

The only equipment we make recommendations on are the Graco systems (A-XP1, E-XP1, E-XP2 usually). That is due to the versatility, maintainability, and product support available from Graco. The cost ranges from about 22k – 40k for a system, so it is not cheap. We don’t actually sell this equipment, but can often assist you in locating a better price than you can find on your own. This equipment can also include 3 days of setup and on-site training for a couple thousand dollars to ensure you can properly use and maintain it.

You can often find the same equipment available used for half that price, but you would probably be largely on your own regarding training and setup. Training might be available, but would probably be dependent on the equipment condition upon arrival. It would be difficult to price training where the rep arrives and finds that the equipment is not fully operational. You would have to pay the cost even if they really couldn’t train. On site training may be impacted by the current pandemic.

We do maintain a list of equipment distributors who specialize in less known brands of coating spray machines. In some cases, you can find that the cost for a basic low pressure setup is as low as $10,000.  These machines may or may not be the best choice for your business startup. If you are on a very tight budget, they may be worth considering.

Mobile rigs (turn key trailer setups) with pretty much all the required equipment are also available at somewhere in the high 40k range. Same onsite training available there.
There are a lot of other brand used equipment options (on eBay, etc.) for specific products such as Vortex for just a couple thousand dollars. Most of these classify as low pressure equipment. Again… You often get what you pay for.

We recommend new startup application by cartridge spray gun where you only pay $525. If you ever have the need to apply multiple trucks daily, you start applying with high pressure proportioners and use the gun set up for the occasional 1 truck or custom color job (or if equipment problems arise). Using the proportioners generally requires time spent agitating the product, balancing proportions, purging the lines, etc., so it us usually used for multiple vehicles at a time or large jobs. Any way you go, having a backup option is never a bad idea.

Get in touch with Diamondback Linings Sales Support at 1-855-545-4900 (ext. 902) for more information