Complete Guide to Buying Used Spray Guns on Ebay or Craigslist

Sometimes a budget can be tight and you need an affordable spray gun and often times it can be the right option for your needs. However, there are a few important things to think about before buying a used spray gun on craigslist or eBay so you ensure you receive good value and do not end up buying a spray gun that will not work well. Consider the following important factors to ensure you get a quality spray gun for your money that will meet your needs.

• What kind of painting will you be doing and What kind of Coating will you be spraying? – Spray Guns vary for what they are ideally suited for.  Binks makes spray guns that tend to focus on Industrial Manufacturers and Wood Finishing. Kremlin focuses primarily on wood finishing equipment.  Devilbiss, Sata, and Iwata all focus on the automotive industry. While they may be best suited for their defined industry it doesn’t mean you cannot utilize them for different purposes. Ultimately the setup and style of the spray gun will be the critical factor in determining if it will meet your painting needs well. For a better idea of choosing the right set up of spray guns check out this article on how to choose a spray gun which will cover a lot about what the set up of your spray gun should be. Additionally you should consider whether you would prefer a suction, gravity, or pressure fed spray gun. Each style of gun will have benefits and drawbacks and will require different additional equipment.
  • Gravity fed spray guns are most commonly used for automotive painting – they are limited if you will have to turn the gun upside down for painting (unless you use a Dekups or similar system with the correct setup).  They also have to be able to have the material flow on their own.  Additionally if your buying a gravity fed spray gun you will want to make sure it includes the gravity fed spray gun cup
  • Pressure Fed Spray Guns – These guns will require a pressurized system to feed them such as a pressure pot or a remote pressure cup which if you are buying one you should make sure you have the pressure pot or a remote pressure cup (they are at least a couple hundred dollars new). You should also evaluate whether the used equipment is truly a value as Binks packages 2.8 Gallon pressure Pots with a Spray Gun for about 918 dollars and comes with all fluid hose, the pressure pot, and a spray gun which can be a few hundred dollars depending on the model of gun chosen.
  • Suction fed spray gun – A suction fed spray gun can be used well with lighter coatings. It can be used at odd angles as well. If your buying a suction fed Spray Gun. Make sure the Spray Gun has a Suction Fed Spray Gun Air Cap (NOT A PRESSURE FED SPRAY GUN AIR CAP) if it doesn’t have a suction fed spray gun cap the gun will not function properly. 
  • Questions to ask the Buyer and Things to Look For  – How old are the fluid nozzle, fluid needle, and air cap. These are parts that will wear routinely with use. You can quickly determine if the gun needs a new fluid nozzle or needle by asking if the spray gun leaks at all from the tip of the gun when the trigger is released. You can also ask if the spray pattern is equal on both sides of the pattern. If it is not you probably need a new air cap. Is there issues adjusting the spray pattern?  If there is most likely a side port control assembly is defective.  Finally inspect the gun to ensure there are no significant visual defects and if possible ask to see the gun spray!
  • Used vs New Price – With a Used Spray gun you have to add the cost of potential replacement parts into the equation to see if it is truly a value.  Also you want to try to make sure that it is a gun that is still being manufactured so that support for repair parts is not difficult.  After-all many new spray guns can be purchased from anywhere from 200 – 500 dollars and often include numerous spray gun fluid nozzles as a package for the price of a single fluid nozzle.

If you have bought new vs used spray equipment is their anything I am missing or if you need help with replacement parts on your used equipment we can often help contact us today.