Two of the same model airbrushes but not identical

[ismaelg]

Hello,

   I have been recently in an airbrush kick if you will.  My one and only airbrush for 30 years is a humble tool that keeps on trucking.  I have posted elsewhere the details about the story so I won't repeat all here.  In short, my first experience with an airbrush was in college (1993) with a Badger 150. Fell in love with airbrushing. Could not afford a 150 at the time so I bought a Korean made knockoff sold by Harbor Freight for about $20.  Lo and behold, to this date, 30 years later, it is still my one and only airbrush performing flawlessly and well beyond my expectations.  Since there are no spare parts, I've always been casually on the lookout for another one just in case.  A few years ago, a friend of mine who bought the same one shortly after me, gave it to me. He moved to more expensive ones and had "issues" with this. Long story short, I just refurbished/restored it to like new condition a few days ago.  http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/180589-restoring-an-airbrush/

So I have my spares covered. But then, browsing online (always a bad idea) I found a "new" one (New old Stock) and I got it for about the same price I did 30 years ago!
I just got it and immediately checked on it. Is it really the same? Let's find out.

Same box I remember, but from the start I noticed something different: this one says Made in Taiwan. Mine was Korea.

Then I noticed both the paperwork and the yellow safety label are dated 2003. A decade after I bought mine.  So it seems they moved production from Korea to Taiwan. Not uncommon in manufacturing.  Keep in mind Harbor Freight is not a manufacturer. Just a retailer.  I wouldn't be surprised if these were sold under other brands.

Except for the foam insert color, which I think was black, this is what I remember mine looked like back 30 years ago.

Immediately noticed something odd: The trigger adjusting screw is not aligned. Not a big deal, but speaks about quality control. 

New one (2003) on top, the original I just restored (1993) at the bottom. 

Noticeable differences:
Plastic handle has a brass insert for the threads vs all plastic. Definitely an improvement.
Needle Stop Screw, spring assembly and air Valve cosmetically different but essentially same design.  Stop screw a bit more ergonomic so another little improvement.
Trigger head slightly smaller diameter. May go un-noticed unless comparing side by side.

Nozzle and tip are also different. 
I tried and you can swap the whole assembly between bodies, but can not mix them. Each tip only works with its own nozzle.
 

Overall, same design with some subtle changes.

Next I need to get some time to test it.  For 30 years I had my one and only airbrush. All of a sudden, in a week's timeframe I now have 3 of the same. Go figure!

Thanks,
Ismael

[1930fordpickup]

I am interested in how the tests turn out.  I like your journey and I am following along. One of the few who have not been tainted by the other brands. 

[DPNM]

17 hours ago, 1930fordpickup said:

One of the few who have not been tainted by the other brands. 

Wait for it...

[DPNM]

Curious thing. I looked at the Harbor Freight website and they don't seem to offer individual airbrushes any more. Just a couple of sets. I also searched air brush. Showed more stuff no individual brushes though. Maybe they stopped selling them?

 https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=airbrush

 

[ismaelg]

Hello,

  Interesting: I found this one in Micro Mark that is suspiciously similar, branded as MicroLux.  The kit has different bottles but the airbrush looks exactly the same.

https://www.micromark.com/MicroLux-Double-Action-Airbrush-Set

Thanks,
Ismael

[ismaelg]

Hello again,

  Not surprisingly, I found yet another retailer offering the same airbrush: Campbell Hausfeld.  But it now says Made in China.   That makes it over 30 years of production in 3 different countries.

Thanks,
Ismael

[Tcoat]

Nothing saying they are the same company just different countries. Some of these companies shamelessly copy another product right down to the last detail. Saves a pile of money on development I am sure.

[ismaelg]

We can't be 100% sure but the content and even the packaging and arrangement is exactly the same.   The design is decades old and I don't think this is a cupcake-hot selling item. 

I work in Supply Chain for a major manufacturer.  Suppliers, especially in Asia, are constantly moving factory equipment around. The Korea, Taiwan, China path has been common in the last 30 years following the cheaper labor cost.  Most likely these are (or were) all coming out of the same factory.  

Thanks,
Ismael