How Does Harbor Freight's Airless Paint Sprayer Work?

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Gone are the days when we broke our backs with paint rollers to refresh the colors of our homes. These days, there's no shortage of tools that can help make the experience less painful. Known for offering useful paint spraying tool options, Harbor Freight also sells a tool that utilizes pressure instead of air with unthinned latex paint, primers, and stains. Priced at $249.99, the Avanti Airless Paint, Primer, and Stain Sprayer has a 0.57 HP pump, which works in tandem with its flexible suction tube, plus a 12-inch to 15-inch spray pattern and variable pressure trigger for blending purposes. Weighing around 26.5 lbs (or about the weight of a typical microwave), it comes with anti-slip feet, an auxiliary handle, and wheels for portability.  With its 0.3 gallon per minute spray rate, Avanti claims can let you cover 80 sq. ft. of space in under 3 minutes. For reference, this is about the size of two standard full bathrooms in the United States. 

That said, it does have its caveats. In its owner's manual, Avanti mentions that its airless spray is only designed to work with water-based or mineral-spirit type materials. Not to mention, it says that it's possible for static electricity to lead to explosions or generate fires if you don't use it with their specific, grounded hoses that are pressure rated above 3,000 PSI. But do buyers actually think that it is worth the money?

On the official Harbor Freight website, over 2,000 reviewers have given the Avantri Airless Sprayer an average rating of 4.4 stars. Among them, 1,400+ people have rated it an impressively perfect 5 stars, plus 89% of customers have shared that they're happy to recommend it. (Apart from Avanti, Harbor Freight offers paint sprayer options from brands like Central Pneumatic and Spectrum.) 

Several reviewers pointed out that Avanti's Airless Sprayer definitely beats the typical roller and brush combo. Citing great coverage and generally even coating, owners also said that it performs just as well as the more expensive brands in the market. Plus, they noted a few unexpected things, like how easy it is to take out blockages and clean up. People have also reported using this airless sprayer on everything from sun-damaged walls, small barns, rear decks, ceilings, or basically their entire house.

That said, there have been some reviews that mention it's still not perfect. Among the 1 and 2-star ratings on the Harbor Freight website, some of the common negative feedback include issues with nozzle fit, clogging, and struggling to work after repeated use. A couple of users also complained that it's not really user friendly, citing poor set up instructions. So, if you're not super satisfied with what people are saying about Harbor Freight's Avanti Paint Sprayer, here are a couple of alternatives that might suit you better.

On Amazon, one of the most popular airless paint sprayers is the Graco Magnum, which boasts an average rating of 4.5 stars from more than 7,500 reviewers. Priced at $269, it's not significantly more expensive than the Avanti option, but it does have options for installment plans that can be stretched up to 18 months for qualified buyers, so you do have a little more wiggle room in terms of payment. Designed for projects of around 5 gallons, it has a maximum tip size of 0.15 inch, 0.24 max flow rate, and 50 ft. max hose length (or double that of the Avanti). And of course, one of its key selling points is that Graco proudly claims that it's made in the USA.

Alternatively, there's also Wagner Spraytech which starts at $249.99 and holds a 4.1-star average rating from over 1,200 Amazon reviewers. Depending on what you plan to use it for, there are kit options that can go up to just under $480. With high-efficiency airless technology, Wagner claims that it can produce 55% less overspray than its competitors. In terms of features, it has the same hose length as the one from Harbor Freight at 25 feet, but it has less than half the container size at only 1.5 gallons. 

Afterward, it might also be a good idea to consider other Harbor Freight tools for painting, because things like telescoping ladders, measuring tapes, and drop cloths are always going to be useful.