I just got an Earlex 5500 based on your suggestion. I struggled with two Wager Flexios so I switched to the Earlex and I LOVE it! So thank you! Question - how do you keep the filter on the bottom in place? Is there supposed to be a cap that fits over it? Mine came with the filter exposed and it keeps coming out. I've searched online and haven't been able to find anything about the filter or what it's supposed to look like.
Hi! I’m so glad you love it! Great sprayer! Half the time I don’t even use that filter 😂 there is no way to really secure it - it’s suppose to fit snug but be loose enough to come off easily - I find that it falls off often. I filer my paint when I pour into the cup so that’s all I do.
I filter my paint too. But I believe that filter is to filter debris from entering the interior of the sprayer itself. And since I put mine down on the grass in my backyard, it concerns me that grass, dirt, or other debris can get sucked up into the sprayer.
Excellent & thorough review with sincere recommendations for this sprayer!! Best I’ve seen as I’m trying to decide how best to spend for optimal quality as a beginner furniture flipper. Love love your tip with all the many boxes I get from Amazon too! You helped me seal my decision to go this route versus an outrageously heavy & $$ air compressor at this stage. Thought I also needed a zero gravity sprayer but see you are able to hold your handle sideways since can is pressurized to suck up paint through stem. Thank you for showing us all the various finishes we can use!!! You’re a phenomenal instructor!🏆
No not at all, you can clean you sprayer when your done - I never would leave overnight - but during the day while you are working on your project for hours is fine
They don’t make an Earlex 5000, there is a Wagner flexio 5000. I would prefer the Earlex over that one - I’m not a fan of everything being plastic with the Wagner
@@BorninaBarnBoutique i have a wagner 250m for emulsion, finger crossed it won't die on me. i love your page by the way. the pragmatism, the friendliness, the timestamps! all perfect!
I thought I'd share a friendly piece of advice from mistakes I've made in the field. Try to place the turbine unit on a hard surface..i use a small piece of plywood. The air intake is on the bottom of the unit and it can draw loose fabric close to the motor. This robs the gun of performance and over heats the motor. Please don't ask me how I know this:) All in all, this unit is tremendous for the price and I am on my second one.
Wow, so glad I read this reply/hint. I am about to use my new Earlix 5500 for the first time to spray the popcorn ceiling of my living room. I have thin plastic on the floor which will surely get sucked up by the air intake. Heading out to my shed for a melamine board I have. Thanks for saving my Earlex 5500.
@@tuc1113 I've been a professional painter for 25 years. I was painting a basement ceiling ..my airless sprayer stopped working...I went to look at it....some plastic we used got sucked up over it and burned it out! Ugh
I just got this sprayer delivered and I'm very excited. I've used a cheap HVLP with an air compressor but I've very been very happy with the finish quality. I'm also excited to use it for top costs as well. I use GF High Performance a lot. Do you thin your top coats too?
It s a great sprayer, I’m sure you will love it. Takes a little practice as with any new tool. Yes it’s the only way I do top coats anymore. No I never thing my top coats, no need they are a very thin consistency.
I use the standard issue needle - 2.0 for paint and topcoat and my finishes always come out perfect! I don’t switch out. If you get your spray pattern dialed in perfect you don’t need to switch needles.
This is Fabulous. I've heard a few other's on paint groups that have this sprayer and have been on the fence. There's a newer I think 6005 or something and it looks great but it's $210+ more than this one. I'm so thankful for this tutorial bc for me this will be a great beginner sprayer. Especially for my topcoats. To me that's so time consuming. I use DB Satin and Gator Hyde but have heard so many great things about GF high performance TC that I'm going to purchase with my next Fusion order. I was curious as to why you didn't get the new Earlex 6005 vs Fuji? Did you just want to try a different brand or is this the Mack Daddy of sprayer's?😂 Thank you for your precious time.😍 Your work is Fabulous...
Thank you! The Earlex Spray Port 6003. I just wanted to try something different at the time and Fuji was being touted as a great sprayer! I am always looking for the latest and greatest and may be getting the newer Earlex soon!
Thank you! The Fuji features 1400 watts of power, while the Earlex has only 650 watts of power. With 1400 watts of power you get a couple of big benefits. For one thing, this is going to allow you to use longer hoses. The Earlex can use a thirteen-foot hose, which is fine, but the Fuji is capable of using a twenty-five foot hose, which is even better. They both put out an excellent finish (you couldn’t tell the difference between the two side by side). The earlex is a more affordable option as well.
I love all your videos! Thank you so much for doing them. I have a quick question about spray painting. I just purchased the Earlex 5500 sprayer. Do you need to clean it in between coats if you are waiting 2-3 hours? I am really nervous about using it, but I will watch your video one more time before jumping in!
I purchased one and I really like it however sometimes I find that it’s spitting out the paint has that ever happened to you and if so what did you do to fix this?
Your paint is too thick. Did you thin? If not you need to and if you did you need to a little more. It's having a hard time pushing through the sprayer so it spits. It could also be something clogging.
I have heard always put paint through a filter…could clog it and make it spit, especially if using paint from a container that has been previously opened.
I have not. I have friends that have used it and says it’s ok. I understand it is a big investment - but I’m sorry I can’t speak to the Wagner, I started with the earlex 55500
I started with a Wagner and it only lasted six months before dying. I did use it everyday and multiple projects a day. I took very good care of it. It worked well but it won’t work for someone that paints a lot.
No never. Orange peel comes from a few things - The most common cause of orange peel is an imbalance between the viscosity of the finish and the amount of air atomizing the liquid as it exits the gun. The thicker the liquid, the more air that is required; the thinner, the less air needed. It can also be caused by the quick evaporation of thinner, incorrect spray gun setup (e.g., low air pressure or incorrect nozzle), spraying the paint at an angle other than perpendicular, or applying excessive paint.
Nothing Catchy haha - yes a good all in one starts around this price point - there are other sprayers that you can purchase cheaper (Lowe’s, Home Depot) but as I mentioned not as many options for adjusting spray flow and pattern - my upgrade this year to the Fuji was $600 and that was the middle of the road unit 😀.
Nothing Catchy yes that’s what I did! It took me a while to pull the trigger and order mine - I’m so glad I did - but it definitely was a purchase that wasn’t an impulse buy - I thought about it for quite a bit! Save - you will be happy you did!
@@nothingcatchy7177 harbor freight has a few. I have one of them I purchased for $105 (after coupon) I am a painting contractor and use it often for small projects(1 door, a few base boards etc) Most hvlp systems will work great it's all about the viscosity of the paint.
Douglas thompson I love mine. I started with he Earlex 5500 and upgraded last year to the Fuji Semi Pro2, I use both. I will only spray my top coats now, comes out flawless. The answer is sometimes, depends on the wood, I just sprayed pine and the grain raises quite a bit (but that happens even when you brush as well). If I have to sand, I use steel wool, just to knock down that raised grain or to get out anything that flew into the finish. So I would say 2 of out every 10 I do may need a little sand. You need to practice with your spray pattern as well, once you get that down, you will have no issues.
The project will never get smoother by adding more coats. It only gets smoother by sanding in between coats. In a perfect world, there is no sanding needed between the last two coats.
Thanks so much, I have been thinking about getting a sprayer as I feel it will be so much more efficient. In between coats do you leave it all hooked up or do you remove the spray gun and put it in the fridge to stop everything ceasing up between coats? Also, do you get much overspray in the air that could settle on other pieces? I noticed you don’t use a spray tent? Thx N.
You bet! They do speed things up, it allows me to be so much more productive and get a great finish at the same time. Oh yes, Its fine to leave it for a bit while you are working. No need to do that, the paint is all sealed in the container and so you just leave be in between. Wash real good all parts of the gun and cup when you are done. Do not leave overnight. I cover everything in my shop when spraying, there is some overspray, but you can control the spay pattern nozzle to adjust for that. I did use a tent a few times and it was disastrous so I just cover up and go, no real bas overspray, but I adjust my spray down to avoid that as much as possible.
About 14 minutes you show the side of the piece and mention being perplexed as to why it has the marks, which seem a bit black in nature and engrained in the wood after you’ve sanded. I too have had this happen and wonder if it doesn’t have something to do with the grain or pores closing...
So it was just the dark oak bleeding through - I didn’t prime before painting. So yes it was the oak grain. So there is no such thing as wood pores closing (that’s actually a common misnomer), the wood grain can rise with water based products though, causing unevenness and roughness. I prime all light color pieces now, to help avoid this
Jackie H absolutely, that’s why paying a little more for a sprayer is a good idea - the very entry level one can’t. The standard tip that it comes with though is really good for paint and topcoat finishes. You have a lot of flexibility adjusting the spray pattern if the needle - here’s a link to the sprayer (best price is amazon right now) www.amazon.com/shop/borninabarnboutique
The HV5500 comes with the 2mm in the gun, most packages also include the 1.5mm for fine finishing. You can also get a 1mm for any musical instrument finishing or a 2.5mm if you want to paint the side of the barn.
Sam the Finishing Man yes - for furniture the standard needle works really well for most everything. Having the flexibility to change it out though is one of the perks of this sprayer!
I just got an Earlex 5500 based on your suggestion. I struggled with two Wager Flexios so I switched to the Earlex and I LOVE it! So thank you! Question - how do you keep the filter on the bottom in place? Is there supposed to be a cap that fits over it? Mine came with the filter exposed and it keeps coming out. I've searched online and haven't been able to find anything about the filter or what it's supposed to look like.
Hi! I’m so glad you love it! Great sprayer! Half the time I don’t even use that filter 😂 there is no way to really secure it - it’s suppose to fit snug but be loose enough to come off easily - I find that it falls off often. I filer my paint when I pour into the cup so that’s all I do.
I filter my paint too. But I believe that filter is to filter debris from entering the interior of the sprayer itself. And since I put mine down on the grass in my backyard, it concerns me that grass, dirt, or other debris can get sucked up into the sprayer.
Loving your videos
Thank you so much!
Excellent & thorough review with sincere recommendations for this sprayer!! Best I’ve seen as I’m trying to decide how best to spend for optimal quality as a beginner furniture flipper. Love love your tip with all the many boxes I get from Amazon too! You helped me seal my decision to go this route versus an outrageously heavy & $$ air compressor at this stage. Thought I also needed a zero gravity sprayer but see you are able to hold your handle sideways since can is pressurized to suck up paint through stem. Thank you for showing us all the various finishes we can use!!! You’re a phenomenal instructor!🏆
Thank you so much! Thank you for watching and good luck!
Guess who is getting tired of brush painting? 🙋♀️ Definitely considering a sprayer! Thank you for the great video tutorials!
Amy Jacob that’s awesome you will love it - of course and thank you for watching
If you can recoat within an hour do you have to clean your sprayer in between coats?
No not at all, you can clean you sprayer when your done - I never would leave overnight - but during the day while you are working on your project for hours is fine
Best video on the 5500 I've seen! Well explained, including some tricks of the trade. Terrific! Subscribed.
Sam the Finishing Man thank you so much and thanks for subscribing 😀
Do you have to clean the sprayer in between coats?
Oh no, just don’t leave overnight!
Do you know if Earlex 5000 is as good as 5500? One going in my neighbourhood and I don't know whether to buy
They don’t make an Earlex 5000, there is a Wagner flexio 5000. I would prefer the Earlex over that one - I’m not a fan of everything being plastic with the Wagner
@@BorninaBarnBoutique i have a wagner 250m for emulsion, finger crossed it won't die on me. i love your page by the way. the pragmatism, the friendliness, the timestamps! all perfect!
General Finishes are the best topcoats! Getting this same sprayer and look toward trying their milk paint
I thought I'd share a friendly piece of advice from mistakes I've made in the field. Try to place the turbine unit on a hard surface..i use a small piece of plywood. The air intake is on the bottom of the unit and it can draw loose fabric close to the motor. This robs the gun of performance and over heats the motor. Please don't ask me how I know this:) All in all, this unit is tremendous for the price and I am on my second one.
Wow, so glad I read this reply/hint. I am about to use my new Earlix 5500 for the first time to spray the popcorn ceiling of my living room. I have thin plastic on the floor which will surely get sucked up by the air intake. Heading out to my shed for a melamine board I have.
Thanks for saving my Earlex 5500.
@@tuc1113 I've been a professional painter for 25 years. I was painting a basement ceiling ..my airless sprayer stopped working...I went to look at it....some plastic we used got sucked up over it and burned it out! Ugh
I just got this sprayer delivered and I'm very excited. I've used a cheap HVLP with an air compressor but I've very been very happy with the finish quality. I'm also excited to use it for top costs as well. I use GF High Performance a lot. Do you thin your top coats too?
It s a great sprayer, I’m sure you will love it. Takes a little practice as with any new tool. Yes it’s the only way I do top coats anymore. No I never thing my top coats, no need they are a very thin consistency.
Oh, the plastic covering, what a great idea🥰 as always great tutorials. I learn so much from you. Thankyou ever so much ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Appreciate the valuable tips, keep up the great work.
Nick Simmons Thank you! Thank you for watching!
you have me tempted!
I love both my sprayers - best investment I have made next to my lift in my shop!
Would you happen to know where I can get an additional Earlex Coated Spray cup? I can't seem to find one. I am getting my Earlex 5500 tomorrow.
Call Earlex direct or go to their website you can order parts direct from them! :)
What is the difference between the 2”and 1 1/2 needle? Would you use the 2” for paint?
I use the standard issue needle - 2.0 for paint and topcoat and my finishes always come out perfect! I don’t switch out. If you get your spray pattern dialed in perfect you don’t need to switch needles.
Thank you for addressing changing out needles!
This is Fabulous. I've heard a few other's on paint groups that have this sprayer and have been on the fence. There's a newer I think 6005 or something and it looks great but it's $210+ more than this one. I'm so thankful for this tutorial bc for me this will be a great beginner sprayer. Especially for my topcoats. To me that's so time consuming. I use DB Satin and Gator Hyde but have heard so many great things about GF high performance TC that I'm going to purchase with my next Fusion order. I was curious as to why you didn't get the new Earlex 6005 vs Fuji? Did you just want to try a different brand or is this the Mack Daddy of sprayer's?😂 Thank you for your precious time.😍 Your work is Fabulous...
Thank you! The Earlex Spray Port 6003. I just wanted to try something different at the time and Fuji was being touted as a great sprayer! I am always looking for the latest and greatest and may be getting the newer Earlex soon!
Love your videos. What is the difference between your 2 sprayers (the Earlex and the Fuji)?
Thank you! The Fuji features 1400 watts of power, while the Earlex has only 650 watts of power.
With 1400 watts of power you get a couple of big benefits. For one thing, this is going to allow you to use longer hoses. The Earlex can use a thirteen-foot hose, which is fine, but the Fuji is capable of using a twenty-five foot hose, which is even better.
They both put out an excellent finish (you couldn’t tell the difference between the two side by side).
The earlex is a more affordable option as well.
@@BorninaBarnBoutique Thank you for you quick response. I bought the Earlex after all. Thank you again.
@@isabellefeyfant7577 of course! I love my earlex and use it all the time too!
I love all your videos! Thank you so much for doing them. I have a quick question about spray painting. I just purchased the Earlex 5500 sprayer. Do you need to clean it in between coats if you are waiting 2-3 hours? I am really nervous about using it, but I will watch your video one more time before jumping in!
Vickie Lyford Thank you so much! No you don’t have to clean out between coats! No need to be nervous - it’s super easy to work with. You will love it!
I purchased one and I really like it however sometimes I find that it’s spitting out the paint has that ever happened to you and if so what did you do to fix this?
Your paint is too thick. Did you thin? If not you need to and if you did you need to a little more. It's having a hard time pushing through the sprayer so it spits. It could also be something clogging.
I have heard always put paint through a filter…could clog it and make it spit, especially if using paint from a container that has been previously opened.
@@janetvanantwerp8899 oh yes I do filter all the time - I didn’t showcase in the video (I was out at the time)
Have tried the Wagner sprayer? I do not have $500 to invest in my sprayer and I am curious about that cheaper option.
I have not. I have friends that have used it and says it’s ok. I understand it is a big investment - but I’m sorry I can’t speak to the Wagner, I started with the earlex 55500
I started with a Wagner and it only lasted six months before dying. I did use it everyday and multiple projects a day. I took very good care of it. It worked well but it won’t work for someone that paints a lot.
Do you get an orange peel texture with this sprayer? I got that texture with two other sprayers but they were very inexpensive.
No never. Orange peel comes from a few things - The most common cause of orange peel is an imbalance between the viscosity of the finish and the amount of air atomizing the liquid as it exits the gun. The thicker the liquid, the more air that is required; the thinner, the less air needed. It can also be caused by the quick evaporation of thinner, incorrect spray gun setup (e.g., low air pressure or incorrect nozzle), spraying the paint at an angle other than perpendicular, or applying excessive paint.
Love my earlex ... wish they had a gravity version
Love mine too!
Here you go - www.earlex.com/products/sprayport-6003gus/
Dang $300 is entry level 😢I guess I need like a child version lol
Nothing Catchy haha - yes a good all in one starts around this price point - there are other sprayers that you can purchase cheaper (Lowe’s, Home Depot) but as I mentioned not as many options for adjusting spray flow and pattern - my upgrade this year to the Fuji was $600 and that was the middle of the road unit 😀.
Born in a Barn Boutique good to know, thank you. I guess I’ll have to start saving my pennies :)
Nothing Catchy yes that’s what I did! It took me a while to pull the trigger and order mine - I’m so glad I did - but it definitely was a purchase that wasn’t an impulse buy - I thought about it for quite a bit! Save - you will be happy you did!
@@nothingcatchy7177 harbor freight has a few. I have one of them I purchased for $105 (after coupon)
I am a painting contractor and use it often for small projects(1 door, a few base boards etc)
Most hvlp systems will work great it's all about the viscosity of the paint.
Do you ever use the fusion paint in the sprayer?
That is actually the only way I will use Fusion Mineral Paint, it provides the most flawless finish!
I want one of those 😀
I'm on the fence about purchasing one. When spraying your top coats, do you sand between coats? Or is there no need to?
Douglas thompson I love mine. I started with he Earlex 5500 and upgraded last year to the Fuji Semi Pro2, I use both. I will only spray my top coats now, comes out flawless. The answer is sometimes, depends on the wood, I just sprayed pine and the grain raises quite a bit (but that happens even when you brush as well). If I have to sand, I use steel wool, just to knock down that raised grain or to get out anything that flew into the finish. So I would say 2 of out every 10 I do may need a little sand. You need to practice with your spray pattern as well, once you get that down, you will have no issues.
The project will never get smoother by adding more coats. It only gets smoother by sanding in between coats. In a perfect world, there is no sanding needed between the last two coats.
No volume
Not sure what's happening on your end - there is volume from beginning to finish. :)
Thanks so much, I have been thinking about getting a sprayer as I feel it will be so much more efficient. In between coats do you leave it all hooked up or do you remove the spray gun and put it in the fridge to stop everything ceasing up between coats? Also, do you get much overspray in the air that could settle on other pieces? I noticed you don’t use a spray tent? Thx N.
You bet! They do speed things up, it allows me to be so much more productive and get a great finish at the same time. Oh yes, Its fine to leave it for a bit while you are working. No need to do that, the paint is all sealed in the container and so you just leave be in between. Wash real good all parts of the gun and cup when you are done. Do not leave overnight. I cover everything in my shop when spraying, there is some overspray, but you can control the spay pattern nozzle to adjust for that. I did use a tent a few times and it was disastrous so I just cover up and go, no real bas overspray, but I adjust my spray down to avoid that as much as possible.
About 14 minutes you show the side of the piece and mention being perplexed as to why it has the marks, which seem a bit black in nature and engrained in the wood after you’ve sanded. I too have had this happen and wonder if it doesn’t have something to do with the grain or pores closing...
So it was just the dark oak bleeding through - I didn’t prime before painting. So yes it was the oak grain. So there is no such thing as wood pores closing (that’s actually a common misnomer), the wood grain can rise with water based products though, causing unevenness and roughness. I prime all light color pieces now, to help avoid this
Is this electric or would I need to purchase a compressor also?
Jennifer Tucker this is what they call and all in one - the compressor is built into the system no need for one
Can you change the tips out?
Jackie H absolutely, that’s why paying a little more for a sprayer is a good idea - the very entry level one can’t. The standard tip that it comes with though is really good for paint and topcoat finishes. You have a lot of flexibility adjusting the spray pattern if the needle - here’s a link to the sprayer (best price is amazon right now) www.amazon.com/shop/borninabarnboutique
The HV5500 comes with the 2mm in the gun, most packages also include the 1.5mm for fine finishing. You can also get a 1mm for any musical instrument finishing or a 2.5mm if you want to paint the side of the barn.
Sam the Finishing Man yes - for furniture the standard needle works really well for most everything. Having the flexibility to change it out though is one of the perks of this sprayer!