Hi guys I was thinking upgrading my spray system from hvlp to contractor pro 395 but after thinking bout it I’m going spend bit more to tryget best system out there ,I know from reading posts here that Kremlin is best but I Spray no lacquer 95 per cent oil base paint for doors trim ;we make and finish all out own cabinets
I saw demo on line about Graco mercur where tip and nozzle can Be switched for oil base paint or heavy material , and cleaning looks straight forward can same be done with a Kremlin .With tips
And lastly a lot posts posted are problems cleaning Kremlin lines I was waiting go to IMF to try see demos but now it’s cancelled ;Graco do not do demos in ny so I’m going from what’s on net and posts here ,they are both priced in same region so reaching out here before I take plunge. Any help would be great thanks T

AAA I have read nearly every post on this forum and know Kremlin is by far the best, but I don’t Spray lacquer mostly oil base paint , I Watched a

I have a Kremlin and I've never sprayed an oil or latex based paint through it. These are a much more heavy based paint then the conversion varnishes and lacquers that I usually spray.

I can't be sure but don't think you would be happy with a Kremlin (10-14) as it's only a 10:1 pump with a max nozzle pressure about 800 psi.

You'd likely have to thin the paint to get it to properly spray.

Looks like the Graco is a 15:1 pump which would give you 1200 psi at the tip which is more respectable for heavy bodied paints.

Again, I'm not sure but that's my best guess.

They make 30:1 pumps for both the Kremlin and Merkur, so no worries there.

I have a merkur 30:1 and used a kremlin in the past.

Overall, they are both very well made machines.

The merkur gun choice includes guns that have standard paint-sprayer RAC tips rather than AAF tips.

I suspect this is what you were talking about switching the nozzle out.

I have only used the AAF tips since i'm not spraying paint.

Overall, I don't think you can go wrong with the merkur.

I never looked into paint spraying with the kremlin so don't know about gun choice.

Note that the main use of AAA in this case would be to be able to turn the pressure down and still have good atomization/spray pattern. It'll also waste somewhat less.

But the tradeoff is the machines are more complex and more can go wrong.

For your use case, if you are going to dial it in and use it to spray the same stuff, the same way, 99% of the time, it might be worth it overall just for material savings.

Plus look at parts costs. Parts for the Kremlin are spendy. Little O rings are $5-10 where you can find similar in the stores for 39 cents.

I would agree with that - it's easy to find and get Graco parts, and they aren't ridiculous expensive.

first off cleaning the pump lines is identical both are done in the same fashion, i would look at a 15-1 ratio, i think a 30-1 is overkill for what you are doing, a 10-1 would do it but coatings are gettingnothing but thicker and pumps last >15 years so that is why i suggest the 15-1.. tip plugging on either system should be minimal on either system so you can consider a flat tip system for either the kremlin or a graco to compare apples to apples.

kind of suprised regarding the comment on the lack of response of dealers in your area about not wanting to do a demo but in covid times i do understand.

you won't go wrong with either system but as others have said the k parts can be pricy as compared to the graco's

good luck herb j

Guys thanks so much for comments this has been huge help I’m going with mercur I think I will buy 30 :1 as price is not a lot more for heavier pump. I went to IMF 2 years ago and was blown away by size and amount booths cat and Kremlin were there. Not Graco I was really surprised
But impressed with cat and Kremlin but I was not in market then ;as I was only learning on hvlp at time and it was say least very frustrating At start but over time I got better at thinning and learning clean guns etc. I read some posts about AAA here and it’s like different language to me but like hvlp ,I will learn ,I would love get into lacquer but it’s very smelly to be spraying On site in nyc Plus 65 per cent of my clients want hand painted Look ,so on primer alone this unit will more than pay off. Thanks again guys really appreciate feedback

i respect your decision but one more point, i think i am right but i believe it takes the merkur 15 psi to run smoothly, my words are i think meaning your are looking at 450 psi will be ur minimum psi working pressure, certainly not a lot but if you are spraying a thin material you might be using more hydraulic pressure than what you need

if that does happen, and you are gettting too much material, drop back your tip size so you can control your fan pattern and fluid flow

so i might suggest you look at your application sheets to see what pressures your material mfg are recommending

again you might be fine and i might be a little over cautious, full disclosure okay, but again i am not doing the debates at 9pm tonight lol

good luck with your purchase

Thanks herb these numbers seem to be a mile apart ,and to agree with you. A bit Overkill
I have no prob thinning primer if needed to get better result With 15:1 the main reason for purchase is to be able spray a 5 gal bucket without having stop and refill multiple cups. The psi conversations are bit over my head at times.. I understand basics that’s about it ,and for some reason I thought there was only a thousand in difference In price but I’m wrong it’s 2 thou so that’s bit of a jump. it looks like you have go through distributor so I got number for rep in NJ Might call tomorrow
Herb one question about 3 years ago I had full apt of cabinets make We made all kitchen mud room vanities first I knew sprayer looking for weeks work so I had him spray all primer coat he asked me get 2 -5 Gal drums mb Campbell pre cat lacquer primer and finish after 2 coats was unbelievable but the smell in shop was Unbearable First day and it lasted for days I made a small 8 x10 spray booth with 10 foot high ceilings and put 24 x24 explosion proof fan Through exterior wall it helped but still bit smelly. Is there any Primer coating Close this finish that accepts paint that is less toxic or am I daydreaming thanks T