Get straight to the point!
Here we give unbiased reviews on the best professional airless paint sprayer models built for professional users to complete professional projects.
Moreover, we share the complete buying guide with you to choose the most effective sprayers out of your budget.
… and much more useful information.
Check them all out now!
Related:
- How to Get the Best Air Compressor for Painting and Other Applications
- How to Choose The Best Paint Sprayer
5+ Best Professional Airless Paint Sprayer Reviews
#1. Graco Magnum 262800 X5 Stand – Editor’s Choice
Among the top-rated commercial airless paint sprayers, we pick up the Graco Magnum 262800 X5 as the best overall.
Let get started with the detailed review by looking at the ratings.
| Weight | Max flow rate | Motor Output | Nozzle Size | Voltage | Warranty |
| 19 lbs | 0.27 GPM
(3000psi) |
0.5HP | 10-12 inches | 110V | 1 year |
First in line, Graco Magnum 262800 X5 is much simpler than many other airless sprayers. There are only a few switches and parts to get familiar with before starting the tool and are ready to paint a surface.
Even better, the company provides some comprehensive tutorial videos as well as useful information on their website. Thus, you can take some time for those learning curves.
Now, coming to think of the features, we appreciate the fact that Graco Magnum 262800 X5 allows adjusting the pressure as wished.
Accordingly, you can adjust the knob to switch between a high-spray and low-spray mode. The max output rating is 3000 PSI, quite enough to spray both water-based and oil-based undiluted paints. This adds an excellent versatility to the Graco Magnum 262800 X5 and creates its big fan club.
The SG2 gun features an A515 tip, coming with various pattern sizes from 10 to 12 inches. It means you can use this airless paint sprayer for medium-thick coatings.
In terms of clean and maintenance, you can simply twist the reversible tip around to blow out the clogs. You can then connect the tool with a cleaning adapter to deep clean the tools for later uses.
The biggest challenge we find out the Graco Magnum 262800 X5 is transportation. The sprayer does not go with the wheeled cart – maybe because of its medium-priced. Hence, you need to handle the entire unit yourself. Thankfully, it is not very bulky and heavy.
Pros:
- Ease of setting up and application
- Energy-efficient pumps and motors
- Versatile to medium-thick painting projects
- Extended air hose to minimize the moving around
Cons:
- Clogs with thick paints
- A wheeled cart not included
- Lack of some advanced features
All in all, Graco Magnum 262800 X5 is a great deal for large projects thanks to its powerful features, large tips, and affordable price.
#2. Graco Magnum 262805 X7 Cart – Best Rated Commercial Sprayer
Graco Magnum 262805 X7 Cart is the alternative for those finding the Graco Magnum 262800 X5 inconvenient to transport all around. As you can see, the X7 comes with a wheeled cart.
For your information, this airless paint sprayer is the top-rated in the market. The specifications are quite similar to the X5, though.
| Weight | Max flow rate | Motor Output | Nozzle Size | Voltage | Warranty |
| 29 lbs | 0.31 GPM
(3000psi) |
5/8 HP | 15-17 inches | 110V | 1 year |
Like the X5, this airless paint sprayer is quite easy to use with many manual documents from Graco.
Moreover, the paint sprayer is connected to a cart, making it portable and convenient for large projects. There is also an extended 100-ft hose, which can even be swapped for a longer tube in case you need to reach elevated areas like the third floor of the home.
Speaking of its performance, the Graco Magnum 262805 X7 Cart is more potent than its brother by 15%. This is because the X7 pumps 0.31 GPM at 3000 PSI and 5/8 HP. The tip size is also larger so that the tool can handle heavier coatings and minimize clogging.
For this reason, you can expect the X7 to work longer and more consistently. Nonetheless, it means the Graco Magnum 262805 X7 consumes more power at a time.
In drawback, the X7 might provide uneven coverage because of its large tips and more powerful pump. It is also prone to overspray when being used to oil-based latex.
Pros:
- Ease of setting up and application
- Powerful pumps and motors
- Larger tip sizes
- Extended air hose
- Portable wheeled cart
Cons:
- More expensive
- Possible overspray
Comparing the Graco Magnum 262800 X5 and 262805 X7 side by side, the X5 is the better for its affordability, compact size, and more natural control over the paint. Meanwhile, the X7 is more potent for heavier tasks and also more portable.
#3. HomeRight Power Flo Pro 2800 C800879 – Best Budget
Specifications:
| Weight | Max flow rate | Motor Output | Nozzle Size | Voltage | Warranty |
| 15 lbs | 0.24 GPM
(2800psi) |
1/2 HP | 15 inches | 110V | 1 year |
If you are a price-conscious buyer, you should go to HomeRight Power airless paint sprayers. Those products are incredibly pocket-friendly. Meanwhile, they still meet all the basic needs of professional painting projects.
Take HomeRight Power Flo Pro 2800 C800879, for example.
Like the Graco Magnum X5, this sprayer does not come with a portable cart. Fortunately, it is more compact so that you might not have too many problems with transportation.
The settings up are also effortless for around 15 minutes. Likewise, clean up is easy and fast.
The power, however, is less than the Graco sprayers. This makes sense at a low price range.
Fortunately, the gun still features a high-pressure trigger and large tips. To be specific, the ½ HP motor works to produce a pressure of 2800 PSI. It can spray 0.24 gallons per minute, then.
There is even a mesh filter to remove solids from the painting flow to improve the finish quality.
In other words, you can still use the HomeRight Power Flo Pro 2800 C800879 for a wide range of paints, such as oil-based, latex, and water-based paints.
The tips are 515 reversible, so it is more comfortable when it comes to clean clogs out.
One more exciting feature of the HomeRight Power sprayer is its professional-grade swivel and a prime switch. Simply put, you can switch horizontally or vertically to change between the paint spraying and priming modes.
The main problem, however, is the noise. On running, the sound is so loud that you might be distracted a bit from your work.
Moreover, clogging is a common problem because solids are kept inside the gun in the mesh filter. Thus, you had better dilute or thin the paint in advance.
Pros:
- Extremely affordable
- Still durable and reliable to large projects
- Ease of use, clean-up, and maintenance
- Quality finish in the end
Cons:
- Very noisy
- Likelihood of clogs
- No wheeled cart
Although it has some minor flaws, the quality-build, powerful features, and the price of the HomeRight Power Flo Pro can overwhelm them.
#4. Titan Tool 0580009 Titan – Best Efficiency Sprayer
Here comes the Titan Tool 0580009 Titan, for your consideration.
As you already figure out, this sprayer is bulkier and sturdier than all airless paint sprayers above. This is because Titan Tool 0580009 Titan Control Max 1700 is designed for heavy-duty projects.
| Weight | Voltage | Motor Output | Max flow rate | Nozzle Size | Warranty |
| 19 lbs | 110-120V | 0.6 HP | 0.33 gallons/min | 4 sizes | 2 years |
The large size has both benefits and drawbacks.
On the one hand, you will get a 5-gallon paint bucket to paint longer and straightly from that bucket without stopping for refilling in the middle of the task.
However, it also means being cumbersome, especially when there is no wheeled cart or so. Of course, you can invest in a cart, but it will add some extra cost.
More importantly, the Titan Tool 0580009 is powerful and efficient due to the advanced High-Efficiency Airless (HEA) tips. As its name suggests, the HEA technology helps reduce overspray by 55% compared to other sprayers. This means easier cleanup and less likelihood of paint splatters, or waste. This eventually saves more money. Accordingly, you can spray at the rate of 0.33 GPM and up to 1500 PSI thanks to the powerful 0.6 motor pumps.
This also makes the Titan ControlMax 1700 more comfortable to use.
In drawbacks, the sprayer usually suffers from clogging because there is a lack of inline filter. Fortunately, you can just rotate the tips to leave all the clogs out. Moreover, there is only one tip available.
Pros:
- More powerful and effective spraying capacity
- Good for various unthinned materials
- A large container to paint more and faster
- Quick spraying nozzle
- 2-year warranty
Cons:
- Some additional assembly required
- Lack of inline filter that causes clogs
- Extra cost on the wheeled cart and tips
Thanks to its efficiency, the Titan Tool 0580009 ControlMax 1700 is capable of painting large projects such as the entire house, furniture set, and large fence.
#5. Wagner Spray TECH 805-000 Titan 440 – Best Premium Sprayer for Pros
Besides Graco, Titan Tool, and HomeRight brands, professional workers also recommend Wagner. This brand is well-known for its powerful motors and many premium technologies the company brights into the products.
And the Spray TECH 805-000 Titan 440 is among Wagner’s best-sellers.
| Weight | Max flow rate | Motor Output | Nozzle Size | Voltage | Warranty |
| 15 lbs | 0.54 GPM
(3300psi) |
7/8 HP | 23 inches | 110V | 4 years |
Of all professional airless paint sprayers we have mentioned in this post, Spray TECH 805-000 Titan 440 is the most powerful so that you can spray up to 100 gallons per week.
Moreover, the tool is packed with many adds-on.
For example, there is an electronic controller over the pressure to decide on the capacity and speed of the painting. Plus, the airless paint sprayer is designed to avoid sealing tip and piston from abrasion. With these two features, the cleaning process becomes much relieved!
We also like the auto-oiling facility, which is hardly found in low and medium-priced sprayers. In specific, there is an oil level indicator to inform you when to refill the paint contain so that the paint sprayer will not stop all of a sudden.
Above are just to name a few advanced features, you can take a closer look at the Spray TECH 805-000 Titan 440 and find it even more enjoyable.
Besides the features, Warger Titan provides dedicated customer service when you need help and a long-time warranty to guarantee the product quality.
However, the price is all the thing to concern. This Spray TECH 805-000 Titan 440 is several times as much as the cheapest on the list.
Pros:
- Extremely powerful
- Easy to use with many advanced features
- Built to last for several years
- Helpful customer support and warranty
Cons:
- Very pricey
Except for its price, the Spray TECH 805-000 Titan 440 is well-worth being dreamt by every professional.
What Are The Benefits of Airless Paint Sprayers?
Have you ever painted with a sprayer before?
If yes, you might already know the advantages of these painting tools compared to the traditional brushes and rollers. Then, the airless paint sprayer is even the most common paint sprayer type thanks to its quick and versatile application.
In case you have not used an airless sprayer yet, you should take notes of some selling points as follows:
#1. Airless paint sprayers help you paint faster
The airless sprayers often run on enormous pressure, meaning that you can expect more gallons of paints to be pumped out of the tip in a short time. For that reason, this type of sprayer is common for large projects.
#2. It is possible to get a glass-smooth finish
The fact that airless paint sprayers feature a very high pressure makes many people hesitant, worrying about the overspray.
Then, we confirm that these tools provide a uniform application with few chances of overspray. Before going out of the tip, paint is often broken into ultra-fine droplets to stick onto the target surfaces more quickly and smoothly.
#3. Airless machines are more portable
Interestingly enough, airless paint sprayers are often portable despite their powerful performance.
Those sprayers are often placed on a wheeled cart to move the units around quickly.
Who Should Rely on Airless Paint Sprayers?
Both DIYers and professional workers opt-in using airless paint sprayers. Nonetheless, coming to think of the price range and some complications in operation and maintenance of the tools, we still recommend them for professional/commercial users.
Put merely; airless paint sprayers are often packed with robust features to produce up to 3000 GPM. This rate is far abundant for everyday household tasks. Hence, you do not need to break a bank.
Not to mention, you need to be experienced in controlling such an efficient tool. Otherwise, you might waste paints or even a messy situation.
Moreover, the high performance requires you to maintain the sprayers frequently to guarantee their efficiency over time. Unfortunately, disassembling the airless paint sprayers for cleaning is not an effortless task.
What to Use Airless Paint Sprayers for?
All in all, airless paint sprayers are ideal for big projects which require both an even and fast application, for example, painting large residential complexes, factories, or restaurants.
Besides, airless tools are possibly used indoors and outdoors based on your requirements. Just so you know, please avoid working outsides under a windy situation. In that case, very-fine paint droplets might be carried out around or to a wrong surface. This causes a mess and waste on the paints.
An Airless Paint Sprayer vs. An HVLP Paint Sprayer: Which Is Better?
We have heard by experts that the HVLP unit is an alternative to paintbrushes and the airless one is the alternative of.
As we mentioned right above, airless paint sprayers feature high column – high pressure enough to complete big projects.
In contrast, HVLP sprayers are high-volume and low-pressure, using the air pumped by atomizing a turbine or an air compressor. More excitingly, particles running out of the HVLP tip are more uniform than those from the airless paint sprayer. As a result, the HVLP tools are preferred to handle expensive paints like stains, enamels, or varnishes.
If you spray with an airless and an HVLP sprayer side by side, you will notice significant differences in the very final finishes.
In terms of use, the HVLP paint sprayers are often more user-friendly. They come with a control knob to monitor the airflow and minimize the overspray.
The low pressure helps give off a beautiful and careful finish. Nonetheless, it is also a real problem with the HVLP sprayers. Accordingly, the speed is slower than other sprayers. This not only affects your work deadline, but it might also cause thick paints to heat up and clog.
For that reason, the HVLP is recommended for small and personalized tasks involving furniture or shelves.
How to Choose The Best Pro Airless Paint Sprayer?
The airless sprayers are more complicated, so you should get to know this type of paint sprayers, as more as possible. Once you get an overview of the tool, you need to check further on three components.
The gun tips
Pick up a suitable size to not apply too much or too little paint at a time. In the main, small tips are ideal for light paints such as enamels or stains, whereas big tips are required coming to think of thicker coatings such as latex.
Plus, remember that tips wear out over time due to the abrasion of solid coating particles. Thus, the material is another factor to consider about the airless gun tips. In this case, we recommend the tungsten carbide tips because they are excellently resistant to abrasion.
It is better to use interchangeable tips to find many substitutes on the market when it comes to the replacement time.
Motors and pumps
In airless paint sprayers, the lower or fluid pump will deliver an even flow of paint through an attached hose. Please make sure that all pumps are securely fitted with the outlet and inlet valves.
Also, consider the power sources. Most pumps of the airless sprayers run on an electric motor, connected to the piston pump to generate rotation continuously.
Ratings
There are several important ratings you need to check about an airless paint sprayer, including:
- The number of guns available
- The maximum tips’ size
- The size of the nozzle
- Gallons per minute rate (GPM)
- The pressure of pounds per square inch (PSI). Most airless sprayers support 300 to 7500 PSI.
- The horsepower (HP)
How to Use an Airless Paint Sprayer?
At a glance, an airless sprayer seems to be a plug-and-play tool. In fact, you might end up an overspray mess without knowing the proper techniques as follows:
Positioning properly
- Body position: You can stand comfortably as you wish. However, we still recommend having your legs slightly been opposite the gun.
- Gun position: You should hold the gun within a natural extension of the arm and trigger by your middle and index fingers.
- Hose position: If you use extended hoses, you had better install the small whip-hose to the gun and supply hose. That way, you can move the operator more comfortably during the task.
Maintaining a good distance
The most common reason for uneven or overspray coverage is that you stand too close to the target surface.
Besides having a proper position as above, do not forget to keep a suitable distance from the surface to around 6 to 12 inches.
Adjusting the degree of overlapping
The more spray overlap is reduced, the more efficient the spraying with airless tools becomes.
The key is to aim the gun at the previous stroke bottom directly.
Determining speed and pressure
Airless paint sprayers are hot, but over is not!
Please set up at an average speed and pressure first and apply a small amount of paint to an unnoticeable surface to figure out the paint thickness and change those settings if needed.
How to Maintain an Airless Paint Sprayer?
In addition to some tips shared by PPG Paints, we also want to share our practical maintenance tips.
- Dis-assembling some parts like filters, valves, and tips to inspect and clean them thoroughly. Generally, you need to flush the whole unit with clean water ̣̣(mineral spirits, if there is any, is better.)
- Using a tarp to cover the pump while ou spray. This will save you a lot of time and effort to clean the tool later.
- Checking the throat-wet cup and paint hose frequently to fix any leak, kinks, clogs, or damages detected.
- Replacing the spray tip regularly as well. For example, change the tip after 15 to 40 gallons of latex paint or 35 to 60 gallons of other oils and stains.
- Finally, avoiding the moisture or freezing spaces when it comes to the airless sprayers’ storage.
FAQs
What is the best professional paint sprayer?
The winner of the best professional airless paint sprayer roundup is Graco Magnum 262800 X5 Stand. This tool keeps a balance of quality features and the price, except for the fact that you need to pay extra for a wheeled cart.
Do Airless sprayers use more paint?
Yes, unfortunately.
An airless sprayer, especially the run-of-the-mill one, is supposed to waste more paints than other guns. Without proper techniques, you can even add a few gallons wasted per spraying minute.
Thus, you should practice spraying with water first to prevent over-spraying situations.
Do you need to thin paint for an airless sprayer?
It depends on the nature of the paint you are using.
Take latex paint, for example.
It is the most demanding paint type because of the high viscosity. Thus, to save the airless sprayer from over-working and accidental clogs, you should thin the latex by 10% with plain water in advance.
Oil-based paints and acrylics are also recommended to thin down, although this task is optional.
Is spraying better than rolling?
Definitely!
Sprayers fasten your painting projects, but they also make it possible to reach areas that are out of your natural reach thanks to the hose and small tips.
Nonetheless, if you likes to spend time painting every corner of the walls to get the highest quality coat, you might still be happy with rolling rather than spraying.
Can you spray a car with an airless sprayer?
Yes,
However, you should choose the airless tools that support a finely-atomized mist.
How long can I leave paint in an airless sprayer?
Most professionals will suggest you flush all the paint out of the airless sprayer right after you finish all the work. Otherwise, the paint might block the pump and cause clogs.
That time, it will take more time to clean and maintain the sprayer. Even worse, it can lead to uneven coverage when you paint with the tool the very next time.
Do I have to roll after spraying?
Interestingly enough, never get rid of all rollers after you invest in an airless sprayer.
Instead, back rolling is a professional tactic to help the sprayed particles contact better to the target surface. Moreover, you can also smooth down the overspray or raised fibers happening when you spray with an airless paint sprayer.
Can you leave oil-based paint in sprayer overnight?
As we mentioned, you should not leave the paint – whatever type you have (latex, oil-based paint, or acrylics.)
Even if the oil-based features a lower viscosity than the latex or when you plan to use similar paint on the very next morning, you still need to clean the sprayer right away!
What is the best pressure for spray painting?
There is definitely a completely correct answer to this question.
The suggested pressure is based on your painting purpose, the sprayer itself, the paint’s nature, and many more.
To pick up one level, you had better use plain water to test the pressure and other settings beforehand.
Can you use water-based paint in a spray gun?
Yes, you can.
Yet, just so you know, water-based paints like latex are required to be thinned before using them in a spray gun.
Wrapping Up
It is high time to pick up and buy the best professional airless paint sprayer out of the 5 options available above. Please consider your requirements and refer to our buying guides and other information to make the right choice!
Further reading
