One of the most commonly asked questions on the scale modeling forums is…”Which Airbrush?”  Now everyone has their own preferences as to which type and what brand to buy but the person asking also needs to know which is the best fit for them. When I say fit, I’m referring to the same term as one would use when purchasing shoes.

Each one of us have hands of differing size. Some have short thick fingers, others long slender ones. Even though the design is similar to other humans, each is different and requires ergonomics to accommodate that difference.

Most airbrushes, especially those brands that are recognizable in this hobby such as Iwata, Badger, Paasche and Grex to name but a few all perform much alike. Each company has their unique features and benefits as well as capacities designed into their various models offered. But these features and capabilities do you little good if the products does fit your hand comfortably.

Better fit means better control. When you have control over any tool you are more likely going to have better results. Like shoes if they fit you’ll walk more comfortably and enjoy the experience. Same applies to tools that we use in our hobby such as airbrushes.

For me a guy with what I consider large hands, an airbrush with a narrow diameter body like a pencil is harder for me to hold. Therefore even though the tool has fantastic capabilities, those capabilities may not be fully achieved because I can’t comfortably control the tool in my hand. If one doesn’t get the performance (after the learning curve of using the tool) the user is less likely to use it, recommend it or purchase another one from the same manufacturer and vendor. On high end products such as these airbrushes, its not the tools, mfr or vendors fault but the consumer who didn’t consider the most crucial aspect before purchasing…FIT.

In the illustration to the right, I show the various airbrushes I own and yes I do use them. I will be reviewing each one individually to discuss each ones features and benefits including the topic at hand…FIT. I’ll point out whether they are skinny, fat, square or completely different in ergonomic design as it applies to being held. So before you purchase that airbrush try to hold it in your hand first. If you are having difficulty using your airbrush, the issue of how it fits and feels in your hand might be part of the problem.

Here is a video I did which is not only useful to this topic but those in the business of product development and marketing as well.