My basics -- yes the one on the left is from Harbor Freight $20 dual action. Their single action is $15 and you can get them even cheaper with a coupon. At that price you can't go wrong. If the seals dry out or you drop it, just buy another one with coupon, no big deal.
I've tried them all through the years, and had success with all of them, but for $20 I'll just stick with the HF dual action.
The biggest thing is getting the paint mix thin enough to flow freely without clogging or drying to fast, yet if it's too thin the color just won't cover. There's no 1 way or 1 mix that works for everyone. Water based paints vs enamels make a huge difference when it comes to the size of tip on the airbrush. Water based works better with a medium or large tip.....but very rarely do I ever used water based paint. Clogs/dries to quick for my tastes, thats why the HF Dual Action brush works for me and it has a small/fine so to speak. I use paints thinned with laquer thinner or paint thinner.
