I just completed the painting of the exterior of my 2,200 square foot home with this sprayer, and am thoroughly pleased with my purchase. The build quality of this sprayer is very good and the design is well thought out. It easily paid for itself in time savings on this one project alone (I was able to spray the entire house in about three days, the balance of the job was prep and hand work) and I expect to get many more years of service from it. The quality of the sprayed finish on aluminum siding is unparalleled. My home had been previously painted by brush, the ProX7 was able to flow paint thick enough to easily cover these brushstrokes and leave a very smooth, even finish. I used a Behr premium-grade paint and primer in one product, which was extremely viscous, and the ProX7 had no issues flowing it well, even when I was 30 feet overhead, without the need to thin it. I found control to be exceptional, I did my wooden trim around window casements by hand, and this 4" margin for error proved to be ample space to paint with just a small spay shield, and in the case of the horizontal edges without any masking whatsoever. Perhaps it was the density of my paint or my careful work, but I found warnings over overspray going everywhere to be greatly overstated.
On rough, freshly-scarped wood surfaces, I found brushwork to be much more effective at applying a nice thick coat than the sprayer. But on aluminum, it was a dream. I pressure-washed with TSP, hosed it off, and went at it, and the results were excellent.
The major drawbacks to a sprayer, beyond cost, is that there is a fairly complex startup and shutdown procedure, and if you fail to follow it you WILL wind up with a mess, a confounding non-spraying sprayer, or a very expensive broken tool. But this procedure is covered in ample detail in the included documentation (the included DVD uses the very same ProX7 as the example, which is a nice touch), and for anyone familiar with pumps it will be pretty common-sense. But it takes a good bit of setup to get it running, and the cleanup process is fairly involved, usually taking about 20 minutes with latex paint, and I would imagine that any cut corners here will leave you with a broken sprayer. This makes a sprayer like this a less practical tool for small jobs.
I wavered quite a bit between this X7 and the ProX7 when making this purchase and am glad I got the ProX7. The extra hose length is a HUGE time saver, and on the gable ends of a two-story home with a peaked roof, you may well need it. The additional filter and swivel on the SG3 gun were also very helpful for high-up exterior work. Purchasing the longer hose and this swivel alone make up most of the price difference between the two models, which ought to make your decision easier should you intend to use this for an exterior project.
| Brand | Graco |
|---|---|
| Material | Plastic |
| Item Weight | 44.8 Pounds |
| Style | Gun |
| Included Components | Airless Paint Sprayer |
| Model Name | FBA_262805 |
| Hose Length | 1800 Inches |
| Manufacturer | Graco |
| Part Number | FBA_262805 |
| Item Weight | 44.8 pounds |
| Package Dimensions | 32.2 x 22.3 x 15.6 inches |
| Item model number | 261815 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Maximum Pressure | 3000 Pound per Square Inch |
| Special Features | Airless |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
| Warranty Description | One year warranty against manufacturer defect |
