Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Critter Spray Products 22032 118SG Siphon Gun

amazing sprayer. super simple and easy to clean

Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2024

I was uncertain if this would work for my purposes but it is perfect. so much simpler than many sprayers. I was spray ceramics glaze and it worked wonderfully at 30psi. would absolutely buy it again.

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Mike Earl

Makes spraying much more enjoyable

Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2016

Style: Siphon GunVerified Purchase

This Critter Spray Gun has been a pleasant surprise. It's a fun tool to use, which says a lot. Spray projects are something I tend to dread, so having a tool that makes it less stressful is very important to me. With this review, I am comparing the Critter to the HomeRight C800766 Finish Max Fine Finish Sprayer . I was underwhelmed by the Home Right product, but the Critter Gun has exceeded my expectations.

I have learned that paint spraying really is an art, and also that it takes patience. The quality of my painted projects with the Critter is good, but it's not professional, by any means. For instance, the vanity and cabinet drawers that I sprayed look good, but they are far from flawless. To get a flawless finish, it's important to sand betweens coats, and also do quick passes -- rather than trying to get really full coverage on each coat (because that leads to clumps and/or drips).

What do you need to get started using the Critter Gun?

- air compressor. If you do not have an air compressor already, and you plan on doing a lot of DIY work around your house, then I believe an air compressor is a wise investment. You can buy a cheap, tiny one from somewhere like Harbor Freight, or you can buy a compressor combo kit (which would include a nail gun and a staple gun) from Home Depot (that's what I did a couple years ago; I have felt it was a worthwhile investment).

- 1/4" coupler kit. This should cost you $5 or $6 at your local home improvement store.

- buy a box of basic Mason Jars from Wal-Mart or Fleet Farm. The 12 jars I bought at Wal-Mart cost about $8. To save time for a large painting project, you can fill up several Mason Jars at once -- then you can shift out an empty Mason Jar to a fresh one mid-project, as needed.

Pros (vs. Home Right Sprayer):

- setup and cleanup are faster and easier with the Critter.
- more consistent output of paint. This is a big one. With my Home Right sprayer, I was constantly getting derailed by paint clogging in the unit (even after diluting and straining the paint).
- the Critter is slightly cheaper (assuming you already have an air compressor).
- the Critter has far less issues with paint dripping on the project.

Cons (vs. Home Right)

- the Critter does not allow you to cover as much ground as quickly as the Home Right (and other sprayers, such as Wagner). While the paint spray is consistent, it is a small stream of paint. So, you need more passes per project.

Tips:

- others have commented about the flimsy gasket that comes with the Critter, but I have not had any issues with the gasket (after about 10 uses of the gun). I have been careful with the gasket, so as not to rip it.

- do strain your paint first. You can buy a cheap strainer at Home Depot or any paint store. Ideally, choose one that has an elastic band that would hold the strainer in place on top of the Mason Jars.

- I have used the Critter with both oil-based primer, latex-based primer, and latex paint. The latex paint goes on slick and easy, because it is thinner than primer. The oil-based primer was the toughest of the three liquids I have used. It did leave minor bumps on the project, but that might have been user error on my part.

- use Floetrol (sold at all big box home improvement stores) to thin out latex-based paint.

- use Penetrol (same maker as Floetrol) to thin out oil-based paint. These paint additives help the paint/primer go on more smoothly.

- I have experimented with different PSI (pressure) settings on my air compressor. I have used anywhere from 30-90 PSI. The thicker the paint/primer you are applying, the more pressure you need (in my experience). Just test out different pressure levels on cardboard or paper that you have laid down for the project.

- ideally, have your subject pieces laid flat down on the ground, rather than vertical against a wall. This helps you avoid drips.

- great lighting really helps. Ideally, utilize shop lights above you. This helps you see where you have already sprayed vs. what else on the project needs to be sprayed.

- I have been doing two coats of primer and one or two coats of the finish paint color.

472 people found this helpful

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Blakers

Awesome paint sprayer

Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2024

Style: Siphon GunVerified Purchase

This is an awesome paint sprayer for small to medium projects. I just redid my bathroom vanity and the critter sprayer made it look like a professional paint job. Super easy to use and understand.

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WHI

Good versatile gun, especially for spraying acrylics.

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2015

Style: Siphon GunVerified Purchase

I use this gun primarily to spray acrylic exterior paint for signs. This is not an easy paint to spray typically because it's thick and you have to be careful not thin the paint too much. This gun does a very good job, but is not perfect. You still have to thin the paint to about a 4:1 ratio (depends on the paint) in order to get it to spray, but you can spray with minimal clogging or issues. I recommend, whenever possible, purchasing extender whenever possible. It is also recommended to use Floetrol to thin paint down as it will improve the flow and finish. Thinning with water is fine, but using extender, Floetrol, and water is the best way to go.

Pros:
1. Sprays acrylic paint without over thinning.
2. Mason jars make life very easy.
3. Cleans up pretty darn quickly.
4. Finish quality is pretty good. Excellent choice for a DIYer and good choice in certain professional applications.
5. Can spray essentially any paint, primer, stain, or clear coat.
6. Minimal overspray
7. Price. (see cons as well)

Cons:
1. The spray pattern is not good. It's about a 1.5-2" diameter circle. This type of pattern is never great. "Real" guns spray in oval pattern. This allows the paint to go down quicker and coverage is better as you can do a 50% overlap.
2. Mason jars aren't exactly large. Again, this gun is designed for smaller jobs.
3. Clean up is not exactly as described. If you just throw some soapy water in, run it through the gun, and think it will be clean, it won't.
4. Price. It's hard to find a gun capable of reliably spraying acrylics for under $100. So this gun at $40 is a relative bargain. That said, $40.00 is getting a bit pricey for this gun.
5. I simply don't think it's possible to get true professional results out of this gun but you can get pretty close.

6 people found this helpful

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David D Hahn

Affordable, effective, convenient, and well-designed!

Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2018

Style: Siphon GunVerified Purchase

I purchased the Critter siphon gun to paint two rooms worth of molding for the basement. Though other products may offer wider spray patterns and features, I highly recommend this product for its simplicity, effectiveness, ease of use, and price. I had no issues with functionality, and used a Sherwin Williams latex semi-gloss with no dilution. I do recommend using an in-line filter to ensure no oil or water gets into the mix.

I set the regulator on my compressor to about 100 psi and it worked like a charm. Be sure to allow your compressor to re-pressurize while spraying to minimize any issues. I found the best way to set things up was to strain the paint beforehand and fill several mason jars beforehand. Cleanup with latex paint is extremely simple, rinse off the sprayer, then fill a jar with water and spray until the paint is cleared out. Clean the parts with soapy water, rinse, then let dry. It also helps to use a pipe cleaner to reach the recessed areas.

Coverage is a bit thinner compared to other products, but given the price and ease of use, I personally consider it an excellent investment! It worked extremely well for the molding I painted, and I can see it being just as useful for indoor use as well. Having stated that, if you need to paint an extremely large area, you might want to consider something with a wider/adjustable spray pattern. Nonetheless, I am extremely pleased with this product and highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for an all-purpose siphon gun for their compressor.

3 people found this helpful

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just me

great product, even for a novice

Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2008

Style: Siphon GunVerified Purchase

I do a lot of home repair/improvement and generally learn as I go. I have done a lot of things the long/hard way and try, as finances allow, to get the right tools to help with jobs. Tools that can do more than one thing are easier to justify and the critter was the right combination of price, promise (good reviews for similar projects to mine), and amount of potential future use. Two doors and many feet of baseboard trim later, I am delighted with this purchase! When the tool arrived, I filled the bottle with water first and tried it out just to amaze myself with the physics of air guns. That gave me a chance to experiment with adjusting the nozzle, etc. Once I moved to paint and a piece of extra masonite, I was able to quickly adjust things "just right" for my doors. I am using Kilz3 latex paint, which is extra thick--thicker than standard latex paint. My recipe was 1 cup paint, 1/4 cup flotrol, and about 1/3 cup cold water. I mixed this and strained it (good advice) and went to town. Side one of the two doors went well, but I wasn't 100 percent satisfied. Side two of both doors was better. My working distince was about 8 inches and moving in small circles and overlapping, coverage eventually was good. My biggest problem was keeping the working distance the same--move a little closer and the paint was a little thicker and dried more glossy than when I was further away. The finish was smooth! I ended up using a 6 inch sponge roller 1 inch in diameter with a light coat of thinned paint to even out the shiny vs dull parts, which was mostly on the first sides of the door. The next day I moved to baseboard trim, and It went fantastic. I painted about 50 feet of board in 5 minutes. The finish is exceptional and it dried much quicker than doing it by brush. Having already installed several hundred feet of trim, and painting it all by hand, I wish I would have sprung for this earlier. The bottom line is that this tool is just like a tree -- the best time to plant one is 20 years ago and the best time to buy this tool is before you begin the project you are thinking you can handle with a brush.

7 people found this helpful

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Vickymae

Great for Hobbyists and Super Easy to Use

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2014

Style: Siphon GunVerified Purchase

I spent about an hour at Harbor Freight staring at all of their spray guns. Between google and "help" from the employees there I still couldn't figure what gun I needed.

I found the Critter on Amazon and the reviews from non-professional painters were invaluable. Here are a few tips I've picked up after using this a few times.

1) Compressor: This gun doesn't require a huge compressor. It sprays perfectly at 30PSI. My compressor works at 150PSI and I usually spray at 30PSI to the gun. The only issue I have there is the when the compressor kicks on it scares the living crap out of me.

2) Paint: I spray latex based paint. The quality of the finish will be directly correlated to the quality of the paint and thinner. I'd stay away from Valspar or Olympic; Behr Ultra Premium is getting there; I spray with Benjamin Moore's Satin Impervo (the latex one... there is an oil based one, too, so make sure you're buying the one you actually want). I thin with Floetrol. I fill up the jar just under 5/8ths full of paint and probably about 2/8ths full of Floetrol (leaving about an 8th at the top free for ease of mixing). I've used water to thin the paint and the finish ends up a little orange peely, whereas the Floetrol leaves a very smooth finish.

3) Clean Up: Since I'm spraying with a water based paint, all I have to do is fill the jar up a few times with water and spray that to clean the nozzle and tube. Once the overspray on the outside of the gun, jar lid and nozzles builds up a little bit more I just drop them into the jar and fill it up a little with paint thinner and let it sit.

4) Cons: The only cons I can think of with this gun is if you're really going to be using it a lot, there's no way to adjust the spray pattern - it will always spray in a circle when spraying optimally. The other con is when the jar is removed, the tube is very brittle and if it is bumped against something it is likely to break off, so BE CAREFUL! If you manage to break the tube off, there is a kit on Amazon that has the tube, nozzles, spring, nut and gasket you can buy for $20. When you are re-threading the tube you have to make sure to get every MOLECULE of paint out of the threads on the teal part of the jar top. If you don't get it all out it's likely to be impossible to thread in the new tube.

16 people found this helpful

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KFG

Just Meh.

Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2020

Style: Siphon GunVerified Purchase

It works well enough I suppose. It's certainly not a high end spray gun by any means. The only thing that is really any different to this compared to any other siphon fed spray gun is the Mason jar. That being said, it's pretty simple to use and lays down paint. It does tend to form a drip on the top of the siphon, so painting horizontal surfaces may lead to inadvertent drips on the surface of what you are painting. It's probably better suited to propping your item to be painted vertically so that any drips just fall on the floor. All in all I think this would be a good product if it were half the price that it currently sells for. It feels like a cheaply made off the boat item that you'd expect from Harbor Freight. For the current $49.99 price tag you can get something a bit more sophisticated with better overall construction.

Update after using this for a recent project. The main advantage with this sprayer is supposedly the ease of cleaning it. I agree with that statement however...the time saved cleaning the gun pales in comparison to the time it takes to clean up the overspray this gun creates. This gun typically requires some pretty high pressure to get paint flowing and atomized. So overspray is a fact of life when using it. My shop was covered with it and it took ages to clean up the mess. So in the end cleaning a HVLP gun takes longer but at least your shop or garage is not full of overspray dust. My final word on this gun is unless you have a spray booth, save it for outdoor projects where overspray is less of a concern.

3 people found this helpful

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APS1998

You're being gouged for this item

Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2024

Style: Siphon GunVerified Purchase

I literally paid $41.00 for this item in 2018 on Amazon, and now it's selling for almost $240.00 in 2024. What?!?!? This is just a small attachment that goes on a mason jar, you need an air compressor to use it. It's not the same as a paint sprayer like a Graco or Wagner but will do the job. Unbelievable price gouging.

One person found this helpful

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CC

Don't wait!

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2020

Style: Siphon GunVerified Purchase

Best spray painting tool for beginners like me. I bought a $99 pancake air pressure 6-gallon to go with it. It just takes a little practice and boom. I keep the nozzle halfway or a smidgen lower. The thicker the paint, the higher the pressure. For instance, something as thin as stain would need 30 psi but something as thick as latex oil primer, I went as high as 90 psi even after adding Penetrol. I used Floetrol for my latex water based semi-gloss with great success - I used 2-4 oz for every 12 oz of paint. Found out later that for white paint, I should have thinned with water because floetrol may slightly yellow the paint over the years but it looks bright white now. Also when I thinned with water, my results were not as good, but it probably was my distance and pressure combo.
You really have to pay attention to distance. If 6" away is giving you a nice finish then be sure to keep that distance otherwise some areas will drip and pool and others will be sparse, The floetrol really helps there making your work very forgiving.
TIP: have a hook nearby on the wall or wherever where you can hang the critter. I had to hang it often even in the middle of pieces and if you just lay it down, it may clog your hole - for that I had a tiny wire ready to unclog if needed too.
My top coats I used Ultimate Poly water based not thinning at all and only needed 70-80 psi. Really nice for that - no brush marks and a perfect finish. I didn't even clean the jar or critter over three nights and it still sprayed great each morning and cleaned up easily when all the pieces had their final coats.
Clean up for me was easy but time consuming because I care. For oil based I used the old-fashioned mineral spirits in the big can- not the ones that are white and thick - they did a horrible job. For water based I used water and a little dawn rinsing well. I was careful with the thin cork rim thing. I took the screws out each time fully disassembling to wash. I used a pipe cleaner for the metal straw part. and I kept all the pieces in a glass bowl on the window ledge to dry so I wouldn't lose the tiny parts.
I got so into it after doing a dresser and book shelf, I built a tent in my garage using those huge rolls of cheapest plastic from HD and stapling long sheets to the rafters and letting it hang down. Went around in a square and had clothes pins to hold door closed - Worked great to keep my garage clean and keep painted pieces out of the way of piece being sprayed. I had my pancake outside the tent at a corner, where I could pull apart the plastic to adjust the pressure etc but not have the machines air mess up my paint job. I just had the tubing going under the tent plastic. I used a small ladder to which I attached a hook for hanging my critter and rigged up lights to shine on my piece. I also had a handheld light which helped me see as I sprayed. White on white is really hard to see otherwise.

Go for it! I love mine.

46 people found this helpful

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Critter Spray Products 22032 118SG Siphon Gun

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