Graco FinishPro HVLP 9.5 Pro Contractor Series Paint Sprayer

When the Graco FinishPro HVLP (High Volume, Low Pressure) system first showed up at my doorstep 6 months ago. My first thought was, “Oh crap.” I didn’t know this tool was on the way for review, I thought we were going to be testing one of their new cordless, airless sprayers not their top of the line HVLP system. To be completely honest, I didn’t have much HVLP spray experience and the sprayer I was using was a cheap Earlex 5500 I bought on Amazon for under $300. It was a far cry from the $1500 Graco FinishPro that just showed up. I felt it was well above my pay grade and experience level. Boy was I wrong. This tool and the right products had me producing glass smooth finishes in no time.

Features and Specifications

• Flexliner Bag System with 1qt capacity
• Dual Filtration
• 5-Stage Turbine with SmartStart
• Max PSI – 9.5
• Max Hose Length – 60 ft (30ft included)
• 4′ Lightweight Whip
• #3, #4, and #5 needle sets included
• Edge II Plus gun
• Turbine Weight – 26lbs
• Completely tool-less operation and cleaning
• Made in the USA

Graco FinishPro 9.5 Turbine

At the heart of the Graco FinishPro HVLP setup is the turbine. The turbine is essentially a high volume, low pressure air compressor. It’s specialized in that it delivers clean air at sufficient volume and pressure for the spray gun. What makes this turbine unit special over other HVLP turbines is that it has SmartStart. SmartStart only starts/runs the turbine when there’s a pressure loss in the the hose, i.e. the trigger is pulled on the spray gun. Otherwise the turbine is off. It makes for a much quieter spray area while keeping the spray setup ready to go at a moments notice.

Another nice feature of the turbine is the Turbo Control. This is a dial that is set on the turbine that adjusts the maximum output of air. It also adjusts how fast the system recovers when the trigger is pulled on the spray gun. I keep mine at about 60% based on the speed I spray.

Edge II Plus Spray Gun

The other half of the Graco FinishPro 9.5 setup is the spray gun. This isn’t just some off the shelf hvlp gun. It’s a specially developed with the turbine in mind. We talked about the Turbo Control on the turbine but the air is also further adjustable on the Edge II Plus gun. In addition to the air, the material volume, fan pattern, and fan size are all independently adjustable as well. This puts all of the necessary controls right at the point of spray.

Flexliner Bag System

The Edge II Plus is available with a traditional metal material cup but most often ships with the Flexliner Bag system. This is a similar system to the one used on the Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer Rob reviewed awhile back. It’s similar in that it uses the same Flexliner bags so that material can be sprayed in any orientation but this one is different in that it pressurizes the outer cup to squeeze the material up into the gun. It works really well and the gun never loses prime even when I’m spraying upside down or sideways. The unit ships with 4 bags and additional bags were about $3 each at Sherwin Williams (and cheaper yet on Amazon). This cup system is probably the best part about the Edge II Plus gun.

Independent Controls

The second best part about the Edge II Plus gun is the independent controls. The previous version, the Edge II, didn’t have a separate air control adjustment. It was a combination air/material volume. Now everything can be dialed in separately and it is awesome.

Easy, tool-less disassembly for cleaning. No small parts, springs, or washers to lose.

Cleaning

Cleaning of the Edge II Plus gun wasn’t terrible. Everything disassembles really easily and there are not that many parts. No tools are needed for disassembly or reassembly. The included cleaning brush is just the right size for all of the small orifices. The flexliner bags can also be cleaned and reused.

Graco FinishPro In Use

Spraying sideways is no problem

I do a lot of custom carpentry and built-in cabinets. Some might even consider it woodworking. In the time I’ve had the Graco FinishPro I’ve built a dining table and a few sets of mudroom cabinets. When I took on the jobs I needed a finish that would be flawless but also fast. Time is money and I don’t have the time to put down one or two coats of finish a day. I needed to be able to finish multiple pieces in a day with perfect results. Having the Graco was only half the battle, the other half was spraying a pro level product, not some off the shelf polyurethane.

I went to my local Sherwin Williams and told them what I was building and the equipment I had. They directed me to the products that would best suit my needs. I’m spraying almost exclusively the SW Hi-Bild pre-cat lacquer. I get it in both pigmented and clear. I can spray it out of the Graco with the #3 included needle set with no thinning required. If it’s especially hot or dry I thin about 10-15%. What’s awesome about the pre-cat is I just have to pour it into the flexliner and then spray it out. It dries to the touch in under 15 min. The flexliner keeps the gun primed with no air in the system so I can leave the gun loaded all day or even across a couple days.

When spraying the pre-cat I set the turbo control at about 70%, material flow at 7 or 8, air at about 5-6 and the fan width about 5-6″. What’s great about spraying pre-cat in this HVLP system is that I don’t have to mask off much in my shop. Anything more than a couple feet away may get some dried paint particles on them but they easily blow off. This lacquer has to be sprayed close to the project or it dries in the air.

Spraying flats is easy but what about hard to reach areas or cabinet interiors? That’s what makes this unit special. It can spray upside down. That’s the biggest benefit of remote pressure pot HVLP systems without all the extra cleanup that comes with it.

Areas For Improvement

There are three things that Graco could improve that would make this thing perfect. The first is that there needs to be more tension on the air adjustment knob on the Edge II Plus gun. When spraying in hard to reach areas, it’s easy to accidentally bump the air setting and either bump it to max or bump it all the way off. I’ve had both happen.

The second thing is that the manual should include a portion in the section on cleaning the unit on how to re-lube the rubber o-rings in the Edge II Plus gun. There are two rubber o-rings that need a little lube after cleaning. The first is where the lid of the flexliner cup attaches to the bottom of the gun. The second is that the needle needs a little grease before reassembly. Both of these areas you can feel the rubber drag if you try and reassemble them dry. I ended up using the grease from my Earlex cleaning kit. Just a tiny bit on the end of the finger to touch both areas. If you use an excessive amount, it may affect your finish. Use sparingly.

The third thing is that the lid of the flexliner cup isn’t all that durable when used with pro-grade finishes such as lacquers. The solvent used in lacquer and relevant thinners has already started cracking the lid. I wish there was an optional metal lid that was compatible with the flexliner system. I don’t need to see through the lid, I just look through the side of the cup. In Graco’s defense, they do warn about submerging the lid in solvent. Well, when the gun is primed with product, it’s more or less submerged in solvent.

Cracked all the way around where the rim meets the lid.

Perfect Results

Despite the areas for improvement above, the output quality of the tool is still second to none. Sure, the Graco FinishPro isn’t cheap but neither is having to redo a finish. The amount of time this tool saves me has more than made up for its cost. You can find this sprayer and other Graco products at your local paint store, Sherwin-Williams, Diamond Vogel, Hirshfield’s, etc. This sprayer is also available on Amazon.

Graco FinishPro HVLP 9.5 Pro Contractor Series Paint Sprayer is a post from Tool Box Buzz

Graco Ultra Cordless Paint Sprayer 17M363 Review

Graco Ultra Corded Airless Handheld Paint Sprayer 17M359

4.5/5

Manufacturer: GRACO
Model number: 17M359
Power source: 20V Dewalt Batteries
Motor size: Brushless

Like Dewalt, Makita and Milwaukee, for my trade, the name Graco is synonymous for paint spraying trade.

As a carpenter I’m usually gone by the time the painters arrive. But once in a while we find ourselves sharing space on larger projects. Sometimes I even get to use a paint brush – mostly for priming purposes. Although, I will brag and tell you I have a great brush stroke and can “cut-in” like the best of them!

Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer Line

Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayers are designed specifically for small painting applications both interior, and exterior. They are especially useful for small projects, where speed, portability and not having to start-up a larger airless sprayer saves time and money.

The latest offering is the third generation of the Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer line and their best revamp yet. Their Ultra sprayer line both use Dewalt 20V Max batteries and include the following sprayers:

• Ultra Cordless Air Sprayer
• Ultra Max Cordless Airless sprayers
• Graco also offers the Ultra sprayer in a corded model.

Both the Ultra Corded and Cordless models spray water and mineral spirit based materials, while the Ultra Max cordless sprayer can also spray water, solvent, and flammable based materials.

Using Graco Ultra Cordless Paint Sprayer

This sprayer is designed for small projects, and touch ups. For painting contractors, it saves having to set up, start-up and clean a larger airless sprayer.

For other folks, its a great all around, small project, cordless sprayer.

For example, I always try to purchase primed stock or have my painter primes up stock for me. I recently used it to prime 3 sheets of Cedar lattice, but on a recent porch project the painter was not available to spray lattice ahead of time.  I used the Graco sprayer to prime 6-sides of the Cedar lattice. It takes under 2 minutes to spray one sheet. It actually takes longer to reload the quart reservoir.

Cleaning the unit was easy, I found the directions to be straightforward to follow. The cleaning process takes about 5-10 minutes – less with latex paints.

Spray Patterns

The Graco Ultra sprayers can spray straight out, pointing up, down at an angle, and even upside down. I found the spray pattern coverage excellent, and it not over apply paint.

Batteries and Runtime

The Graco sprayer is powered by Dewalt 20V battery pack instead of the previous version’s Graco-branded batteries. This kit comes with two 20V slim-pack batteries, and charger. The best part of the battery system is that this sprayer is compatible with any 20V DEWALT battery.

We tested the runtime of this sprayer and were able to spray 1 gallon of paint on a single slim pack battery. Larger batteries will allow a longer runtime.

Triax Carbide Triple Piston Pump

The sprayers ProConnect pump replacement system is designed so that the user can replace the Triax carbide triple piston pump on the jobsite instead of being sent in for costly repair work.

The beauty of this is you can replace the pump onsite with only a screwdriver and three easy steps:

1. Remove Phillips screws and door
2. Remove and replace pump
3. Reinstall door and screws

The pump is constructed out of durable stainless steel and carbide components bonded with a high strength polymer and will operate at 500 to 2,000 PSI. We did not replace our pump so cannot speak to the level of difficulty to replace the pump.

Adjustable Pressure

The ProControl II motor control is adjusted with a pressure regulator dial on the handle just above the battery. This is a change from its former location along the spray barrel.

The pressure control delivers a consistent spray fan without pressure fluctuations. It allows you to adjust motor speed to spray at virtually any speed that the job demands. We found a setting of 6-8 to be adequate for most spraying applications.

Removable Spray Tips

The sprayer supports a spray tip size of 0.008- 0.016 inch. The Reverse-A-Clean (RAC) Switch Tips allow for cleaning tip clogs. A RAC X FF LP 514 spray tip comes standard with the Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer. We used this tip for our testing.

On previous generation GRACO sprayers, in order to remove the tip you had to dismantle the entire tip housing. The new design  allows for the tips simply slide in and out. The RAC X FF LP Tips provides a better finish at low pressure and work on all Graco Airless Sprayers including large airless sprayers.

FlexLiner Bag System

The FlexLiner bag system allows you to spray from any angle without losing prime. It has a 32-ounce capacity, and are disposable. The unit comes with four Flexliner paint bags, and a few reservoir caps. The extra caps are definitely needed as the cap hinge breaks off easily.

Water and Oil Based Coatings

The sprayer can handle both water and mineral spirit, without thinning.

Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer Features

• Triax Triple Piston Pump
• DeWalt 20V Max Battery
• ProConnect Pump Replacement
• SmartControl
• ProControl II
• RAC X FF LP Tips
• Four 32-ounce FlexLiner Paint Bags

Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer Specifications

• Model Number: 17M363
• Pressure Range: 500 – 2000 PSI
• Tip Size Supported: 0.008- 0.016 inch
• Filter Mesh: 60
• Price: $429

Perfect Airless Finish

The Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer produced a smooth and even finish with no thinning and  complete coverage in the first coat. I was really impressed with the coverage!

Easy Setup

• Fill FlexLiner Bag with material and attach to the sprayer
• Squeeze out any remaining air using the reservoir cap
• Prime sprayer
• Spray paint

Improvement

Capacity is definitely an issue for this sprayer. We’d like to see a larger capacity reservoir and flex liner bags.

One improvement that I think Graco should address is this durability of the pump plugs that access the outlet valves. . The pump plugs are designed to be removable to allow cleaning of the outlet valves. Unfortunately the pump plugs are plastic and require a Phillips-head screwdriver to remove. During servicing of this unit, I found that the plastic strips quickly and easily. These plugs require very low torque, 5-7 in-lbs,  I stripped one of them on the first time removing them, and the other striped on the third use.

I highly suggest Graco rethink this design and use brass, stainless steel or a more durable plug materials combination.

UPDATE

Graco advised us that they are replacing the pump plugs with a hex head instead of a Phillips. They also advise that thee plugs ONLY need to be removed for troubleshooting purposes, not cleaning.

If you purchase one of these units, I suggest having a spare pair of plugs to avoid sprayer downtime.

Overall Impression

The Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer sells for $499.00 and is 100% worth the money. As carpenters we try to prime all of our material prior to installation and sometimes our painter is unavailable.

The Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer made quick work of priming our lattice for us and there was no downtime on the job, waiting for the painter. Worked, like a dream. It was easy to setup, light weight, powerful and super convenient to use. It’s the perfect sprayer for turning over a small project or difficult areas to paint like lattice or shutters.

Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer Video Review

Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer is a post from Tool Box Buzz