# Graco 390



## Bvanvoorhis (Aug 11, 2017)

Portland Compressor currently has the Graco 390 on model end clearance for $699. Thoughts?


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

An okay entry level machine. But, sort of depends on what you want to use it for - can you elaborate?


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## Bvanvoorhis (Aug 11, 2017)

Sure. I do a pretty low volume of primarily exterior in Wisconsin, so it's a short season. I also do interior repaints. I would also use a sprayer for my personal use to paint my pole barn and house, and occasional reclaimed furniture projects.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

Bvanvoorhis said:


> Sure. I do a pretty low volume of primarily exterior in Wisconsin, so it's a short season. I also do interior repaints. I would also use a sprayer for my personal use to paint my pole barn and house, and occasional reclaimed furniture projects.


Thanks. 

Most here would say to get the most you can afford to pay for. 

I purchased a 395 a few years back and use it for doing interior work; the occaisional ceiling, doors, built ins, etc. I think it is perfect for what I use it for. If I was doing exteriors on a fairly regular basis (even if only seasonal) I likely would have considered moving up to a slightly beefier unit.

I guess my take on it would be to see what a 395 is going for and consider _at least _moving up to one of those if you can possibly afford it. In the long term, I doubt you will ever regret getting a slightly better machine.


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## Bvanvoorhis (Aug 11, 2017)

RH said:


> Thanks.
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Thanks much. 


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

Bvanvoorhis said:


> Thanks much.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


You bet. There are a lot of guys with lots of good sprayer knowledge (much better than mine) here so hopefully some of them will soon chime in with some of their opinions.

Good luck!


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## sayn3ver (Jan 9, 2010)

No first hand experience with those but the 390 doesn't come with any pressure control so it has a wider deadband vs the 395.

The 495 supposedly has the better pressure control vs the 395 giving a supposedly even more consistent spray pressure which is suppose to translate to a better finish when spraying doors, trim, etc. 

Again no personal experience with any of the above. 

Something to look into and consider since you mentioned furniture. 

Others on here often feel the 390 is a rebadged consumer pump. Even tho the stats on the 390 vs 395 are pretty close those with first hand seem to say the 395 is a much better pump. 

Again. What I've seen read and researched before making a purchase myself.


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## Bvanvoorhis (Aug 11, 2017)

sayn3ver said:


> No first hand experience with those but the 390 doesn't come with any pressure control so it has a wider deadband vs the 395.
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Thanks for the input. I wasn't aware that the 390 didn't have pressure control. I thought it was a matter of manual vs electronic. 


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

Bvanvoorhis said:


> Thanks for the input. I wasn't aware that the 390 didn't have pressure control. I thought it was a matter of manual vs electronic.
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> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Pretty much all airless sprayers these days are electric. They phased out the hand pumped ones (manuals) back in the fifties.


jk :wink:


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## Bvanvoorhis (Aug 11, 2017)

RH said:


> Pretty much all airless sprayers these days are electric. They phased out the hand pumped ones (manuals) back in the fifties.
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## sayn3ver (Jan 9, 2010)

The 390 does have the ability to set different pressures. 

I meant by pressure control that it has an onboard processor to help eliminate deadband. Deadband is essentially the drop in pressure as you pull the trigger until the pump turns on.

Some sprayers are better than others. It's the drop in pressure that can leave the product being sprayed with improper atomizing pressure until the pump cycles. 

It becomes more of an issue at lower pressure setting or if the pressure you were set at was just adequately atomizing the product properly...any drop off would then be seen at the tip of the gun with fingers. 

I believe the term is called winking. 

More of a fine finish concern. 

Some pumps without the fancy computers still have pretty tight deadbands. Others have much wider. 

Diaphragm pumps inherently have less issues with this by design since they are constantly fluttering vs the slower intermittent stroke of a piston pump. 

Pneumatic driven AAA piston pumps tend to be designed to eliminate deadband altogether.


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## Bvanvoorhis (Aug 11, 2017)

sayn3ver said:


> The 390 does have the ability to set different pressures.
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Thank you for the info. Very helpful. 


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## Worker Bee (Jun 2, 2017)

I have a Nova 390 i bought last year after buying my house. My house is full of dark paneling... due to time contrants, removing it was out of the question.

I sprayed problock HS oil on it, and ceilings (popcorn) and then went back and sprayed all the ceilings with latex.

It took 3 days to prep the house to spray and 4 hours to spray the whole house and 2hours to spray the ceilings...

I also used it to spary SW MoistureGard on the walls (osb) in my shop, and 5 coats of Masterhide semi gloss latex enamel...

Honestly, for someone with very limited spray experience (ME) I am very happy with both the output, coverage and the 'learning' curve of the machine. I havent used it on any jobs, just personal use, and followed the directions of my people at my SW...

For the $700 i spent on it... I am very happy with it... Ya its at the bottom rung of sprayers but I dont need a 2-3,000 sprayer..yet

right now, it sits in my foyer, where its been for over a year... The GF aint too happy but too bad... shes also not too happy with the 15 bales of cellulose either but thats another story - wait till theres 120... then she can bitch LOL


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## harmonpa2 (Oct 1, 2021)

The 390 is a solid workhorse for interior latex paints or even wood finishes. It maxes out at a 21 thousands tip so if your going to try to spray heavier bodied coatings (say anything related to foundations or some exterior coatings) it may not give you enough output to handle that. But for the price its pretty unbeatable


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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

harmonpa2 said:


> The 390 is a solid workhorse for interior latex paints or even wood finishes. It maxes out at a 21 thousands tip so if your going to try to spray heavier bodied coatings (say anything related to foundations or some exterior coatings) it may not give you enough output to handle that. But for the price its pretty unbeatable


Thread is 5 years old. Just saying, but thanks for the contribution!


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