# Graco sprayer Hi-Boy vs stand?



## GeorgeG (Jun 2, 2012)

Looking at the 390/395/4XX Gracos for residential latex work - ceilings, walls, trim. What should I consider when choosing the Hi-Boy vs Lo-Boy vs stand model?

Thanks,

George


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## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

Portability, van space

I run highboys but know many like the stands. 

I would choose the 495.


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## Xmark (Apr 15, 2012)

GeorgeG said:


> Looking at the 390/395/495 Gracos for residential latex work - ceilings, walls, trim. What should I consider when choosing the Hi-Boy vs stand model?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> George


you should look into getting an airlessco lp500 highboy. that's a better graco manufactured rig.

personally i always buy high boys because they are easier to transport from site to site or room to room. god forbid you have to carry that stand model 100 yards down a hallway some day.:blink:


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## NCPaint1 (Aug 6, 2009)

XMark...finally we found your wheelhouse  

Airlessco would be my choice as well. Excellent machines those are.

Sent from my Android, which is still better than the iPhone 6


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## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

The stand models are hard to move around. If I'm using a stand model and I know I'm going to have to be moving I set it up on a step up scaffold, or a flat bed or shopping cart or something like that. If I was a house painter and moved from job to job a lot 
I'd get the one with the wheels for sure.


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## South-FL-Painter (Jan 17, 2012)

Graco 495 with brushless motor is a piece of mind machine.Highboy set-up the very nice,the only part I hate it does not have a little compartment for tour spray tips,etc.


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## NCPaint1 (Aug 6, 2009)

Oden said:


> The stand models are hard to move around. If I'm using a stand model and I know I'm going to have to be moving I set it up on a step up scaffold, or a flat bed or shopping cart or something like that. If I was a house painter and moved from job to job a lot
> I'd get the one with the wheels for sure.


The cool thing about the Airlessco's, you can run up to 300' of hose on them. So even if you have a stand unit, you could theoretically leave it in your vehicle on most jobs provided you have enough hose.

Sent from my Android, which is still better than the iPhone 6


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## benthepainter (Jun 17, 2011)

GeorgeG said:


> Looking at the 390/395/495 Gracos for residential latex work - ceilings, walls, trim. What should I consider when choosing the Hi-Boy vs stand model?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> George


G'day George 

This is my Baby : ) love it just wished I got to use it more : (

I'm only new to spraying but am happy with my choice


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## Xmark (Apr 15, 2012)

benthepainter said:


> G'day George
> 
> This is my Baby : ) love it just wished I got to use it more : (
> 
> I'm only new to spraying but am happy with my choice


very pretty.

do you wax that thing? :thumbup:


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## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

Sharp_Painting said:


> Graco 495 with brushless motor is a piece of mind machine.Highboy set-up the very nice,the only part I hate it does not have a little compartment for tour spray tips,etc.


Buy one and bolt it on.


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## Xmark (Apr 15, 2012)

graco sells them? link?


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## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

Shop around for price but the part number is 287253

http://www.ereplacementparts.com/tool-box-p-1458715.html

http://empirefoam.com/kit-accy-tool-box-287253


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## benthepainter (Jun 17, 2011)

Xmark said:


> very pretty.
> 
> do you wax that thing? :thumbup:


G'day Xmark

That's why she gets a ride with me 

Waxing dont laugh but I am planning to get it out from my garage and give it a little polish lol


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## South-FL-Painter (Jan 17, 2012)

Workaholic said:


> Buy one and bolt it on.


Funny because little models like 210s has one on it at 899 price,but 495 at the price tag nearly 2000 I have to buy one ant bolt it on my self?This is not the way It should be.


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## GeorgeG (Jun 2, 2012)

I take it that moving before and after is easier with the wheels on a hi or low boy but it would seem that a stand or low boy model is actually easier to move during the job because you can pick up the 5 ga bucket and sprayer together as apposed to needed to remove the paint bucket from under a hi boy to move it? Do I have that right?


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## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

GeorgeG said:


> I take it that moving before and after is easier with the wheels on a hi or low boy but it would seem that a stand or low boy model is actually easier to move during the job because you can pick up the 5 ga bucket and sprayer together as apposed to needed to remove the paint bucket from under a hi boy to move it? Do I have that right?


You can hang the handle of the fiver on the sprayer and roll them together. I have the 440 and Graco 395 both on skids, but we had one job this summer basically traveling a city block worth of sidewalks, so I have one of these big Stanley job boxes on wheels. The thing was awesome for wheeling around the sprayer and paint all together. Even room for misc other stuff in there.


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## mike75 (Dec 19, 2010)

The best of both worlds compact and manouverable i wouldnt change works for me. Have since upgraded to a 495 which is the lightest and best alrounder imo.


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## kmp (Jan 30, 2011)

It has been awhile since i purchased a pump but at the time graco had a deal where you could buy a spare bottom end,fluid handling section.for a very good price.It saves on down time if you cant get a quick re-pack. Dont know if they had them ror the smaller pumps but they did for 695 and up.Worth finding out about.


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## ReNt A PaInTeR (Dec 28, 2008)

Workaholic said:


> Buy one and bolt it on.


Yep I did that


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## STAR (Nov 26, 2010)

Airlessco LP 540 user here! I have the stand model and it's compact and works great for me. If I need more portability I set it up on my dolly that I always have with me anyways.


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## kmp (Jan 30, 2011)

I am partial to gracao i have 3. Budget is always a factor but it best to buy bigger than you need at the time because sooner or later,probably sooner.you will want the bigger unit. Bigger pump means you can run more hose bigger tips,important when spraying lids,spray heavier products with less reduction.


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## GeorgeG (Jun 2, 2012)

Thank you for all of the inputs. My take is that a Hi-Boy or Low-Boy lets you wheel the unit around for set up, break down, and transportation. For the larger units this is probably a good thing because they weigh upwards of 100 pounds. For the smaller units this is not much of an issue unless you have a bad back because the weight is on the order of a fiver anyways which get moved all the time with no wheels. As far as flexibility during the job it does not matter much because a Hi-Boy can be moved as a unit (wheels and fiver hooked to rig) and any of the 3 versions can be loaded with the paint onto a small dolly (purchased or made) which makes them as portable as a vacuum cleaner. As far as the van space, the HB is probably as much space as the other two plus the dolly so it's a wash.

The only thing left that I can think of is the inlet hose/pipe. In the HB you get a solid aluminum pipe and a flexible hose with the other two - which is 3 more places for leak (crimped fittings and the hose itself).

Bottom line is that I like the solid inslet pipe of the HB but you could make any of them work. I am going to try and find a good deal on a HB but will take any version if the price is right.

Does my logic make sense?

Oh ya and I am a big buy USA guy so Graco gets the nod. Keeping the jobs here starts with us buying here if at all possible/practical and not sending the work overseas to try and save a few bucks and then complaining about the unemployment rate. Sometimes even I am tempted but not when the prices, quality, and features are essentially the same.


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## ReNt A PaInTeR (Dec 28, 2008)

GeorgeG said:


> Oh ya and I am a big buy USA guy so Graco gets the nod.


Then graco is the way to go.


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## GeorgeG (Jun 2, 2012)

Yes sir. Graco has done whatever it takes to offer Made in the USA and keep the prices competitive with cheap overseas labor. To boot, they have comparable quality as demonstrated by hundereds of posts here which essentially reduce the argument to Chevy vs Ford (or Hyundai). :thumbup:

They should be rewarded for that. Good thing we don't have to buy our sprayers from Wal-mart.
:blink:


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## Laz (Nov 14, 2010)

One problem with low-boys is no matter how good you are at cleaning the machine there ether is or the potential for buildup in the metal U-shaped pipe and hose.
I had a low-boy that always gave me trouble. Welded up a high-boy rig using part of the low-boy set up and it has been a good solid machine since.
All other sprayers except a small titan 440 has been high-boys for me.


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## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

Sharp_Painting said:


> Funny because little models like 210s has one on it at 899 price,but 495 at the price tag nearly 2000 I have to buy one ant bolt it on my self?This is not the way It should be.


Should come standard on a premium unit along with the digital display. A few years ago you could buy them on ebay for about 20 shipped but ebay waits for no man lol.


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## GeorgeG (Jun 2, 2012)

I have decided on a Graco Hi-Boy so now I need to finalize between the 390/395/490. Each upgrade appears to be a series of minor improvements. The question is are they worth the money for a guy doing all latex residential work a few times a year?

What does the upgrade from a mechanical pressure control (390) to the electronic control (395=1.0, 490=2.0) do for performance?

Is the contractor gun (395/490) a significant improvement over the FTX gun (390)?

Is the max tip size rating upgrade from 0.021 (390) to 0.023 (395/490) or flow increase from .47 to .54 significant?

What about the brushless DC motor (490)?

Thanks


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## Andyman (Feb 21, 2009)

Look up the PDS pages for the specific products you use. They will show you tip size and psi. I'd imagine the small rig is sufficient for latex paints but I would also consider how many gallons you plan to spray. My advice, invest in the biggest pump you can afford and take care of it!


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## GeorgeG (Jun 2, 2012)

In speaking with Graco today the tech support guy did say that for what I want to do, all 3 will work fine but the smart control of the 395 or 490 will give me tighter pattern control on smaller tips for trim.


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## GeorgeG (Jun 2, 2012)

Went with the 490 Hi-Boy from Portland Compresor. Now I just have to master using it. Thanks for all your input. I'll post back after I start spraying some walls.


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## ReNt A PaInTeR (Dec 28, 2008)

GeorgeG said:


> Went with the 490 Hi-Boy from Portland Compresor. Now I just have to master using it. Thanks for all your input. I'll post back after I start spraying some walls.


Congrats. I'm very happy with mine.


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## Zoomer (Dec 17, 2011)

Am happy with our 490. Nearly 1200 gallons over 2 years. Flushed and cleaned EVERY use. Never a problem.


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## IrwinPride (Aug 28, 2012)

GeorgeG said:


> I have decided on a Graco Hi-Boy so now I need to finalize between the 390/395/490. Each upgrade appears to be a series of minor improvements. The question is are they worth the money for a guy doing all latex residential work a few times a year?
> 
> What does the upgrade from a mechanical pressure control (390) to the electronic control (395=1.0, 490=2.0) do for performance?
> 
> ...


Since you will only use it a few times a year I cant see getting anything over the 390. As for the guns it's really just a personal preference between using either 2 or 4 fingers.

I own the 390 and a 695 premium and love the hell out of them. That 390 has been going for about 2 years (without repacking) and we shoot everything from oil primers to standard latex through it. 99% of my latex applications never use a tip size over .17 

I use the 390 at least 2 times a week but I see that I clean it thoroughly after every single use then flush it with mineral spirits.


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## Zoomer (Dec 17, 2011)

If yiu are using occasionally go with 390. It will last longer than you as long as you clean it after every use. Go with 2 finger gun. Less fatigue than a 4 finger gun. Both guns have a needle that withstands thousands of gallons of use before wearing out.
Good luck.


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## GeorgeG (Jun 2, 2012)

My conclusion was either the 390 or the 490. Even though I chose the 490, I am sure that a 390 would also be a very good machine. The simplicity of the mechanical controls might be a bonus for lighter applications not needing a monster pump.


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## Zoomer (Dec 17, 2011)

Congrats. Good pump.


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## Paintuh4Life (May 20, 2009)

GeorgeG said:


> Went with the 490 Hi-Boy from Portland Compresor. Now I just have to master using it. Thanks for all your input. I'll post back after I start spraying some walls.


Portland Compressor is a great place. We're very fortunate they're local.


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## GeorgeG (Jun 2, 2012)

They have very good customer service. I would use them again in a heart beat.


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## 6126 (May 9, 2010)

Paintuh4Life said:


> Portland Compressor is a great place. We're very fortunate they're local.


 I havent seen anyone beat their prices. No sales tax and they offer free shipping :thumbup:


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## South-FL-Painter (Jan 17, 2012)

Yeah both of my rigs came from them,great pricing an awesome customer service.


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## Zoomer (Dec 17, 2011)

Diamond vogel gives excellent prices as well. They always beat any advertised price.


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## Zoomer (Dec 17, 2011)

Most repair shops like working on locally bought pumps. You may get a great deal online,but don't forget about downtime. When a pump needs a warranty repair it takes awhile to send it back to online store, fixed and shipped back. Local buy we always found to be better.


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## GeorgeG (Jun 2, 2012)

Apparently my new Graco490 was shipped with hydraulic oil in the pump from the testing process. I need to get the pump section clean of this oil before spraying low toxicity latex paint in a healthy home. How should I do this? Can some laquer thinner be passed through the pump as a starting point which is an excellent degreaser that flashes off with no residue?


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## kmp (Jan 30, 2011)

You can run some spirits through it to get the hydro out of it then chase the spirits out with water.
There is not enough voc left in the bottom end after that to contaminate any paint after that.
Dont run lacquer thinner thru it because spirits are easier on the packings.


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## Fonz (Apr 18, 2012)

I have a Spraytech 1720 (cart wheels, straight inlet) - it looks easier to use one of those longer inlet tubes than tip this thing back. Am I right or not and do they make a longer one that will work?


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## That guy (11 mo ago)

GeorgeG said:


> Looking at the 390/395/4XX Gracos for residential latex work - ceilings, walls, trim. What should I consider when choosing the Hi-Boy vs Lo-Boy vs stand model?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> George


Just grabbed a 490 low boy no high boy in stock and had a rig go bad in the middle of a project on Saturday ran 45 gallons through it so far and very happy with its performance, very easy to clean as well , added feature it has blue tooth that I will probably never use. but for bigger projects Maybe? any way great control for the money and a 3 minute in field pump change was very nice feature.


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