Bruce
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It is definitely not the easiest clear to spray. You really have to haul-ass with it, and plan your attack. I agree with you on that Underpaid. I also agree with you that is definitely not junk. I watched 5 guys from LKQ (who have never held a paint gun in their hands before) spray Superior at the Akzo training center, and they made it look like they were seasoned professionals! Not too many guys can pull that off with Energy Pro, unless they really know what they are doing… I have even heard some ridiculous stories about guys using Superior hardener with Energy Pro clear. Absolutely NOT recommended, not needed, and completely pointless in regard to what the clear is supposed to be…
Tim Tebow lives out the rest of his life and finally dies at a respectable old age. When he gets to heaven, God greets him personally, and thanks him for being such a devoted and faithful servant. “Tim, you have lived a righteous life, and set a great example” God said to Tim. “You have earned something here in heaven that most people never receive… a house of your own”. God then showed Tim Tebow his new home, which turned out to be a very small, modest house. As Tim was looking at his new home, he notice another house in the distance. It was a grand three-story mansion, with an enormous yard. In the front yard, flew an enormous New England Patriots flag, and next to that stood a huge golden statue of Tom Brady. In every window, there were Patriots curtains, or towels hanging. Tim Tebow turned to God and asked, “God, I don’t mean to be ungrateful here, but I have served you my entire life without ever waivering in my faith. Why does Tom Brady get such a grand and beautiful house here in heaven, and I, such a modest home? God immediately smiled, laughed loudly, and said, “Oh Timmy, that’s not Tom Brady’s house, IT’S MINE.
:rofl :rofl :rofl :pcorn:
Superior 250 is one of the nicest clears on the market… EVER… PERIOD.
HS+LV IS NOT…
But I completely disagree with Jayson about Energy Pro 250 being a “crappy” clear. It’s a very nice clearcoat. Holds a good gloss, and lays out very nicely if applied properly. It has its place, and serves its purpose. It’s very fast. But I have painted PLENTY of larger jobs with it (slow activator), and had great results. I use both (Superior and Energy Pro) every single day. Superior lives up to its name. It is superior to both HS+LV and Energy Pro (and pretty much everything else out there). But Energy Pro is far from being “crappy”, and it is WAY nicer than HS+LV if your looking for a nice air-dry (or just plain fast) clearcoat.Oh… And it also depends on if you are signing a termed contract (3,5,7 years, etc.) with them or not. Are you asking for cash, financial help with equipment, etc. Usually, without at least a three year contract, you would be hard-pressed to get as big a discount as you would with one. But, I know of one big paint company out there that is offering up 30%+ discounts on liquids to mid-sized shops, without any contracts. So, it is possible…
It really depends on the gross sales volume that your shop is producing. Most shops that exceed $100-$125,000 per month should be able to squeeze at least a 25% discount off of list price on all liquids. I know of quite a few shops in multiple states that are getting 30-35% off of list price from a few of the big paint companies. And these shops are all in the $100-$175,000 per month gross sales range. In this economy, you don’t have to be a mega-shop to negotiate a decent discount from your jobber/paint company. These days, a sale is a sale for them. As long as they are turning SOME profit. A few of the really big shops I know are getting even bigger discounts (40-50% off list), but these places produce $500,00 to $1,000,000 per month in gross sales.
Problematic hose on booth floor is… Do, or do not. There is no try… Translation: Pick-up the hose and hang it Yoda! LOL…
I was a DIE-HARD Iwata guy for clearcoat for over 9 years. But I have to say, the Sata 3000 RP with a 1.3 tip is the best gun for high solid clears. The 4000 RP is a great gun too, much faster than the Iwata you are refering to, but the 3000 RP is just a notch above. It’s a bit louder, and not quite as effortless to use. But if you can dial it in, and move quickly, this gun has NO competitors right now when it comes to high solid clearcoats IMO…
Hey Baron, that booth looks familiar! I don’t remember you doing that car, looks green in the pics??? For a second there, I thought it was that solid blue Volvo that you “covered” for me. 😉 Lol… But seriously, I just don’t understand the gripe with Energy Pro 250??? It is a FANTASTIC clear! ABSOLUTELY FAST. But if you need a clear that can produce, lay down nice, hold it’s gloss, and keep your gas bill down, this is the clear to roll with if you are a Sikkens user. I think that Superior 250 is one of the nicest clears on the market, but Energy Pro is a great clear, with its own place and purpose. I just don’t agree with the negative comments about Energy Pro. I use it on EVERYTHING. I never have to buff for texture (peel), or loss of gloss. And I am spraying 95% late model European vehicles with fairly flat finishes. I use a Sata 3000 RP with a 1.3 tip, fluid knob turned in about 3/4 turn from full open, fan wide open. 30 psi at the digital regulator. I have sprayed front bumper, hood, fender, front door, rear door, quarter panel, decklid, rear bumper, and all handles and mouldings in ONE SHOT, with slow activator, and it looked fantastic! With a shot of Elasto-Active to help slow it down a bit, I am fairly confident I could shoot a mid-size sedan complete with NO ISSUES. Jayson… Those “resto” jobs look great, and I don’t know what your situation is, but if you need to knock out 5+ jobs per day, and they are not all completes, Energy Pro is a SWEEEEEET clear IMO…
I spray Energy Pro 250 almost exclusively and you can’t beat the Sata 3000 RP, or 4000 RP with this clear. I have a few Teknas, and an Iwata W400LV, and neither of these guns gives you the speed, nor lays it down as nice as either of the Sata RP models, IMO. Pricey, but worth every penny,and super easy to maintain. Good luck! :rock
I agree with Ben. It is a very nice system. A bit of a learning curve with the metallic orientation and blending at first, but great coverage, color match, and it is EXTREMELY repairable. Great clears too! You guys will be very happy with it once you get used to the application technique. :cheers
Im surprised that you don’t like Energy Pro Jayson. I just started using Autowave 6 weeks ago, but this clear is my work-horse, everyday clear. I still haven’t even cracked open the first gallon of Superior they gave me because I am getting such good results with Energy Pro 250 (using a Sata 3000 RP, 1.3 tip, at 30psi). I agree that it is very fast, but using the slow activator, I am painting pretty large jobs with it. I don’t think I would do a complete with it though! :stoned Although, we did spray a Ford Taurus complete with it at the Akzo training center last week, and it came out pretty nice to my surprise. I work on almost nothing but late model European vehicles (flat factory finishes), and I have almost no problem matching the peel. I am curious, what don’t you like about it???
Thanks for the replies guys. I am doing things as most of you have suggested, as that’s how I was trained by the Sikkens tech rep. It is getting better, but I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t still struggling with the tougher colors. :cens It is a tough adjustment for me seeing as I always sprayed at lower air pressures and moved a bit slower than recommended with Autowave. I am getting comfortable with the fast, closed, wet first coat. but still trying to find my groove on the second , and drop-coat. Seems like I am either too wet, or to dry on these, which is forcing me to put on multiple medium coats to achieve even metallic orientation. I am also finding myself running a bit farther into my blend areas than I want to because of this. I will be going to the training center in a few weeks, and I hope to pick-up some more “hands-on” instruction there to help me become more comfortable. I can see that it is a very good product, with awesome color-matches. I am just getting very frustrated with myself for not being able to pick it all up a bit quicker than I am! :chair Just out of curiosity, how far from the panel are you guys with your 2nd coat? And how wet should it really be? :teach
Thanks Jayson… I actually tried out the Sata 3000 RP and loved it! the 4000RP is not compliant here in CA yet. I love my Iwata, but with the 2.1 VOC clears, it is just too slow, with not enough film build. I shot half a 2009 Volvo S60 today (rear half with Energy Pro 250 with the 3000RP. It came out sweet! A few dirt nibs, but the peel was perfect. Appreciate the tip… :cheers
I learned how to spray water with Nexa Aquabase. We switched from Nexa Autocolor (solvent) at that time. Their water is a very solid product! Good overall color-match. Above average coverage. and it is not difficult to blend. Follow the rep/training instructions, and you will be fine… Sikkens and Nexa have had their water out there in Europe for a long time, and have most of the bugs worked out. Very user friendly IMO, but I don’t understand why you guys would switch from Sikkens to Nexa. Cost is comparable, and even in my short time using Autowave, it is a superior product. :cheers