I have had an Earlex 5000 for about 3 years and could not get along without it. I spray a lot of water based Ben Moore products and find you have to thin it to about 45 seconds in a drip cup and use 2.0 needle. I open the knob about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 turns. The orange peal effect is more problematic with the quality of the paint. My biggest problem is trying to put on a coat that is too heavy. I usually do 3 or 4 thin coats and get great results. I have sprayed crown moulding to match factory finish cabinets and could not tell the difference in my finish and the cabinet factory. Thinning and distance from the object are key. I have sprayed about 40 interior doors and got a beautiful finish, but I painted them horizontal. With the paint that thin, runs are prevalent, thus the thin coats. I sprayed the BM new Advance waterborne oil enamel last night and it leveled out great, but they recommend 16 hours drying time between coats. I have had the best results with BM Impervo enamel with which I thin with distilled water. I have also sprayed the BM Aura with great results, but a little less leveling than the Impervo and it lost a little sheen. I built a knock down spray booth of PVC pipe and visqueen plastic with a box fan that I set up in my garage when I want to spray to keep the overspray under control. Have fun