I don’t typically use a spray system to finish my wood projects, but do occasionally. Because I don’t spray that often, I need a system that is somewhat forgiving and very flexible. I want to be able to spray shellac, lacquer, polyurethane and latex. When I spray latex I want to thin as little as possible. So I’m not asking for much 
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I have a 33 gallon compressor capable of about 6 CFM. With that I’ve used a cheap (TCP from Amazon) spray gun with OK results. For latex I have to thin to the point where I loose some gloss. I was looking at the following options and would appreciate any comments if you have a similar setup.
1. Better compressor gun - Fuji LX-20 gravity cup gun with 1.2, 1.4 & 1.7 cap set. I would add a 2.0 cap set for latex. This gun is $350 and requires 15 CFM. I only have 6 CFM, but have seen reviews that say it works fine but don’t expect constant use. This appears to be a good gun, but I wonder if it’s that much better than a $100 gun.
2. Turbine system - Fuji Mini-Mite 4 with gravity gun & 1.3 cap set. Again I would add a 2.0 cap set for latex. This setup would be about $1100. I’m looking at the 4 turbine unit based on its ability to spray latex with minimal thinning, and it’s $200 less than the 5 which is slightly more powerful. I know there are people out there that can effectively spray latex with less powerful setups, but that’s where my opinion #1 kind of fits that category.
3. Hybrid solution - Decent compressor spray gun for thinner materials ($200-400). Graco Ultra airless handheld sprayer ($600) to cover the latex. I have used an airless sprayer for latex and found they can lay down a ton of material without any thinning. The biggest problem is it’s hard to dial it back to eliminate runs on vertical surfaces. The only real advantage to this option is it ”might” allow me to get a less expensive compressor gun initially and the airless gun later on Marketplace cheaper…and it takes the latex requirement out since it’s not a great fit for options 1 & 2?
.I have a 33 gallon compressor capable of about 6 CFM. With that I’ve used a cheap (TCP from Amazon) spray gun with OK results. For latex I have to thin to the point where I loose some gloss. I was looking at the following options and would appreciate any comments if you have a similar setup.
1. Better compressor gun - Fuji LX-20 gravity cup gun with 1.2, 1.4 & 1.7 cap set. I would add a 2.0 cap set for latex. This gun is $350 and requires 15 CFM. I only have 6 CFM, but have seen reviews that say it works fine but don’t expect constant use. This appears to be a good gun, but I wonder if it’s that much better than a $100 gun.
2. Turbine system - Fuji Mini-Mite 4 with gravity gun & 1.3 cap set. Again I would add a 2.0 cap set for latex. This setup would be about $1100. I’m looking at the 4 turbine unit based on its ability to spray latex with minimal thinning, and it’s $200 less than the 5 which is slightly more powerful. I know there are people out there that can effectively spray latex with less powerful setups, but that’s where my opinion #1 kind of fits that category.
3. Hybrid solution - Decent compressor spray gun for thinner materials ($200-400). Graco Ultra airless handheld sprayer ($600) to cover the latex. I have used an airless sprayer for latex and found they can lay down a ton of material without any thinning. The biggest problem is it’s hard to dial it back to eliminate runs on vertical surfaces. The only real advantage to this option is it ”might” allow me to get a less expensive compressor gun initially and the airless gun later on Marketplace cheaper…and it takes the latex requirement out since it’s not a great fit for options 1 & 2?
