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The TrueCoat® Pro II in this review comes with everything you see here, plus a nicely done instruction manual. Click image to enlarge

TrueCoat® Pro II Electric Handheld Airless Paint Sprayer

Finally a simple, effective AND truly airless sprayer!

Text, photos and video by Tom Hintz

Posted – 7-22-2013

Note: Rockler has a special rebate promotion on this sprayer that offers a substantial savings. See the details on the Rockler product page, link below. Offer Valid 6/15/13 - 9/2/13

Spraying finishes has always been desirable with many woodworking projects. Far less desirable was the often-surprising cost of maintaining a compressed air source that really is capable of operating spray equipment properly. All too often there was a huge difference between what the woodworker thinks will work and the (larger) size of the compressor actually needed. The advent of airless sprayers seemed to be the answer but too many of those sprayers were either hyper expensive, ineffective or both. The TrueCoat® Pro II appears to be a solution we can all live with - happily.

The Basics

The TrueCoat® Pro II uses a true built-in pro-quality piston pump that eliminates the hoses and turbine compressors from the workspace. This is a truly airless sprayer that is fully self-contained and sprays un-thinned materials for fast coating and true colors. Most coating materials can be sprayed just as they come from the can! That gives you better coverage faster with far fewer coats. That translates into you getting done faster.

The TrueCoat® Pro II features ProControl pressure control that lets you tweak the pressure to best suit the project and the material being sprayed to maximize coverage with minimal overspray. You simply fill the container with any of a wide variety of paints, primers, enamels and solid stains. The special Tilt-n-Spray suction tube lets you move the gun up, down—even sideways without having to adjust anything. And the TrueCoat® Pro II is Made in the USA.

The adjustable pressure (left) makes the TrueCoat® Pro II very easy to "tune" for the job. The special weighted pendulum pick up (right) insures getting all of the material from the included canister. Click images to enlarge

Cleanup of the TrueCoat® Pro II is simple. For water-based materials simple soap and water is all that is needed to clean the gun and its system. Using anything stronger risks damage to the gun. Oil based materials can be cleaned with mineral spirits or paint thinner compatible with the product being sprayed. Flammable materials are not compatible with the TrueCoat® Pro II. The instruction manual has details on cleaning the gun.

The TrueCoat® Pro II comes with the TrueCoat Pro II Electric Airless Sprayer with 15-foot power cord, a 515 TrueCoat Reversible Tip (for enamels and thin latex paints), one 60-Mesh tip filter, a 32-oz (.95 l) cup (with pendulum pickup assembly) with cover, a 4-oz bottle of Pump Armor and Storage/Start-Up Tool, and an instructional DVD. You also get a supply of paint cup liners and a nice carry case that keeps everything together and protected.

The patented ProSpray Technology that is built into the TrueCoat® Pro II produces the same pro quality finish as Graco's professional airless sprayers. The widely adjustable pressure makes it easier to get paint into cracks and crevices or to lay down coats of material with a thickness that gives you the best coverage.

In the Shop

I began by “painting” some cardboard to get the feel of the TrueCoat® Pro II and that showed just how easy this sprayer is to use. Like any new tool using it a few times gives you some insight to what it does and how to tweak the adjustments for the task at hand. The simple pressure adjustment on the TrueCoat® Pro II makes that learning curve shallower yet. You do have to keep the gun square to the surface being painted, as with any spray gun.

The specially designed tip (left) lets you clear clogs quickly using the guns own pressure by simply flipping the lever. This is a self-contained unit so the handle area (right) had to be comfortable and it is. there is even a lockout slider button above the trigger to help prevent accidentally painting a co-worker. Click images to enlarge

I have to admit that whenever I hear the “one coat” claim my suspicion sensors go on high alert. In the case of the TrueCoat® Pro II the claim is true if you follow directions. Applying the material un thinned apparently is the key. You do have to learn how fast to move the gun but that comes quickly.

I also like the reversible tip that lets you literally blow out any obstructions that could develop there. Flip the lever and the TrueCoat® Pro II uses its own pressure to clear the tip. Flip the lever back and go on painting!

Conclusions

The TrueCoat® Pro II is one of those tools that does what it says it will and then some. I think they could beat the TrueCoat® Pro II PR drum a bit more than they do as this is a very easy to use sprayer that makes coating objects, even those with inside corners and other hard-to-paint details much easier. That pretty much covers everything I could expect from a spray gun. Factor in being able to do all this without a compressor and the TrueCoat® Pro II becomes an even more impressive value.

The TrueCoat® Pro II sells for $349.00 (7-8-2013) which considering it does not need a $1000 compressor makes this a way economical sprayer to own. They also make a cordless version that sells for $679.00. (It comes with batteries and a charger and it sprays a wider range of materials.)

To visit the TrueCoat® Pro II web page – Click Here

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