What is a paint sprayer? If you’re new to spraying you’ve probably already seen them used by professionals to spray walls, fences, cars and more, they are quite simple yet surprisingly capable devices that use a powerful mist of paint to produce a factory finish.
Here we’ll be taking a look at the Fuji Semi-Pro 2, a surprisingly affordable professional-grade HVLP paint sprayer.
Introducing Our Fuji 2202 Semi-Pro 2 Review – A Professional HVLP Paint Sprayer
Many of the best paint sprayers reviews we cover are intended for the home or DIY user, but this HVLP spray system is suited to a contractor that needs a capable, portable HVLP paint sprayer that can be carried easily to job sites.
Fuji is a major company with a vast variety of equipment in its range, so you can rely upon them for well-made high quality and reliable paint sprayers.
The Fuji 2202 Semi-Pro 2 HVLP Spray System offers many excellent features that make it maybe the best system on the market for detail work and it is supplied with a long Hi-Flex hose connection that allows you to reach awkward corners etc over a large area without having to move the whole unit around as you work.
This non-bleed spray gun is cleverly designed with the choice from the Semi-Pro 2 gravity or bottom feed models, this is down to personal preference to which you use, but a conversion kit is available for the gun so you could have the benefit of using both.
The lengthy Hi-Flex hose means you don’t have to move it much once you’re on site, so you still get the full capability of the machine.
Before we get into our Fuji spray gun review in more detail, let’s talk about who might use it, and what for.
Who Are HVLP Paint Sprayers Best For?
An HVLP system focuses on quality over quantity, they are slower than airless paint sprayers and provide a near factory finish when used correctly, this makes them ideal as a paint sprayer for furniture, kitchen cabinets, trim work, car panels, and other detailed work.
If you want to paint cars an HVLP paint spray system is easier to use than traditional conventional compressor set up, with less investment, so you can achieve the same professional-standard finish at far less cost.
Whether you restore old furniture or are creating new furniture, this paint sprayer is easy to use and perfect for almost all jobs, and when you have finished it stores away neatly for future use.
If you are a contractor and are looking for an affordable yet very versatile and capable commercial paint sprayer, the Fuji sprayers are also suitable for some larger projects and have features that you wouldn’t normally find on models in this price range.
It is a powerful 2-stage spray gun with a good capacity reservoir size of 1000cc for the bottom feed unit and 400cc with the fuji 2203G semi-pro gravity system, and they can be used with a wide range of materials. With the nice lightweight and compact size that this spray system is it will easily sit in the back of a van for occasional or regular use. Along with being simple to use, with few parts it is easy to clean and comes supplied with the wrench and cleaning brush.
Let’s discuss the features.
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Features of the Fuji 2202 and 2203G Semi-Pro 2
Both the Fuji Semi 2 gravity and bottom feed are a well-designed HVLP paint sprayer that is intended for both domestic use around the home and commercial use, and as such comes with a range of impressive features you would expect to find on a semi-professional paint sprayer.
This lightweight, compact and low wattage Fuji spray gun has been designed to fill the demand of the DIY users and to be simple and easy to use for the beginners in paint spraying along with the semi-professionals, and Fuji proudly makes the boast that it has the most powerful 2-stage system with the powerful 1400 watt 2-stage bypass motor in a metal turbine case and can handle almost any type of paint material with a professional finish”.
This effective low wattage energy-efficient (1400w), 2-stage bypass motor creates a steady, powerful spray at a constant level and with the whole metal turbine case only weighing in at 26 pounds, ideal for those on the go jobs and around the home. All these features apply to both the gravity HVLP spray system and the bottom feed model.
Patented Hi Flex Hose
This Fuji spray gun is supplied with 25ft of Hi-Flex hose length that is made from a highly durable PVC and although you would not usually use an HVLP spray gun for painting an exterior of a house this is suited for lengthy outdoor use such as fences and decks while being easy to coil and pack away when not in use ready for future projects.
With a control knob to adjust the airflow, you have complete air control for the perfect flow rate to help avoid large amounts of overspray.
It is fitted with a 1.3mm Air Cap, so no nozzles or spray tips to change, you can simply use the control valve to adjust the pattern size from small circular to wide, the different spray patterns also include vertical and horizontal again with full increment adjustment available for pattern fan control of size.
Two Stage Turbine Unit
The two-stage metal turbine in this Fuji sprayer system is what allows you to spray the dense materials such as latex and acrylic, it’s so easy for the Fuji 2202 and the 2203G semi-pro 2 gravity because the low wattage powerful 2-stage bypass motor to handle the thicker materials with ease.
While the gravity HVLP spray system has a 400cc reservoir the bottom feed system has a larger capacity of 1000cc.
Quality HVLP Spray Gun
This spray gun does come supplied with a viscosity cup to check the density of your materials if you are having problems or feel that they are just too thick and need thinning as the thickness of paints does vary from brand to brand so this is worth noting.
This HVLP spray system is only supplied with the 1.3mm air cap although you can purchase a larger size for the thicker paints, a 3mm air cap set is probably recommended for the thicker latex and chalk paints, but for the price range that this spray gun falls into it’s not really that bad.
Both the bottom feed and the Semi-Pro 2 gravity models are a non-bleed paint spray gun. One of the problems with some paint sprayers is they can bleed air, which can result in either air blowing dust and paint particles over your freshly painted project or an uneven finish with more overspray.
Because it features this specially designed non-bleed spray gun function you are going to get an excellent smooth finish every job with professional results.
The metal turbine case features a handy gun holder for use during the job and when refilling the reservoir. The spray gun is fully adjustable with a control knob to adjust pattern size and an air control valve for the right speed and amount of materials for the project in hand.
Having a variety of adjustable pattern options of – round, vertical and horizontal that you can adjust in increments from 1 inch up to 12 inches you can make sure you are getting exactly what you want from your paint sprayer from small circular to wide.
Neither the 2203G Semi-Pro Gravity nor the 2202 Sem-iPro2 require any special configuration and is pretty much ready to go once assembled – which will take a matter of a few minutes – so you can concentrate on spraying while the machine does the rest for you. Easy to clean as the paint is only in the spray gun which only has a few parts cleaning a HVLP spray gun is pretty straight forward.
Let’s take a minute to discuss why some of these make it special, and why you should consider this paint sprayer for your potential system on the market shortlist.
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Distinctive Features & Functions
The 2202 Semi-pro 2 Hvlp Fuji Spray System has many features that make it a stand-out model among its rivals, not least the fact you get a professional-standard machine for a reasonable price that is backed by a 2-year warranty.
The construction of the machine itself is made from very strong and durable stainless steel and comes with a longer than average Hi-Flex hose as standard – in fact, one of the longest we have seen on an HVLP paint sprayer as standard.
HVLP air hoses are typically not cheap to buy, so if you plan to buy a lower budget HVLP spray system and buy a longer hose for it make sure you check out the cost of the hose and factor that into the price.
It’s also very easy to use – although as with all these machines, we recommend some pre-usage practice before you tackle a real project – and adjustments can be made easily and quickly.
Furthermore, the Fuji 2202 SemiPro 2 comes with a sensibly-sized reservoir so you can spray large areas without having to fill up every few minutes, and the non-bleed function offers you excellent waste-control and greater efficiency. You can see the full tech specifications over at the Fuji website.
So, is this the one for you? Let’s have a final look at why it may be.
Final Thoughts – Fuji SemiPro 2 Review Conclusion
Both the Fuji 2203G Semi Pro 2 Gravity and the 2202 bottom-feed model are a non-bleed spray gun. The 25-foot hose is more than adequate for larger painting projects, without having to move the metal turbine case around too often.
This Fuji spray gun also offers you pattern width via the fan control knob to increase in all increments from 1 inch to 12 inch and along with the air control valve gives you complete control for a professional finish.
The capacity of the reservoir is 1000cc for the 2202 bottom-feed model and 400cc for the 2203G semipro 2 gravity feed model, with the handy gun holder for breaks in between spraying.
Overall quality durability and performance are outstanding and this Fuji spray gun is offered at a very affordable price for a semi-professional sprayer for use around the home or contractors that need the quality finish on the occasional paint job.
What’s In The Box?
Fuji Semi Pro 2 Vs Earlex 5500
If the Fuji 2202 SemiPro 2 is a little bit out of your budget, your next best bet is the Earlex HV5500 HVLP which can normally be found for a lower price.
When it comes to the finish difference between the Fuji spray gun Vs Earlex 5500, there’s not all that much in it. It’s mainly more about a build quality difference and the amount of work that you need to do with it.
And if you have bigger requirements and need speed over quality, check out the different types of paint sprayers available before deciding on an HVLP spray system when an airless paint sprayer system may be more suitable.
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Frequently Asked Questions
I often get asked the same questions about the Fuji Semi Pro 2 so I’ve put together a small FAQ to help answer some of them.
How do I know which air cap set to use?
To find out which air cap set is best for the paint you’re spraying Fuji have created a handy guide for you to use, you can find it on the Fuji website here.
How far away should I hold the spray gun?
For most applications, you should hold the spray gun between 6-8 inches away from the surface you’re spraying. If you go too close you’ll increase overspray (also know as sprayback) and if you’re too close it can cause ‘dry spray’. Dry spray is where the material has time to dry before reaching the surface.
Is thinning necessary with HVLP spray guns?
There is no one answer to this question. Every paint is different and also has different viscosities at different temperatures which means some trial and error is generally the best way to find the perfect viscosity.
With that said, most paint manufacturers will give some guidance on spraying their product so you can use this as a starting point.
How can I reduce overspray?
The easiest way to reduce overspray is to change the fan size/pattern. When painting railings for example, as round spray pattern will both save you paint and ensure more of the material ends up on the surface. Other popular methods are to reduce the air pressure and not the thing the paint as much.
2 comments
Can you change the type of gun with the fuji semi pro ? Does other fuji paint guns work with the semi pro ?
Hi Mike, assuming it’s still a HVLP type gun, you can swap between gravity fed/suction fed guns on the Fuji Semi PRO 2. I used to have a customer that would go out and buy expensive 3M spray guns for it as he loved the Semi Pro’s functionality but swore but 3M spray guns and nozzles.
Hope this helps! Charles