There are many jobs around the home that we habitually put off doing as they are either tedious or time-consuming. Painting is one such.
Well, if you had a Graco Magnum X7 airless sprayer sat in the garage, you would perhaps think differently.
You could get professionals decorators in and you would be guaranteed a great result, but it will cost you a lot, and you’ll also have to get them back when you need further work done.
That’s where airless paint sprayers come in (what is a paint sprayer?).
The model we are going to talk about here, the Graco Magnum Pro X7, it’s from one of the leading brands in the world of quality paint spraying equipment.
Graco X5 Vs X7
We’ve previously covered its little brother in a different post, so when it comes to the Graco X5 vs X7, if you find this machine is more than you need, check out our Graco X5 review.
We know there are many Graco Magnum X7 reviews online, but most are written badly and offer little insight into who the machine is actually good for, so we hope to provide the most detailed and actionable guide to date.
Introducing the Magnum X7 Airless Paint Sprayer
The Magnum X7 is one of many of the best Graco airless paint sprayers in the range, and this one is a particularly impressive model for both homeowners and professional decorators. In fact, it’s one of the best airless paint sprayers ever made if you look at the units sold over the last 5 years.
This airless sprayer comes on a well-constructed frame and stand with wheels attached, making it easy to move from place to place (if you need something super portable, check out our Graco Truecoat Pro 2 review), and is ideal for smaller to medium jobs that require a fast, flawless finish.
The stand also allows for the hose to be tucked away nice and neatly when not in use, so the whole machine can be stored without taking up too much space when not in use.
These X7 airless paint sprayers are made from good quality materials to give longer life and are designed not only to be easy to use and adjust but also easy to clean and maintain.
Although it is not the cheapest on the market, it is sensibly priced for an airless sprayer of this size and build and from such a highly regarded manufacturer.
Let’s have a look at some of the potential uses for this machine.
Who is this airless sprayer best for?
This model is primarily targetted towards homeowners, semi-professionals or odd job decorators that may use it a handful of times a month or less.
If you fall into any of the below categories then this could be the best paint sprayer for you:
- Homeowners looking to decorate interior walls every 6-12 months
- Homeowners looking to spray the entire exterior of their house
- Tradesmen that require an airless sprayer in storage in case the need arises
- ‘Odd job’ men that may spray a couple of small rooms a month
Who this machine isn’t really suited for:
- Professional decorators looking to buy a paint sprayer to use heavily daily/weekly
- Industrial sectors looking for a heavy duty sprayer for the work site
- Manufacturing lines or factories that require a permanent spray solution
That said, there’s no reason why a professional decorator or contractor couldn’t use the Graco Pro X7 to great effect, it’s robust and extremely fast, but it’s just not built to withstand constant heavy usage and because of how an airless paint sprayer works, will most likely have issues after a few big jobs.
There are bigger, more powerful commercial sprayers on the market that are much better suited to larger, more regular jobs that require a professional grade machine that can be repaired, customized and serviced.
So, what can you use the X7 airless sprayer for?
If you have a few rooms you would like to redecorate around the home because they are becoming tired, have heavy usage, the walls get dirty quickly (kids bedrooms for example) or your wife simply wants new color schemes every 12 months.
Perhaps you run a property rental business and prefer to do as many jobs yourself as possible, the Graco X7 is excellent for tenant changeovers where the property needs a fresh lick of paint once a year or less.
If you own a large outdoor space that needs wood staining every winter (such as barns, ranches, fencing), this sprayer is ideal.
Spraying uneven wood becomes a breeze
If any of these sound familiar, then the Graco X7 Paint Sprayer is an ideal machine to buy as it will provide you with plenty hours of constant, reliable performance and will allow you to cover large areas without any effort at all.
You will get professional results with just a little practice, and it will be far easier than painting with the rush and roller method (and more fun!).
However don’t be put off if you are looking for a sprayer to use for other jobs around the home, garden or in commercial premises, as the X7 could still be an excellent choice.
Here are some of the jobs that a Graco airless can help you save a lot of precious time and money.
- Decorating all internal rooms, walls, and ceilings
- Protecting the exterior of your home with specialist waterproofing masonry paint
- Outdoor fencing and decking (it’ll paint it 30x faster than you can with a brush!)
- Protecting outhouses, barns, and garages
Watch it in action
When used outdoors, you’ll be extremely thankful for the wheels on this model.
Design Features of the Magnum X7
If you’ve got this far in our review, you’ll now know who this airless paint sprayer is best suited for and the jobs it can and can’t undertake.
So let’s run through the main standout features and functions that make the Graco Magnum 262805 X7 an excellent contender in the competitive sprayer market.
It Uses Airless Paint Spraying Technology
Airless technology is one of the newer technologies to hit the mass market and whilst the term ‘airless’ may sound confusing at first, it will make complete sense in a moment. It’s one of the four most popular different types of paint sprayers on the market.
Put simply, airless technology works by using powerful compression, instead of large external air compressors or turbines to drive the paint through the hoses.
An airless spray gun with the paint hose attached
When spraying with an airless sprayer, a piston powered by an electric motor rapidly fires up and down which causes huge pressure build up inside the machine.
When you pull the trigger the paint is allowed to escape via the nozzle and the pressure in the machine will drop, at which point the motor kicks back in to build the pressure back up.
The biggest benefit of airless technologuy is they’re easy to use and are completely self-contained, meaning you don’t need air hoses, pressure gauges and all the other complicated fittings that go with more traditional compressor spray systems.
Graco’s patented Autoprime feature
Priming an airless paint sprayer is the process of removing all air from inside and filling it up with paint.
It’s normally performed before you start spraying and can take 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the paint and power of the machine.
Autoprime is a function that is very welcome indeed, and one that makes the X7 stand out amongst many of its rivals in this class.
This feature is designed to ensure that priming is done quickly and efficiently so that you can get on with the job at hand as easily and effectively as possible.
Stainless Steel parts
The use of quality materials, such as highly durable stainless steel, in the construction of the Graco Magnum X7 makes it pretty strong and dependable. The build quality is what sets Graco paint sprayers apart from brands such as Wagner, with models such as the Graco 390 which are predominantly all made from stainless steel.
Many cheaper airless paint sprayers, such as the ones found on eBay are built with poor quality metals (also known as ‘monkey metal’) which warp, sheer and literally start to fall apart.
As with all good power tools, the quality of the materials used either makes or breaks a product.
Airless sprayers work under very high pressures and therefore require strong, well-made materials to perform well. As the saying goes, buy right or buy twice.
Handy stand and cart system
The clever design of the stand for the X7 which doubles as a cart so it can be moved around very easily is a welcome bonus, and also includes provisions for the hoses and cables to be tucked away neatly and efficiently, so it will not take up too much room when it is put away in your garage or shed.
Whilst not a standout feature, sprayers are not light to move around all day so if you’re spraying around a large house or fencing outdoors, trust me when I say you’ll be thankful for the wheels.
Pail hook
This may seem like a small touch, but it has some pretty big implications. With most sprayers, your paint pail sits on the floor and the suction hose from the sprayer will sit in it. This is fine until you need to move the machine 10 meters to the left.
You now have to try and move the sprayer and the pail at the same time to avoid dripping paint from the suction hose all over the floor on the way.
What this paint pail does is:
- Holds the buckets handle to ensure the suction hose can reach the bottom and use all the paint,
- But more importantly, it lifts and carries the heavy container with you wherever you move the machine. If you’re spraying a long fence that requires you to move often, this ingenious design touch will save you a hell of a lot of stress when moving around.
Stainless steel paint hook on the Graco X7
These are just a few of the features that make the Graco Magnum X7 a contender when looking for an airless paint sprayer in this class and level of budget, but we’d like to go into a little more detail about some of the other pros and cons.
Why Choose the X7 Over Other Sprayers
- No Paint Container Restrictions – the X7 draws paint straight out of the pot, so you’re not restricted to a small pot built into the machine.
- Piston Pump – It comes with a durable, stainless-steel piston pump provides a strong and constant spray over a uniform area, resulting in easy use and an excellent result that is second to none.
- Adjustable Pressure – the ability to easily control the pressure means you can modify the flow to how you need it to be, so resulting in thinner of thicker coatings and more efficient use of paint.
- Power Flush – Most Graco sprayers come with a clever adapter for ease of cleaning; simply connect your machine via the Power Flush to a garden hose, turn it on, and you flush the machine clean in no time at all. Cleaning of the rest of the machine is also very simple, and maintenance is kept to a minimum.
- Filters – clever systems within the machine are intended to minimize overspray, which can be a very large problem with lesser-quality machines, so again you get greater effectiveness and efficiency with this model.
The machine also has several other clever touches – including a light that glows when in the outlet so you can see when power is present.
(FAQ) Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most common questions not featured in our review of the Graco Magnum X7 Paint Sprayer, hopefully it answers any final questions you may have.
Q: Can I use this sprayer with both oil and water based paints?
A: Yes absolutely. Nearly all airless paint sprayers can be used with both oil and water based paints and the X7 is no exception.
Q: How messy is an airless paint sprayer?
A: As with all airless paint sprayers, they can be quite messy and do require quite a bit of room preparation before you can start spraying. This will include covering all windows, fittings, floors, and doors.
It’s worth knowing that you can reduce the amount of ‘overspray’ by using smaller, more controllable spray tips which can be purchased online separately (pictured below).
Q: How do I control the size of the spray?
A: You can vary the width of the spray pattern by purchasing different airless spray tips with set widths. These can be bought on Amazon or from many local retailers.
Different airless spray tips, also called spray nozzles
Q: Can I spray trim work such as window frames with it?
A: It is possible, however, it’s not easy. Because of the speed of an airless sprayer, it’s extremely difficult to do more delicate work without getting paint build-ups and drips.
Again you can purchase smaller spray tips which are much more suited towards gloss paint and spraying trim work but you’ll certainly need to have some good practice behind you before you can get a perfect finish on more detailed work.
Final Thoughts – Graco X7 Review Conclusion
The Graco Magnum X7 comes from a leading manufacturer that has put many years of experience into designing and perfecting paint spraying technology, and that shines through not just in clever and advantageous touches such as the airless technology, but also in the overall quality of the machine.
But you must remember that this isn’t technically a professional grade machine, so servicing will be an issue. If you need a machine that can be repaired and has spare parts available, you may be better off reading our review of the Graco X17 true airless paint sprayer.
This is a very well designed paint sprayer that will be perfect for smaller jobs around the home or even bigger tasks that would usually need a decorator, and it could easily be used by a professional to great effect.
If used correctly, and to the manufacturer’s instructions, and cleaned after every use (which is made easier thanks to the Power Flush function), the X7 will undoubtedly provide the home user or contractor with many years of reliable usage and excellent results.
While not the cheapest on the market, it’s is a very good value machine when compared to other paint sprayers in this class.
If you do purchase one this great machine and stumble across any issues such as ‘my Graco X7 won’t prime’ then there’s a great video on Graco X7 Airless Paint Sprayer troubleshooting that you can find here.
They also provide an easy to understand users manual just in case you lose yours.
