Hunting for an airless spray system means finding the perfect balance between a budget-friendly choice and one of worthwhile quality. Cheaper HVLP sprayers often have to make sacrifices to keep the price reasonable. This can mean less durability, lower-powered motors, or more difficulty in producing a professional finish.
However you can consider other options for an HVLP paint sprayer available in the market.
The Titan ControlMax 1700 is an airless paint sprayer that does it’s absolute best to achieve this balance.
At less than $300, the Titan 1700 still offers a fantastic system that is capable of taking on DIY and semi-professional projects of all kinds. It is designed to tackle bigger painting projects like home exteriors, walls, patios, fences and the like.
Additionally, it comes with technology meant to improve the consistency of your finish while also significantly reducing overspray. It attempts to give users a superb of control as well as a high output. It can draw from a 1 to 5-gallon bucket and sprays up to 300 gallons per year.
While far from a perfect airless sprayer, the ControlMax is thoughtfully designed, well-made, and powerful. It is meant to be a superb DIY tool and perhaps a decent addition to the collection of a semi-professional contractor.
For anyone shopping in the mid-range spectrum of airless paint systems, much like the Titan 440, the Titan ControlMax Pro is certainly worth your consideration.
The Basic Specs
The ControlMAx is run with a .60 horsepower motor with a variable speed pump that can spray a maximum pressure of 1500 PSI at around .33 gallons of material per minute.
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The gun is made to last with all-metal parts and comes with a 515-spray tip. Moreover, It can take a tip size of up to 517. The system draws material from 1 to 5-gallon bucket which is convenient and vastly reduces the frequency of refills. The paint flow control knob is located directly on the motor rather than the gun.
The system comes with a metal stand for increased stability. It weighs 19.4 pounds, so it doesn’t break your back when it’s time to shift or move it around. Furthermore, there is an integrated storage system for spare tips and tools.
What We Love About It
The Titan 1700 come with its own high-efficiency airless or HEA features that improve the overall quality of the finish. The HEA system’s tip technology helps to reduce overspray by an incredible 55%. At the same time, it softens the spray which contributes to far more control and consistency in coatings.
The .60 HP engine with an HEA variable speed pump has enough power through a 515-tip that it can spray most unthinned materials without trouble. The pump is made with heavy-duty, tough materials that will withstand frequent use.
Additionally, it includes a completely rebuildable and replaceable fluid section which increases the system’s lifespan by 3x the average for other airless spray guns.
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Drawing from a 1 to 5-gallon bucket is a great design choice for maintaining productivity over the course of a major project. Refills are infrequent and often unnecessary. This is made all the more efficient when considering that the motor is powerful enough that coatings rarely need a lot of thinning.
The integrated storage system is incredibly convenient for storing tools, cleaning equipment, and spare tips right on top of the motor.
The system is small, comes with a stand for stability, and is easy to move and store without being cumbersome.
The Titan 1700 comes with a fantastic 2-year warranty that is one of the best and longest available for a mid-range airless paint sprayer.
What We Didn’t Like So Much
While good for more rugged projects, the Titan 1700 is not a detail-oriented machine. It will handle outdoor projects with ease. More rugged surfaces like fences and decks will look great. \
However, anything dealing in high-end detail or even just something like home-exteriors will probably suffer from inconstancy in the spray patterns.
Users have reported that after some time, the pressure and spray patterns can start to falter. The spray will begin tailing or leaning towards one side or another.
Pressure, even when maxed out, can get shaky mid-project. Despite cleaning and thinning, people have found that the problem continues. What results is inconstancy in the finishes and sometimes even a mess of uneven coats and drippings.
The gun while of decent quality is less versatile then many other models. Because it is proprietary, it cannot be customized with standard add-ons like a whip.
The paint flow control knob is located on the motor itself rather than the gun. This is not uncommon but certainly more inconvenient as a painter may need to change the flow of paint quickly and without having to stop and walk over to the motor.
There are no great cleaning features with the Titan 1700. There is no easy or more efficient way to flush the system like a garden hose connector. This makes for tedious, time consuming work after a project or in middle of one.
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Leaks are a common problem with this model. Multiple reviewers have reported that the hose will sometimes spring a leak and thus become useless. The gun will sometimes leak throughout use and leave drop marks all over the project space.
Conclusion:
The Titan 1700 is a great airless paint sprayer that will serve most basic needs well. However, it is far from perfect. While it will tackle a lot of big jobs and outdoor projects in particular, it is not the machine to use for detailing or something that requires aesthetic perfection.
It is a utility sprayer that will coat fencing, sheds, patios and the like very well. This system will serve most DIYers just fine throughout household projects and should be all you need to paint some walls and cabinets.
The reports of leaks, inconsistency in pressure and spray patterns, and lack of an efficient cleaning feature, makes it bad choice for anyone with professional work on their hands.
It simply cannot hold up to those standards and too much time will be spent on cleaning and maintenance to be valuable to a contractor or semi-pro painter.
While its reported issues are certainly worth considering, the ControlMAx remains a great mid-range sprayer. It still offers fantastic HEA technology while remaining decently priced and durable. It’s far from the best sprayer out there but it will get the job done and then some.
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