Wagner Control Pro 170 Paint Sprayer

I bought a second home in a different state and had old panelling removed and cracked plaster fixed in 6 rooms. figured I save a few bucks and paint myself but I forgot my old Wagner sprayer at home. Thank God I did. looked it up and this generations models looked much simpler to setup and use. Ordered it and Amazon had it to me the next day.for this model there is no need to dilute the paint, just dip the pickup wand into a 1-5 gallon paint bucket, prime the pump until paint comes out the handle, install the nozzle and away you go. You've got greater control over the pressure and spray pattern than with the handheld unit and as a result there is far less overspray and paint mist in the air. I still masked and used painters tape to get a nice clean edge, but if you careful and practiced the pattern is so tight you could probably get away with a clean straight edged piece of cardboard.There are far less nozzle jams and you don't have to disassemble the unit to clear, just turn the nozzle backwards and spray for couple of seconds on a piece of scrap then turn it back. The standard hose it long enough so you don't have to move the pump or paint can to do an average size room. I covered all 6 rooms in ceiling white in about 3 hours from a 5 gallon bucket. The walls and trim took another day and a half, because of the color changes and masking.Clean-up in between colors and in the end was a breeze compared to the old handheld model. Remove the nozzle, Remove the pickup wand from the paint can and put it in bucket of water, Run the pump until the hose and handle are out of paint (because this is straight paint you can put it back into original can), Once water starts coming out run the pump into a spare bucket until the water runs clear. If you're not going to use the unit for a while dry and add a few of drops of oil to the pump and run it a few seconds. Disassemble and handwash the spray handle and nozzle (about 6 pieces) in soapy water and dry and you're done.I donated my old handheld unit to Goodwill when I got back home. Honestly even for 1 room this would be just as fast as paintbrush and rollers when you include setup and cleanup. If you're thinking about it get it, there are plenty of videos on Youtube that detail how to setup and use. I too was skeptical but it is just as quick and easy as they show.

I bought the 170 version because I wanted to spray some oil based primer as well as latex paint. I also think the all metal spray gun and longer hose is worth it compared to the 150 model.First time spraying paint. The unit is pretty easy to use, definitely read the manual first, get familiar with it. Overall, I'm happy with this thing and will get plenty of use from it.I had to thin the oil based primer a little, like a 10:1 paint to thinner ratio. I used zinsser cover stain bonding primer. I used mineral spirits to thin because I already had that on hand for clean up. I tried to spray the un-thinned primer, but the spray pattern was poor, kept clogging. I used both 515 and 517 spray tips, even the 517 clogged. After I thinned it just a little, it sprayed without issue.When it came to the latex paint, this thing rock and rolled. I didn't have to thin it, used the 515 tip. I used a Behr mid-grade paint + primer. I got about 280 sq ft per gallon of paint, following the recommended usage of 10-12 inches from the wall and 50% overlap. I recommend having some extra paint, it takes some just to charge the whole system and you might have some consumed in troubleshooting.If your feeding from a 1 gallon can, you have to check the level regularly. If the level gets to low and you get air in the system, you'll have to purge the hose line. It'll eat up you paint having to do that.I needed two finish coats. With some practice, someone might be able to get the coverage right with one coat.Cleaning was less messy than I expected, though cleaning up oil based is expensive. I went through 3 gallons of mineral spirits flushing it out, and the waste has to be put in containers and all that. For cleaning latex paint, I first flushed with 4-5 gallons of hot water, then with 4-5 gallons of soapy water, and finally rinsed again with 4-5 gallons of hot water. For day-to-day breaks in using it, I just left the whole system charged with water. When it's time to go again, you just drain the water, purge the line with paint and off you go.The long term storage part is kinda hard, it takes 3-hands to do it (one to hold a small container of oil, one to block the spray port, and one to turn the unit on), and you end up with some kind of oil in the lines. I'm going to rig something up for this next time.I'm looking forward to future painting projects, this thing is a huge time saver. I'll never roll a room again if I can avoid it.

The Wagner Control Pro 170 is the first airless paint sprayer I've used. The machine worked well and the learning curve is not too high. I painted the entire exterior of our home, which came out beautiful. I used different tips, so I can't speak to the quality of the included HEA tip much.This unit is powerful for the price, but now that I'm familiar with it I wish I had gone with a Graco unit like the Magnum X5.(1) The 170's spray gun doesn't include a filter. I'd recommend buying a separate inline filter to this unit to reduce clogging frequency. The Graco has a filter inside the spray gun.(2) The 170 takes longer to clean after use which ultimately is where a lot of time is spent. With the Graco, the inlet tube can be connected to a water hose to flush the system with less water and time use.

This product is a mistake to buy, the package comes with spray gun, hose, spray unit, and the box it came in. Then if you want to reach anything you need to spray you need to buy extensions. If you want to avoid constant clogging you need to buy the swivel accessory to hold the filter. You also need to buy filters. Without spending at least another $80-$100 you will have a unit that clogs and wastes your paint. There is a reason Wagner has a tiny shelf in Walmart and Home Depot. Consider a Gyfent or a Greco. The Gyfent comes with extra tips and everything you could possibly need for only $199. Wish I knew this before wasting my money on Wagner. lol also their tech support video recommends using a hammer to hit the hose connection when it stops working?!?!?