Aztek Airbrush

Which $30 airbrush are you looking at?
The Azteks do clean up pretty easily, yes...

That is debatable, at least for their double action brush. In fact, I have given up using it, as it is almost impossible to really clean the nozzle of the DA brush. Sure, a new nozzle is cheap, but after buying enough of them, I'm looking for a DA brush that has a nozzle and needle you can disassemble and clean- probably a Badger.
EGMcCann wrote:

I traded my Aztek for a Paasche VL and haven't looked back. The VL is a terrific brush, and I had several quality problems with the Azteks.
Cheers,

Go for the double action; you'll outgrow the single action quickly and then you'll want to sell it and buy the DA. I did.
The Aztec cleans easily but not completely. It doesn't disassemble to the extent the Badger does; cleaning the Badger 150 takes less than five minutes.
Happy Badger 150 owner
The Keeper (of too much crap)

I'm not really an expert on airbrushes but I do read advice on it. One thing most expert modelers recommend is to avoid the cheap beginner ones and go for the intermediate level to expert since you tend to outgrow the cheaper ones. That means you may crave for a better quality airbrush as your skill evolves.
Regards,
Chad

I've got a Paasche VL & an Iwata Eclipse & both clean easily in under 5 mins.
Chris

I have the Paasche VL kit (paid about $60 US for it) then later bought an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS (paid about $100 for it ($90 plus hose)). I don't think I have used the Paasche once since I got the Iwata. The gravity-feed 1/3 ounce cup on the HP-CS is the right amount for one coat of paint on a 1/24 scale car body.
A couple of weeks ago I took my Eclipse to Coast Airbrush in Anaheim, California (just down the street from Disneyland!) for their teflon needle seal and I got the larger nozzle/needle setup while I was there. 0.5 mm nozzle, up from 0.35 mm nozzle) This makes it easier for gloss coats and lets me get plenty of paint volume at 7 psi. At that pressure, overspray is practically nil.
I like my Iwata Eclipse HP-CS so much that I spray my Tamiya lacquer sprays into bottles so I can airbrush them. I like it so much I was considering spending for one of their higher-end models, but further research shows them to be less appropriate for models -- smaller nozzle sizes designed for thinner paints and finer detail.
The Eclipse HP-CS is easier to clean up than the Paasche. The action is silky smooth.