The Gahleri GHAD-39 is the brand's entry-level airbrush. It is a traditional shaped, gravity fed and dual action airbrush with 0.35 and 0.50 mm needles. The box has a sliding cover with the silhouette in violet and pink. It is sealed to ensure it has not been opened before. Once removed, an elegant black rigid cardboard box with the logo in silver appears.
Printed on the inside of the lid is the complete exploded view - a good way to make sure it doesn't get lost. The Quick Start Guide has instructions for connection, use, disassembly and assembly for cleaning and lubrication. It comes in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. The contents are encased in hard foam to keep everything in place and protected.
Inside the box we can find:
- Airbrush with 0.35mm needle
- 1/2 oz. cup with lid
- 1/4 oz. cup with lid
- 0.50mm Nozzle needle and 0.50 mm nozzle protector
- Quick connector to compressor
- Lubricant
- Spare o-rings
In the hand the airbrush feels solid but not excessively heavy and the grip is comfortable. It is worth to note that the seals that are in contact with the paint are made of Teflon, thus more resistant to solvents.
The nozzle is of the floating type, which requires no tools to remove. This is an advantage both for the convenience of cleaning and for switching between the two needles.
It also has a needle limiter, so that it can be adjusted to easily maintain a constant amount of paint output when in use.
Airbrush disassembled for cleaning and showing both needles, nozzles and caps. Note that despite the second needle looks longer, it is just a photo distortion -they have the same length.
These are the nozzle and nozzle cap, slightly bigger the ones on the right being of 0.50mm. It is possible to see the 8 channels on the nozzles for air flow.
The cap is of the fully enclosed type, which I personally prefer because it is the best for back flushing.
For the tests I have used Vallejo Model Air black, diluted at 50% with its thinner, and a desktop compressor at 25 psi (according to their specifications).The airbrush responds adequately, the trigger is a little stiff but not uncomfortable. The paint comes out consistently, it is easy to control and there are no problems or flaws.
The difference in stroke thickness with the two needles is noticeable, with the 0.35mm capable of very thin lines. The limiter is very useful to effortlessly keep the paint flow steady.
Note that this is a rough test to see how it performs and feels -I am a model painter, not an artist!
Conclusion
A versatile and comfortable to use airbrush, which comes as standard with everything you need such as lubricant, spare o-rings, quick connector or cap for the cups. It comes with two steel needles of 0.35 and 0.50 mm along with half and quarter ounce cups so it is suitable for detail work as well as for covering large areas more quickly. Together with the Teflon seals, floating nozzle and needle limiter it makes a very interesting offer.