So, I get another new catalog in the mail today. It has a LPLV spray gun in it, I haven't heard of these before. Did a search and:

What is LVLP?

Want HVLP performance, but with less air requirements? Welcome to LVLP.

LVLP is great for painters who want all the benefits of HVLP but with less air requirements. Automotive or Wood painters who do not have a large air compressor will now be able to achieve a professional finish and paint an entire car or very large surfaces "HVLP Style" without stopping. You can get away with an inexpensive compressor from Sears and the like, 7CFM@40 (or even less for wood 5 CFM@40). LVLP is also good for mobile painters due to the smaller air requirements and low overspray (discussed below).

Note: for woodworkers, pausing is not as big an issue and compressor size is less important UNTIL you fall under the 6CFM@40 mark, then LVLP guns are a great alternative to Low Air HVLP guns or RP Guns. (On a side note: for higher than 6CFM-8CFM we recommend RP (reduced pressure) guns, especially for people who are used to traditional conventional equipment, or those who like or need a fast working speed, or those looking for top quality finishes without much hassle. Devilibss Plus is lowest RP gun available on the market and is a top choice for wood workers.) Over 8CFM and you can use any technology you wish, You can successfully move away from Low Air HVLP guns and comfortably use some of the full sized, power hungry HVLP guns.


The second benefit of LVLP is the low overspray levels. The designation for LVLP is Low Volume, LOW Pressure. An LVLP Spray Gun can operate at less than 10 psi at the nozzle cap as compared to HVLP which operates at 10 psi at the air cap and is usually pushed higher by the user for better atomization. LVLP has a transfer efficiency over 70% (3%-5% higher than HVLPs) of putting the paint onto the surface being coated. This means very little overspray will be produced, saving on paint cost and environmental hazards.

What this means to you...

What is LVLP?
1) LVLP uses a lower volume of air to atomize the paint at the cap. LVLP compensates for the lack of air with a precision air cap that acts like a bunch of tiny sharpe knifes that cuts your material. By using a lower volume of air, it means you can operate your LVLP gun with less CFM and a smaller compressor, usually about 1-2CFM less than HVLP. (Note: RP,CG,Plus or reduced pressure guns also use less inlet CFM than HVLP, usually about 1.2CFM less than HVLP - It seem un-intuitive, but it is a matter of engineering design). Therefore, you can operate either LVLP or RP guns typically with a smaller air compressor than standard HVLP guns - 2-3hp recommended.

Note: While we still like RP,CG, Plus or reduced pressure guns for the finest finish quality, you will be hard to tell the difference with the quality LVLP guns we have at spraygunworld.com. All are amazingly professional, and spray amazingly well using such little air. LVLP also has the highest material savings of all guns, even slightly better than HVLP gun. On the down side, LVLP moves the slowest. *Woodworkers without a booth, with a smaller compressor and who take their time spraying may like the low overspray of LVLP.

3) Why an HVLP or LVLP? Today, HVLP is most common spray gun on the market. HVLP has a long track records and good guns have become available at lower prices. In our estimation the 3%-5% in higher transfer efficiency of the LVLP is not a discernible difference for most users and should not be a concern unless overspray is the most important factor to you. In general then, we can recommend either HVLP or LVLP for most applications. While we recommend HVLP over LVLP for a professional with a large compressor, smaller shops or hobbyist we recommend either with complete confidence..

In favor of HVLP, some argue that so little air is used to atomize the paint of an LVLP gun, (remember, it is the air that breaks up the paint) that an LVLP gun must be maintained in great condition, otherwise they tend to be finicky and any imperfections in the gun will affect your atomization quality. If you are in an unclean environment or have contaminants after long spraying time (or if you are lazy or clumsy with your guns), LVLP may not be consistent from spray to spray. Also, some argue that LVLP has harder edges and therefore is not good at blending as HVLP (others like the harder edges as it is more precise). In addition, LVLP tend to spray slower than many HVLP guns and definitely slower than RP guns.

In favor of LVLP is that it has a softer spray with the lowest overspray levels on the market, and assuming LVLP guns are maintained well, they are a joy to work with. Also, for auto painters with small compressors, LVLP give you another option besides Low air HVLP or RP (reduced pressure guns) to paint an entire car nonstop. LVLP are also great for mobile workers who spray outdoors or in car lots. For woodworkers and LVLP allows you to get a professional result with very small compressors even under 6CFM@40psi. And those spraying on location or inside your own home, will appreciate the lower overspray.


Looks interesting. I wonder if our resident body guy has used these.

HVLP High volume low pressure. I have 3 of these guns. They produce a high quality finish. Most of the painting I do is on wood.

A friend of mine does restoration of BMW motorcycles. His paint jobs are the very best and people pay a lot of money to get them. He has used HVLP for many years.

The big bonus is you use less materials and less over spray.

My guns are siphon feed. My friends guns are gravity feed. The gravity feed is probably better.

Yea, my first experience with HPLV blew me away.

Looks like the LPLV might have even less overspray if that's possible.

I will be interested in hearing more.

Once I get bastet's vette back on the road, I am going to start working on the body of my 92.

My goal is to get the entire body sanded and any nicks, gouges and scratches fixed. I have a nasty one on the LR quarter... some asshole keyed me at work a few months back. There are two rather large stone chips on the hood, by the RF fender arch. About 10" in. It looks like someone tried to touchup, but it didn't stick. They were the only dings in the paint when I got the car 7.5 years ago.

The bumpers are good, actually, just need cleaned and painted, really. The shrinkage is very limited.

If I can get the body prepped and ready, I will then take it to a paint shop for final colour/clear. I intend on keeping it Polo Green.

Too bad you can't find the guy and shoot him, I'd pull the trigger for ya.

I just found out about the LPLV when I got a new autobodytoolmart catalog. They don't have much info though.

I did a search and got the info from www.spraygunworld.com, I think. Hope I didn't copyright infringe by copying it.
There may be more info there but I didn't go any farther.

www.autobodytollmart.com has a lot of products but not much info.
www.spraygundepot.com has a bunch of links and good info

Before you start on the 92, get the wax totally off, wash it with a heavy concentration of Dawn.
92's are worth keeping, I'm keeping mine until I fall off this planet.