The HVLP sprayer arrived about 7 days after order from Harbor Freight. Cost was $75.00 delivered and unit looks identical to Campbell-Hausfeld and Wagner. Knock-off? - probably, but at least 1/2 the cost. Can and sprayer parts look to be interchangeable.

Turned it on and off and fooled with plain water to start. Amazing how strong 4 lb. pressure can be. Finally decided to give it the ultimate test - LATEX! If it can spray that, it will spray anything.

Used straight paint from the can (Dutchboy something or other) and thinned 50% - one scoop paint/one scoop water. Fired it up, opened material(spray) adjustment 1 1/4 turns and hit the wall. First minute or two I had a run. Wiped up with paper towel and proceeded to do the wall. Repainted area of run and problem area disappeared. Next time: thin 1 part paint to 3/4 part water for starter - might even be able to go a bit thicker after testing. Very easy cleanup. Dog doesn't like the vacuum cleaner sound but don't need ear protection unless doing a big job. Overspray problem (???)was surprising. I sprayed with a vertical spray pattern. Overspray at top and botom of vertical fan was about 3-4 inches. Overspray along vertical sides of fan pattern was less than 1 inch. Still need dropcloth as some paint still drifts to floor - but on carpet it is almost dry and can be vacuumed up when done. For wood floors, a damp towel easily picked up the fine dust. Didn't need respirator or goggles as there was virtually no sprayback.

My guess for varnish is that it could be sprayed direct from can without thinning. For enamels (oil) you might have to thin about 10% maximum. It comes with a little scoop that you dip into paint and time for viscosity. They suggest about 6-10 seconds.

All in all - a good buy for light to medium duty painting. Definitely for hobby and home - not commercial. NOT designed to paint a house, but should be able to spray a boat in about 1/2 hour or less. If you don't have any kind of gun, this woud be a good first purchase - and definitely MUCH better than the "Buzz-Box" guns (electronic) from Wagner! Don't have to purchase a compressor to use either. Will consider using to paint my catamran hulls this summer with linear polyurethane.