Last Updated on April 7, 2020
If you’re in the market to get a paint spray system, you’re really going to want to get a good one. Bad spray paint systems are going to add time and frustration to even the simplest of jobs. They might also leave your home looking, well, like you painted it yourself.
There’s much to be said of do-it-yourself work, but it’s only of value if you’re able to produce professional-quality results.
Graco is a company that’s known for doing exactly that, but while they do have a big name in the paint spray system game, it would be hard to claim that everything they produce is right for every buyer.
If you know that you would like a Graco paint spray system, but you just aren’t sure which one is right for you, then you’ve come to the right place.
After all the research and testing we’ve done on Graco products, it’s safe to say that we’ve become experts. Here are our top 4 picks, and an in-depth buyer’s guide for you to read.
Product | Cost | Hose Length | Our Rating |
---|---|---|---|
Graco Magnum 262805 X7![]() (Top Pick) | Check Price | 100 ft | 5/5 |
Graco 257025 Magnum![]() | Check Price | 50 ft | 4.8/5 |
Graco Magnum 262800 X5![]() (Best Value) | Check Price | 75 ft | 4.6/5 |
Graco 17D889 TrueCoat 360![]() | Check Price | 50 ft | 4.2/5 |
The Graco Magnum 262805 X7 is the perfect high-volume spray system that offers users unrivaled quality amidst the Graco Magnum line. It’s precisely for this reason that the tool has assumed a spot as the top sprayer system on our list today.
This unit checks just about every important box. For one thing, it’s fully adjustable, which means that you’ll have complete control over your paint output.
It also features a garden hose adapter that will make it easy to clean out the tool after a day of use. This feature is particularly important because spray systems are traditionally hard to clean, and when maintenance is not done properly clogs occur.
The sprayer is also able to use a hose that is up to 100 feet long, which means that you should be able to use it to paint virtually any residential home.
Last, but not least, the sprayer features wheels. So it’s easy to transport.
Unfortunately, all of these features do come at a price. A fairly substantial price, actually. The X7 is one of the most expensive tools on this list, which means it won’t be suitable for budget buyers.
This aside, it’s a great tool that buyers who have high-volume projects will be sure to appreciate.
On the surface, the Graco 257025 Magnum looks quite a bit like the X7. The 257025 is also fully adjustable, also equipped with a garden hose port for easy cleaning, and also able to accommodate a lengthy hose (though in this case it’s limited to just 50 feet).
With the length that this sprayer is capable of, you should be able to paint most one- to two-story houses without any trouble.
The sprayer even features built-in storage so that you can easily transport the hose, the spray gun, the power cord, and the extra spray tips.
The 257025 is considerably more affordable than the X7, which will make it a good option for shoppers looking for a high-quality sprayer at a moderate price.
Unfortunately, there is one irritating con that ultimately places this sprayer second to the X7.
We noticed that the 257025 is prone to clogging, which means that you’re going to have to stop working to clean out the tool more often than you’d probably like.
This issue is mitigated slightly by the garden hose port, and by a feature they call the SwitchTip, which temporarily allows users to work through a clog. Regardless, this is still going to be irritating.
This aside, the Graco is a good alternative for buyers who don’t want to shell out the money for the X7.
For buyers who found our first two options to be more expensive than they were hoping for, we have our “best for the money” pick, the Graco Magnum X5.
Besides being affordable, this is also just a high-performance paint sprayer. It features a 75-foot hose, it’s fully adjustable, it features the hose adapter, and it also features the SwitchTip.
Unfortunately, one of the cons we detected is that, like the 257025, the X5 is also going to need to use the SwitchTip more than you’re probably hoping.
In addition to clogging more often than most sprayers, we also noticed that there are some paints (like exterior latex) that aren’t going to work very well with this unit.
These cons may be frustrating, but for the price, some buyers may be willing to overlook these issues.
Last, we have the Graco TrueCoat360. While there are certainly some departments in which this tool exhibits the quality one would expect from a Graco sprayer, it ultimately falls short of today’s other options, which is likely to be a turn off for many buyers.
There are certainly some things that this tool does right. It’s speed-adjustable which will give you lots of control over your work, and it also features the ReverseTip that helps to fight against clogging.
The issue is that, considering the price of this tool (as well as the kinks it still needs to work out), most buyers will favor something else from our list.
Like some of the other Graco tools we’ve seen, it’s prone to clogging, and it struggles with certain paints. To make matters worse, it’s also hard to clean, which will further compound performance issues if you aren’t able to do a thorough job flushing out the system.
The tool isn’t terrible. But you can spend a similar amount of money on one of the other sprayers and enjoy better results.
A lot of factors and considerations go into choosing a paint spray system. Unfortunately, sometimes just reading reviews of specific units doesn’t quite impart all of the information that you would hope for.
If you’ve read our reviews, but still aren’t quite sure which features and factors will produce the quality paint job that you’re looking for, that’s ok. We’ve assembled a few notes to help narrow down your choices.
Are you buying a paint spray system to paint a house? A wall? A chair? The answer to this question can radically alter your purchasing decision.
Some systems are designed only for big projects. Some are made just for producing finer details. Some can do both.
Pay close attention to what the paint spray system you are considering has been designed for. This will ultimately determine whether or not it’s suitable for your needs.
All of the spray systems on today’s list will be good for high-volume work.
If you don’t clean your sprayer well, it’s going to get clogged. Unfortunately, maintaining these tools is often easier said than done, but there are options out there that factor ease of cleaning into the design.
There are sprayers that are easy to open up for detail cleaning, and even some that can be flushed out with a garden hose.
If you’re painting your whole house, or even if you may just need to move around a lot with this tool, it may help to look for features that make it easy to transport.
Some tools are optimized for transportation and may even feature wheels.
Last but not least, you’re probably going to want something that allows you to control the pressure settings of your paint flow.
This feature is going to allow you to tailor the paint output to match your exact specifications to produce work that is completely to your satisfaction.
The time to decide on a paint spray system has come. By now, you’ve probably realized that the type of job you intend to do can have a significant impact on the system that you want to buy.
Ultimately, the tool that you select will be contingent on what you need to get done.
If you’re still on the fence, we do have a couple of general recommendations that may make the process a little bit easier for you.
The Graco Mangum 262805 X7 is going to be a good option for buyers who need quality and don’t mind paying for it.
On the other hand, you can still paint well on a budget with picks like the Graco Magnum 262800 X5.
In the end, your decision will depend on what makes the most sense to you. We just hope that we’ve made the decision a little bit simpler for you.