Hi, Pat. Good to see a new post from you!

I am not familiar with that exact model, but it may indeed be
something from the Earlex line, which is a mix/match of parts from
different vendors. It seems that it matches closely in some features
and performance. In fact, if you DAGS the Graco HV3900, you will get
results from the Earlex HV3900. Hmmmm.......

I have used some of those type of sprayers and I find that they have
their place. I think it depends on how much you are going to use
them, and what you will use them to spray.

I can point out what I see as the pros and cons.

Pros:

- The unit is cheap. And if you don't like it you can return it
immediately. Lowe's has a generous return policy, so you can woodshed
the machine in practical application to see if it will work for you.

- Graco will undoubtedly offer different aircaps (on less expensive
units they are needle assemblies only) that will allow you to spray
different types of finish. Keep in mind that many finishes today are
made to spray, and are quite forgiving. If I am reading this
correctly, the larger unit comes with a 1.5mm aircap, which is a bit
small for latex with a 2 impeller turbine. This will make it good for
project sized work, but you can't throw enough material out of the
machine to make it a fast painter. At 1.5mm, you will undoubtedly
need to thin, and that will need you time to experiment to get it
right.

- The largest unit comes with a bigger reservoir. Unless you doing
small work like doors, a bookcase, the one quart cup is a pain. You
need both.

- I believe (IIRC, I saw these at a Sherwin Williams home center
display) the two larger units have two impellers. Although not ideal,
this is adequate for spraying clean, thinned latex. I had a friend
that bought a used Earlex (sold by WoodCraft) that was a 2 module
turbine that he used to spray enamel onto doors in his residential
paint business. He thinned properly, then sprayed away. IF YOU USE A
GOOD PAINT, you can thin the daylights out of them and still get a
great finish. He used the SW line mostly, and hit it with about 15%
water and it sprayed out like glass. The good finish was part
excellent paint, part application technique, part machine. Thinning
is the key on these smaller machines

Cons:

- If you are painting anything of size, say a house or a house
interior, you will work yourself to death with this thing since even
with the larger reservoir they don't carry a lot of material

- You need to learn how to thin paints. Some only need a little, some
more. I would start at 10% and study the dried (2 hours) surface and
see if I had the texture I wanted. Spray on a slick carboard box
(such as those that house electronics) and you can see every
imperfection. Don't thin past 20%. Don't tell anyone you thinned to
20% either or you will hear a wall of baloney that will make you
wince.

- The 1.5mm aircap isn't good for everything, BUT with thinning
practice and good material you should be able to put down a good
finish in paint. The good news is that the 1.5mm should shoot all
kinds of clear coats with minimal thinning. I would bet that if you
hit your lacquer or poly about 10%, you would be fine.

- I HATE HATE HATE those 6' long hoses they put on the units. They
don't give you any maneuverability, don't allow for ease of movement,
and don't let you get the gun motion right. I am 6'2", bare foot.
Unless I put the unit on a 5 gal paint can I can't reach the ceiling
or even the top of a door with that 6'. Fortunately, since the air
supply is all that is carried in line, you can add what you want or in
some cases buy another hose. This isn't a problem is you are using
the shoulder tank, but it is ugly when painting a project in your
garage

So in the end, my thoughts are this: If you want a machine for light
use that will turn out a pretty good finish, this could be a good
buy. $140 is pretty tough to beat. On a bigger project or even a
couple of smaller ones, it would pay for itself in time and effort.
It won't due heavy work, and without practice won't turn out really
good finishing. But I wouldn't hesitate to use it as my buddy did, to
spray latex on doors, trims, built ins, and project work. He loves
that thing for shutters, too. He actually used it so long his guys
called it the "trim machine".

Not that you are actually that interested, but this could be a good
machine on which to learn to spray, too. I have always thought that
1/2 of good HVLP end product was learning to thin, and that takes
practice.

If it was a two impellor model, I would buy it and try it. If it was
just one, I would skip it.

As always, hope that helps!

Robert