Intro

Having the proper compressor is just an important as having the proper airbrush. Often, people use home-made monsters, made from old fridge parts, with odd-looking bottles and power supplies. They are heavy, hard to transfer and sometimes they do not work steadily. Unbalanced and insufficient air supply can ruin your spray session easily. Pulsations can cause unwanted spitting and spotting, as well as many other small but potentially dangerous for your project prerequisites.
In this article, we will take a quick look at Sparmax Arism Viz, small and movable-friendly compressor, with which you can start airbrushing immediately. If you are a newcomer to the hobby of course. In case you are a pro, like I assume most of you reading here are, Arism Viz will provide you with something that you wanted for quite a while – laptop-like tool, with which you can move around without a single worry on your mind.

The box

The box is square like cardboard box, made similar to the packings of Sparmax airbrushes, and coming with a handle on its top. The material is thick and provides a safe transfer, although you would be surprised how small the compressor actually is inside, compared to the box overall dimensions.
At first I thought that it is rather heavy, but then I realized that inside we have more than just the compressor, which adds to the formula. Not only, but the packing is done in an overly safe way and even when you empty the box of its contents, it still bears a rather heavy weight by itself.

Contents

Sparmax Arism Viz comes as a ready-to-go out of the box compressor. This doesn’t mean that the compressor is ready to plug and play only. It comes with moisture trap, airbrush holder, air hose and in addition to that is battery ready.
That means that the only thing missing in this equation is the airbrush itself. Some of the compressors offer airbrush holders on their top. Some offer handles. Very few come equipped as this one. You just unpack it, plug it into the main and start spraying.

Power Cords
Sparmax Arism Viz corresponds to a standard compressor, just like a home PC corresponds to a laptop. As such, it is no surprise that it comes with a power supply that is exactly like the one that you get with your notebook. We have a cable that goes into the main and then on its other side into a box that sends the electricity straight to your Arism Viz. The cable I am mentioning can be switched of course, depending on your location. The compressor handles Worldwide voltages, the only thing you need to have is the correct plug.
From the laptop-charger box back, we have a cable with a plug, again similar to what you might have with your computer. That mean, that you can supply it with car charger, battery pack and almost any other power supply that you can use to plug your computer too.

Auto-Stop and Moisture trap
Silver Bullet Plus moisture trap is supplied with this kit as a bonus. I won’t get deep into that, but as many of you know from experience, moisture trap is a must. Often, more than one too.
Silver Bullet Plus is Sparmax’s signature moisture trap, and is perfect for such a small compressor, especially for longer spray sessions where accidents can be prevented through using that add-on.
Another interesting feature of the compressor is its auto-stop system. It is represented by a translucent airbrush holder, which has a specific place of installation on top of the compressor box. It is a weight activated button in the same time.
That means, that when you install it, it sits quietly there and it is light enough to not activate the system. Once you place your airbrush over it, it is heavy enough to keep the button pressed. Clicking sound is all that you are gonna hear. And the system will stop.
This trigger is very good to preserve your compressor life, prevent additional and unwanted moisture accumulation and a clever energy saving feature. It is surprisingly how come this isn’t a standard with all of the compressor manufacturers already. It is very simple and surprisingly useful and clever little trick. My deepest admirations to Sparmax for adding that.

Compressor
It is shiny and neat looking box, featuring Sparmax logo on front and back, with Arism Vis logo on the side. It comes equipped with a handle, pressure gauge and smart stop feature. They do feature Sparmax logo as well.
It has an on/off swith in the back, as well as plug for the power cable. That power can come from battery pack too. The pressure regulation is done through Silver Bullet Plus moisture trap, which have a swiveling button embedded in its design. This might be unusual, but it is clever idea since guarantees that you will use Sparmax products and every component will be with the proper quality. As many of you know, the quality of your system is defined by its weakest link. That means, in other words, that If you have 100% for your compressor, 90% for your airbrush and only 40% for your hose, your system worth is 40%. So to avoid that, Sparmax provides the whole package.
It is light and compact - about 2,5 kilos /or 5.5lbs/ and 20x18x12cm. With that modest size it provides 16 to 18 lpm continuous and that will serve even a large nozzle pistol grip airbrush. Maximum pressure is 3.4 bar, which is more than enough for flushing purposes. That, alongside with the low power consumption, DC motor and smart-stop feature guarantee effectiveness and high efficiency.

Compared with the rest
First and most importantly – it is quieter than the rest I’ve tested in that range. At nearly the same price as any Chinese cheapo or promotion packages /often seen in Lidl stores and similar/, this is way more professionally-oriented tool.
Second most important feature is that it doesn’t bounce around. It is quite annoying when using smaller compressor to have it run around the floor vibrating all the time. Sometimes pulling the hose too!
None of that happens here. Pressure is properly measured, and this, combined with all the features mentioned above gives enough info about Sparmax quality and engineering. Basically, it can be compared only with larger applications in terms of quality. Simple as that.

Conclusion

I will say that one more time: Having the proper compressor is just as important as having the proper airbrush. We have more than one airbrush usually and in all my honesty, I do believe that we need more than one compressor too. You don’t wanna be in a position where your compressor lets you down and you are in the middle of your project, something that I have experienced twice.
With that being said, I believe that Sparmax Arism Viz is the best choice for that purpose. Besides being very laptop-like movable tool, it also is space-saving, quiet and well equipped out of the box. Many people own and use home-made compressors, or large box-like dual-piston monsters, suitable for more than one airbrushes, perfectly suited for their modeling rooms. But not pleasant to run around with.
This compressor here is made with a slightly different idea in mind. It is suitable for those who travel, and who have more than one location of work. Also, for those who do go to make demonstrations at modeling shows, conventions or club meetings. For them, Arism Viz is the answer.
Cannot comment on other applications of airbrushing, like make-up or paint artists, but in my mind it will bring the same benefits there too.
From my stand point and experience, I found this compressor to be one of the missing parts in my tool collection. Moving a lot around with my two modeling locations 300 miles one from another and sometimes visiting friends for short spray sessions, Sparmax Arism Viz provides me with exactly what I needed.

Highs
Quiet, compact, ready-to-go out of the box, made from reliable company and light. Comes with hose, moisture trap and airbrush holder. Easy to travel with it, perfectly suited for those who do demo-sessions at modeling shows or club meetings. DC power supply offers World-Wide usage.

Lows
Pressure regulator on the main body is missing. Too small to support more than one airbrush, good for a first compressor, but maybe for long-term usage, it will be more like an add-on to your bigger beast supporting two or more airbrushes.

Please remember, when contacting retailers or manufacturers, to mention that you saw their products highlighted here - on AEROSCALE