krause and becker

Krause and Becker Airless Paint Sprayer Review

Krause and Becker

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  • Fully adjustable pressure up to 3000 PSI
  • 25 foot hose
  • Flow Rate 18.6 gallons/hour 
  • No. 517 Nozzle 12- 16″ Fan Width
  • Trigger Lock, Built in Filter
  • Stainless Steel Paint Pick Up

What do you do if you don’t want to invest a small fortune into an airless sprayer?  The best compromise you make might just be on this Krause and Becker Airless Paint Sprayer.

What do you do if you don’t want to mess with the hassle of an air compressor?

With a built-in filter right in the gun and easy-to-use pressure controls, you’ll find that the Krause and Becker lightweight spraying option can help you get the job done pretty effectively.

Pros and Cons of the Krause & Becker Airless Paint Sprayer

Pros
Stainless steel paint pick up means less corrosion
Built in trigger lock
Works with tons of Tips
Works with latex and oil paint
Easy Clean up

Cons
O rings can come out during cleaning
Can be tough to find spare parts
90 day warranty
Gallons/hr rating is confusing
Must thin down paint with finishing tips

The Pros

The paint pickup is made from stainless steel. This prevents a lot of the corrosion that can develop with heavy use on similar pickups from other brands. You get your paint or other medium in its pure form for a consistent result.

The spray gun comes with a built-in trigger lock. You’ll save time while applying your preferred materials and you’ll save time cleaning – a definite win/win situation.

The Krause and Becker Airless Paint Sprayer comes with a 517 tip, but we discovered that this airless paint sprayer does a great job with a fine finish tip as well.  It works with a wide variety of tips.

It works equally well with both latex and oil paint.

The trigger lock can be somewhat tricky because you can accidentally engage it while painting if you’re not careful, but makes cleaning up afterward a lot easier

The Cons

The O-rings can come out of your spray gun, especially when you’re cleaning it out. You’ve got to take some extra care when maintaining this unit with those rings.

Krause and Becker airless paint sprayer parts are hard to come by. We didn’t have the need to locate spare parts during our trial run with this particular unit, but we did make a test run for sourcing materials in case we did.

The gallons per hour rating is a little confusing. The 5/8 HP motor can give you an application of up to 18 gallons per hour of paint, but that’s only if you’re using the maximum settings. You can adjust the pressure down to 1000 PSI and if your 25 foot hose is fully extended, you might have that GPH rating cut by up to 50%.

It isn’t a good indoor machine. You’ll want to primarily use this item for outdoor projects unless you have a dedicated workshop with extra interior space to accommodate any overspray.

Tips for Using Your Krause & Becker

We recommend that you use silicone lubricants on the O rings instead of petroleum ones to avoid some of the issues that users have been noting with this particular sprayer.

Finding gaskets can be particularly difficult, so keep this in mind if you’re thinking about a purchase.

You’ll need to sweep a bit faster with your paint if you’re pulling it straight from the bucket, but that also means you’ll be painting even faster than you expected.

With finishing tips, make sure you thin down your paint.

  Join our email list for tips and info!

How to Clean Your Krause and Becker Paint Sprayer

Makes sure to clean your paint sprayer immediately after each use.  Not only does this make sure that your airless paint sprayer will last longer, but the warranty is void if you don’t clean it.

Cleaning your airless paint sprayer means taking some time and following the instructions below:

  1. Relieve pressure and drain paint from tubes
  2. Separate tubes, and place return tube in garbage
  3. Submerge suction tube in water/flushing fluid
  4. Unthread spray tip and remove
  5. Turn to spray mode then switch on power
  6. Spray paint into paint pail changing to waste bucket as paint thins
  7. Turn to prime mode and continue to flush until clear
  8. Release trigger, turn power off, and relieve pressure
  9. Remove trigger guard from housing
  10. Unscrew nut and remove filter
  11. Clean all parts in warm, soapy water or flushing fluid with a bristled brush

Long term storage cleaning is a different procedure and fully detailed in the manual below starting on page 18.

Troubleshooting your Krause & Becker Airless Machine

When your Krause and Becker airless paint sprayer won’t prime, it could be a simple issue.

  • Make sure to turn the prime/spray switch to Prime Mode
  • Also make sure that power is turned on and the unit is plugged in
  • Don’t forget to adjust the pressure control knob to the Prime/Clean setting

If you didn’t clean your unit thoroughly enough when you last used it, and you can hear the pump running but no pressure is building, try checking the upper and lower ball and seats of the airless pump.  

There could be built up material.  Remove them and clean it properly.  Also check if they are worn. Make sure to check your siphon hose to see if there are any holes and to make sure it is tightly secured.

​Krause and Becker Manuals

Here is the manual for the Krause and Becker airless paint sprayer, direct from Harbor Freight, the manufacturer of Krause & Becker Paint Machines: Click here for the Krause Manual.

If you are looking for a manual for a different type of paint sprayer, check out www.manualslib.com.  There are 1,000’s of manuals for all of your equipment needs.

Krause and Becker Airless Paint Sprayer Parts

Harbor Freight, which manufactures the Krause & Becker line of spray paint products carries some replacement parts.

If you are having difficulty finding Krause & Becker parts, the good news is that many of the parts such as O rings and sprayer tips are interchangeable with other models of paint sprayers such as Titan ControlMax 1700 and 1900 and Graco Sprayers.

Just consult the manual link above for specs when looking for replacement parts.

If you are dropping some serious coin on an airless paint sprayer, make sure to keep your receipt and take advantage of the warranty, if required.

For warranty issues, you would contact Harbor Freight.  The Krause and Becker website for contacting them about your sprayer is www.harborfreight.com.

Conclusion

For a cost-effective airless solution, the Krause and Becker Airless Paint Sprayer does a pretty good job for most exterior needs.

If that is what your next project happens to be, then give this sprayer a second look and we don’t think you’ll be disappointed by what you see.

Krause & Becker not for you? You should check out our Best Paint Sprayer Reviews and pick the best paint sprayer for your next DIY job.

Table Of Contents
  1. Krause and Becker
  2. Pros and Cons of the Krause & Becker Airless Paint Sprayer
  3. Tips for Using Your Krause & Becker
  4.   Join our email list for tips and info!
  5. How to Clean Your Krause and Becker Paint Sprayer
  6. Troubleshooting your Krause & Becker Airless Machine
  7. ​Krause and Becker Manuals
  8. Krause and Becker Airless Paint Sprayer Parts
  9. Conclusion
  10. FAQs

FAQs

What is the best paint sprayer you can buy? 

Check out our detailed reviews of the best paint sprayers on the market.   

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32 thoughts on “Krause and Becker Airless Paint Sprayer Review”

  1. I just bought an airless Krause and Becker it is one of the best purchase I have done, however I need extra inlet strainers for the spray gun, can you tell me if I can use a graco filter or what model do you suggest me. I really appreciate your information. I am writing from Mexico
    Thanks

    • Hi Salvador,

      Happy to hear you like the Krause. These guns are made by Harbor Freight. And sometimes the models are different in different countries. I suggest giving them a call or sending them an email to make sure you get the right one for your gun. 1 (800) 444-3353 or check out their parts list https://www.harborfreight.com/parts. Thanks for reading ~ John

  2. I purchased this sprayer it was slow at first but picked up spraying after a few hours.i used it on a couple big jobs and it broke down.it wouldn’t prime right and started shocking me when I pushed the power button.i simply went to my local HF and they gave me a new one without a hassle.its. not my main sprayer but definitely a great back up as graco parts arent cheap #1 tip is get the warranty.ill definitely use it with a smile

    • Hey Roger, Glad to hear you’re alright after being shocked! Sorry you didn’t have a good experience with the Krause. We always recommend taking advantage of the warranty no matter what sprayer you buy. It’s like money in the bank. Thanks for reading ~John

  3. Great machine, have owned for about 4 years and done a lot of painting with this machine. The gun is leaking out of the back. Any ideas on where to buy just the gun?

    • Hi Richard,

      Happy to hear your Krause is a real workhorse! The units are manufactured by Harbor Freight. I’m sure they can help you out with the gun. Their website is http://www.harborfreight.com where you can send them an email or call them 1-800-444-3353. Thanks for Reading ~ John

  4. We bought one and have had good luck but need to know if we can go 3 to 4 days between usage without prep for Long term storage as we are in middle of painting house in stages. We are in our 70s and it takes a rest day or two between. We thoroughly clean after each use.

    • Hi Teresa, 3 or 4 days is not considered long term storage. Glad to hear you’re cleaning it out well after each use. Long term storage prep should be done if you’re not going to use it for more than 10 days no matter what season it is. Happy painting! -John

  6. Brought it two days ago turned it on it wouldnt prime or pull paint through tubes. To much maintenance required im returning monday. Cashier was mean

  7. Would this sprayer work well for painting cabinet bases and doors and furniture? I see different sprayers recommended on this site for those jobs, but would this one do the trick? I’m brand new to all of this and have a lot to learn

  8. To every one of you raising hell about fixing it, it’s called a warranty! For an extra $35 at purchase, I get a new sprayer from harbor freight every 8 months. It’s no questions asked… Use it, abuse it, swap it out. Breaks? Swap it. Abhorently dirty and just don’t have time to clean it? Swap it.

  9. Just bought one last week
    How do I know the size of tip that I need to paint
    A kitchen cabinet
    The tip that came with the gun is to big

  10. Used this unit in several jobs. Great unit for homeowners or subcontractor’s aware that there guys don’t take care of tools the way there owner does. Only trouble has been the gun. Swapped it with a Greco and run low pressure tips on all my jobs never a problem.

  11. Has anyone found where you can purchase replacement nozzles for this sprayer. What is it compatible with?

  12. Bought it almost 2 yrs ago with 1 yr war. Used it later than I thought due to scheduling issues. Used it once & was OK. Cleaned it immaculately. Wouldn’t prime. Read issues. Watched videos. Called help. Nothing!
    I wouldn’t recommend this product & have 2nd thoughts about returning to HF.

  13. Can’t buy parts to fix sprayer compressor. Graco, Titan, etc all have parts online readily available. If a part breaks you have a $200 doorstop

  14. I’ve been paint spraying since 1976. I bought this unit because my Graco finally gave out. It started leaking from the intake body as soon as I started using it. I figured for the price I would bear with it. It finally gave out after one small job. I would not recommend this sprayer.

  15. Had this for over 3 years did odd painting jobs, occasional room remodel repaint, etc.
    Kept this sucker clean, but one time one of the parts on the head unit was missing, right behind the paint outlet nozzle on the compressor, the unit became a $99.00 door stop. NO parts are sold for repairs anywhere in the US or China.

    • I dropped the ball primer valve spring a d could never fond it. Tried a spring I bought at ADE works on and off, keeps losing prime…. end of sprayer.

  16. I just purchased this unit for a large room project. I didn’t find the over spray to be a big issue and I was using it close to the max PSI setting. What I was wondering besides O ring and seals. What spray tips work best with this unit?

  17. The unit seems to spray heavier at edges. I tried adjusting pressure, did nit help. Replaced the cylinder with the spray orifice, didnt help

  18. I just bought this sprayer today because i was in a pinch. I used it to paint walls and ceilings in a few rooms and a garage, and then to spray a large deck. Initially, it didnt seem that it could keep up at all. However after an hr or so it picked up the pace and held its own. My other pump cost over 1100, but it needs packings and i didnt have time to get it fixed and stay on schedule. Im very well pleased with this pump for the money. I wouldnt recommend it for someone used to putting on 50 gallons a day, but for 8-10 gallon jobs, its great. My advice, add a hose, drop the tip size.

  19. I own this sprayer and I put it through hell. I use it primarily indoors to paint doors and trim. Works well with oil or latex paint. I have no complaints about this machine.

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