Honest Wagner Double Duty Paint Sprayer Review

Is the Wagner Double Duty Paint Sprayer worth it? Will it do what you need it to do? Here’s our honest review!

Learn how to use a Wagner Double Duty Paint Sprayer here!

The Wagner Double Duty Paint Sprayer was the very first paint sprayer that I bought when I wanted to start spraying paint on my furniture makeovers.

Actually, no, I take that back.

I bought a Critter paint sprayer first, but soon learned that my small air compressor wasn’t big enough, or strong enough to power a paint sprayer.

I didn’t want to have to buy a bigger air compressor, so that paint sprayer went back to the store.

Then I was on the hunt for a paint sprayer that didn’t need an air compressor. I wanted it to be as simple as it possibly could be.

That’s when I bought the Wagner Double Duty Paint Sprayer.

Now I’m here to give you my honest review on it.

Table of Contents

Wagner Double Duty Paint Sprayer Review

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I also may earn from other qualifying purchases with other companies or get free product to review and use. All opinions are my own.

Pros:

Beginner Friendly
Low Cost
No Air Compressor Needed
Sprays Stain, Polyurethane, and Paint
Comes with Two Containers

Cons:

You HAVE to Thin Paint (BUT it comes with a Viscosity Cup to help you!)
Getting a Super Fine Finish is Possible, But Not Always Easy

spraying furniture with a wagner double duty paint sprayer and chalk paint

Let’s break all of these pros and cons down.

PROS:

Beginner Friendly

It’s honestly really simple to use.

But you haven’t ever used a paint sprayer before, it might be a bit overwhelming.

I completely understand.

I remember when I first bought a paint sprayer, I was so nervous about messing something up, clogging it, and not thinning out the paint right.

But when you break it down, it’s really simple to use.

It only has a few options for controls, so you don’t get overwhelmed with a bunch of settings.

You can:

Adjust the spray pattern to a circle OR to a vertical or horizontal fan.
Adjust how much paint comes out when you pull the trigger.

And you don’t need an air compressor, so you don’t have to figure out getting that hooked up as well.

BONUS TIP:

If you’re really nervous to try it, try spraying some water through it at first, just to get a feel for how it works.

Then you can fill it up with some paint, and test it out on some cardboard before you really dive into the project.

Low Cost

Paint sprayers can get pretty expensive!

I’ve actually spent about $1500 on a professional paint sprayer system.

So, spending less than $80 is a steal!

Plus, you don’t have to buy an expensive air compressor for this paint sprayer.

No Air Compressor Needed

To power some paint sprayers, you need a decently big air compressor.

That means that you won’t want to tote it around, making your paint sprayer stationary instead of portable.

Air compressors also take up more room.

So not needing an air compressor is huge in my book!

I love that I can take this paint sprayer anywhere.

Sprays Stain, Polyurethane, and Paint

Yep, you can spray wood stain, polyurethane or paint with this bad boy.

You can spray oil based, shellac based, or water based products too.

Basically, if your product is thicker than stain, you’ll have to thin it out.

But, it’s not rocket science to thin it out!

For years I used this paint sprayer to spray thick chalk paint onto my painted furniture makeovers.

And chalk paint is thick thick stuff, thicker than latex paint.

If it can spray chalk paint, without compromising the quality of the paint, you’re in business! (Yes, it really can!)

Comes with Two Containers

I love that it comes with two containers. A larger one and smaller one.

parts of wagner double duty paint sprayer

I personally use the larger container for the paint, and the smaller container for water based polyurethane.

But it’s also handy to switch between the two when you have a larger project or a smaller project.

CONS:

Thinning Paint

Now for the biggest con and the biggest question I had when I bought the paint sprayer.

You HAVE to thin paint, or else it just won’t spray.

Anything thicker than wood stain has to be thinned out.

BUT Wagner includes a viscosity cup with the paint sprayer, so you don’t have to guess how much water (or thinning agent) you need to add to your paint.

thinning paint with wagner viscosity cup

Water-based products can be thinned with water or Floetrol. (I always just use water.)

Oil-based products can be thinned with paint thinner.

Check out this post on how to thin the paint for your Wagner Double Duty Paint Sprayer for step by step details.

But basically, the viscosity cup lets you know if the paint is thin enough (or too thin).

Just fill-up the cup and let it flow out of the bottom of the cup. You want the cup to empty out in a certain amount of time. And then you’ll know that it’s the right thickness for your paint sprayer.

Also, a lot of beginner-friendly paint sprayers require thinning. So unless you want to pay a lot more for a paint sprayer, get ready to thin the paint. (But I’ve found that a lot of other sprayers don’t include the viscosity cup!)

Getting a Super Fine Finish is Possible, But Not Always Easy to Do

I don’t know if this is a super fair “con,” but I think it’s something that should definitely be mentioned.

When I first bought this paint sprayer, I was so happy to not have brush marks, and that painting went so much faster than brushing it on.

I wasn’t super picky about having a really fine finish on my furniture.

Sometimes it would be absolutely amazing, and other times it would be a little bit more rough.

desk painted in chalk paint with wagner double duty paint sprayer

But it was a huge upgrade from brushing the paint on.

But, over time I got pickier and pickier about the finish that I wanted.

And I would spend a lot of time making sure the paint and settings were just right so there weren’t any little bumps in my finish.

That’s when I looked into a professional paint sprayer instead.

I ended up buying this Fuji Q4 paint sprayer so I could have a really fine finish on my painted projects. It definitely comes with a price tag though!

For me, it was worth upgrading to a professional paint sprayer, because I do this all the time.

But, if I was just doing a project here and there, it never would have been worth it to me to buy a fancy professional paint sprayer.

There are also many other more budget friendly options like this HomeRight Super Finish Max Paint Sprayer that you can get a very nice finish with too! (Update: The HomeRight might be an even easier way to get a smooth finish than the Double Duty.)

You can get a really nice professional-looking finish with the Wagner Double Duty Paint Sprayer.

BUT, it may take some extra tweaking when you thin the paint or messing with the settings more to get it just right.

Is It Worth It?

Short and concise, is it worth it to buy the Wagner Double Duty Paint Sprayer?

Well that’s going to very, depending on what you’re looking for.

For a beginner, YES.

For portability, YES.

For a super professional fine finish, maybe. Maybe not.

In my personal opinion, it’s a good starter paint sprayer.

**Update: I’m not sure that it’s the sprayer I would first recommend to beginners anymore though. Check out my post on the Best HVLP Paint Sprayers for some other options and comparisons.

You can get a feel for if you like spraying or not.

You don’t have to break the bank on anything super expensive if you want a professional fine finish, but you might spend some extra time tweaking the paint and settings to get it just right.

(Remember to test it out on cardboard before spraying your project!)

I hope this review helped make your decision a little bit easier!

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Honest Wagner Double Duty Paint Sprayer Review