[peter]

When it comes to spray booths selection in Australia, your choices of selection is just about zero. There is a spray booth that is distributed by JB Wholesalers, but I personally feel that it’s over priced and provides no real advantage to a DIY spray booth. So what are the things to look for in a commercial spray booth? I think it really comes down to these three things
1. Fan selection
2. Filter Media
3. Sales and Support
This is where the Artograph 1530 Hobby booth delivers full marks on all accounts. Let’s go through it together and begin with the box contents.
The Artograph is a very decently sized spray booth. When fully assembled the booth measures 15” x 30”. Assembly itself comprises of attaching the back, two sides, and clear acrylic top with 8 screws. Assembly takes approx 10-15 minutes and will pose no problem at all especially to the average model builder. Once fully assembled you can really appreciate the convenience of a spray booth this size provides.

Speaking of convenience, the front panel also comes predrilled so that you can hang objects you want to spray. The clear acrylic top is also perfect to allow light into the spray booth and if you’re into creating youtube videos of your work progress, this will allow you to attach the camera behind the clear acrylic sheet so you never need to worry about overspray getting onto your expensive camera equipment.
A potential down size to a booth this size is the amount of air that needs to move in order for it to efficiently extract fumes. This is not the case with the Artograph as it comes equipped with not one, but two powerful fans that move 370CFM of air.

This is one of the reasons I was first attracted to this spraybooth. When you do your research, you’ll find that the fans utilized in the 1530 make it one of the top rated booths out there. The fans are also surprisingly quiet and are attached to the base of the unit. The fumes get funneled to the left hand side of the unit or alternatively you can vent the fumes outside.

Unlike some of the other US made booths on the market, the Artograph is the only one I'm aware of that comes equipped with an optional 240v power supply which makes it suitable for the Australian market.
Another reason I really like this booth is the sophisticated filter media again something that I feel sets it apart from a lot of the booths on the market. Artograph utilizes a three stage filter system.

The first stage filter a 100% polyester pre-filter media traps the bulk of the initial spray and provides a continuous clean work surface. The second stage filter is an inch thick non-woven polyester air-laid material. To make the filtration system more efficient this filter is backed with a blue PVC binder on the exit side. This tacky material allows even closer binding to the poly-carb filter (more on that in just a moment). The second stage filter material is non-toxic and offers excellent filtration for particles 5 microns or larger. The third stage filter is a carbon-impregnated polyester (poly-carb)which traps the majority of fumes and completes the particle filtration system. The booth comes equipped with 5 first stage filters, and one of each of the mid and poly-carb filters.
The pre-filters should be replaced as they get soiled. As a modeler, you'll find that each pre-filter will last several models but you may want to change them more regularly to improve efficiency. The mid and poly-carb filters should be replaced as a pair when they become visibly soiled or coated. Artograph recommends you change these every three months, but this will depend largely on your usage patterns.
As far as service and support, I was very pleased with Artograph's head office sales and support offering. They were courteous, eager to answer any and all of my questions and provided super quick shipment of the spray booth to make this review possible.
Overall, if you are a modeler and care about your health, then you really should take a serious look at the Artograph 1530. You can buy this spray booth in several locations, to find a reseller close to you visit http://www.artograph.com . While you're there, why not check out some of their light boxes.

For the ANZAC's amongst us, you can purchase the spray booth from the following resellers.


Australia:
Jasco Pty., Ltd.
Unit 2/ 118-122 Bowden Street
Meadowbank, NSW 2114
Phone: 61 2 9807 1555
Fax: 61 2 9808 1338 or 61 2 9807 1427
E-mail: quickinfo@jasco.com.au
www.jasco.com.au

New Zealand:
Gordon Harris Ltd. Drafting
P. O. Box 26 211
Auckland 3
Phone: 64-9-520-4466
Fax: 64-9-524-0391
E-mail: mark@paintbox.co.nz
http://www.gordonharris.co.nz