Airspray stripers use pressurized air to push the paint to the paint guns, atomize the paint, and spray the paint onto the pavement. These stripers are characterized by relatively large air compressors and, many times, heavy pressure vessels for paint supply.

Airless stripers use a piston paint pump to draw paint from zero pressure containers and pump it under high pressure to the paint guns, where the high pressure causes the paint to atomize. Airless stripers are characterized by high pressure paint pumps and light, zero-pressure paint containers.

So which is better? It depends on your application.

For parking lot stripers, each style of striper has advantages. Airspray stripers with their pressurized paint pots are often better for contractors who move between a number of small jobs each day, since the paint can be left in the striper without fear of it drying or sloshing out. Airless stripers are often preferred for large jobs like mall parking lots, where higher production is important.

Highway stripers are trending more and more toward airless technology, for several reasons. First of all, by eliminating large compressors and heavy pressure vessels , airless stripers can carry a bigger payload of paint and glass beads. This is especially important in palletized pickup stripers. Airspray pickup stripers often have a capacity of only 30 to 40 gallons of paint, while airless pickup stripers can carry four times that amount.

In addition, airless paint sprayers have a higher transfer efficiency, which is measured in the amount of paint that adheres to the surface. Studies indicate that airspray stripers lose a significant amount of paint as overspray; in fact, airless stripers are generally considered to lose as much as 25% less paint for comparable jobs. Obviously, the larger the job, the more important transfer efficiency is.

Airless stripers also offer significant maintenance advantages. For starters, airless stripers don’t have huge air compressors, a notorious maintenance item. Also, daily cleanup and routine preventative maintenance are usually less time-consuming with airless stripers.

A final advantage of airless stripers is that they seem to handle waterbase paints better. Much of the bad rap latex traffic paints have received over the years is a result of application problems connected with airspray stripers.

For these reasons, state Departments of Transportation and other large highway striping operations are converting to airless stripers in increasing numbers.