Harder & Steenbeck Airbrushes

What Harder & Steenbeck makes

Harder & Steenbeck makes airbrushes and airbrush parts. Its own website describes its airbrushes as German engineering and says the company has been around for over 100 years. The site lists three current airbrush lines with 2024 in their names: Evolution, Infinity and Ultra.

An airbrush is a small spray tool that mixes paint with compressed air. Model builders use it for smooth base coats, camouflage, soft shading and clear coats.

On Amazon US, our data holds six live Harder & Steenbeck listings:

• Evolution 2024 CRplus Airbrush 121231
• Infinity 2024 CRplus Solo Airbrush
• Ultra 2024 Airbrush 120231
• Evolution CRplus Twin-Action Airbrush Kit 126304
• Color 2ml Cup for Infinity and Evolution (123324)
• Professional Airbrush Service Kit 217500

That's a short list, so the grid adds alternatives, covered below.

Harder and Steenbeck airbrush lines

Infinity 2024 CRplus

The maker's site calls the Infinity its flagship, with the tagline "Precision, Redefined." The Amazon US listing is the Infinity 2024 CRplus Solo. The title doesn't state nozzle size or cup size.

Theo saw the name on my screen. "Infinity is a bad name for anything you have to clean," he said. "Infinity never finishes." He's a math teacher. He's also right about cleaning.

Who it suits: a builder who has used an airbrush before and wants the maker's top line. Who should skip it: someone buying a first airbrush who hasn't sprayed a coat yet.

Evolution 2024 CRplus

Two listings carry the Evolution name: the Evolution 2024 CRplus Airbrush 121231 and the Evolution CRplus Twin-Action Airbrush Kit 126304. The maker's site shows the Evolution 2024 CRplus in a 2in1 version and a Solo version, and lists a 0.45 mm variant. The site doesn't explain the 2in1 and Solo names on that page, so read the listing contents to see what's in each box.

Twin-action is another name for dual action. ANEST IWATA explains dual action plainly: press the button for air, pull it back for paint, and you can change the paint flow while you spray. It calls dual action the most widely used type.

The 2 ml color cup in the grid is listed for both Infinity and Evolution. Two milliliters is under half a teaspoon. That's plenty for a detail color, and it keeps you from mixing more paint than you'll spray before it dries.

Ultra 2024

The Ultra 2024 Airbrush 120231 is the third line. The maker's site lists the Ultra separately from Evolution and Infinity and doesn't give a side-by-side comparison. The Amazon US title doesn't state nozzle size or feed.

A year in a model name is a date stamp. It tells you which version is in the box. It isn't a use-by date.

CRplus, 2024 and other title words

Several Harder & Steenbeck titles carry codes and short words. Here's what we can and can't say:

• 2024: part of each line name on the maker's site
• CRplus: on the Evolution and Infinity titles; the maker's page we opened doesn't define it
• Solo: on the Infinity title; the page shows Solo and 2in1 versions without explaining them
• Twin-Action: dual action, per the explanation above
• Six-digit numbers: the maker's part numbers; use them to match spares

Part numbers matter most for spares. A seal, needle or cup that fits one line may not fit another. The 2 ml cup's title names Infinity and Evolution. Match the number, not the photo.

The service kit

The Professional Airbrush Service Kit 217500 is a maintenance kit, per the title. It doesn't list what's inside. Check the listing photos for which seals, needles or tools it includes, and which airbrush lines it's made for.

A set of spare parts is a promise that you'll take the airbrush apart someday. Keep the promise on a clean towel, in good light, with the manual open. Lay the parts out in the order they come off.

Alternatives to Harder & Steenbeck

Because Harder & Steenbeck has six own listings in the grid, the grid adds nine alternatives, all airbrushes or airbrush sets. Here's why each group fits.

Badger airbrush sets

• Badger 150-1 (M) Airbrush Set, Medium Head
• Badger 150-7 Professional Airbrush Set
• Badger 155-1 Anthem Airbrush Set
• Badger 175-9 Crescendo Airbrush Set
• Badger 360-1 Universal Airbrush Set

These are sold as sets, per their titles. They match on type: an airbrush with parts in the box, ready once you add air and paint. The titles don't state action or feed, so check those on each listing.

Badger single-action models

• Badger 350-3 Single Action Medium Head Airbrush Set with Propel
• Badger 200-20 Fine Detail Single-Action Airbrush

These differ from the Harder & Steenbeck twin-action kit by design. On a single-action airbrush, the trigger controls air and paint flow is set separately, per ANEST IWATA. That's simpler for even coats of one color. It's less flexible for shading.

Iwata

• Iwata Eclipse HP-CS Gravity Feed Airbrush
• Iwata Revolution CR Airbrush

The Eclipse title says gravity feed, meaning the paint cup sits on top. The Revolution title doesn't state feed. Both are airbrush bodies, like the three Harder & Steenbeck 2024 listings. More on both on the Iwata brand page, and on Badger's lineup on the Badger brand page.

Single action or twin action: match it to the work

The choice between the twin-action Harder & Steenbeck kit and a single-action alternative comes down to what you paint most.

• Big, even coats of one color: car bodies, primer, ship hulls. Single action handles these well, because the paint flow stays where you set it.
• Shading, gradients, camouflage, fine lines: twin action, because you change the paint flow inside one stroke.
• Both: twin action can do even coats too, with practice. Single action can't change flow mid-stroke.

If you're not sure, think about the last three models you finished. If they were mostly one color each, the simpler tool may be the better first one.

Gravity feed and siphon feed

Feed is where the paint sits. On a gravity-feed airbrush the cup sits on top, and paint flows down into the airbrush. On a siphon-feed airbrush a bottle sits below, and air draws the paint up.

Gravity feed suits small batches and fine work, since a few drops in the cup go a long way. Siphon feed suits larger batches of one color, since you can screw on a full bottle. The Harder & Steenbeck 2 ml color cup is a small cup for detail colors. Among the alternatives, the Iwata Eclipse HP-CS title says gravity feed. The other titles don't state feed, so look at the photos: a cup on top or a jar below tells you at a glance.

How to pick within Harder & Steenbeck

The list is short, so the choice is short too.

1. Already own a Harder & Steenbeck? Start with the 2 ml cup or the service kit, after you match part numbers.
2. First airbrush, want this maker: the Evolution CRplus Twin-Action Airbrush Kit, after checking what's in the box.
3. Experienced, want the flagship: the Infinity 2024 CRplus Solo.
4. Want the third line: the Ultra 2024, after you read its nozzle and cup on the listing.

If none of these fits, or if you want single action, look at the alternatives. A single-action Badger is a different tool, not a lesser one.

Nozzle size and what it means

The nozzle is the tiny opening the paint leaves through. ANEST IWATA lists 0.2 mm for fine detail, 0.3 mm as the general size and 0.4 to 0.5 mm for larger areas. A bigger nozzle delivers more paint and uses more air.

The maker's site shows a 0.45 mm Evolution variant, which lands at the larger-area end. The Amazon US titles in our data don't state nozzle sizes. Check the description before you order, because the nozzle decides what jobs the airbrush is good at.

Cleaning between colors and at the end

Cleaning is part of every session, not a chore for later. Plan for it from day one:

1. Between colors: spray cleaner through until it runs clear
2. At the end of the session: clean the cup, spray cleaner through, then wipe the needle
3. When paint has dried inside: take it apart only as far as the manual shows
4. Lay parts out in order on a towel, left to right, as they come off
5. Replace worn seals with parts that match your model's part numbers

The service kit in the grid exists for step 5. The cleaner comes from whichever paint maker you use; follow that maker's label.

Who should skip Harder & Steenbeck for now

If you've never used an airbrush, any first airbrush will teach you thinning, pressure and cleaning. You don't need a flagship to learn those. If you need a full system with a compressor in one box, none of the six titles in our data names one. And if your paint jobs are mostly brushed details on small figures, a good brush may be all you need for now.

Air supply and pressure

No Harder & Steenbeck title in our data names a compressor. ANEST IWATA recommends a pressure regulator for steady pressure and an air filter to keep water, oil and dust out of the airbrush. It gives a spray range of 0.10 to 0.29 MPa for its own airbrushes, about 15 to 42 psi. Start low and test on scrap plastic.

Safety at the bench

Work with good ventilation and follow the paint or cleaner maker's label for masks and gloves. The U.S. EPA lists paints, solvents and hobby supplies among household sources of fumes and advises plenty of fresh air and following label precautions. Use a spray booth or an exhaust fan pulling air outside if you can, and keep cleaners and thinners away from children.

For feed, action and nozzle across every maker we track, see the airbrush kits page.

Pick the body. Then learn to take it apart.