I would like to advance my cake decorating skills so I want to purchase an airbrush. Can you recommend one and perhaps give me any tips to watch for when buying/using one? I'm super excited to get one but wanted to come to the experts for advice before making the purchase, thanks!

We have a Pegasus (? I'm pretty sure that's the brand) airbrush kit and we like it however airbrushing is beyond messy and you really need a booth so I highly recommend that being factored in when purchasing one bc we did not and we paid dearly for it the last time we used it. Finding any solid reviews and pinning down information on them can be kind of confusing that was my least favorite part about buying one was the research we research EVERYTHING  to death before we buy it and this was more of a gamble. I've heard decent things about kopykake but it was a little more than we wanted to spend at the time as we were entry level airbrush users (still are lol). Sorry I wasn't much help lol and you probably already bought one by now :)

I have a kopykake and it's fine for occasional use. I agree 100% with @Webake2gether ‍ about the messiness aspect. After learning the hard way I do all of my airbrushing (and petal dusting if I can) outside.

Ummm I have blue carpet in the area across from our commercial kitchen now bc it seriously travels in the air undetected until  water gets on it and bam you've got blue carpet!!! I guess the mist of all purpose cleaner got on the carpet when I was deep cleaning down stairs  and it "activated" the color  :( 

it doesn't help that we both apparently forgot our brains elsewhere that day bc we had a fan turned on and that only helped spread it. It's awful I second using it outside or at least have a good airbrushing box bc it will ruin some stuff lol  learn from this ding dong :)

Hi,

I used the basic airbrush that from Duff for about 2 years. I finally went with a better unit from Amazon and it made a big difference. Here's what I bought:

MASTER Airbrush 2-Airbrush Deluxe Cake Decorating Airbrush Kit with 12 - .7 fl oz Chef Master Airbrush Food Colors and TC-20T Tank Compressor, 2-each 6 Foot Air Hoses & Airbrush Holder

The control you have over airflow makes a big difference. Here's a good example, with Duff's airbrush, I would try and use a pearl sheen on my cakes and I would get a very light sheen. The heavier sheen that I see Marina Sousa achieve on her cakes wasn't possible until I got a better unit. I don't know if it's the compressor or the airbrush, or a combination of both but the quality/coverage of my new unit is night and day.

I stick with all americolor airbrush colors and make custom colors with gel/vodka only when I have to. Make sure you clean your unit really well once you're done. I hate taking them apart because there's gunk stuck in the nozzle.

Hope that helps,

Frank

I have a Master airbrush system as well...just the starter system.  A bit different from the one Frank mentioned, but same brand.  I love mine.  Came with two different airbrushes or "guns" as I like to call them :)  One is for more detailed work (finer spray) than the other.  I usually use AmeriColor, but just tried some by Alan Tetreault...vivid colors.  LOVED them!  Used them on a rainbow zebra print cake and the colors came out great in a single application. I also liked the twist open/close tops, too. 

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I forgot to mention but I purchased an airbrush spray booth from cakesafe.com. I had a real problem airbrushing in my kitchen, it was getting all over the place . Doing it outside doesn't work when it's raining or humid so I took the plunge.  A little on the pricey side but I don't have any issues with colors on my countertop etc anymore. 

I've looked at Duff's airbrush system before and couldn't bring myself to take the plunge because sometimes you can't trust something just because a famous person's name is on it...I've learned that the hard way! I've always been a big fan of Duff's so this makes me happy to know that his product is pretty decent. I never thought about overspray, thank you for talking about it, I would've been so sad if I ruined my floors! You all have been so helpful, every time I have a question about anything I always come here and I'm always met with so many different opinions and experiences. It's funny because we all might do a lot of things differently yet it seems like we all are somewhat the same...I guess that's what being a baker is all about!