DeVilbiss StartingLine 802342 Spray Gun Kit Review 2024 – Pros, Cons, & Verdict

A Quick look at the DeVilbiss StartingLine 802342

Spray Painting

This handles base coats quite nicely.  For cars that need touch-ups or full body paints, this gun lays down a consistently smooth coat of paint.  It’s also well adapted to finish coats and detail work.  Use a smooth, steady movement as you spray the paint or primer of clear coat and it will deliver a professional quality result without splatter and clogging issues that slow you down.

Cleaning

Spray guns have to be cleaned immediately after each use, especially the tips.  This spray gun is easy to assemble and disassemble for cleaning.  It comes apart so you can get to all the hard-to-reach areas.  The tip is a bit tight when it comes from the factory so you’ll have to use a 10mm socket to get it off the first time.  After that, it should be fine when you disassemble it for cleaning and maintenance.

Customer Service

DeVilbiss customer service gives the impression they want your business and want to keep you happy.  Their response is fast and courteous, they’re willing to help you any way they can.  They’ll go above and beyond their warranty to get replacement parts to you as quickly as possible.  They’ll often send double the number of replacement parts you need.

Quality vs Price

This spray gun kit delivers the kind of results you’d expect from a kit two to four times more expensive.  It’s not a cheap throw away kit, you’ll still pay a good price for it, but it gives you the best bang for the buck of any other spray gun in its price range.  It has a quality look and feel to it along with the way it works.  This is a professional gun at a bargain price.

FAQ

What kind of air compressor is needed?

As a matter of course, you’ll probably need a 5 Hp, 20 gallon, 7.5 cfm (cubic feet per minute) at 40psi compressor.  For small jobs – frames and small pieces – you can probably get by with a smaller, less powerful compressor.  For moderate to larger jobs, you need a stronger compressor.  The larger, stronger compressor can also handle the small jobs so you’re better off starting with that.

Can you paint an entire car with it?

Yes.  You can even paint a trailer with it.  Take it slow and easy.  Make sure you’ve got a decent sized compressor (see above) and be sure to clean thoroughly it between each coat, primer, clearcoat, color, etc.  Follow the standard rules you’d use with any spray gun and you’ll be able to paint cars all day long.

General User Impressions

The Good

Excellent value for the money

Most people who’ve purchased this spray gun seem to like it.  Mainly, they’re surprised at the quality of the work it produces considering the price they paid for it.  It also comes with two different size needles and tips, a feature which most people only expect to find on more expensive spray guns.

DeVilbiss customer service

We’ve seen that people are also extremely gratified at the response from DeVilbiss’ customer service, and we have to agree with them.  Their customer service really is top notch.  They’re quick, responsive, and go above and beyond in their efforts to keep the customer happy.

The not so good

Leaks

The main complaint people seem to have is leaks around the cups.  It’s easy to over-tighten the cups and crack the seals without intending to.  This results in leaks during use.  DeVilbiss will replace them, but it would be nice if they’d make them a little more robust so the problem wouldn’t come up in the first place.

Tips are too tight

A lot of people have noticed that when this spray gun comes from the factory, the tip is on so tight you need a socket set to loosen it the first time (10mm seems to do the trick).  There have been so many comments about this we can only conclude there’s a machine at the factory attaching all of the tips too tight.  DeVilbiss needs to back that machine’s adjustments off just half-a-turn to eliminate this problem.

More DeVilBiss Posts:

• StartingLine vs FinishLine: which one do we recommend?
• Our in-depth review of the DeVilbiss FinishLine
• DeVilbiss Tekna ProLite Review: Pros, Cons & Verdict

Conclusion

If you’re a beginner to the world of spray painting, or you want a high-quality, low-cost spray gun that delivers consistent results, this is the tool for you.  As long as you’ve already got an air compressor, it comes with everything you need to get started the day you open the box.  This spray gun “punches above its weight”, as they say, and has a good useful lifespan to boot.