Recently got a 6 stage Titan capspray 115 primarily for waterbourne commercial acrylic paints. Mainly SW pro multi surface acrylic,& similar products. Getting ready to sample for low usage spi matt clear & other materials , but NOT why I got it. These are not advertised for car paint, though as good or better than units that are. Glad I got the biggest one, has both 4 & 6 stage output, no good for me on 4 stage. Local SW store manager sold to me for $1,200, they are $1650 up online.
Here's one thing about turbine units, yes they were crap in the 80's , what were cell phones like then compared to now? So don't be hardheaded & use the old stuff as an only reference. Older Titan phone tech referred to them as heater guns in the 80's when he first tried & dismissed them.
The newer generation 5& 6 stage units do have more power & have an intake side for heat dissipation. However, they do still put out heat compared issues to what you see from a compressor line, particularly one with a chilled drier setup. The first few feet of line from unit can get too hot to touch if that makes clear the downside.
On the upside, you won't have oil contamination from an old worn out piston compressor blowby. They do dissipate a bit of moisture from the heated air, BUT there are currently no water removal systems for hvlp turbine lines. However , where you place the unit sucking the air in can make a difference, such as inside near an ac unit or dehuimidifier as opposed to sitting outside. Should also be away from paint fumes to avoid filter clogging, obviously, though that tends to get overlooked according to techs.
Many hvlp units also pressurize container which can spray thicker liquid through smaller tips. Another plus. This type of setup also increases the transfer efficiencies and are used on some pneumatic sprayers, though hard to find good ones.
Other things can be done to lower heat to gun. Longer hose to unit strong enough to handle some pressure drop & remote 2 1/2 qt cups, which have a 5' leader hose & can be hung from your belt, according to Titan tech conversation. Both dissipate heat.
Well, so far with a few entry door , frame , & trim jobs done with waterbourne & new unit got the love/ hate thing with it right now. Mainly learning or re-learning curve stuff. First off more paint on product & less in the air, though more on my shoes. Finer finish than my $400 pneumatic Kremlin spray gun. More precise when spraying narrow items like door frames & trim, though better pneumatic guns would be close. Got a few more runs than usual on first 2 jobs, but again learning curve. Main problem IS from heat though. Kept having spray output reduced or stopped when spraying super thin or stopping even less than a minute (I get interrupted much more than car painters at work). Paint extenders helped, but I think now problem is drying up at actual gun tip. Phone tech says he'd always keep a rag with appropriate solvent on it nearby to wipe tip, so I hope this is the main issue with that. On the upside , on a good day, this waterbourne paint dries super quick when proper thickness, ready for handling in sometimes minutes. Other main downside is getting used to moving an industrial garden hose sized hose around, 5' leader hose isn't too bad though.
Noise is about that of a quiet vacuum cleaner, though I'm not near our noisy ass compressor anyway when painting. This is a main choice consideration for some.
I'll soon try out this thing with pre-cat lacquers & SPI matt on door & trim stuff, with retarder of course. Probably later will try with sectional car painting with SPI primers, single stage , & euro clears.
Bottom line here, for the occasional OR parts car painting, I think the latest greatest turbines are now worth considering, depending on individual situations, IF you're willing to be a little bit on your own with the learning curve of the heat issues. A worthwhile setup to me will cost approx $1500 and up for unit & only 1 gun. This would go a long ways toward a decent compressor & gun. For a large real automotive paint shop, HELL NO, not yet. Maybe several years from now that could start being a reality, particularly with things going waterbourne. These units would need to get larger and have more heat dissipation capabilities along with water filtration.
Carefully consider the up and downsides and remember that any tool is still just an extension of the individual users capabilities.