Deckster vs. RS Magnum 500

JBurd

JBurd

New member
If anybody is familiar with these two multi functional stain sprayers please offer input. Deckster ($850) is sold by Sunbrite and RS Magnum 500 ($695) is sold by Ready Seal.

Here's what I can gather:

They have the (exact?) same pump (a pumptek).

The Deckster has 50 ft of hose and the RS has 30.

The Deckster comes with a battery the RS does not.

I know people have thrown together homemade versions, which I'm all ears for, but I want serious performance, and a pump that will last.

Okay, so which is the better buy?
 
Another thing I just noticed, it looks like the Deckster is much more compact with that foldable handle. Not sure how I would get a full height hand truck in my van....
 
Deckster

I will explain from my perspective. Of course I am biased towards the Deckster, so don't trust me.

The Deckster has been around for 10 years. It was designed by deck guys for deck guys. There are about 1000 of them out there. The first one ever made was still in service last fall when we serviced it. We own a prototype that we have used since 2002 in our shop.

Over that time, Decksters have had three different pumps (each one much better than before). The current pump is pretty much the same as the one on the RS rig. They saw a good thing and adapted it, which was smart of them. I was flattered by that.

The battery case on the Magnum is large, designed for a regular battery. We tried that at the very beginning. but it made the sprayer way too hard to maneuver. Too much weight. After a year of searching, we found the perfect battery. It is a gel cell, as small as a motorcycle battery. It holds a charge for two days between charges. The battery is a little pricey, but I think it is worth every penny. I can't remember exactly for sure, but i think there is about a 30 pound difference between the Deckster battery and a standard battery. That amount of weight is huge. BTW, we never updated the picture online (shame on me) but our battery box is half the size the picture shows.

The Deckster comes with two wands. One is plastic for shooting chems (cheap and durable) and the other is a really nice trigger gun with an adjustable thumbwheel in the handle so that you can cut down your flow (like for spraying spindles) even while you are spraying (without going back to the sprayer). Very sweet. The Deckster comes with a large brass cone-jet tip to make sealer spraying extra fast.

The Deckster comes on a foldable frame. That frame costs more, but that may not matter to everyone. The Deckster is powder-coated in a bright color to look like a nice, expensive tool. We considered the hand-truck approach at first, but I thought it was more important to have a real professional look to this sprayer.

The Deckster also features a clear-cover in-line filter. We plumb that filter in reverse so that any dirt shows on the outside of the screen and is easily visible. These kind of tweaks come from our experience as deck guys working in the field.

Please also keep in mind that we carry all parts in inventory to keep a Deckster in top shape and we also service them. That means that a customer can call us and get technical support and parts. We can look in our system and see everything about your sprayer. We also offer Deckster rebuilding classes frequently at RTs.

The Deckster costs more because of things beyond the pump (even though the pump is the best individual part). There is a $150 price difference, as you point out, but the battery alone comes pretty close to that amount. The extra items included in the Deckster tip the value scale way towards the Deckster IMHO.

For most customers, it comes down to a choice between getting a lower price or getting all the perfect tweaks. I like the extra tweaks and features, and I'm the boss. I get what I want. You should do the same.
 
Great response Pete! Connor, I have used an airless for fence staining with Ready Seal (the x5, super cheap refurbished on ebay). Man do I have to be wearing a mask for that! Do you get the control you need for spraying spindles? Am I right that a paint sprayer like the Gracos are no good for chems?
 
I have always heard a lot of great things about the Deckster.

There are so many tools for the job, it just depends on what what you want and for your needs.

I have cleaned out my Graco airless sprayers with Xylene, Paint Thinner, Mineral Spirits, Lacquer Thinner, etc..... but I have not run stripper or acid through it, I would not run those kind of chemicals through the airless machine, keep that for spraying the stains/sealers if you are going that route.

I know guys that use the Deckster for stripping wood, brightening the wood and sealing/staining the wood all with one machine and a few guys got many years out of the pump when properly maintained.

Figure out if you want one machine to do it all or a couple machines then if you will have power there at the jobsites or want to have a generator with you to power them, it really depends on your needs.
 
What was the the original one from Empire Cleaning Systems called....... was it also the deckster? I know there was a deck'er 5er or something as well. Wolman actually had empire private labeling a unit for awhile there.
 
No, not still around. I sold one (for almost nothing - used) about six years ago, and that was the only one I had seen in many years. That was a ShurFlo system, and the pumps were pretty fussy. When we used ShurFlo pumps for cleaners, we had to replace pumps about every six months on average. The pumps were much better with sealer, but if a guy didn't clean it well at the end of the day it wouldn't start the next day. We would have to take it apart and clean off the membrane to get it to pump. Ah, those were the good old days!
 
I think Mike (?) and Barb (??) created that design. Serious health problems forced them to make some tough business decisions and I think that is when the sprayer went away. I don't know what they are doing today, but I hope they are better off than they were. Very nice folks.
 
You can't go wrong with the deckster. Mine was completely and utterly coated in stain on every spot after 3 years and literally hundreds of gallons of stain. I sprayed it with stripper the other day, rinsed it off and the thing looks brand new. Too new really...I look like I dont do any work now!!
 
Right Answer

Pete Marentay said:
I think Mike (?) and Barb (??) created that design. Serious health problems forced them to make some tough business decisions and I think that is when the sprayer went away. I don't know what they are doing today, but I hope they are better off than they were. Very nice folks.
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They were the Sivells and great people. I drove up to meet them 10 1/2 years ago the day before my granddaughter was born. To throw a curve in the debate. I had the best results and service with the Titan airless sprayer. I liked them so well I actually sold them the last few years I was in business sellng the RPC Brand Chemicals. I could stain a 12x12 deck start to finish with the pump cleaned using a helper in about 45 minutes. Nozzle with a 10" fan for the floors and lattice and a 4" nozzle for the rails and spindles, of coarse I started out spraying finishes on cabinets and furniture in 1973.
 
any tips or tricks steven about the overspray on the rails? I usually hang canvas over but now I'm working on a rigid spray shield with a gutter on the bottom.
 
JBurd said:
any tips or tricks steven about the overspray on the rails? I usually hang canvas over but now I'm working on a rigid spray shield with a gutter on the bottom.
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Make sure you have the proper size nozzle and turn the pressure down as low as possible. Just enough to atomize the stain. On a 3000 psi sprayer best I remember I only turned it up to about 1/3 pressure. You are wise to use the shield. I sprayed the outside of the spindels first, inside nest and finishwith the lattice if used and the floor last.
 
I can tell y'all truly that a airless should be used only for the oils and latex coatings unless it is rated for such. There are special spray rigs for that. I always chase mineral spirits after I get the clean water through the gun. I let some idiots try to use epoxy with my 3900 thinking they had the ability to follow directions. They did not clean it all out like directed by me and a total rebuild. Scarred the piston rod so had to buy a new one. Then one time I had my hoses melted cause they left the cleaner in the hose over night.
 
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