Friday, February 15, 2008

High Performance RAZOR Line of Spray Guns

Minneapolis, MN – Sharpe, a leader in paint spraying equipment for the professional automotive refinish market, recently introduced the newly designed high-performance RAZOR® line of HVLP, LVLP, Compliant, Conventional and HVLP Primer Spray Guns. This document presents a competitive analysis of the new RAZOR line with Sata, Tekna, DeVilbiss and Iwata.

Graco/Sharpe Partnership – Redesigned from the inside out
The RAZOR Gravity Spray Guns deliver premium performance for base, clear and primer coats and offer features and options that painters did not have in the past from Sharpe Manufacturing.

After extensive market research and field development with automotive refinishers, the new RAZOR Spray Guns were designed to be lightweight and have superior ergonomic features while delivering a high quality, firstclass automotive finish.

“The new RAZOR Spray Guns compete head to head in terms of performance and reliability with Sata, DeVilbiss and Iwata spray guns,” said Ron Graffis, Sharpe manager of sales and marketing.

“To demonstrate the durability and high quality finish these new guns deliver, Sharpe is offering a three year warranty for our made in the USA product,” added Graffis.

Graco, a world leader in fluid handling systems and components, and Sharpe, a part of the Graco company, developed RAZOR Spray Guns.

Graco manufactures systems and products that move, measure, control, dispense, and apply a wide range of fluids and viscous materials used in vehicle lubrication, commercial and industrial settings.

Specific to automotive finishing, Graco has a long history designing and manufacturing finishing equipment that improves productivity, reduces paint usage costs, lowers emissions and provides consistently better finishes for automotive manufacturers the world over.These manufacturers include General Motors, Ford and Toyota, as well as for bus, trucking and airplane manufacturers.

Graco purchased Sharpe in 2003 to enter the North American automotive refinishing market, and brought its strong R&D, engineering and product development expertise to develop new spray guns to bolster Sharpe’s position in the marketplace.

“As evidenced by the introduction of the new RAZOR line of high performance spray guns, Graco will continue to make investments into Sharpe and the automotive refinish products market by providing innovative solutions,” said David Lowe, VP and GM of Graco’s Industrial Products Division. “Graco believes in continuous product improvement and rigorous testing. When you choose a Sharpe manufactured product, you can be assured of a quality product.”

RAZOR Performance
The new RAZOR Spray Guns offer precision performance at a value-minded price, with a lightweight ergonomic gun handle. The RAZOR offers long-term affordability with ultra long life needle packing and low cost of ownership service parts. The new spray guns offer a variety of fluid tips, from 1.0 to 2.5 mm. These silver-nickel plated guns have a 100% stainless steel fluid needle, nozzle, and passages and come with a 3 year warranty, a 3M™ PPS™ Adapter, and a polished 23 ounce aluminum cup.

The RAZOR HVLP Spray Guns, popular for spraying base and clear, deliver excellent finish quality, atomization and reliability.

The RAZOR Metallic HVLP is an optimized gun for metallic and fine metallic paint with a well-defined spray pattern for superior material distribution. The RAZOR HVLP primer gun is a first-class gun that delivers low overspray to minimize sanding.

The RAZOR HVLP Spray Guns offer multiple nozzle options ranging from 1.0 to 2.3 and provide an adjustable fan pattern up to 14 inches. It is the lightest gun in its class with a weight of only 1.3 lbs.

The RAZOR LVLP Spray Guns spray both base and clear, but are optimized to spray clear coats. These guns are the spray guns of choice when shop air is limited.

Best Buy Pricing
The new RAZOR Spray Guns offer precision performance at a value-minded price.
With the ever-increasing economic crunch, why pay more? With the Razor you are not sacrificing spray quality and performance. Sharpe also offers cost-effective replacement parts.

Each Gun Machine & Spray Tested
To ensure our customers receive the high quality they deserve, each Razor Gun is run through a computer diagnostic where air is forced through the gun to detect even the smallest fluid and air passages leaks. Next each gun is tested in a spray booth to ensure best spray patterns. The guns are cleaned, packaged and then ready for shipment.

Premium Tradition
Sharpe Spray Guns have always been waterborne/water-base compatible, except for the primer guns; the new RAZOR guns are no exception. The Razor is manufactured with stainless steel inside the gun, which has always been the industry premium. The Razor guns spray clear and base with good to better transfer efficiency in comparison to other premium spray guns.

Technologies
Sharpe is one of the only premium gun manufacturers that offers all technologies: HVLP, LVLP, Compliant and Conventional. You will not have to juggle between different gun manufacturers’ products, since the Razor offers many gun options for premium performance.

Superior Ergonomic Design
Manufactured in America, the Razor saves money over certain brands without sacrificing performance. The Razor line was designed with the hard working painter in mind. Based on a universal gun platform, the enhanced ergonomics and special triggering mechanism reduce hand stress and fatigue. Once you hold the Razor gun no other gun will compare to the balanced feel and ergonomic comfort.

The benefits of the new Razor Gun to the past Sharpe Titanium Gun include:
• 14% lighter for less fatigue and strain
• 40% lower trigger pull
• 14% more pattern size (12” to 13.75”) for increased painter speed.

Industry First Three-Year Warranty
To demonstrate the reliability and high-quality finish these new guns deliver, Sharpe offers a three-year warranty—the longest industry standard warranty. With Sharpe’s 3-year warranty, there are no additional registration requirement or fee-based extensions.