# Wagner Power Rollers? Yes or No



## Richard (May 21, 2006)

Wagner power roller? Yes or No- My first thoughts are they are strictly for DIYers, but I'm really considering it if I will increase time and effort...please let me know- thanks all


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## painterofeveryt (Apr 8, 2005)

do you have an airless already ? if so invest in a graco or a titan pressure roller you will be glad you did !(screw the wagner crap)


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## Richard (May 21, 2006)

Hmmm, I havent invested in an airless yet. I havent had a job where I needed it. I am planning on purchasing one eventually. Titan 440 or bigger. The newer digital style of course. I'm wondering (since it's fairly inexpensive) if, for now, the wagner might save some time and effort and actually work decently...


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## KellyPainting (May 30, 2006)

*No No NO*

Perfessionals do not use anything made by wagner... That's what we used when we sprayes fences and decks when we were 15. If you need a low cost sprayer then go to ( I hate saying it ) Home Depot and look in the sprayer Isle.... they have reconditioned graco's all the time .... check them out first... make sure they have been cleaned properly... and when you use them they shouldn't make alot of noise ... I bout one a month ago for $200 refurbished.. and complained about the condition untill they gave me even more off.. I ended up getting it for $125.. SAVE your receit just incase... they give you 30 days... but I've returned them 2 months later.


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## ProWallGuy (Oct 17, 2003)

KellyPainting said:


> Perfessionals do not use anything made by wagner...


Word.


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## KellyPainting (May 30, 2006)

thanx for the back up Pro Wall Guy!


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## DelW (Jul 7, 2005)

You'll find in a very short time that you've wasted your money. If there's one thing I've learned its don't buy what fits your needs now buy something that will fit your needs a year or two down the road. You'll be money ahead in the long run.


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## Richard (May 21, 2006)

Thanks for the responses...I figured as much! I was going on someone elses (DIYer) opinions about the roller...Im going to invest in a titan when I can, and just crank out walls like I always have in the meantime...


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## slickshift (Jun 14, 2005)

KellyPainting said:


> Perfessionals do not use anything made by wagner... That's what we used when we sprayes fences and decks when we were 15.


Bwahahahahahahaha!!!!!!
:laughing: 
So true!

Yeah, really though
The Wagner tools are DIY tools for those that don't know the difference, used once then it sits on the shelf

...don't get me wrong, I have a few I may whip out once a year for some odd project
But that's it


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## Humble Abode (Mar 19, 2005)

*What about this?*










This was on the cover of my "American Painting Contractor" magazine recently. 

Tag Line "The Power of Two!" seems a little like "Bigger Is Better" to me.  

But if I were going to buy a roller attachment for my sprayer it would be this one.

Theres a video on their site, www.speedrollers.com


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## Cerebellum (May 29, 2009)

*Not for a pro*

I hate to admit it, but I do use a wagner roller. 

But I'm not a painter either. I use it for remodel work, and mostly when nobody's looking. :whistling 

I can say as an owner of one, that if I ever hired a painter who showed up using one, I'd look at him real funny.

Aside from how dependable or good they are (or aren't) - remember image counts. Many home owners recognize the wagner brand. Many home owners also contemplate buying one some day because they know they're really not that expensive. If you show up at somebody's house with one, they're very likely going to think "what the )#(*$)(*#$ am I paying this clown for, I could do that".

Having said that - yes, they do work. No they do not work very well. But yes they are still INFINITELY better than roller and pan (at least to us non-painters). I find it gets the job done quickly and more neatly (as in, I don't launch any little drips across the room past the drop cloth the way I magically do with a roller)

You will need a degree in take-it-apart-ology to clean the stupid thing. (I have an older unit, so maybe they've improved in that regard) And you need to treat it like it's made out of plastic... which, coincidentally, it is.

Mine was a hand-me-down from a friend, so I just use it because it works. I don't do enough painting to justify spending a lot in this area - but this is why I'm responding - To piggyback on the OP's' question of the wagner.

I'd love to hear any recommendations from you real painters for a guy like me. Especially since I'm ready to scrap the wagner and step it up a notch. 

If you were on a real limited budget - had to do the occassional remodel paint job - walls/trim/ceilings - what would you buy if you wanted to step up your productivity?

Like most, I don't mind spending the money on quality and performance, and I prefer slight overkill to the alternative. But the keyword being "SLIGHT" over kill. 

Any thoughts on "lower end, but still good" alternatives? What about the Graco X5? at $300 that's stretching if for me - but I'd consider it. Any better/cheaper alternatives? 

Thanks for any opinions.


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## Cerebellum (May 29, 2009)

*Whoa - that's an old post*

I'm new here - I thought anything in the main forum menu was at least somewhat recent - just caught that the original post was from 2006 - but my question still stands.

If anybody could give me a recommendation in this area it'd be greatly appreciated!


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## premierpainter (Dec 29, 2006)

Humble Abode said:


> This was on the cover of my "American Painting Contractor" magazine recently.
> 
> Tag Line "The Power of Two!" seems a little like "Bigger Is Better" to me.
> 
> ...


Wagner is crap. This Speed Roller is the best. We have two. Just did a Dryvit house with them hooked up. Great and high speed. They don't use pressure holes in the rollers like the wagner does. It puts the paint onto the top roller from the top of the frame and the second roller is just a backroller. Great.


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## willworkforbeer (Mar 7, 2009)

18" rollers, thats how to put a lot of paint on the wall, its amazing how much two people with 18" rollers can get done. It was a few monthes ago I discovered this, have no idea why I never tried it before :wallbash:


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## DavidNTX (May 6, 2007)

willworkforbeer said:


> 18" rollers, thats how to put a lot of paint on the wall, its amazing how much two people with 18" rollers can get done. It was a few monthes ago I discovered this, have no idea why I never tried it before :wallbash:


Not only can painters cover a lot of surface using a power roller it leaves a nice finish on the surface. We used to use those on big commercial jobs, 1 man rolling the paint on as fast as he can and 2 other men laying it off. Those turned out some extremely nice walls.

I can't see using one of those unless you have a whole lot of open area to paint or in an extremely difficult position where dipping a roller would be a problem.

Wagner may be the pits now but when they first hit the market they were the thing to have. They made the first diaphram (spelling) pump, the first aluminum gun, the first quick change tip and the first adjustable airless tip as far as I know. They had good equipment back in the 70s when they first came out. Some of those firsts had some real problems like the quick change tips. The tip was held in place inside the barrel with a plastic sleeve. Those would blow out. They fixed that pretty quick. I guess they were worried someone might get shot. Their first adjustable airless tips had some fast wearout problems then too. I don't remember them fixing those tips. Titan came out with one that worked a lot better.

Like with so many other "firsts" the ones that come behind you improve on what you made while you are still trying to fix your old crap. That's life.


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## Mr. Mike (Dec 27, 2008)

> Wagner may be the pits now but when they first hit the market they were the thing to have. They made the first diaphram (spelling) pump, the first aluminum gun, the first quick change tip and the first adjustable airless tip as far as I know. They had good equipment back in the 70s when they first came out. Some of those firsts had some real problems like the quick change tips. The tip was held in place inside the barrel with a plastic sleeve. Those would blow out. They fixed that pretty quick. I guess they were worried someone might get shot. Their first adjustable airless tips had some fast wearout problems then too. I don't remember them fixing those tips. Titan came out with one that worked a lot better.
> 
> Like with so many other "firsts" the ones that come behind you improve on what you made while you are still trying to fix your old crap. That's life.


That's a crap ton of info to carry around there David, nice to know. The next time someone says Wagner is not for professionals I will let them know this and ask them if they know where the first sprayer, or what not come from... That is good stuff to know, of course it is no reason to buy Wagner but it is certainly a reason not to knock them to much because they find needs and fill them for us.


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## DavidNTX (May 6, 2007)

The only reason I know this is because we tested them for our SW rep. We even had a big gas powered one that would spray blockfiller.

I'm old enough to have a lot to remember.

Here is another interesting thing, maybe you know and maybe you don't.

The roller seems like a pretty simple tool. It took decades to get it to where it is today. This was all before my time but we read about it in school. It took them several tries to get the right diameter, the right length etc. Once that was figured out they had to find the right materials for the core of the roller, the nap, a good way to piece it all together. Some old roller sleeves were held on with a nut. They had made the cores from all kinds of things including wood and leather.

Painters had a hard time adjusting to the roller at first. Just like they did with the spray gun. It was a debate for a generation of what is better, a brush or a roller. Then it was which is better, roll or spray. There was a generation of old timers that all but refused to use rollers at first. Then there was another generation of painters that refused to use spray guns.

Not that this information will ever do you a single bit of good, now you know it anyway.


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## Mr. Mike (Dec 27, 2008)

fun read,


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## WarriorWithWood (Jun 30, 2007)

DavidNTX said:


> Not that this information will ever do you a single bit of good, now you know it anyway.


I love the History Channel!:thumbsup:


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## Kuba (May 3, 2009)

Holy cow guys... I knew these things are out there, but I have always thought they were for a retarded HO do it your selfer...

I am so old school, I am not scared to admit I have never ever used a preasure roller.. Ive always sprayed and had a guy backroll behind me, or used the old pale and grid =)

I think I am going to give it a try on an interior i have coming up soon. But, I am skeptical still...

Doesnt the roller frame cause problems when you're doing the corners? Or just be real careful not to bump...

I dont know, the frame just looks really big to me. The clearance scares me. It doenst look like something I would hand to an employee and say have at it...
:thumbup:

Are they hard to clean? Do they have a cover to keep them from drying out if you need to stop for awhile (just wrap with plastic?) Are they dependant on a particular brand of nap? Can you get them in a 15"?:whistling

Im no rookie, but damn.. im lookn like one HAHAHA!!:laughing:


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## DavidNTX (May 6, 2007)

They aren't for small jobs for sure. As far as I know you have to use their roller covers. I don't remember them having a cover for the naps either. They are harder to clean than a 9" cover but worth the extra effort. You better have a backroller with you for this too. He will get close to the corners for you.

Remember to push the button to supply paint to the roller on the down stroke if you don't want to get covered with paint.


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## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

DavidNTX said:


> ........Wagner may be the pits now but when they first hit the market they were the thing to have. They made the first diaphram (spelling) pump...... They had good equipment back in the 70s when they first came out. ........
> Like with so many other "firsts" the ones that come behind you improve on what you made while you are still trying to fix your old crap. That's life.


Those were my first rigs.
Made me $10,000-$12,000
a year, when that was money. :laughing:


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## olyteddy (Oct 27, 2006)

I used to use one a lot (Wagner) to paint popcorn ceilings. It was quick and convenient. When it broke (after about 100 uses) I didn't cry. That's about a buck a use.


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## tkle (Apr 15, 2006)

I use there manual rollers. Holds about a quart in the handle. Saves dipping and beats cleaning out my sprayer for a small job..


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## bradthepainter (Mar 27, 2018)

*Go big or go home! If you have money*



KellyPainting said:


> Perfessionals do not use anything made by wagner... That's what we used when we sprayes fences and decks when we were 15. If you need a low cost sprayer then go to ( I hate saying it ) Home Depot and look in the sprayer Isle.... they have reconditioned graco's all the time .... check them out first... make sure they have been cleaned properly... and when you use them they shouldn't make alot of noise ... I bout one a month ago for $200 refurbished.. and complained about the condition untill they gave me even more off.. I ended up getting it for $125.. SAVE your receit just incase... they give you 30 days... but I've returned them 2 months later.


Kelly Painting is right: these small ones are notorious for failing, so look for the best ratings: we use amazon reviews as the fake reviews are easy to spot. Best to rent an airless with the roller extension and let the shop clean the damn thing!


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