It always seemed to me that the art of product reviewing was in giving the item under review a fair shake in relation to the price. Have you ever read a review and thought that the reviewer expected sports car performance out of a budget vehicle, for example? You just can’t ask a product to be something it was never intended to be. But everyone once in a while, you get the opportunity to review a product that’s declared itself the top dog. One that is unapologetic about vying for the top spot while carrying a premium price. The Titan Rx-Apex Aluminum Airless Spray Gun claims to be top of the paint gun pile. With all this swagger, you have to expect that it can back up that kind of bravado! Let’s see how it does.

Top Features

Body & Direct Feed Materials

The Titan Rx-Apex Aluminum Airless Spray Gun sits atop the company’s aluminum spray gun line, above even the Rx-Pro from a couple years ago. As Richard mentioned, after spray quality, a spray gun’s desirability rests squarely on comfort and control. After all, you’ve got to hold this thing in the air, sometimes above your head, for hours on end. And so the aluminum frame is designed to minimize weight.

The direct feed tube understandably has to be made from tough stuff, so Titan built it from stainless steel. This will protect the line from damage and resist corrosion as it will be almost always wet with paint, water, or other chemicals. Of course, the tube is a bit shorter on either end of the filtered version of the Rx-Apex.

Infinity Packing

Painters have to rebuild – or repack – their spray guns. If you keep a good maintenance schedule, you can expect to rebuild your guns every 8 months under heavy usage. If you’re just doing repaints, you can probably extend the time between repacking to every 2 years or so. But once the guns start spitting or otherwise giving you poor, uneven spray patterns, it’s time to rebuild. This usually requires using a wrench to remove the diffuser, the guard, the spring housing, the spring, nylon washers, a pin that holds the needle, and finally, the needle itself.

Frankly, many of us will just buy a new gun! But you probably won’t be chucking the Titan Rx-Apex Aluminum Airless Spray Gun when it needs a rebuild. That’s not just because of the price, but because of the promising Infinity Packing design. Titan claims their design gives the gun twice the life of a mere mortal gun.

The build’s longevity is beyond the scope of this review, but it does seem like Infinity Packing greatly reduces the complexity of a rebuild. Titan hasn’t yet provided an Rx-Apex Infinity Packing video, but we can assume it’s similar, if not exactly like the Rx-Pro procedure: remove the diffuser, insert a new ball, reverse the seat, and replace the diffuser. Pretty simple, right? What’s more: Infinity Packing isolates fluid from the spring and needle assembly, which is supposed to reduce wear and increase spraying pressure.

Trigger & Fingerprint+ Grip

If the Rx-Apex hasn’t yet begun to distance itself from other spray guns, at least on paper, then perhaps the trigger and grip features will set it apart. Titan claims its All-Day Trigger requires 28% less pull force and 74% less hold force than your current gun. There’s a one-finger trigger lock that flips down to prevent mis-spray messes. It flips back up to allow trigger pulls.

The Fingerprint+ customizable grip system adjusts to each unique hand. The Rx-Pro had a version of this system, simply called “Fingerprint,” that was really just a series of three interchangeable grips. The “+” version still has three optional grip thicknesses, but with a bit more sophistication. You can finely tune the grip with two dials, one on the top and one on the bottom. The grip conforms to your hand in short order.

Performance

Spray Quality

I have been busier than ever, so much so that I’ve had to bring on some help. And, all this business means that I don’t have time for inefficient or sub-standard tools. I need to rely on the tools to do the job correctly the first time.

From the first, easy pull of the trigger, I could tell that all the Titan Rx-Apex Aluminum Airless Spray Gun’s claims were justified. Man, the paint lays down so smoothly, and you can tell the difference in the first pass. The spray quality is excellent, leaving behind a beautifully consistent pattern. I am very impressed.

I like that the body of the gun has a little bit of length so that the orifice isn’t right next to your hand. It might keep your hand from collecting some overspray, but it also gives you a feeling of control and ease.

The gun didn’t spit at all during the course of the review, meaning that no air or paint clumps interrupted the spray pattern. Granted, it’s still its probation period on my crew, but it’s an indication that the gun’s innards are well-made and efficient.

Getting A Grip

Ergonomically, I haven’t used a better gun. The two-finger trigger is quite comfortable and easy to squeeze. It’s almost a hair trigger that engages quickly after you pull. The lock adds a nice touch since you can make quite a mess with errant spraying.

I really appreciate that I can dial in the adjustable, interchangeable grips specifically for my hand. It presents a great advantage over those cheaper, just-get-the-job-done guns. Anything that eliminates fatigue is a good thing. If we only worked on the ground, it would simply be a nice thing to have. But, since we work on ladders and roofs, fatigue can be distracting and dangerous.

Price and Value

You’ll have to get a mental grip on the price. Once you do, you’ll see the Titan Rx-Apex Aluminum Airless Spray Gun might be expensive at $350, but it’s not overpriced. That’s an important distinction. Any time you consider paying twice as much as you normally do, it’s going to sting. But I guarantee you’ll feel the difference. And with the ingenious Infinity Packing that makes rebuilding so easy, I no longer consider all spray guns disposable. I plan to use this for a long time to come!

The Bottom Line

There’s no doubt the Titan Rx-Apex Aluminum Airless Spray Gun will come first in my arsenal. It might be the most expensive spray gun you’ve ever considered purchasing, but you’ll feel the difference in quality from the first pass. From the adjustable grips and easy rebuilds to the outstanding spray quality, it will prove its worth to you on every job!

Titan Rx-Apex Aluminum Airless Spray Gun Features

Premium spray gun for high volume commercial and residential work
Direct-feed airless system
Infinity Packing system doubles the life of the gun and makes rebuilding easy
All-Day trigger ergonomics reduces trigger pull force by up to 30 percent
FingerPrint+ Grip adjustable grip customization
One-touch trigger lock and unlock feature
Built-in free-flow swivel
In-line filter assembly

Titan Rx-Apex Aluminum Airless Spray Gun Specifications

Model Number: 0538108 (Filtered Version)
PSI: 5,000
Tip: Titan TR1
Price: ~ $350