The Best Airbrush for Cake Decorating

best airgun spray for cakes

When it comes to bakery, we all know a cake is not complete until it’s decorated. And, if your skills and imagination help you enough, you know that you do need the right tools to get the perfectly decorated cake.

There are kits for decorating cakes that contain all the tools you’ll need to adorn your baked goodies. One important piece stands out though… the cake airbrush. It gives you the chance to create amazing decoration details and it can be used to color just the icing on the cake, instead of coloring all the icing. As you go through our cake airbrush reviews here below, you’ll see that together with the cake spray gun, there are so many other tools to use in these kits for giving your cakes that pro look.

The 10 Top Cake Airbrush Reviews

1) For the baker interested in stepping up their decorative skills, the KKmoon Portable Mini Size Spray Pump Pen Air Compressor Set for Art Painting Tattoo Craft Cake Spray Model Beautiful Airbrush Kits is a great tool to begin from.

The 0.3mm needle nozzle, substantial spray, and action trigger provide precise and straightforward spray. Thanks to the action trigger design, you also save a lot of your raw materials. The action gravity feed airbrush is reliable to use for cake decorating, temporary tattoo, nail art, and other hobbies. It works with inks and dyes, watercolor pigments, automotive urethanes, acrylic, enamels, and lacquers.

Refilling the fluids is effortless, and so it the cleaning. The mini compressor utilizes a non-oil kind design so that the transmission medium isn’t polluted.

The versatility of the tool is impressive, considering the money you’re paying. There are two ways to connect it so that you use if for various types of compressors and spray machines. The kit also includes one paint cup, a small wrench, a straw, and one air inlet interface. The straw is capable of inhaling all kinds of liquids and paints.

Thanks to the ease of use and versatility, the portable kit is a great bang for your buck anytime.

 

2) When your money is tight, but you’re interested in decorating your cakes, the F2C TC-100 Black Mini Air Compressor Airbrush Kit Airbrush Compressor Kit Dual Action Spray Air Brush Set (TC-100K W/Airbrush Kit) is a solid choice.

The mini air compressor is reliable and comes with a 7cc gravity fluid cup, along with the needle/nozzle. You can use the dual-action gravity feed airbrush with 0.4mm for intricate patterns since it’s a multi-purpose accuracy type. The kit also includes a nozzle, wrench, and 2cc eye dropper.

Along with the compressor, airbrush set, and air hose, you also get an airbrush holder and adapt. The dual-action trigger air/fluid control internal mix ensures precision, and the spray pattern is entirely atomized.

The air compressor doesn’t require maintenance, and the operation is oil-free and quiet. It’s compact and lightweight, weighing less than 2lbs. it’s straightforward to carry around and to use for cake decorating, crafts, auto graphics, temporary tattoos, and various hobbies.

 

3) If this is the first time you’re thinking about decorating cakes, and you’re not sure if you’re going to pursue decorating, the PointZero Multi-Purpose Dual-Action Airbrush Set – Mini Compressor Kit. The kit makes an excellent choice for the beginners and doesn’t empty the wallet either. On the contrary, for the buck you’re paying, the package is quite a good option.

The kit includes a compressor and an airbrush set. The compressor gives around 25psi air pressure (0.4CFM), and it’s built for intermittent use. On the side note, keep in mind to provide it with a 15 minutes break after using it for 30 minutes.

The compressor operates on 12 volts DC with an AC wall adapter, which is also included. The airbrush comes with a dual-action trigger for controlling the air and fluid, separately.  When you’re pressing the trigger, air will be released, and pulling back will release material.

The mini compressor is safe to use for airbrush jobs with light-viscosity spraying mediums, such as cake decorating, tattooing, crafts, or nail art. It provides around 25 psi of air pressure.

We also notice the tight-tolerance head, which ensures impressive accuracy. The needle backstop lets you preset the trigger travel, which leads to accurate line widths.

The gravity-feed 7cc color cup comes with an anti-spill cover, and it’s well vented.

The kit includes instruction sheets for using the airbrush and compressor, along with barbed hose connector, nozzle wrench, pain pipette, and 6’ nylon air hose.

 

4) When easy use and low price are the selling points for you, you should stop searching and go with Mini Airbrush Tools Air Brush Kit for Cake Decorating.

Not only that, the air compressor is easy to operate, but the airbrush tool is high quality and built to ensure soft, uniform, and delicate patterns. You can use it for amazingly detailed lines and mild gradient effects too.

Don’t let the price fool you, as the kit comes with many features. for instance, you can choose one of the three wind pressures, according to your needs. The internal overheat protection gives it durability, and the air compressor will take the use for quite some time. It’s durable and safe altogether.

Since it weighs less than 2 pounds, the air compressor is easy to carry around. It’s made for painting, cake decoration, commercial art, craft, hobbies and such. The kit also includes a 2cc gravity fluid cup, the pink micro air compressor, and a 0.2mm nozzle/needle.

The straightforward use, along with the small profile and price turn the kit into a wise investment for anyone who’s a DIY aficionado.

 

5) One of the best selling models of airbrush machines for cake decorating is the Master Airbrush Multi-purpose Gravity Feed Dual-action Airbrush Kit with 6 Foot Hose and a Powerful 1/5hp Single Piston Quiet Air Compressor.

This cake airbrush spray gun is a gravity feed with dual action trigger (air and fluid control) and features an internal mix for a fully atomized spray pattern.

If this is the first time for you to buy and use a cake airbrush spray, it’s good to know that this comes with instructions guide, nozzle wrench, 2cc eye dropper and a molded plastic storage box.

There are high quality precision components used for this cake airbrush sprayer so that it works efficiently, giving great atomization and accurate spray control.

The Master Airbrush spray has multi-purpose usage, but remember that it’s not good to mix cake decorating with crafting around the house 🙂

The needle packing is solvent resistant and so airbrush is “doomed” to a long life, since this lets you use solvent based automotive paints: enamels, lacquers, urethanes.

For a dramatic look for your cake, you can remove the needle and nozzle caps and spray the full range of texture and stippling.

This cake airbrush spray is lightweight, compact, and easy to move around thanks to the built-in handle.

As in the case of any airbrush guns, you need to practice a bit before working on your cakes, but this model has precise air adjustment so you can get a clean, dry airflow.

There is a preset for automatic turn off once the air pressure gets to 57 psi and it turns back on at 43 psi. This expands the life span of the compressor. In more plain words… avoid using it for more than 30 minutes or use a fan to keep the risks of overheating low. Either way, the airbrush gun is thermally protected and it turns itself off when it becomes overheated.

Don’t worry about waste, since this cake airbrush works only when you work and it shuts off automatically when you stop.

This model comes with a 2 year warranty and there is plenty of info in the instruction books to use for a good cleaning. Keep in mind to dismantle the airbrush machine every once in a while and to clean it thoroughly after each use.

And, in case you get lost along the decorating, there are troubleshooting techniques in the guide booklet.

As this cake airbrush gives no bubbles, no streaks, no overspray, it’s a good investment that’s worth every penny.

 

6) If you’re new to cake decorating or any other craft hobby that involves an airbrush gun, the Paasche H-SET Single Action Siphon Feed Airbrush Set is definitively going to help you, since it’s very easy to use.

This is an older model of airbrush gun, it’s made in the USA and proves once again that tradition does work.

The airbrush features a chrome plated body for a long lifespan and even though it looks sensitive, its parts are very tough and durable.

This is a single action airbrush gun that comes with three spray heads- so it’s extremely versatile and usable in all kinds of situations. You can use thicker paints with this airbrush spray.

Since it’s a single action airbrush spray, you can get thin lines (1/16 inch) with it, but also wider patterns (1-1/2 inch).

This is a very simple and very easy to use airbrush machine and doesn’t need much practice, as in the case of double action models.

You can clean this up by simply spraying the paint through the airbrush, right after use.

This efficient model gives great performance with details also and may be a gift for a loved one, since it can be ordered in a gift wrap.

It comes at a great price, but keep in mind that it doesn’t come with an air compressor.

The set contains a H#3 airbrush, 1-ounce bottle assembly, 1-ounce storage bottle, size 1 and 5 spray heads, a hanger, wrench and 6-foot braided hose.

The lessons booklet and manual that come along give you clear instructions for using this for the very first time.

 

7) Should you be interested in a high performance airbrushing paint system, the VIVOHOME 110-120V Professional Airbrushing Paint System with 1/5 HP Air Compressor and 1 Airbrush Kit for Tattoo Makeup Shoes Cake Decoration Silver ETL Certified is a good investment of your money.

The machine is high-performant and comes with fluid tips. It’s a fantastic choice for inflating, spraying, painting, and various airbrush projects. It includes a compressor-installed airbrush holder, which sustains two airbrushes. The 1/5HP air compressor has air filter water trap, providing 23-25L/min airflow and 0.8cfm air volume. You will obtain professional results as the airbrush system works continuously, providing extreme pressure. The design allows it to turn off automatically whenever the motor is about to overheat.

The traditional piston framework is securing the unit, and the pressure is constant and enough, maintaining stable levels for the air output. Running the air compressor isn’t loud, as the unit has a 47-dB noise level. Not only that, it runs quietly, but it’s also oil-free.

Thanks to its functions, you can use the kit for cake decoration, temporary tattoos, crafts, illustrations, commercial art, and so on. The 180-degree handle gives it portability, and the lightweight doesn’t make it difficult to carry it around. It handles both indoor and outdoor utilization.

You can affix the holder to the pressure valve, which takes two airbrushes. The compact design makes it easy to install it whenever you need it. The rubber sucker built presents anti-slip base for better stability, which also reduces the risk of shaking and loud noise throughout the use.

 

8) The ZENY Professional Airbrush Multi-Purpose Gravity Feed Dual-Action Airbrushing System Kit Air Compressor with 6FT Hose & Airbrushes gives a high air volume and airflow. It comes with a pressure regulator, air filter and has 1/5 horsepower.

The gravity feed airbrush is user-friendly and highly versatile. It’s easy to use for cake decorating, nails, and temporary tattoos, but also for craft painting, illustrations, commercial arts, and various airbrushing projects. It’s lightweight and has a compact design, so it doesn’t take much space. The portability is excellent, thanks to the built-in handle.

The gravity feed has dual-action, with control for air and fluid. Thanks to the internal mix function, you obtain a complete atomized spray pattern.

The diaphragm pressure regulator features gauge and water trap filter for accurate adjustment of airflow. It’s a reliable entry-level kit that ensures clean and dry use.

The working pressure ranges from 15 to 50PSI, and the air compressor automatically shuts off when not in use. It comes preset for automatic turn on at 43 psi, which ensures the long lifespan for the compressor. It’s 57psi for the auto stop pressure. The risk of heat-related moisture and motor wear is lower.

The single-piston motor is easy to take care of, providing oil-less and silent operation. It has a sturdy build and has a durability feel to it as well.

 

9) For those of you out there that want to do it all the way, even though at the beginner’s level, there is Master Pro Airbrush Cake Decorating Set with 12 Chefmaster Airbrush Cake color set, 3 Airbrush Kit.

This set comes with everything you need when using an airbrush spray for cake decorating, and the Chefmaster Colors used are highly concentrated, edible food colors with high strength, extremely bright. These colors come in sealed bottles with handy flip-top or twist-top dispensers.

The colors are easy to mix and give an amazing range of great colors.

This set is perfect for all the things you do in bakery: fondant, pastries, sugar paste and icing, gum paste and so on.

Obviously enough, the Chefmaster colors are made in the USA, using high quality FDA approved ingredients and are Certified Kosher.

The G 25 airbrush set comes with a 0.2mm needle/nozzle, a 1/16 oz. angled gravity cup and works great on the horizontal surfaces. This is a Dual-Action airbrush.

The kit contains also an E91 Airbrush set that has a 0.8mm needle/nozzle, a 2-3/4 oz. siphon bottles, plastic air hose wand and 5mm ends with a propellant adapter.

There is also a G70 Airbrush set with dual-action siphon feed airbrush, a 0.3mm needle/nozzle and a 3/4oz siphon cup.

There is a 1 year warranty for all of these airbrush sets.

The tankless compressor is lightweight, easy to move around, compact and has a carrying handle. The automatic on/off shutoff makes it easy and safe to use.

As it comes gift-wrapped also, this is a great set that even satisfies the needs and requirements of professional bakers.

 

10) If you’re willing to pay the extra buck, the Wang Mini Air Compressor Art Airbrush Cosmetic for Nail Art Body Paint Cake Decorating Airbrush is the right choice.

This small air compressor is easy to use with both double action airbrush and single-action airbrush. Putting it together is straightforward, and you only need to assemble the hose, airbrush, and compressor. Keep in mind that the compressor has to be put in a steady position.

Should the working pressure be too high, you can always rotate the adjuster-valve for obtaining the right working pressure. The working pressure ranges from 0 to 25 psi.

The mini-compressor features a non-oil kind design. The output oil is steady, and you can use it for airbrush makeup, spray flowers, cake decorating, and such. It’s excellent for cake-decorating thanks to the non-oil design and continuous work.

The airbrush compressor comes with double action 0.2mm airbrush, one dropper, one airbrush holder, air compressors, and mini keys. You can organize the accessories in the storage case and go over the instruction manuals for information on the airbrush and the air compressor. It also comes with an air hose, transformer, and mini air filter.

For best uses, make sure you put it in a clean, dry, and ventilated place. the ambient temperature for the compressor should range from 0 to 104F degrees.

 

Tips for buying a cake airbrush kit

Let’s dive into some technical (well, not much) info!

How does a cake air sprayer work after all? Air from the compressor is carried to the airbrush through an airline and the force of this air pushes the color out of the nozzle of the spray gun and onto your cakes. In some airbrush guns, the color may be placed in a bowl placed on the top of the cake spray gun. You can also find gravity airbrushes.

You can use a single action airbrush or a dual action airbrush. In the single action airbrush gun you pull back on the trigger to release the color and the air- the further back you pull, the more color is released. The closer you keep the airbrush gun to the cake, the smaller the spray; the further away you hold it, the wider the color spray.

In some deluxe models you can even get a knob at the air compressor to adjust the air flow- it’s easier to work on details when you can choose a softer or stronger air blow.

In the case of dual action airbrush guns, when you pull back the trigger it releases the color, and when you push down on the trigger it releases the air. You can also get a knob on the compressor to regulate the air flow. There is also a moisture trap that removes any moisture that builds up in the airline.

Use the right colors…

The cake decorating airbrush machine needs special airbrush colors that have a specific consistency to pass through the airbrush spray without clogging it.

The diversity of the airbrush colors available is amazing and you can find even pearled airbrush colors that give iridescent looks to a butter cream iced cake, for instance.

…and use some of our airbrush cake decorating tips!

As we tried to find the best airbrush for cake decorating, we took notes from all the cake decorating airbrush machine reviews and summed up the most important steps to follow when using a cake air sprayer.

  • Always use food-safe colors in order to avoid cross contamination and never use the cake spray gun for crafting also.
  • Even though it’s a nobrainer, it’s safer to use, care and clean the cake air spray according to the instructions given by the manufacturer- if you want to extend the lifespan of you little decorating helper. Make sure to read the manual!
  • Creating spontaneously is great, but it’s better to sketch out your cake before beginning so that you have a clear idea on the colors, and the order in which you will spray them.
  • You might feel like a Scot, but pressure, speed and angle are highly important when using a cake spray gun. Practice makes perfect in everything so use some paper towels to try your machine on. Or… steal some coloring books from your kids for practicing 😉
  • Using the cake airbrush might get messy, so it’s better to cover all the surrounding surfaces for protection.
  • Try to keep a distance of 6-8 inches from the cake when using the decorating brush… Less than 6 will pocket the cake and at more than 8… the airbrush color will simply fly away, onto the surroundings.
  • You can get nice, softer lines when spraying with the nozzle at a 45° angle. Choose a 90° angle for the defined, sharper lines.
  • Don’t forget to clean out the pipes between colors using some hot water, and clean the pipes well after each use to prevent ugly splatters on your cake.
  • Last but not least, the cake airbrush is a very important tool when decorating the cake, but not the only one. Use also stencils to cut out fondant flowers, tinting piping gel or buttercream accents for the strongest reaction.

 

Frequently Asked Questions about cake airbrushes

Q: What’s the difference between single and double-action airbrushes?

A: Many of the airbrushes utilized for cake decorating are part of the single-action category. It means that you have one action for controlling both the airflow and the color distribution. As you’re depressing the gun’s trigger, a stream of color and air will be released. You may control the intensity of color by pressing harder on the trigger, without changing the air pressure in any way.

In the case of double-action airbrush guns, you use two different actions for controlling the air and color. It’s necessary to pull and press the trigger for obtaining the intensity for the color and air pressure you need. The double-action airbrushes give better control but aren’t for the inexperienced bakers as they require high skills.

Q: Why get a double-action airbrush system?

A: The double-action airbrush systems are more versatile and provide more control of the pattern of spray. They’re great for the intricate and sophisticated patterns. When you need to make detailed design and not just some background spraying, the double-action systems give better control. They’re highly versatile and reliable for many types of applications, but make the better choice for the experienced bakers.

Q: Does the feed method counts when selecting the airbrush?

A: All airbrush systems include a feed system, which is essential for how the color gets inside and exits the airbrush gun. Many airbrushes for cake decorating utilize a gravity-fee mechanism, relying on gravity for feeding the color inside the gun. It’s a mechanism that reduces the need for air pressure.

There’s also the category of airbrushes running on a siphon-feed mechanism. For this type of airbrushes, the container for the color is mounted on the underside of the gun. Suction is used for drawing the color into the gun. The best part about these airbrushes is that they can store a significant amount of color, which professional bakers need for large-scale baking applications.

Q: Does the side-feed mechanism make a reliable choice for cake decorating?

A: The pain cup is placed to the side of the gun this time. The most impressive advantage is that it’s easy to rotate 360degrees, which ensures fantastic freedom for decorating. You can decorate the cake from any angle, upside down included. 0.10 to 0.35mm is the range for the nozzle sizes.

Not everyone finds the siphon and side-feed airbrush kits easy to use or to clean, but it all depends on your skill. After all, it’s a matter of practice. Should your budget be generous enough, you can always try more than just one type of airbrush systems. It’s the only way to discover which type works best for you.

Q: Should you look for a specific type of compressor?

A: the gun and the compressor are the fundamental elements for all airbrush systems. The compressor will give the air pressure for continuous and smooth color distribution. The proper compressor setting is vital when using an airbrush for cake decorating. If you don’t use the right power, you won’t be able to spread the color evenly and may also end up ruining the icing. The best thing is to seek a system that comes with a knob for adjusting the pressure.

About Amanda

I love to buy a lot of products for the home, and dissect them out. I split them into duds and winners, and share the findings here on my site. As a reader of my site, I'm aiming for your next purchase to be an informed and inspired one.

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