# Princess Auto Discontinues PowerFist Spray Paint



## CalgaryPT (May 27, 2020)

Took me a long time to find a good quality spray paint that was economical, high quality, readily available, and low odour so that my wife wasn't bothered by it. PA had it all along (sometimes on sale for $2.99, regularly $4.99). But now they have discontinued it (as confirmed by an email I just received from them). 

Sad because I just fell in love with this product, only to have it replaced by "BriteTouch." I hate the replacement. It is more expensive ($6.99) contains less product (280 ml vs 340 ml), drips and runs, covers poorly, has a smaller valve that isn't glove friendly (and that jams and is hard to press when it does so), and a few other things I hate.

Back to overpriced Tremclad/Rust-Oleum and odour wrath I guess....


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## DPittman (May 27, 2020)

What a bloody shame.  Why would they do that?  The black was almost always sold out in the lethbridge store because it was popular.


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## CalgaryPT (May 27, 2020)

Agreed. I was hoping it was just a supply chain thing, but here's their email to me. The responder is incorrect about the price though, it's no where similar—especially if you factor in quantity.



*Princess Auto - Mail Order*
12:39 PM (1 hour ago)
Reply
to me
Good afternoon,

Pulling up information on our stock system, it does appear that the Powerfist line has been discontinued, with no product that I could find being purchased from that particular vendor.  The Brite Touch line appears to have been brought in as replacement, with very similar regular pricing on the paints.  We are sorry for any concern or inconvenience that this may have caused you.


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## PeterT (May 27, 2020)

PT, do you happen to know what the original PA formulation was? It could be that like many paints, stricter standards on the chemistry and/or the carrier gas. Many products in the professional finishing business have been pulled or tweaked or replaced. Of course it could also be marketing. 

My general rule of thumb is the nastier it is, the tougher the finish. In the auto world of predominantly 2-stage, they tend to keep the bad stuff confined to clear coat (catalyzed, carcinegetic... other C-words). The color undercoat is generally much weaker, basically all pigment kind of like primer whether solvent or water based. The single stage paints like we used in in the good 'ol days are a blend color & carrier, be it gloss, semi, matt & thus had to change or die. 

Having said this, there are some very interesting low odour, tough catalyesed often water based paint chemistry. My buddy painted his model with a 2-component system used in wood finishing. Yes, you need a small touch up gun & compression but volumetricly you get a lot more paint per $ & HVLP guns have much less overspray than the baddies of yesteryear. Cant beat a bomb for simplicity but you are kind of limited by the 21 cent plastic nozzle. btw I found a place (USA as usual of course) that sells spray nozzles of every imaginable style, orfice & format to swap & replace. Buy them individually or 10 packs I recall. Turns out its for graffiti artists. I'm probably now registered on the watch list. they do make some interesting formulations & we all know how well it sticks to anything!


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## CalgaryPT (May 27, 2020)

Sorry Peter, I don't. Nor do I understand enough about spray paint to explain the qualities in a way that would make sense to someone like yourself who obviously gets it. I bought a SATA minijet 3000B HVLP Paint Gun years ago and have been trying to sell it (its new). I just find the mess and cleanup of guns too frustrating, and so have now confined myself to available colours from rattle cans. Lucky for me I'm more of a black and white guy (and flat for that matter...gloss is too dramatic for my tastes LOL).

I agree with you WRT nastiness. I used to use spray cans with the brand name _Excel_. Super great product: dried in <10 mins, tough finish and great coverage (if I am using the correct term). But it stunk so badly my wife almost killed me. Smells don't bug me; but my wife is super sensitive to them. So I suspect, to use your term, it was nasty stuff. I haven't seen the brand in 10+ years.

I think the Tremclad products are over priced. And I want something that is readily available off the shelf. So I'll start looking afresh in the big box stores I guess. It just seems (with the exception of Tremclad), whenever I find a product I like it's discontinued almost as fast.

I'm sure I'm on a watchlist too for Googling pulse jet engines and curse missile designs; but if I never go to the USA again that's fine with me. 

Let's hope if they throw us both in prison they have a metalworking shop. I'm sure they count the sawblades at the end of class though.


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## Tom O (May 27, 2020)

Do places still fill up a spray can with your favourite paint?
There was a guy in New Zealand making a cruise missile a few years back.


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## YYCHM (May 27, 2020)

Tom O said:


> Do places still fill up a spray can with your favourite paint?
> There was a guy in New Zealand making a cruise missile a few years back.



Go figure, the Jet Engine Beer Cooler was conceived in New Zealand as well.  Same guy ya think?

https://www.asciimation.co.nz/beer/

Hmmm..... I wonder if @CalgaryPT has seen that little noise maker

Never heard of re-filling paint rattle cans???


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## PeterT (May 27, 2020)

Certain autobody paint suppliers will make you an aerosol can of whatever your heart desires or match to a vendor color formulation. They can be 'air dry' or can be catalyzed depending on what you need (which btw is basically use & toss once the hardener is introduced). But I haven't heard of refilling per say. You always hear these stories of dudes painting their entire car with a case of bombs. Hey man, I grew up in Bowness. The Hood. For the longest time I though that's how everyone painted their cars LoL

Sata minijet 3000B, nice gear buddy. Get that puppy on ebay. When I used to lurk on custom painter forums that was one of the dream guns people raved about. I'ts discontinued butI'm sure a nice clean one would go. Or fake some maple leafs like this 'special edition'.
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/SATA-Jet-30...027356?hash=item2f38c6fadc:g:1-UAAOSww5Zdtv3q


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## CalgaryPT (May 27, 2020)

Tom O said:


> Do places still fill up a spray can with your favourite paint?
> There was a guy in New Zealand making a cruise missile a few years back.


That was Bruce Simpson, and I actually bought his ebook on making the engines. Lots of fun.


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## CalgaryPT (May 27, 2020)

PeterT said:


> Hey man, I grew up in Bowness. The Hood. For the longest time I though that's how everyone painted their cars LoL
> ....
> Sata minijet 3000B, nice gear buddy. Get that puppy on ebay. When I used to lurk on custom painter forums that was one of the dream guns people raved about. I'ts discontinued butI'm sure a nice clean one would go.



Love the Bowness reference. Too funny. And true

I'll put the gun back on this forum when things calm down. I had a buyer for it here with a great price, but it fell through.


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