all
Evolution 2024 CRplus by Harder & Steenbeck
Evolution is an airbrush from Harder & Steenbeck, that is considered to be among the best options for widespread use out there. It is a German-made, high-precision, dual-action, gravity fed airbrush, that probably many of you are familiar with. Evo – as it is known widely – is in the middle between Harder & Steenbeck Ultra, which is their entry level tool, and Infinity – which is their Great White Shark.
Being in the middle, many consider Evo to be an all-purpose airbrush, but in the same time – many stay from it, because the fashion dictates, that you have to have the best, AKA H&S Infinity instead. But the latter one is not true. It is actually very far from it. Evolution is…more than the golden-middle it was situated in.
More than a decade ago, we have tested Evo 2in1 Silverline set, and that was one of our team members’ main airbrush for several years. It is a superb tool. Truly, after that, H&S Infinity was the substitute & the successor, but the difference was not significant and even though with less potent setup, Evo was still closer to its better brother than not. As with the Infinity, Evolution from Harder & Steenback went through some transformations during the years. Those include CRplus and AL /aluminium/ series, 2in1 sets, Silverline edition and such. Small touches here and there, slow but steady evolution of the Evolution. But the one thing they all have in common is that they are all brilliant. And we are not exaggerating. Not a bit.
Evolution 2024 is what comes next. And that is happening because all of the ones mentioned above proved themselves worthy and reliable tools, that are in real and honest competition only with Iwata. Harder & Steenbeck will expand and improve their line in 2024, offering a re-imagined Evolution CRplus, that will be even better than before. We’ve just heard the news and we are quick to share that with you.
As advertised in their website, the new Evolution 2024 will feature the following:
- New FineLine Head Design: our new 0.28mm and 0.45mm sizes give better detail than our previous 0.2mm, but with more robustness, less clogging and better sealing. Really, the detail is breathtaking! The Solo comes with the 0.28mm and a 2ml cup, and the 2in1 set comes with the 0.28mm and the 0.45mm with both the 2ml and 5ml cups for ultimate versatility.
- Trigger Cam Control – our trigger system has been redesigned to create a perfect connection between your finger and the needle motion. Our unique Excenter now behaves like a true cam system, as accurate and tuneable as in a performance engine! The Excenter cam shape on the EVOLUTION 2024 gives a more responsive feel during detail work whilst remaining accessible and easy to control for a non-expert.
- Speed Clean Trigger – our Excenter now gives nearly 20% more travel to the needle, giving a far faster flushing and cleaning process. This airbrush is designed to work hard, and work fast.
- Clog Control System: a new interpretation of our FineLine head concept for progressing airbrushers –you can see the needle tip, clean the needle tip without needing a brush, but it is always protected. A clean needle tip is the solution to airbrushing with no colour clogging.
- Colour Control – infinitely adjustable needle stop system to support progression, whilst being very fast to adjust and dial in/ out due to its unique triple start thread system.
- Flexible Architecture: you can accessorise your EVOLUTION 2024 CRplus with micro, 2ml or 5ml cups, and fit any H&S head size to fit your needs. The Solo variant comes with the 2ml cup and the 2in1 set comes with the 2ml and the 5ml cups.
- Tool Free – strip your airbrush with no tools! Clean up is faster and easier than ever, and more bullet proof than ever.
Evolution CRplus 2024 will come as a SOLO option, featuring .28mm FineLine Head and 2ml cup and of course – 2in1 version, which will have additionally .45mm FineLine Head and 5ml cup. The new gen re-imagined Evo will also come at very affordable price. According to H&S website, we get prices of little over 166 Euro for the Solo and little below 222 Euro for the 2in1 option. That is inclusive taxes for EU citizens, but that is understandable, considering that Germany is home of the H&S and they are European brand first and foremost. For the rest of the World you have to ask them directly. But prices should be within that range more or less.
Harder & Steenbeck came up with re-imagined Ultra shortly before this announcement and it will be no surprise if they redo the Infinity as well. However, Evolution is the airbrush that we consider to be the most versatile and simultaneously most affordable tool that will solve any modeler’s problems, not the Infinity. Of course, solving problems requires more than just a good airbrush, but also a lot of input from the modeler and 3 more things – practice, practice & practice. But as it is, the Evolution CRplus airbrush is probably the best bang for the buck that you can get out there.
We will definitely test this airbrush once it shows up and we are certain that will be among our main tools for long time to come. We are so confident in this statement simply because we know its previous versions well. Additionally, thus far there is no airbrush from Harder & Steenbeck that we didn’t like and enjoy to the fullest. Therefore we expect this Evolution 2024 to be even better than its predecessors, just as the company advertises it. We look forward seeing and testing it, with great excitement and positivity!
Pictures are courtesy of Harder & Steenbeck
