Tool Box Buzz

Graco Ultra Cordless Paint Sprayer 17M363 Review

Graco Ultra Corded Airless Handheld Paint Sprayer 17M359

4.5/5

Manufacturer: GRACO
Model number: 17M359
Power source: 20V Dewalt Batteries
Motor size: Brushless

Like Dewalt, Makita and Milwaukee, for my trade, the name Graco is synonymous for paint spraying trade.

As a carpenter I’m usually gone by the time the painters arrive. But once in a while we find ourselves sharing space on larger projects. Sometimes I even get to use a paint brush – mostly for priming purposes. Although, I will brag and tell you I have a great brush stroke and can “cut-in” like the best of them!

Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer Line

Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayers are designed specifically for small painting applications both interior, and exterior. They are especially useful for small projects, where speed, portability and not having to start-up a larger airless sprayer saves time and money.

The latest offering is the third generation of the Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer line and their best revamp yet. Their Ultra sprayer line both use Dewalt 20V Max batteries and include the following sprayers:

• Ultra Cordless Air Sprayer
• Ultra Max Cordless Airless sprayers
• Graco also offers the Ultra sprayer in a corded model.

Both the Ultra Corded and Cordless models spray water and mineral spirit based materials, while the Ultra Max cordless sprayer can also spray water, solvent, and flammable based materials.

Using Graco Ultra Cordless Paint Sprayer

This sprayer is designed for small projects, and touch ups. For painting contractors, it saves having to set up, start-up and clean a larger airless sprayer.

For other folks, its a great all around, small project, cordless sprayer.

For example, I always try to purchase primed stock or have my painter primes up stock for me. I recently used it to prime 3 sheets of Cedar lattice, but on a recent porch project the painter was not available to spray lattice ahead of time.  I used the Graco sprayer to prime 6-sides of the Cedar lattice. It takes under 2 minutes to spray one sheet. It actually takes longer to reload the quart reservoir.

Cleaning the unit was easy, I found the directions to be straightforward to follow. The cleaning process takes about 5-10 minutes – less with latex paints.

Spray Patterns

The Graco Ultra sprayers can spray straight out, pointing up, down at an angle, and even upside down. I found the spray pattern coverage excellent, and it not over apply paint.

Batteries and Runtime

The Graco sprayer is powered by Dewalt 20V battery pack instead of the previous version’s Graco-branded batteries. This kit comes with two 20V slim-pack batteries, and charger. The best part of the battery system is that this sprayer is compatible with any 20V DEWALT battery.

We tested the runtime of this sprayer and were able to spray 1 gallon of paint on a single slim pack battery. Larger batteries will allow a longer runtime.

Triax Carbide Triple Piston Pump

The sprayers ProConnect pump replacement system is designed so that the user can replace the Triax carbide triple piston pump on the jobsite instead of being sent in for costly repair work.

The beauty of this is you can replace the pump onsite with only a screwdriver and three easy steps:

1. Remove Phillips screws and door
2. Remove and replace pump
3. Reinstall door and screws

The pump is constructed out of durable stainless steel and carbide components bonded with a high strength polymer and will operate at 500 to 2,000 PSI. We did not replace our pump so cannot speak to the level of difficulty to replace the pump.

Adjustable Pressure

The ProControl II motor control is adjusted with a pressure regulator dial on the handle just above the battery. This is a change from its former location along the spray barrel.

The pressure control delivers a consistent spray fan without pressure fluctuations. It allows you to adjust motor speed to spray at virtually any speed that the job demands. We found a setting of 6-8 to be adequate for most spraying applications.

Removable Spray Tips

The sprayer supports a spray tip size of 0.008- 0.016 inch. The Reverse-A-Clean (RAC) Switch Tips allow for cleaning tip clogs. A RAC X FF LP 514 spray tip comes standard with the Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer. We used this tip for our testing.

On previous generation GRACO sprayers, in order to remove the tip you had to dismantle the entire tip housing. The new design  allows for the tips simply slide in and out. The RAC X FF LP Tips provides a better finish at low pressure and work on all Graco Airless Sprayers including large airless sprayers.

FlexLiner Bag System

The FlexLiner bag system allows you to spray from any angle without losing prime. It has a 32-ounce capacity, and are disposable. The unit comes with four Flexliner paint bags, and a few reservoir caps. The extra caps are definitely needed as the cap hinge breaks off easily.

Water and Oil Based Coatings

The sprayer can handle both water and mineral spirit, without thinning.

Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer Features

• Triax Triple Piston Pump
• DeWalt 20V Max Battery
• ProConnect Pump Replacement
• SmartControl
• ProControl II
• RAC X FF LP Tips
• Four 32-ounce FlexLiner Paint Bags

Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer Specifications

• Model Number: 17M363
• Pressure Range: 500 – 2000 PSI
• Tip Size Supported: 0.008- 0.016 inch
• Filter Mesh: 60
• Price: $429

Perfect Airless Finish

The Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer produced a smooth and even finish with no thinning and  complete coverage in the first coat. I was really impressed with the coverage!

Easy Setup

• Fill FlexLiner Bag with material and attach to the sprayer
• Squeeze out any remaining air using the reservoir cap
• Prime sprayer
• Spray paint

Improvement

Capacity is definitely an issue for this sprayer. We’d like to see a larger capacity reservoir and flex liner bags.

One improvement that I think Graco should address is this durability of the pump plugs that access the outlet valves. . The pump plugs are designed to be removable to allow cleaning of the outlet valves. Unfortunately the pump plugs are plastic and require a Phillips-head screwdriver to remove. During servicing of this unit, I found that the plastic strips quickly and easily. These plugs require very low torque, 5-7 in-lbs,  I stripped one of them on the first time removing them, and the other striped on the third use.

I highly suggest Graco rethink this design and use brass, stainless steel or a more durable plug materials combination.

UPDATE

Graco advised us that they are replacing the pump plugs with a hex head instead of a Phillips. They also advise that thee plugs ONLY need to be removed for troubleshooting purposes, not cleaning.

If you purchase one of these units, I suggest having a spare pair of plugs to avoid sprayer downtime.

Overall Impression

The Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer sells for $499.00 and is 100% worth the money. As carpenters we try to prime all of our material prior to installation and sometimes our painter is unavailable.

The Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer made quick work of priming our lattice for us and there was no downtime on the job, waiting for the painter. Worked, like a dream. It was easy to setup, light weight, powerful and super convenient to use. It’s the perfect sprayer for turning over a small project or difficult areas to paint like lattice or shutters.

Graco Ultra Cordless Sprayer Video Review

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.