Thank you for purchasing from The Planet.

613 N. Main, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
a2planet.com      (734)864-1635

Email: plantheplanet@freeasinspeech.com
Open 12-10pm EST, Monday-Friday

Call us if you need any more--

Any assortment, $.25 each, $.20 each if you order 50 or more, $.19 each if you order 100 or more.  ANY ASSORTMENT!

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The caps

German Outline.  Also called the "skinny banana" by the Montana company.  These are the most popular caps there are.  The line is medium-thin, the edge is very sharp, the weight is medium.  An ideal outline cap.  Works great with Montana Hardcore, Krylon, and Rustoleum.  DOES NOT WORK WITH MOLOTOW or GERMAN MONTANA.  These can be found in three different color schemes as pictured.  Their properties seem to be identical, but many people are superstitious about different colors. 
(see part III for a comparison between Italian and German brands of Montana)

German Pro.  Also called "German 2," or "skinny pro."  The two color schemes are the same cap, same properties.  Unlike the German Outline, this cap works with Belton Molotow and German Montana, and for those brands, the line has the same properties as the German Outline above.  Used with Rustoleum, Krylon, and Italian Montana Hardcore, the line is slightly wider and softer than the German Outline.

German Fat.  This cap produces a heavy-weight, sharp-edge, medium-width line.  It works well with Rustoleum, Montana, and Molotow.  It makes a wider line with Rustoleum and Montana than it does with Belton Molotow.  It works with Krylon, but tends to cause drips because of the output weight.

(see part II, "choosing caps," for an explanation of weight, hardness/sharpness, and width)

New York Thin.  The New York Thin cap is known by many names.  New York Outlines, phantom tips, thins, micros, and skinnies. They are medium-thin, semi-soft, medium-weight.  They work well with Rustoleum, Krylon, and Montana Hardcore.  DOES NOT WORK WITH BELTON MOLOTOW.

New York Fat.  The New York Fats produce a medium-wide, medium-weight, semi-soft line, much like the New York Thins but slightly broader.  They look a lot like the NY thins, too.  To tell them apart, note the ridges: the Fats have wider ridges than the Thins.  Also, the very center of the dot looks a little different.  But the ridges are the easiest way to tell them apart. Same compatibility as the NY thins, but does work with Molotow.

Rusto Fat.  The Rusto Fat is named after Rustoleum but works very well with other brands as well, including Krylon, and Montana.  DOES NOT WORK WITH BELTON MOLOTOW.  Compared to the New York Fat cap, it is slightly wider.  Compared to the German Fat cap, it is lighter, producing better results with the cheaper brands of paint. 

Black Micro.  The Black Micro, also known as the Molotow Super Skinny (to the Molotow company) and the Montana Super Skinny #1 (to the Montana company) works well with both of those brands and also with Krylon and Rustoleum.  With a black finish and a black dot, it definitely is the coolest-looking cap.  It produces a very thin line, with a sharp edge and medium weight.  Great for doing outlines when you want something thinner than the German Outlines above.

Silver Super Fat.  This is one of the most versatile caps out there.  It produces a wide line, wider than any of the caps mentioned above, with a sharp edge.  But with Montana and Molotow, you can actually make skinny lines with it by holding the can very near the painted surface.  With Rustoleum, the cap still works great for wide lines, but from close up, the line will be too heavy and drip.  With Krylon, the cap works OK, but beware of drips--the Orange Dot below may be a better choice.

Needle Cap.  The Needle cap works with Belton Molotow, and as far as we know, nothing else.  With Molotow, it produces an ultra-ultra-thin line, not even a centimeter in width, but very heavy.  However, it leaves some splatter marks.  With Rusto, Krylon, and Montana paint, it produces a wide, ultra-heavy line that drips like hell.  Why Montana even sells these caps, we do not know.  Perhaps they perform OK with their Alien Art Concept line (see below for more details).  But overall, unless you use Molotow paint and desire a splattery ultra-thin line, what's the point?  If you don't want the splatter, you're going to have to go over the splatter with another color, and if you're doing that, you might as well just a Black Micro.  Anyway, we do not carry this cap, because for all the reasons above, it just sucks.

Grey Dots.  The grey dot is the first in the series of colored-dot caps which range from ultra-thin to ultra-wide.  Aside from the Needle Cap used with Belton Molotow, it is the skinniest cap available.  It works great with Krylon, Rusto, Montana, and Molotow.  Compared to the Black Micro, it is about the same in width, but a little softer and lighter, perhaps making it better suited for drippy brands.  It's also good for accents.

Black Dots.  Black Dots are the same as grey dots, but just a little bit wider.

Gold Dots. The Gold dot is an oddball, you might say.  With Montana and Molotow, it is much like the Black Dot but a little wider yet, a medium-thin line. But with Rustoleum, it makes a much wider line.  The edge is soft and the weight is rather light, making it an ideal stencil cap.  The spray is a little irregular in shape, making it a poor choice for outlines, but it works great for blends.

Blue Dots.  Blue Dots are soft spray like the Gold Dots, also great for stenciling. They produce a medium size line, of a regular circular shape, but the weight is uneven--tends to fill out the circumference and leave a light center.  The other strange thing is that the width is narrow when used with Rustoleum paint: the Gold Dots are generally narrower than the Blues, but with Rusto, it seems to be the other way around.  Great for stencils, blends, and fills; poor for outlining.

Orange Dots.  Orange dots are fat caps.  They are wider than New York and Rusto Fats, and about the same as Silver Super Fats.  Works well with all of the brands named above.  Compared with Silver Super Fats, the line is a little softer and lighter, and probably a better choice for American brands of spray paint. 

Pink Dots.  Pink dots are the fattest cap available.  You can make lines 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) in diameter. As you get closer, the weight can get very heavy.  Good for filling in large areas (or making giant paintings).  Works with all of the brands named above. 

Black Calligraphy.  These caps have a special insert that creates a "linear" spray instead of the circular spray that the other caps have.  That is, the spray will be wide in one direction, narrow in the other.  The coolest part is that you can rotate that little insert so the line can be any direction you like--vertical, horizontal, or any diagonal.  Great for signing your name, or just creating cool effects.  This cap works with all of the brands named above, but the width of the line varies from one brand to the next.  It makes a very soft, thin line with Montana, a more medium line with Rusto, Molotow, and Krylon.

Red Calligraphy.  This is the same as the Black Calligraphy cap, but the line is wider and heavier.  With Montana and Molotow you get a medium line; with Rusto or Krylon you get a very big line.  The two types of calligraphy caps are pretty similar with Molotow; with the others the difference is significant.

Cap selection and compatibility

There are several factors one should look at in a spray cap:

Width: This one's the only one the novice pays attention to. Obviously, it's how wide your line is. The grey dot is the skinniest; the pink dot is the widest.

Hardness (or, "sharpness"): This determines whether you have a cap that distributes paint evenly across the line (hard), or one that puts more paint in the center and less paint on the edge (soft). The German caps (outline/pro/fat) are the hardest; the "dot" series is the softest. Also, the closer you hold your can to the surface, the harder the line gets. A black dot from 6 inches looks mighty soft, from 1 inch you get a much sharper line.

Weight: This is how much paint comes out. If a cap is too heavy, drips become more likely, but if it is too light, the colors beneath may show through. The brand of paint you use with your cap also makes a big difference--some paints can be light and drippy (really cheap brands often are) and some paints can be heavy and still not drip (Montana). But, all else being equal, the heaviest caps are the needle caps (we don't even carry these, they're so bad); Rusto Fats and Orange Dots are on the heavier side while the grey, black, and gold dots are probably the lightest.

Compatibility: This makes all the difference. If a cap doesn't work with your brand of paint, then what good is it? Some caps perform very differently depending the brand they're used with.

Regularity: Some caps with some brands produce funny non-circular shapes.  Among the caps listed above, only blue and gold dots have this problem, and even then, only with certain brands of paint.  But the generic caps that come with the cans often have regularity issues.

Longevity: Some caps clog up more easily than others, and some paint causes caps to clog more easily than other brands.  Because of the cost, we have not done a long-term study on this characteristic.  We would appreciate your input on this.  Generally, you can extend a cap's life by cleaning it.  If you're in a relaxed environment, consider bringing some Acetone or paint thinner and a little bowl to drop your used caps into; that will clean them out easily.  For quick and easy cleaning, you can also turn a can of paint upside-down and spray until paint stops coming out: spray paint cans have a straw that extends from the nozzle to the bottom of the can, and when you turn the can upside-down, you will spray air once the paint is cleared out of the straw, thus sort of blow-drying the cap clear.  However, the cost of the lost paint may exceed the cost of just getting a new cap; we don't know.  You can also just put your mouth on the bottom of the cap and blow the paint out, but this could result in you getting paint in your mouth which is straight-up sick.

Aside from the Longevity factor, we've done our best to describe cap properties in the description above.  Let us know if you have any further insight you could provide.  Ultimately, every artist develops his or her own preferences based on experience, and artists of equal accomplishment can have totally different opinions about which caps are better than others (just like musicians and their brand preferences.) The best way to find out which you like the best is to try everything and decide for yourself.

The paint brands

Again, it's different strokes for different fulks, but here's a good overview:

Montana: For complex reasons, there are two totally different companies out there selling two totally different "Montana" paints. One is Montana Colors, based in Spain; the other is Duplicolor, based in Germany. Be advised, all references to Montana paint here, except as noted, refer to the Spanish company. The German company, Duplicolor, which also makes many types of automotive and "hobby" paints, apparently ripped off the Spanish company in an attempt to steal their customer base. To tell which company you are buying from, check the can: the Spanish company uses the trademarked "MTN" abbreviation, and has the gridwork on their Hardcore line of paint. The Alien Art Concept paint is also from the Spanish Montana company. NOTE: All references to Montana paint in this listing pertain to the Hardcore series. The Alien Art Concept and "Classic" series have different cap compatibilities.

Spanish Montana:  Spanish Montana Hardcore is one of our favorite paints to use. All of our caps work with Montana, though to varying degrees of perfection. Montana paint is really bright, rarely drips, and anyone who's used it immediately notices how much better it is than cheaper brands.

If you use the Spanish Montana Hardcore paint, the best caps are: Rusto Fats, German Outlines, German Fats, Grey Dots, Blue Dots, Calligraphies, Pink Dots, Silver Super Fats, Black Micros, and Orange Dots.

Spanish Montana's Alien Art Concept is one that we have not tested.  From the information we've gathered, it sounds similar to Molotow paint--variable-pressure system, low-pressure, similar cap compatibilities. The reason we do not stock Alien paint is that it is only available in small 200ml cans, making it uneconomical.  (more about can sizes below). 

Spanish Montana also offers a "classic" line, which is only available in small cans, has a weird cap system that isn't compatible with anything else, and is at this writing completely unavailable.  So whatever.

German Montana:  We have not used German Montana because a) we can't find it, and b) from what we've heard it sounds like the Duplicolor company scammed the original Montana company out of its trademark, which is downright evil. However, we are told that the German Montana company is widely available in Europe and Austalia, and people who have used it tell us that it is great paint.  They also tell us that the qualities and cap compatibilities of German Montana resemble those of Molotow more than the Italian company.  If you use German Montana, hopefully you can just go by what we say about Molotow.

Belton Molotow: Belton Molotow is Montana's primary competitor. Both companies offer great paint. Which you prefer is up to you. Molotow is a German company, and in German, the W is pronounced like a V, so it is actually pronounced "Molotov" like the cocktail. Molotow paint does not work with Rusto Fats, German Outlines, or New York Outlines. If you use Molotow, the following caps are recommended: All of the "dots" (grey through pink), German Pros, German Fats, Black Micros, Silver Super Fats, and Calligraphies.

Montana Hardcore versus Belton Molotow: Both brands are excellent but there are some important differences you should know about.

-Montana is very glossy, whereas Molotow is matte. This means that Montana has a "shinier" look. In an outdoor setting (where there's lots of light), Montana will be more reflective. In an indoor setting, the brighter look may be better, but if you have a light shining on the paint, the light will create "bright spots" where there is the most light. Generally this means that Montana has a white that appears lighter, whereas the Molotow black looks darker.

-Molotow uses a pigment that has smaller crystals than the Montana paint. The result is that Montana cans need to be shaken more frequently.

-Molotow has a broader temperature range than Montana. In winter air, a cold Montana can will not perform, but a Molotow can will.

-Montana Hardcore cans have a fixed-pressure system: either the can is throwing paint, or it isn't.  Molotow has a variable-pressure system: the harder you press the cap, the more paint comes out.  If you push very gently, you can get tiny flecks to shoot out of the can instead of a full stream, for a neat fleck effect.  But be careful; push a little too hard and you'll mess up. 

-Molotow cans are lower-pressure than Montana in general.  Narrower, lighter lines.  On one hand this means more control and better paint economy; on the other hand this means that big pieces can take longer. 

-Montana cans are generally a buck or two cheaper than Molotow.

Krylon: Krylon makes many different varieties of paint, including various fluorescents and metallics. Compatibilities mentioned here refer only to the "all-purpose interior-exterior paint," (the ordinary kind). For the specialty kinds, you're on your own to determine which caps do and do not work.

Krylon's main asset is its price. Krylon spends money funding an anti-graffiti campaign, and whether you use their paint legally or not, you pay for this. Still it is cheaper than the two brands noted above. It works with every cap here (though the German Fats and German Pros can be too heavy for the paint, and drip easily--use Rusto Fats, New York Fats, and New York Thins instead). The paint is thin and drippy compared to the primo brands noted above, but thick and strong compared to those 99-cent "value" cans.

Rustoleum: Rusto makes many different types of paint. The "American Accents," "Stops Rust," and "Painter's Touch" brands offer the most colors, though not nearly as many as Molotow, Montana, or Krylon. Rusto paint performed substantially better than Krylon. Bolder lines, less drips.  Good tips to use are New York thins and fats, Rusto fats (duh), German Outlines, Black Micros, Silver Super Fats, and calligraphies, although they also work with the Dot types.

Can sizes

Paint companies offer their products in many different sizes of cans.  Of course, the can system is more expensive to produce than the paint itself, so larger cans are a more economical choice, dollar-per-fluid-ounce.  But there is an important balance of how much paint is in the can, how much aerosol is in the can, and how much empty room is in the can.  Because different companies have different formulations, every brand is different, but generally, smaller cans have less pressure (fewer drips, better paint economy, better precision overall), whereas larger cans have more pressure and work better for large-scale applications. 

But you can always reduce the pressure in your can, by inverting the can and spraying air out of the can. 

Conclusion

As far as we know, no group has done a detailed study of spray paint, and this document is the best data the world has.  Paint prices being what they are, we cannot try a million things with all the different caps and brands to create a complete study.  The findings we report here are the best data we have at this time.

Please help us.  Email us with your results, letting us know what you've found does and does not work.  Tell us about your cap experiences, that we can make this more accurate.  If you've used brands that we don't discuss here, send us your findings.  This document is a work in progress.

Please respect us and credit us if you share this info around.  As a paint retailer, we were very disappointed in the lack of detailed information given to us from the paint companies, and created this document in the hope of helping artists make more informed decisions about their tools.  Please give us any information you think would be helpful, and buy art supplies from us so we can continue our research.  Do not tell us your tag name; as revolutionary anti-capitalists they day is bound to arrive when the Homeland Security gulag puts hot coals to our testicles and demands the name of every "art terrorist" we can name; and better we don't have that info in the first place.

Happy painting; be safe and happy.

www.a2planet.com  [our website is horribly out of date; call us for up-to-the-minute info]