Continuing the idea of sharing stuff that I’ve found to be useful or unique for gamers and hobbyists, today we’re going to look at something really different, the Typhoon Paint Mixer. The Typhoon Paint Mixer is available on Etsy from the seller Kennedys Art Supply.

Just What Is The Typhoon Paint Mixer?

Simply put it’s an electric motorized paint stirrer that’s made for small sized paint pots used by miniature hobbyists, model builders and airbrush users. If you’re like most folks in those hobbies, what started out as a few paints has likely grown to a fairly large collection in it’s own right at this point and you know that when paint sits around for awhile it separates and settles and can be a pain to shake back into usable condition. Shaking your paints vigorously can also leave them kind of foamy or even result in accidents where the lid comes off mid shake and you have a mess to clean up.

Enter the Typhoon Paint Mixer, a desktop mixing machine that doesn’t actually shake the paint bottles but mixes them via high speed vibration, similar to how test tube vortex mixer works.

Why Is the Typhoon Paint Mixer Better?

A powered hobby paint mixer is going to be one of those gadgets that a lot of people will consider a luxury item and not a necessity. There are a lot of ways to skin the proverbial paint mixing cat. I’ve seen everything from battery operated cocktail stirrers, to using a drill to spin paints, to purpose built hobby paint shakers. The truth is that while any of these methods will work, none of them are ideal, some of them are potentially messy and some can be downright rage inducing. The Typhoon Paint Mixer does one thing, but it does that one thing very well.

Unlike other paint mixers or home brew contraptions there’s no strapping the paint pot into a device or opening it up involved. The Typhoon paint mixer is touch activated. You simply press the pot down on the rubber ring on top of the unit for a few seconds and it does its thing, which is to vibrate very fast in a manner that creates a vortex inside the paint pot and mixes your paint perfectly every time. But don’t just take my word for it, watch the video below.

 

(As I understand it, there is no longer a “model 1/model 2”. Due to popular request, all of the Typhoon Paint Mixers now come with the larger ring to accommodate the fatter paint pots. You may want to confirm this when ordering though in case I’m wrong)

You can see the paint swirl and change color as it is blended with the medium. The Typhoon does this by swirling the liquid much faster than you could ever shake it by hand or with a battery operated device. The specs state that the liquid is swirled 60 times a second. The interesting thing about this is that you don’t end up with foamy paint even after that vigorous swirling.

One of the best things about this unit is that it doesn’t feel like some cheap plastic toy. I’ve had a couple of the Robart Hobby Paint Shakers and they’re pretty sub par to be honest. They feel cheap and use a proprietary rubber band setup. I’ve burned the motors out on two of these and had them vibrate right off my desk on more than one occasion. The Typhoon Paint Mixer doesn’t require any special hardware and it is HEAVY! I haven’t weighed it but the case and bottom are thick steel and it probably weighs between five to ten pounds which means it doesn’t budge when your operate it. It’s also a plug in unit so there are no batteries to replace.

The description on Etsy states that these units are handcrafted, but what I think that actually means is that they are surplus industrial equipment that has been reconditioned and/or rebuilt and made presentable with a new paint job and labeling. Robert Kennedy, the maker of these units is very committed to making sure that buyers of the Typhoon Paint Mixer are 100 percent satisfied and he offers a 90 days money back or replacement guarantee. He also offers various colors and I think will do custom colors upon request. (I also think it’s kind of cool that this Etsy seller has found a legitimate second life for these mixers. Bonus points for keeping them out of the landfill.)

What Brands of Paint Can I Mix With The Typhoon Paint Mixer?

Robert states that you can mix just about any bottle of hobby and model paint with the Typhoon Paint Mixer. I’ve tested the unit with lots of different paints including Vallejo, Reaper, Games Workshop, Tamiya, Mig/AK, Minitaire and more. It works great with all of these paint pots as they all fit into the rubber ring on top of the paint mixer. In every case it’s worked exactly as advertised and thoroughly mixed the paint. (If you need help selling the idea of purchasing one of these to your significant other, you might want to mention to him or her that it’s also great for shaking up bottles of nail polish, everybody wins!)

The Typhoon Paint Mixer, Is it Worth It?

Now we’re going to talk about what this thing will cost you. As I mentioned above, this is definitely a “luxury gadget”. It sells on Etsy for $75 shipped and currently only ships to US addresses. If I had to guess I’d say that there’s no international shipping option because the unit is so heavy that shipping it overseas is likely to be an expensive prospect.

$75 for a paint mixer sounds like a lot on the surface of it but considering what I spend on paint, brushes, airbrush equipment, etc. it’s just another piece of equipment. That kind of purchase isn’t in everyone’s hobby budget though, so your mileage may vary. For the sake of comparison though, if you were to buy an actual vortex mixer for your paint station you’re looking at about $250 for a new unit on Amazon and other sites. There’s no way I would ever recommend spending $250 on a paint mixer. If we compare paint mixers to paint mixers, I killed two Robart mixers after about of year of use for each one. Considering that those run about $40 apiece, plus batteries, I spent more on those two mixers than I spent on the Typhoon.

Having used the Typhoon Paint Mixer though and seeing in person how well it works, I can recommend this at the current listed price on Etsy for it’s utility, it’s quality and durability. I’m definitely giving the Typhoon Paint Mixer a thumbs up if you’re a serious painter and can fit it into your hobby budget. As a holiday gift, I don’t think I know any hobbyist who wouldn’t appreciate getting one of these.

Get your own Typhoon Paint Mixer at Kennedys Art Supply on Etsy!