Product Review - Dulux Spraypak Quick Drying Spray "Flat Black"

I went into Games Workshop the other day to pick up some Chaos Black spray. Unfortunately the only salesperson was tied up on the phone so after browsing the shelves for about five minutes I left and walked around the corner to the local Bunnings (hardware store).

Over the years I’ve been pretty dubious of buying sprays from manufacturers other than GW, as I’ve always felt that they produce a good quality product fit for purpose. However, recently the price of a can has moved through $25 and I thought it might be the time to check out alternaives.

Wandering into Bunnings, I found their spraycan area (all locked up as per retail law) and started checking out the various products they had on offer. In the end I settled on a can of Dulux Spraypak Quick Dry “Flat Black” which came in 325 ml cans.

Took it home and sprayed some Mighty Empire tiles (plastic) for next weekend as well as the Sisters of Sigmar figures (metal) I got for my Empire army. The results were very good, especially on the plastics. The nozzle on the cans allowed for a more directed flow than the GW spraycan which I suspect means that you don’t use it up as quickly. The finish was very very matt which was exactly what I like. The can says it takes 20 minutes to dry which is slower than what I’ve found with GW spray but when I went back after 30 minutes everything was fine.

So I’m very happy about the quality of the product and certainly recommend it. This is especially true when you take both availability and price into consideration. Being Dulux brand you can get it locally at virtually every hardware or paint shop. This saves a special trip into GW – with attendant parking charges – just for spray paint. I have literally a dozen paint shops closer than the central city store. The second benefit, the price point, is also full of win. GW’s spray at $25 per 400 ml can works out to 6.25 cents per ml. The Dulux product retails at $10.73 per 325 ml can. This works out at 3.30 cents per ml (just under 50% cheaper).

If you go through spray as much as I do then I’m thinking you can quickly save yourself some money by subbing in Dulux. This will leave you more money to spend on actual product!