Actisol vs. B&G PAS: Which Pest Control Fogger Should You Buy?

Key Takeaways:

• The Actisol Compact Unit is built for heavy, all-day use. It's tough, proven, and the more "bulletproof" choice for high-volume techs.
• The B&G Portable Aerosol System (PAS), available as the PAS Professional with 18" wand and the PAS-9" 110V Commercial, costs about half as much and suits lighter-duty work.
• On the PAS, the lever on the gun is an on/off switch for air only. To change from a fine fog to a heavier mist, use the regulator inside the case, not the gun lever.
• Match the unit to your workload first, and keep spare parts on hand to avoid downtime.

Shopping for a professional aerosol fogger and stuck between the Actisol Compact Unit and the B&G PAS? Both are proven tools for crack-and-crevice and void treatments, but they're built for different workloads. Here's how they compare, along with the most common (and most expensive) mistake we see PAS owners make.

Actisol vs. B&G PAS at a Glance

Choose the Actisol If You Use It Every Day

The Actisol has been around much longer than the PAS, and there are far more units in service, so it's been thoroughly proven in the field. It's the more heavy-duty, "bulletproof" machine, and it offers better pressure adjustment. It costs more, often about twice as much as the PAS, but if you'll be fogging all day, every day, that durability pays for itself in less downtime. Shop Actisol units.

Choose the B&G PAS for Lighter-Duty Work

If you won't be using an aerosol unit all day, every day, or price is a deciding factor, the B&G PAS is a good choice at roughly half the cost of the Actisol. We carry two models: the PAS Professional with an 18" wand and the PAS-9" 110V Commercial Portable Aerosol System. Whichever you choose, make sure everyone who uses it knows about the mistake below.

The PAS Mistake That Causes Major Damage

The lever on the PAS gun is an on/off switch for air, not a way to adjust the spray. We regularly see users try to change droplet size or pressure by partially turning this lever. Don't do it. Partially closing the air lets product back up into the air lines, where it clogs components and can severely damage the unit.

To change the spray from a very fine ULV fog to a heavier mist, use the regulator inside the case. Turn it clockwise or counterclockwise to dial in the output for your application. Keep the gun lever either fully ON or fully OFF.

How to Use the Three PAS Spray Modes

The PAS gun gives you three application modes:

• Lever ON (trigger released): air only, to flush insects out of infested harborages
• Lever OFF, trigger pulled: liquid only, for crack-and-crevice applications
• Lever ON, trigger pulled: air plus liquid, producing an aerosol fog for void and space treatments

A few tips from the B&G manual: fill the tank with only about ½ gallon of mixed liquid, so there's enough air space to hold pressure. Between applications, move the gun lever to OFF, which also shuts off the compressor until you turn it back on. After each job, flush the tank and extension with clean water, check the filter on the gun's liquid inlet, and protect the spray tip.

Parts for Both Units

Whichever you choose, we stock the parts to keep it running: Actisol parts and B&G PAS parts. Browse all foggers, or contact us at 602-371-1993 for help choosing.

Watch: Actisol vs. B&G PAS

Video Transcript

Andrew Greess: Hi, I'm Andrew Greess with Quality Equipment & Spray. One of the questions I get asked quite frequently is, "What's the difference between the B&G PAS, Portable Aerosol System, and the Actisol Compact Unit?"

There are quite a few differences. I'd like to share some thoughts on that with you, as well as my personal preferences.

First of all, the Actisol has been around a lot longer. There's a lot more of these units in service. It has been put through the paces quite a bit more.

I would say this is probably a more bulletproof unit. If you're going to be a really heavy user of the machine, then it's worth considering the Actisol.

The downside is it costs quite a bit more. It can be twice as much as the Portable Aerosol System.

The Actisol also has better adjustment of the pressure. The Portable Aerosol System is a nice unit because it's, in some cases, half the price of the Actisol unit.

The downside to the Portable Aerosol System is a mistake we see a lot of people making. There's this off/on knob on the air side of the PAS spray wand. We see customers sometimes trying to adjust the droplet size and the pressure by adjusting the air pressure.

That's a bad idea. That can severely damage this unit.

What I'd say would be, if you're going to be a light-duty user, definitely go with the PAS. If you're going to be a heavy-duty user, you want to go with the Actisol.

If price is an issue, the PAS is a good choice. If you're going to be using it all day, every day, and you just want the most bulletproof unit, I'd go with the Actisol unit.