I have good reps I guess. I buy Sherwin Williams stuff, and they have their own store. There's a lady behind the counter that has no idea what she's doing, but that's ok, she just runs the debit machine. My rep actually paints, gets great training from the company, and knows the company line BS from reality. He can give me specific advice on a wide range of products, and not just a jobber shops favorites. If I need to know what air cap to use with what tip at what pressure, he's got an informed answer for me.
Most people who have to ask the questions on a forum probably don't even know that high end guns come with different air caps, or how they effect the process. I don't really want to take total responsibility for someone's decisions, just give them general sound advice that helps them figure out their own path. I could say, "use U-pol high build primer, sand to 400, apply 2 coats of ATX sealer, allowing 30 minutes flash before applying 3 coats of ATX basecoat. Follow with 3 coats of Finish-1 clearcoat and buff within 48 hrs", but they'll usually come back with, "I can't get ATX base, can I use watercolours diluted with horse urine and get the same effect?"
I operate on the assumption that someone can tell if their salesman sucks, or whether they have good knowledge. The same could be said of the internet, but it's an even worse situation. E-how should be "E-how-not-to", and although a lot of people are proud of their hobbyist pursuits, most of the time they fall short of what I would be comfortable calling "professional" and charging money for. Hobbyist forums give hobbyist advice, and filtering out the gold from the copper is the best skill an aspiring learner could aquire.
