My guys generally preferred Sata or Iwata guns, sometimes it was like Ford vs Chevy ...our market was high-end Euro cars, FWIW.
Most shops always had an old DeVilbiss or Binks primer gun even into the '90s. Those things seemed bulletproof !
I've done alright on a couple small jobs with a HF gun, but the fan isn't as adjustable as I'd like.
But as noted it's the operator that's the key.
This talk about Croix & Accuspray is intriguing, never thought of those for automotive painting.