A knapsack sprayer (also known as a backpack sprayer) is carried on your back. A compression sprayer is cylindrical in shape and is normally carried on a shoulder. Which sprayer is the best for you depends upon the type of work you are doing. Knapsack sprayers generally have larger capacity tanks and are designed for spraying large areas as opposed to compression sprayers that can be used for any type of job, either large or small.

One, very important, point to remember when deciding upon which sprayer is that the majority of knapsack sprayers do not compress the air within the tank - rather it is compressed within the compression cylinder that is inside the tank. This means that you have to compress the tank (pump the handle) far more often and, almost, have to 'pump to spray'. We do, however, have three models that can be pressurised to 6 bar (twice the normal maximum pressure) meaning that, once you are at working pressure, you won't need to pressurise as frequently as a standard model. These sprayers are our RS12, RS18 and RS18 Alkaline.

If you are looking to climb ladders or use telescopic lances, with your sprayer, then it may be advisable to consider a compression sprayer (unless you use the RS range) otherwise you will need a hand to pump the tank and another to hold a ladder or two others to hold a long lance. As the average number of hands, per person, is less than two you can understand why using some knapsack sprayers could be awkward.