Paint Sprayer: Panacea or Problem?

It's the "grass is always greener" syndrome, I suppose, to spend a three-day weekend killing your back by roller-painting your house...and then to get online or cruise Lowe's or Home Depot and to gaze longingly at paint sprayers. The solution to all my problems! No arduous rolling! No messy brushing!

Well, as you might know, nothing in life comes for free. So, while a paint sprayer will allow you to cover huge expanses of wall area in single strokes, you also will spend inordinate amounts of time prepping the room. Seriously: every square inch of room that will not be painted must be masked. Paint overspray goes everywhere. Also there's the matter of cleaning up the paint sprayer. It is possible to fake brush or roller clean up (or just toss the darn thing), but paint sprayers must be religiously cleaned up every time.