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The more i see work done with brushes made form Kolinsky fur the more i believe i want one. Since almost all the reviews i can find are from canvas and other "artie" painters. I'd figure i would ask here if anyone uses them and how they would rate them compared to the P3 paintbrushes (what i currently use).

So, Does anyone here use/have used them and if so how do they like them?

I use the Reaper Kolinsky ones. They are VERY good brushes, about $12 a pop if I remember correctly but worth every penny.

I have been painting about 25 years and never found any thing like them. I used to use alot of white nylon brushs from Craft stores but they would wear out quick and they would take me a while to paint as the ones I used were samller brushes.

A buddy of mine got me using the Kolinsky #2 brushes for the lion share of my work. It was a bit of an adjustment at first becasue it was a MUCH bigger brush than I was used to. I found I could controle the brush better, as it was a better quality brush. I also discovered that the larger brush covered quicker and more smoothly as it took less strokes. Something that seems very obvious in hind sight but was not so appearent over the years for what ever reason.

I own all the brushes in the Reaper Kolinsky line but would reccomned the #1 and 2 for a good starter set of them. Like I said , worth every penny.

The new GW brushes are all made from kolinsky sable hair, excluding the dry brushes and the large brush, and i have found for a moderately priced brush set they are quite good, they hold their point well and carry paint well.

The higher end brushes like Windsor and Newton are fantastic if you want to fork out the cash, you just have to make sure you really care for them.

Overall there are some quite affordable kolinksy brushes out there and they are definately worth investing in IMO.

I got the large and detail GW brushes. they are so worth the upgrade. I don't know why but they blow the navy and red handled editions out of the water. The paint goes on nicely and they clean well.

Windsor series 7 are meant to be the mut's nuts of paint brushes but they ain't cheap.

I just got a #1 and #000 W&N series 7 yesterday and I really quite like them. For some reason I seem to destroy the new GW brushes really quickly, so I paid for some brush soap to help take care of these. The brushes themselves were not too expensive, around £8 each plus another couple of quid for the soap. They have a fuller head and a much more tapered and resilient point than the GW ones.

I wont be doing any drybrushing with them.....

I picked up a Reaper Master series #0 and #10/0. my workhorse is the #0. I am considering getting a 1 and a 3/0 to up the options, but the regular 0 works perfect for me. I also use the GW small dry brush for most of my base coating. I like the stiffer bristles.

general lee, I agree with you ><

GW brushes ftw. and i'm not being sarcastic... I seriously paint with them, almost exclusively.

Highly Recommend:

Raphael
Winsor & Newton
Blick Art

Middle of the road:

Reaper
Vallejo

Meh:

Games workshop


I've burned through quite a few of GW's products from tools to bushes to paint. I honestly can't recommend a bit of it. Maybe I'm over analytical, but I don't like my brushes to fall apart after a good cleaning.

Yeah the 'new' GW brushes with the black handles are very nice. The old red and blue handle ones were total crap though.

I'd still recommend Winsor & Newton Series 7 or Raphael 8404 brushes.

For folks in the US - check out ASW Express - their regular price on high end brushes is cheaper than anybody else - but they frequently have sales.
http://www.aswexpress.com/Default.aspx

Generally speaking it is indeed better to select brushes in person - but ASW always send great stuff - and the prices are too good to ignore.

I go here: http://www.dickblick.com/

I have the W&N Series 7 Mini brushes and some brush soap in cake form. They really are the god of paintbrushes.

I have been using the winsor and newton for years now from art shops, a few months before 3rd ed 40k was released as the GW brushes at the time were shokingly bad with maybe a months lifespan in them. Admittedly at the time I was doing a lot of painting armies for other people as well as my own work.
Last week some of the army painter brushes I ordered to try out arrived and my only complaint with them is getting used to a triangular shape of grip insead of round.
Ones I got were insane detail, detail, monster and regiment brushes and planning to test out the rest next time I get a chance to order some. They're a lot cheaper than the w&n I was using as well.
Haven't tried the reaper brushes, the other w&n range I've seen reccomended in a thread on dakko or the new GW ones (I'm very dubious about them still) but plan to just to find which ones I think are best.
That said for great basecoats I think the army painter regiment one will become the one I use due to it's cost and performance. The w&n ones tended to start going even with care being taken of them and they cost me more to replace

Hope this has helped and other people can help advise you on the ones I havent tried yet.

Stupid question... but when i go to these paint supply sites i want to search seize 0 round watercolor brushes right?

I 3rd the WN Series 7.

I buy from Dick Blick

(I stand corrected...they are advertised as water color brushes for capacity).

I use a 1 in Series 7 regular almost for 100% of my painting.

Fine detail I use a 0 series 7 Miniature. That is it. I have a 000 but rarely use it.

http://www.dickblick.com/products/winsor-and-newton-series-7-kolinsky-sable-miniature-brushes/

with a little brush soap and they will last a life time. Seriously.

http://www.discountart.co.uk/Winsor_Newton_Series_Kolinsky_Sable_Brushes_cat_94.html

Well that site says they are water colour brushes. Don't buy the miniature ones because they're for miniature models as they aren't specifically for miniature painting. Just means they have a shorter head.

Acrylic brushes are usually made from synthetic materials, Which you don't want. Even though you are using acrylic paint.

But i would go for windsor and newton series 7 for sure.