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Hey guys,

So as my second set of GW brushes begins to deteriorate in condition rapidly, despite my best care for them, I am starting to come to the conclusion that they're not as good as they once used to be. I did a quick check of the brushes in my FLGS, and I found none out of the almost thirty I examined to have a proper full-body and good point. Exactly the same condition that my second set of brushes were in when I purchased them. An examination of another FLGS's brushes revealed them to be in the same state. Upon my inquiry, I was told that that was "how they were" and that soaking them in water will fix the point. Either I didn't soak them in water and twist the point in long enough, or that just doesn't work.

Given that I also now find GW brushes to be highly over-costed, I'm starting to look at alternatives. A local painter some months back recommended Vallejo to me, and I also went out to do some research on P3 and Reaper. I just wanted to know if you guys have had good/bad experiences with them, or experiences in general you can share, and if anyone's able to make a good comparison of the three.

Thanks!

Grab the Yellow pages, look for a proper art store (most towns will have one) or a craft store of descent repute.

Wander around till you find their paint section, and look for brushes there. Water color brushes are what most people prefer - and that is a good place to start. Kolinsky Sable brushes are what you are after - and they are common enough that most stores should carry one or more lines of them.

Enjoy the savings.
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Reaper, PP and Vallejo don't make brushes. They have someone else make them, and they put their name on the side. Even if one of the three were good enough on their own - you can get better from an actual brush manufacturer for the same or less.

Right now, my main brushes are Da Vinci's and Rapheal's. Winsor & Newton are a favorite among many people (especially the Series 7). Escoda make some good brushes too. You should be able to find one or more of those brands locally - or, if all else fails order online from a reputable dealer.

I use the Reaper master series brushes for my every day stuff. I have some W&N series 7 and Da vinchi's that I use for my high quality stuff. Pick up some mild brush soap and clean your brushes after each use. I like the pink soap myself, it a good cleaner and a conditioner as well. After painting, I rinse them out and soap them up. I use the lather to reshape the point and let it stay on the brush, rinsing it the next time I paint. With good care most brushed will last a long time.

Yep first learn good brush care. Then invest in some good Kolinsky Sable brushes.
Because once you mess up, and paint with a excellent brush. Anything else will make you throw it at stuff.
Example a buddy was getting rid of a bunch of GW stuff he no longer wanted. In the mess I found a special edition GW No. 1 sized brush. Man it was a dream to paint with.
He later traded another friend a boxed brush set that the brush originally belonged with.
Next thing I know my awesome brush was missing...
He then tried to buy me a replacement GW brush of much inferior quality. Needless to say that dog wouldn't hunt.

So be warned if you ever break down and buy one of those OMG $15 - 20 brushes all the "experts" rave about. You won't be able to use anything else.

Trust me, even using brush soap and with decent brush care, my GW brushes weren't doing so well. So, I guess the next obvious question is how the W&N and Da Vinchi brushes compare.

With the various different manufacturers of Kolinsky sable brushes - the quality tends to be comparable between all of them (you will have bad stories relating to pretty much any...as well as people who have had the same brush for 10 years...).

Each of the manufacturers have a little different cut and pointing involved though. Some have longer fibers some have shorter. Some are a bit more rounded - others are more pointy. As a result, you generally end up with more than one brand of brush so that you have the tool which is best suited for the particular task at hand and your individual painting style. You also have a whole lot of variety in terms of handles...lengths, shapes, thicknesses. Need to really get in there and figure out which fits you best.

I like my Escoda Optimo Filbert 0 for doing things like free hand. It is a short bristled pointed brush that works well for me for that. I use a Da Vinci Bright 0 for general painting. The bright is a chisel tip - you can do very fine or wider depending on how you orient it. I use a Raphael 8404 Round 0 for doing glazes and the like. It is a longer bristled brush so you can load a bit more paint and let it flow off the brush. When doing eyes, faces or other detailed parts - I will use a 00 or 000 (I have some smaller ones - but rarely use them as the points of the larger brushes are fine enough and the smaller ones don't hold a lot of paint).

Also have some larger brushes for doing bigger areas (cloaks and the like). I tend to prefer to use the largest brush possible to get the job done. Helps to avoid some of the banding which you see from time to time from the lap lines.