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What brushes do you prefer? What brands and sizes do you find to be the best for what uses?

I'm sure we'll see a lot of the usual responses to questions like this but I want to point out something that isn't mentioned much: the best brush depends on if you're starting out painting or looking to improve your tools.

If you're brand new to painting then go buy a bag o' brushes that look small enough to do the job. I found a set of 3 nail brushes for $1 online once, but you can easily get 20 brushes from your local giant retail store for $3 or $4. Use these until you learn to take care of a brush: it's so easy to get paint in the fuller, and so convenient to leave the brush soaking in water bristles down. At such a cheap price, you won't be sad if one gets ruined. Plus later on the brushes will still be useful as you'll want to avoid uses metallic paints with your red sable hair brushes and you'll want some cheap dry brushes as well. Lastly, entry cost to this hobby can get expensive quickly. A cheap bag of brushes is way to ease the pain on your wallet.

Now if you've been painting a while and just want a brush that works well finally, I recently bought some brushes form Rosemary & Co. They were about $7 each and got to the US just fine despite the red sable hair ban going on right now. I got sizes 0, 1, and 2. I was told that with a quality brush the super small sizes that Army Painter sells won't be necessary because the point will be amazing. Well that's true. My "psycho" size Army Painter brush is only used for edge highlighting metallic areas now. Winsor & Newton series 7 is often claimed to be the best out there but right now they can be hard to find and a lot of people claim that other brands like Rosemary & Co. or Raphael are just as good. Fun fact that could probably use some fact checking: the series 7 name comes from the fact that the queen's favorite size brush is a size 7, so they named all their brushes that out of respect (or maybe to confuse her). There is another brand called Raphael but everyone who recommends them says "Raphael ****" with four numbers at the end and I can never remember what they are. Moreso I can never find a place to buy that specific number of Raphael brushes.

There was an article I read when trying to convince myself that it's O.K that I don't buy W&N brushes and "settle" for brushes from Rosemary & Co. The end of the article said that he liked the three top contenders but had a personal preference toward one in particular (sorry I can't remember but it wasn't W&N). In the end he said they're all great, it's just what you like best of those options.

Tydil has a pretty good outlook on it

Budget and proficiency play a big part in the selection. When you start out, you tend to be a little rough on brushes, and tend not to have the patience to do the little things to keep them tip top -- no paint in the ferrule and no dried paint on the brush are then top two.

Plus, synthetic brushes are stiffer and easier to learn on.

I also think everyone should learn how to use flat and filberts properly, as they make a big difference in getting a nice coat on, and for blending in certain situations.

Once you really enjoy the hobby, you owe it to yourself to own one set of nice brushes; it does make a big difference and ups your game a notch, and it's just plain more fun.

Personally, my go-to rounds are Winsor & Newton Series 7 sizes 1, 0, 00. I own a zillion other brushes but these, plus some flats, account for the bulk of my painting.

8404 is the number you're looking for, Tydil. W&N's Series 7 and Raphael's 8404 lines are generally touted as the best of the best, but there are plenty of "lesser" brands that are still a massive step up in quality (but not always price) from the usual hobby fare.

For most of my work, I use a mix of Rosemary & Co. Series 33 and 99 (all rounds, one line being red sable and the other Kolinsky), in the 0-2 size range. However, as mentioned, other brushes are handy to have around. Nearly all sizes and shapes have their use (although, for the largest ones, they rarely apply) - I prefer filberts for drybrushing, use nylon when working with harsh solvents, etc.

Do a quick search and poke through old threads if you want more reviews - there have been any number in the same vein, many of which include my thoughts on R&Co. brushes in more detail.

A similar thread here..
With many detailed responses.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/621235.page

Once you go sable there is no going back