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I'm trying to finish an entry for Games Day and my smelly GW brushes are beginning to split at the tips, which has made me very frustrated.  I don't care about price anymore, I just want brushes I can rely on.  What are the absolute best miniature painting brushes out there?  I saw that Vallejo made a line of brushes, but couldn't find any reviews on them.  Shed some light please?

- Oaka

If you don't care about price, then I'd suggest GW brushes. Personally, I've never had any problems with them. Occasionally they split at the tip if painting over rough detail, in which case I wash the brush and form it into a point again and no problems.
Apart from that, I've used el cheapo, brandless brushes. These can be real cheap ($2 Australian!) but probably won't last you more than a week or two of decent use.

Winsor & Newton Series 7 Kolinsky.

They run from $15 - $20+ per brush, but they are really the best brushes you'll ever use. I'd suggest looking for them locally, so that you can find one with the best looking tip, but there are online retailers as well, such as dickblick: here

I personally use 3/0 and 0 sizes, and have really never needed anything smaller, or larger.

If you are going to invest the time into painting a competition level miniature, it is best to also invest some money into good equipment. While shopping for brushes, also pick up some brush soap/cleaner. Pink soap is what I use: here

Clean with this soap after every painting session, and sometimes between each color, to prevent subtle cross-contamination of colors.

Vallejo brushes are also made of kolinsky, if I remember correctly, but I've not read any reviews on them.

Remember to keep paint out of the ferrule, and to keep the protective caps on when you're not using them

Jennifer Haley recommendation

For brushes in the $5-$10 range I recommend the Loew Cornell brushes. If you're willing to spend more, go with the aforementioned Winsor & Newton Series 7.

Raphael brushes are my favorite. They can be found in art stores or online at Dick Blick. They make both sable and synthetic bristles and I've had good results with both types. Some of the Euro GD winners use them if that counts for anything, but I've heard some use the GW brushes too. I suppose master painters can achieve superior results with brushes of any quality. Taklon and golden taklon are types of synthetic fibers, polyester is another. Sapphire and W&N are good brands too.

I just ordered a set of the five smallest Winsor and Newton Kolinsky brushes, along with some brush soap and even a couple of those micron pens for some body tattoo work.  After reading Jen Haley's comments and the tutorial on how to care for brushes, it's no wonder why my brushes have gone to hell.  Thanks for the input, it's great that everyone agreed on the same line as being the best.

- Oaka

I use Loew-Cornell. I get them at a local arts and crafts store (Michaels) so I like them.

Hold up reasonably well, but my brother tends to abuse them and make them die--most famously when he took 2 of my 20$ brushes, used them (up to the metal part) in gold enamal paint for his Tau, then LEFT it in there to do something else, so not only did I lose the paint, but 40 dollars in brushes.

*EDIT* After reading that page by Jen, I realize that I wish MY close personal females would paint mini's too...

As Born again mentioned GW brushes have a tendency to split at the tip. I have often found this, and unless you work in a GW store and have an endless supply of free brushes (as was the case when i used to work there) they aren't very practical.

These days i use GW brushes for mixing paint! I use misc high quality brushes from my local Art store. I'm not fussy about the brand, as long as they have a good tip or shape for the job intended. I've found that most Art store brushes (whilst costly) are fantastic value.

I've had my fine detail brushes for about 3 years and they are still in excellent condition.

However, its important to note that a brush is only as good as the care given to it by the painter. Even high quality brushes will die fast if not maintained correctly. Always clean them after every use, be sure to remove paint from the metal neck fully, dry them on kitchen roll or tissue paper, put them away in a case of envelope sleve. And never EVER leave them tip down in a pot of water! 

I just ordered a set of the five smallest Winsor and Newton Kolinsky brushes, along with some brush soap and even a couple of those micron pens for some body tattoo work. After reading Jen Haley's comments and the tutorial on how to care for brushes, it's no wonder why my brushes have gone to hell. Thanks for the input, it's great that everyone agreed on the same line as being the best.

Looks like I'm a little late to this thread, but I'll chime in anyway. I agree with the Series 7 recommendation, but keep in mind there are TWO lines of Series 7 brushes -- the regular line and the "Miniature" line. The Miniature brushes are built a little stubbier and are generally a little better for our hobby.

And I dunno what Dick Blick charges, but I order mine from www.aswexpress.com for over 50% off list price. Next time, check 'em out.

Thanks Gorgon, it turned out I had ordered the wrong kind and was able to change my order to the miniature line before shipping.  The miniature line is a little pricier, I noticed, but dickblick sells them at 45% off.  I will be having a ceremonial pyre set alight this weekend for my Games Workshop brushes.

- Oaka

If you like synthetic britstles, DaVinci brushes are great.

The Series 7 are good.

Escoda 1212 are also excellent, as are the Vallejos.

The GW brushes mostly suck.

The Series 7 are good.

Escoda 1212 are also excellent, as are the Vallejos.

The GW brushes mostly suck.

I have to agree with what Gund' said; go with the art store brushes/paints, not the gaming store stuff.

From personal experience, you can find better quality at better prices at virtually any art store; be it a Micheal's chain store, or a local college's supplies at their book store. For example, my favorite acrylics I get from a local art store are around $1.50 for a two ounce bottle. GW paints are $3.00 for .4 ounce. In other words, GW paints are literally ten times as expensive, and I feel that the art store paints are higher quality.

I hate to throw my LFGS under the bus as far as their painting supplies are concerned, but they are just plain overpriced by any measure.

Sal.

I have blown tons of money on brushes till I found Reaper's Brushes

http://www.reapermini.com/store/customer/product.php?productid=1126&cat=0&page=1

$12.99 US you can't beat it. I have a set that has lasted 10 times longer than any other brushes, I have a new set in blister as a back up! All you need other than that is some junk dry brushes and a large base brush. I can't tell enough people try Reaper....I will not buy other brushes.

I'll give them a look.

Funny that Reaper's premier painter uses Winsor and Newton brushes then.

Does this help at all?

I wrote this after posting surveys in multiple facebook groups, Reddit threads and twitter. I had over 1000 responses suggesting the best brush and wrote the summary below.

https://fauxhammer.com/top-10/top-10-best-brushes-for-painting-miniatures-2019/

While we don't generally have an issue with Threadnomancy in the P&M sections, in this case most of the thirteen year old links above are broken, so there's probably not much point keeping this open.