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Made in us
Dakka Veteran






Do they exist? When I started 40k in 2012 I went pants- on head stupid and spent more money than I should have on GW paint brushes, only to realize that they aren't much better than my Grandma's $2 paint brushes from Walmart. Since then, I have been buying little sets of brushes from Walmart and my hobby store as I need them, but its getting really annoying having to go buy more brushes every time my minis come in the mail. Where can I find some nice, higher quality paint brushes that won't break the bank? I've been pointed to the Windsor and Newton Series 7s, but $30+ for one paint brush is a little much right now.

I went to Hershey Park in central PA this year, and I have to say I was more than a little disappointed. I fully expected the entire theme park to be make entirely of chocolate, but no. Here in America, we have "building codes," and some other nonsense about chocolate melting if don't store it someplace kept below room temperature. 
   
Made in au
Grizzled Space Wolves Great Wolf





I've been using Creative Models Kolinsky brushes, they are around $10 each, don't know if you can get them in the USA though.

Look for sable brushes, stay away from cheap synthetic brushes as they don't deal with acrylics. The Windsor and Newton are great but if you don't want to spend that much on brushes you can definitely get better than cheapo synthetic brushes.

Also take care of the brushes and they will last a lot longer. There's a ton of articles online so just google "sable brush care" rather than me typing it all out again. I use a bit of hand soap (bar type, cheap variety which isn't overly scented) to wash my brush off after use and occasionally during use if I think paint has gotten near the ferrule.
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran






Western Massachusetts

 Powerfisting wrote:
Do they exist? When I started 40k in 2012 I went pants- on head stupid and spent more money than I should have on GW paint brushes, only to realize that they aren't much better than my Grandma's $2 paint brushes from Walmart. Since then, I have been buying little sets of brushes from Walmart and my hobby store as I need them, but its getting really annoying having to go buy more brushes every time my minis come in the mail. Where can I find some nice, higher quality paint brushes that won't break the bank? I've been pointed to the Windsor and Newton Series 7s, but $30+ for one paint brush is a little much right now.


WN7s don't cost $30 per brush for the sizes you need. Here's the thing, though. If you want good brushes you have to spend good money. It's as simple as that. The good thing though is that they pay off over the long run compared to constantly replacing crappy brushes.

Here's a link to a size 1 - http://amzn.to/1xBOluL - It'll cost you about $20. If you take care of it you'll get 20 lifetimes of GW brushes out of it.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/01/02 22:45:07


   
Made in au
Grizzled Space Wolves Great Wolf





 Dullspork wrote:
 Powerfisting wrote:
Do they exist? When I started 40k in 2012 I went pants- on head stupid and spent more money than I should have on GW paint brushes, only to realize that they aren't much better than my Grandma's $2 paint brushes from Walmart. Since then, I have been buying little sets of brushes from Walmart and my hobby store as I need them, but its getting really annoying having to go buy more brushes every time my minis come in the mail. Where can I find some nice, higher quality paint brushes that won't break the bank? I've been pointed to the Windsor and Newton Series 7s, but $30+ for one paint brush is a little much right now.


WN7s don't cost $30 per brush for the sizes you need. Here's the thing, though. If you want good brushes you have to spend good money. It's as simple as that. The good thing though is that they pay off over the long run compared to constantly replacing crappy brushes.

Here's a link to a size 1 - http://amzn.to/1xBOluL - It'll cost you about $20. If you take care of it you'll get 20 lifetimes of GW brushes out of it.
I've been meaning to try a WN7 to see how they compare to cheaper Kolinsky brushes (I've heard the cheaper ones don't use the tail tip, but I mean from an actual painting perspective) however my Creative Models brush has maintained a perfect tip for so long I haven't gotten around to replacing it yet
   
Made in us
Screeching Screamer of Tzeentch





Vancouver, Wa

I've had good luck with the Army Painter brushes. They are price comparable to GW brushes, and last longer.
   
Made in no
Hacking Interventor






Personally I don't like the AP brushes.
My AP brushes split on me after one painted mini.
Now I'm using W&N S7.

I may be an donkey-cave, but at least I'm an equal oppurtunity donkey-cave...

 
   
Made in ca
Fresh-Faced New User




I use Scharff brushes from Secrret weapon and those are great brushes. I recommend you get a size 2 and a size 0. You don't need anything smaller, the tip on these brushes is really good.
http://www.secretweaponminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=29&zenid=8fb07b90b4f7e6bbb3feff8d1ee8192b

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2015/01/03 18:39:58


 
   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran






Prandtl wrote:
I use Scharff brushes from Secrret weapon and those are great brushes. I recommend you get a size 2 and a size 0. You don't need anything smaller, the tip on these brushes is really good.
http://www.secretweaponminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=29&zenid=8fb07b90b4f7e6bbb3feff8d1ee8192b


Those look good, actually. I looked at secret weapon brushes before and thought it would be a good buy some day. I think I'll get these.

I went to Hershey Park in central PA this year, and I have to say I was more than a little disappointed. I fully expected the entire theme park to be make entirely of chocolate, but no. Here in America, we have "building codes," and some other nonsense about chocolate melting if don't store it someplace kept below room temperature. 
   
Made in us
Changing Our Legion's Name




WN series 7 or davinci are the go-to answers. However, I find that you need a certain skill level to get your money's worth out of higher quality brushes.

I do like the army painter brushes. I find them to be better than citadel brushes at a lower cost. I went through several sets of them in 2-3 years and I found I learned how to get more out of brushes using them out.
   
Made in us
Dipping With Wood Stain







Prandtl wrote:
I use Scharff brushes from Secrret weapon and those are great brushes. I recommend you get a size 2 and a size 0. You don't need anything smaller, the tip on these brushes is really good.
http://www.secretweaponminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=29&zenid=8fb07b90b4f7e6bbb3feff8d1ee8192b


This a thousand times.
   
Made in ca
Fixture of Dakka






First of all, W&N Series 7 brushes are up to size 0 are all less than $20 (and less than $15 on sale), and size 1/2 are maybe $5 more.

Second, the trick to keeping your brush expenses down isn't to buy cheap brushes -- it's to CLEAN your really good brushes so that every time you're finished, they look just like they did when it shipped to you. The performance of a brush that is clean versus one that has paint residue on it is huge. A clean Citadel brush is much better than a gunked-up Series 7.

A quality brush that's well-maintained lasts a very, very long time (*hundreds* of hours).

I won't get into the pro's and cons of one brand versus another in this thread... there are plenty of those in the forum, but suffice it to say that my personal preference is W&N Series 7.
   
Made in us
Colonel





This Is Where the Fish Lives

 Powerfisting wrote:
Prandtl wrote:
I use Scharff brushes from Secrret weapon and those are great brushes. I recommend you get a size 2 and a size 0. You don't need anything smaller, the tip on these brushes is really good.
http://www.secretweaponminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=29&zenid=8fb07b90b4f7e6bbb3feff8d1ee8192b


Those look good, actually. I looked at secret weapon brushes before and thought it would be a good buy some day. I think I'll get these.
You won't be disappointed, they are fantastic brushes. Like everyone else has been saying, just make sure you take care of it.

 d-usa wrote:
"When the Internet sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending posters that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing strawmen. They're bringing spam. They're trolls. And some, I assume, are good people."
 
   
Made in gb
Secretive Dark Angels Veteran



UK - Warwickshire

All fine advice above

Just throwing another supplier out there; Rosemary and Co

Kollinksy Sable (top end)
http://www.rosemaryandco.com/watercolour-brushes/pure-kolinsky-sable/pure-kolinsky-pointed

Red Sable (budget sable)
http://www.rosemaryandco.com/watercolour-brushes/pure-red-sable/pointed-pure-red-sable

Theyve also got the red sables on two other handle styles, and countless other bristle hair types and brush shapes/sizes.

I'm talking to them currently about having some kollinksy sables made on some of the chunky triangular handles from their series 101,
Have a whole pot of their brushes, couldnt reccomend them enough, theyre on par with my series 7's for half the price (so get 2)

'Ain't nothing crazy about me but my brain. Right brain? Riight! No not you right brain! Right left brain? Right!... Okay then lets do this!! 
   
 
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