Winsor & NewtonSeries 7 Kolinsky Sable Water Colour Brush, N1

These are fairly expensive, but they are easily my preferred brushes for miniature painting (e.g. Warhammer). I have tried other Kolinsky Sable brushes, and also dabbled with synthetic brushes, but for me these just work out best. I only use acrylic paints (GW, Vallejo, etc) and don't use metallics.These have a good point, hold enough paint (but not too much) and they last a long time. They are also easy to clean and if looked after will retain their shape.I mostly use a No.1 as it is large enough but has a great point (most of the time). Smaller sizes seem to have no improvement in the tip, but have quite dramatic difference in the body and so don't offer me any advantage.I do however feel that these are quite expensive, and this means I do continue to try to find an alternative, but since they really are, for me, the best brushes, I fully expect I'll be back for more.These won't improve your painting without practice and patience, but they are far far better than cheap synthetic brushes. Try one, and look after it.

These are the absolute kings of brushes. They are pointed enough to paint eyes, but have a large enough body to collect large amounts of paint and work on larger surfaces. These do come with a premium price tag but they're the kings and that unfortunately demands a high cost.

The Winsor & Newton Series 7 gets recommended so much in the miniature painting community it is almost a cliché. I've been painting for years, but only recently finally gave into the peer pressure and bought one. I have to say this brush absolutely deserves it's reputation as the being the best brush for minis money can buy. It is an absolute pleasure to use.I have had it for about five months now, and use it almost every day, and it still has a point that looks sharp enough to hurt someone with. All I've done to maintain it is run it under a cold tap for 20 seconds after every painting session and has the same shape as the day I bought it. Not a single hair has gone rogue. It's crazy. Fantastic value for money.

Rubbish. Had it a week, used three times, brush has frayed. Gone in the bin. The N1 or N10 is not the same quality as the series 7 size 1.

These are my all time favourite brushes for fine work. You get one brush not a set so be aware of what you are getting for your money. I do a lot of crafting and especially like painting with acrylic paints. I know this is sold as a watercolour brush but it works brilliant with acrylics. It’s relatively fine at the tip so perfect for very small details but has enough body to use for slightly larger details too. I use it all the time and would normally get about 6 months use out of it. Using with acrylics is probably harder on the brush than watercolours due to the thickness of the paint so you may get a longer life if you are using watercolours. You do need to wash it carefully in warm water and don’t rub it as it damages the bristles. It comes in a tube protector and has a bristle cap. I keep mine in the tube when not in use. These are not the cheapest brushes but you get what you pay for and I love the quality. Feels nice in the hand too. I’d definitely recommend this brush.

I spent over a month using synthetic brushes before I popped open my good ones a 0 and a 1 I was told would serve most of my needs.The picture is what happened after I had opened in the packet (initially one stray hair) and dipped it in water and use the gentle rolling motion to try and bring it to a point. After it dried a bit this was the result. Further dampening would cause it to hold shape for a bit but always one or two strays.My 0 on the other hand is perfectly sharp. It seems to be a bit of a lottery judging by the comments what you're going to get.

Came in the tube, after removal of tiny plastic bristle cover the bristles seem slightly frayed. Anyway after moistening and a little twist between the lips the brush came to a perfect point. I would say the winsor size 1 is comparable to the 8404 size 0 as I placed them together to test. The winsor & Newton seems slightly softer than the Rafael 8404 but still has a good 'snap' back though I have only used it lightly ATM. This is my 1st winsor&Newton series7 though I do have 2 of the miniature brushes sizes 1 & 2. I feel I need to purchase the size 2 & 3 in the winsor&Newton series7 range to give a good comparison though I can only compare between the Rafael 8404 and Rosemary&Co ranges of brushes as these are the ranges I have used at present.

Might just be unlucky but this is the 2nd one I've had and it's just as bad as the first one. It flares out and goes 'fluffy'