Series 7 Kolinsky Sable Water Colour Brush, N2

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.

This is the second of these brushes that I've owned. The first (from an art shop) lasted over two years. This one, hasn't lasted 6 months of infrequent use. It's totally lost its tip and is in a worse state than the much older brush. Upon comparison to brushes that are directly form Winsor Newton, the gold writing on shaft if a totally different shade. I'm not convinced this is a legitimate Winsor Newton series 7, it's certainly of poor quality.

Windsor & Newton Series 7 are the benchmark for great brushes in my opinion. I use them to paint miniatures and they last for a long time when taken good care of. A little bit on the more expensive side, so not suited for people on a budget but overall a good investment. The brush arrived well protected in a plastic tube, and the tip was well formed upon receiving.

Excellent quality

Great brush

I've heard so many people touting the excellence of this brushes, and was greatly disappointed when they were actually pretty run-of-the-mill. I got two of these(no.1's) at the same time, one of them is good and holds a point fairly well, the other one fishtails frequently despite being cleaned and looked after and loses any point I try to make with it very quickly which is pain when painting miniatures eyes and fine details. I've read online that many other people have found that the quality control of brushes from W&N lately has gone downhill - shame I didn't read those until after I forked out cash for a mediocre product. Your experience may vary - but the point of these brands is that you expect consistency in their excellence, not pot luck.