The closeup of how the series 7 holds paint, it looks so sickly.

I remember first using them when i attended comic book school as part of the inking class something like... god, it's been 18 years already? They were just fine at the time and when i stopped inking and started watercoloring i just repurposed them. and i kept buying them for a few years after and i literally saw the downfall in quality in these brushes. It was so stark. When i found rosemary&co brushes I just screamed and started insulting w&n for all the money they made me waste.

@recoveringsoul755

3 жыл бұрын

Good to know they used to be good

@ElectricAlice

3 жыл бұрын

@@recoveringsoul755 yeah I still have the first ones I bought. they still perform

@Captain_MonsterFart

3 жыл бұрын

Comic book school must have been so fun! Was it that one in New Jersey? Kubrick? I looked into going but Yank schools are freakin' expensive. I never got around to getting serious about pursuing that career. It's one of my life's regrets. Now I hear the pay isn't worth the time you put in so screw it.

@ElectricAlice

3 жыл бұрын

​@@Captain_MonsterFart yeah it was fun! Some of the best memories and my closest lifelong friends came from it. but it was in Rome, Italy, I'm not in the US! So, not as expensive, I managed to pay for it myself at the time. Also yes, the pay is not good, I ended up working in illustration and now in fashion but I don't regret a second of it.

I have two series 7 from W&N . N.6 and n.7 the difference is enormous. The n.6 holds the point super well and release the water well but I can’t say that for the n.7 that has problems to maintain the shape. I think the nice thing about this brushes is the sables, super soft , perfect for botanical drawings. When you get used to it ,they are the best brushes ever. But they are not for everyone. From n.000 to n.6 the tip is perfect From n.7 to n.14 the soft sables can’t hold the tip perfectly Sorry for my bad English (I’m Italian )

@BarbrajoanOriginals

3 жыл бұрын

Marco Fontolan Marco, don’t apologize for your English. It’s perfect.

@jasminekuo656

Жыл бұрын

My No.6 works pretty shitty. I want my money back…

@andrewryabinin7341

9 ай бұрын

Yes, you're right, it is very soft and the feel that you get from painting with this brush is unparalleled.

Teoh, I’m sorry that you were disappointed in the WN Series 7. I have owned several, the #8, and the #6. I found that it made a good sharp point if I snapped it. I purchased my first one more than 25 years ago, and can still use it. But I must say I believe they are a bit overrated. I don’t like using animal hair anymore and some of the synthetics are just as good and better. Tallahassee, Florida

This made me go through my watercolor brush collection, all cheapies. My best brush is a synthetic Richeson Steven Quiller no. 12, I bought for $12, but lists for $25 now. Always goes to an instant point if it's wet and you tap the handle. One of these days I will have to 'break down' and buy a natural brush to see what I'm missing. Your final comment, 'hmmm....' -priceless.

That brush didn't even act like real sable??? I would contact W&N to have them explain the quality issue. They will see this video...They should be fixing the problem.

Teoh I'm so grateful for you & your videos. You are very thorough, very fair, & you are very smart so I feel like when I watch your reviews you try the things I would as well, & then more. You honestly make videos where you buy & try something so we don't have to. PS- such a cute sketch of Tiffany! Thank you!!

thank you , as always, Teoh .. for your time and effort with this reviews .. they are so helpful !!

OH YES! Thank you for the video on this. I am always on the look out for good quality brushes & other's opinions on good or bad quality brushes!

This series of brushes used to be excellent years ago but the quality has nose-dived in recent years. Now they are overpriced rubbish. Winsor and Newton should be ashamed of themselves.

I was waiting for this video for so long and this exact week I was going to order the WN SS 7 but I was very hesitant. Thank you!

Oi! I tried my first sable and returned it. Spent a year savoring my Escoda Versatils and finally took the plunge after I saw you using the Rosemary and Co. travel brush. I love, absolutely love, Rosemary & Co! Thank you!

I like it when you do different categories in your reviews.

Thank you for another excellent and informative video...just what I needed and now I can move on to a better choice.

Thanks for another great video Teoh. Interesting to see how this brush performs and handles. Think I will continue to be an Escoda brush 🖌 fan! 😉 Take care.

Seriously Teoh, your channel deserves more subscribers!!!!!

One of the most expensive brushes on earth! It should perform heavenly! I have cheap chinese brushes that are performing better then the one from W&N you have there!

@EdoHannema-Watercolour-Art

3 жыл бұрын

@@bourbon_sketcher I have some more expensive chinese brushes too. But not at the level of a series 7

@aylinbegum5744

3 жыл бұрын

me too ! But I never use the ones with animals bristles. Excepted goat air that I like much for some washes. I don't think goats suffer that much for giving wool as it is the case for small animals like badgers for example.

@EdoHannema-Watercolour-Art

3 жыл бұрын

@@aylinbegum5744 I have a lot of goat hair brushes. I have for 40 years a badger shaving brush. 40 years ago it was not yet wrong to buy. I dont throw it away either because it is wrong now!

@brainfornothing

3 жыл бұрын

Agree. I bought 3 chinese "cailigraphy brushes" for less than 4 € and they work great, but you need to glue the base of the hair, they fall apart very quickly otherwise. I used a few drops of cyanoacrylate. Cheers !

@ZenTeaNow

3 жыл бұрын

Can you tell me what brand of Chinese brushes you use?

After 150 years we still don’t know how to make brushes! God Save the Queen xD

@arcuda2001

3 жыл бұрын

lololol

@kookatsoonjan

3 жыл бұрын

LOL...God Save her...Victoria!

@zulrechdog1739

3 жыл бұрын

Right XD

Thank you so much for your awesome and super helpful review!

I really realllllyyyy love your drawing styleeee

Ah...I was going to save up for one of these. I won’t now lol. Recently I have got into using Jackson Art’s own brushes and they are really good. Thanks for this review.

I have 3 WN septre gold brushes. I believe they are Sable and Synthetic mix. They hold a lot of water and keep a good point. I'm glad I didn't spend the money on the series seven . Instead I purchased 3 Escoda on your recomdation 3 years ago and could not be happier!!

A very interesting review indeed! I've seen videos on how they hand make these W&N brushes and thought it was mesmerising but from your review... it really tells alot and I'll just stick to more consistent brands like Escoda, Da Vinci and Nevskaya Palitra! Also, it was really weird that when the brush entered the water, there are many curvy strands standing out.... definitely feels like something is wrong. But thanks for reviewing this for all of us! It is definitely costly and I hope you'll still manage to be able to use the brush so that it will be "worth it" for you! Loved how you ended the video at "Hmmm... " 🤣

This made my day, thank you

I had the same problem with DaVinci sable that was crazy expensive (they refunded and shipped a new one). The end is a flat instead of a point. I stopped buying 100% sable and prefer mixed hairs now.

@BarbrajoanOriginals

3 жыл бұрын

Same here, in fact I prefer the mixed or synthetics.

Great review! I’ve had a similar experience. I bought two of them in the 1980s. They were the only kolinsky sable around and highly recommended. However, they never pointed well, and I found them too soft. They’re not worth the money, and many modern synthetic outperform them. I think the one exception is if you are painting a large flat wash - for example on a half or full sheet painting. The synthetic brushes run out of liquid much faster. But that’s never an issue in sketchbook work. For sables, like you, I’ve found daVinci, Escoda and Rosemary & Co much better.

That’s good to know! I have the WN cotman and I will have to test them like this ^

Hi, Teoh. This is unnacceptable quality, given their reputation. I have been using Series 7 brushes for my miniature detail painting for years now and I still actually use them today, but I have never come by any that couldn't keep a point. From my experience, they are (or probably with QA issues now "were") truly worth the price and they perform extremely well with smooth control of water/pigment release and spring. Some people who've never tried them think they are overrated, but I can attest that they perform as advertised, or at least, used to. It might be that the new batch has extremely lousy quality control and I can definitely say the same for their "Professional Watercolour Brushes", that can never keep a point, I have 6 of them and none of them keep the point. That said, I can vouch for the older production of Series 7, they are great and never fails (with proper care, of course). It was a hassle returning them, so I am using them as mops or swatch brushes. I have since switched to Rosemary Brushes, so I cannot say for the new batch of Series 7s, of which I have heard many similar issues from my friends and contacts. Hope that helps, perhaps you can return it?

@teohyc

3 жыл бұрын

I’ll be using mine as a mop brush and whenever this brush makes an appearance in video again I will warn my audience about it.

I had heard about the problems, sorry to see they're true for you. I love Escoda.

Very interesting!! I bought a W&N series 7 size 6 on amazon years ago & was not impressed...I thought maybe I received a fake! I never noticed the spread out hairs when in the water. Now I’m curious to see if that happens to mine too.

The warnings about not sticking brushes in your mouth are because a lot of pigments are toxic. So they don't want to encourage people putting them in their mouth. I haven't used a series 7 that large before, but the smaller sizes like 0 00. You have to give a little bit of a twist as you load them with paint to get them to form a point.

I've had a pretty good experience with the Winsor & Newton Series 7, with my newest one (7 Round) being about 2 years old. It still has a nice point, and holds water perfectly. I also have a couple of riggers, and older rounds in sizes 8, 4 and 2 all of which were gifted to me used about 4 years ago. The WN7 sable brushes tend to keep a point much longer than synthetics in my opinion, and they are solid work brushes. I will admit, I miss my da Vinci kolinsky sable that went to an art student when I got all the WN7 brushes. The da Vinci brushes feel better in the hand and seem to be more luxurious. It's sad that the WN7 brushes no longer live up to the reputation that they build up over many decades.

The quality of these brushes have seemingly always been very inconsistent. I have one and it doesn't work any better than my cheaper ones but I used my friends and it worked rather well. Idk what the deal with with these brushes you're better off with an alternative like a Rapheal 8404 or something lol

I have a no. 2 DaVinci Casaneo I bought for less than $30 US after you reviewed that range of brushes a while back. I *love* that brush. I use it for everything. It holds tons of water, releases it very predictably, makes lovely flat washes, and snaps back to a needle point for details/thin lines. I re-did some of the tests you put the WN Series 7 through and DaVinci's synthetic squirrel mop did a better job than WN's real-hair professional-grade brush. I don't know what exactly that says about Winsor and Newton's quality, but it's nothing good

Great review!!

I returned my series 7 too, it would make wispy ragged lines because it wasnt tapered properly, kinda like a bad bob style haircut. I bought a size 6 Isabey, travel kolinsky from amazon, on a sale for 17 dollars. It has become my favorite travel companion or anytime reliable brush. My only problem is that the isabey runs a full size smaller than the standard and the lack of larger sizes. I would buy them out if they offered them in a bigger size, at any price.

Thanks for the review! I had the same problem that the brushes tip became flat and not pointy (mine are no.2 ,4) . I thought Aren’t they supposed to be the best Kolinsky brushes!? Or i did something wrong with them. Now it’s all clear.

Thank you for your review on this brush. I've been mildly considering purchasing one since it's supposed to be the "best" brush out there... but that's by W&N's marketing terms. I mostly stayed away from it because I'm not fond of Kolinsky brushes. I think it's an unnecessary and cruel practice anymore given the amazing quality available in synthetic brushes now. I'm really happy with my Princeton Neptune brushes instead. Even their #6 quill can come to a sharp point. Best of all, they're relatively budget-friendly, too. Have you used Princeton Neptune brushes?

Cane right here when notification came:) i love my sakura koi watercolour from overjoyed when i bought on Thursday and I forgot to buy new brushe😭😭

I have a Winsor Newton "artist watercolour sable" and a "professional water colour sable" #3. I've had them over 10 years. They are both excellent for inking with india ink. I have long wondered what the difference is between those and the fabled Series 7 would be. I guess the quality has gone down so I'll never know. Back in the day all the comic book inkers swore by them. I am pretty new to watercolour so I don't know if it's just me, but I don't enjoy using those two brushes that way at all. I tried getting a Rosemary and Co. #3 for the heck of it. But the numbers don't correspond. It's a bit bigger.

Teoh, I have a full set of Series 7, bought around 2000. They all handle better than the 2 you had... however... even then I received a number 6 with a improperly fitted ferrel out of the box. I have always treated them like pre ious gems do to replacement costs... and some where about 10 years ago I stumbled into a sale at Jerry’s Artorama, for one of their private label ie inexpensive sets... Rhapsody, kolinsky sable... figured I could use them for down and dirty stuff saving the 7’s for fine stuff... much to my amazement the Rhapsodies handled as well or better than the 7’s ever did. In all honesty they have been my go to brush since.

For needle pointed tip, I only trust da Vinci Maestro series 35. I have bought a Rosemary series 33 and it behave similar to your WN 7. They (Michael from Rosemary & Co) offered to send a replacement with my next order but I have not made a new order yet. It was at least one year ago so I guess they wont remember :D. Nice company though.

I was lucky to get a good Series 7, purchased about a year and a half ago, but I don’t love it compared to my other brushes, including the synthetics. It came with the metal a little bent (easily fixed), and overall it performs just adequately. I don’t think much of W&N watercolours so I don’t touch this brand much, but I’d wanted to try this one for myself because of the reputation. Turns out I never use it.

Hello Teoh, I have no W&N brushes, but I have a DaVinci brush that is quite old and reliable. Last time I was at a Daniel Smith store I tried a W&N I really liked it but the price was just too much. Thanks for this review, W&N may be riding on their past quality history but many artist may be using older brushes actually BETTER than what they are producing at present. ClaudiaSJI

@BarbrajoanOriginals

3 жыл бұрын

Gary Weybright Yes your right about their brushes being better made long ago. I have two Series 7 brushes bought over 30 years ago, but wouldn’t buy them today.

@garyweybright3227

3 жыл бұрын

Barbra Joan , thanks for this Barbara. Just for kicks, what sable brush if any do like best in 2020? ClaudiaSJI (Gary’s wife)

Amazing. I wanted to try these brushes, but I was cheap so I bought a size 2. I can't judge very well because it's so small. It did not perform that badly, however, I can get a finer line out of my larger synthetics that come to a better point.

@teohyc

3 жыл бұрын

Smaller ones seem to have better quality control, at least from what I have read

I have a series 7 size 7, and don’t use it. But the Winsor & Newton series 7 size 2 is my only brush for doing dry brush botanical watercolor.

Wow! That was astonishingly bad for as much as these brushes cost. I'm grateful for your review.

Interesting, thanks for doing this. I've tried them out, but never found them that good for me - huge fan of da Vinci - maestro brushes. I wonder if their "legendary status" is more for comic book artists. I know quite a few who swear by them as it holds the ink really well and you get a good line. I imagine ink behaves differently to watercolour.

I've got one in size 2 and it is one of my favorite brushes, but I prefer DaVinci. They aren't as easy to come by as the DaVinci so I haven't bought more. It seemed a lot of comic book inkers sweared by the Winsor & Newton brushes in the 80s and 90s which is why I was interested in trying one myself. It's crazy that such a high quality brush line should have so many issues though. Hopefully this video will nudge them to step up their quality control.

@teohyc

3 жыл бұрын

I read that too about comic artists and artists working at animation studios. But I guess that was the past

Same thing happened to me and when I exchanged it I got a proper brush that makes a better point than your replacement. Bummer about their quality control because it’s a lovely brush (size 7, bought it last month)

I own two very small series 7 brushes I use for botanical illustrations but Id never spend big bucks on anything bigger than that. Anyhow thanks for thevid...as always I usually go to your channel before I buy a new brush.

Wow, I would contact W&N and show them your video - ask them to replace the brush you have as well. I have several Series 7 brushes and have never had a problem with them. Although I bought them several years ago. I just went and used my size 6 again just to be sure... and it works like a dream. It comes to a sharp point every time and has a spring like it should. It releases paint well too. I am not sure why you got two really bad ones. I would definitely get it replaced. :-( I like your sleeping child image!

Sorry to hear that your experience was such a failure. I got all 3 w&n series 7 in perfect working condition, and both were shipped overseas ( I am in Vietnam for the time being). I have size 7 ( the one that comes with a wooden box) and two "normal' in size 2 and 4... all pointing perfectly, holding paint and water and retaining shape...Definitely most pleasant brushes to work with. At least for my way of drawing. And all were bought in last 6 moinths. On the other side, I have exactly the same problem with the ecoda reserva ( travel) size 12... like copy-pasted... I thought it was because of extremely powerful glue they use to protect the brush, but I am week into using it and although there's a slight improvement it still doesn't point or retain shape nowhere near to what it should... I'll receive replacement soon, but I am curios if our problem is glue related...

The way it looks in the water is similar to my cheap Art Secret mixed sable brushes, but my cheap sable brushes do keep very good points.

Thank you for this video! I was saving to buy that brush, being in Canada it's even more expensive. I will be looking at other brands. Its a shame, ive had a very fineW&N brush for 50 years, when i started and it is still fine. The handle looks beaten up but the hairs are still springing back. I guess quality is not what it used to be😔

@teohyc

2 жыл бұрын

Consider Da Vinci, Rosemary or Escoda. That's the order of my preference.

Which rosemary seria is best? Top of the top?

I thought I'd bought a bummer when WN brought out the series 7 number 12 again. But my brush also does not point well. Fortunately I got on a sale and it wasn't as horribly expensive as they are today. That said, I have rarely used it and would not take a chance on series 7 again. I suppose it would make sense to start using it for some rougher work and save the better ones for gentle use so I get some value from it.

I love their paint, I will never use their brushes. Thank you for saving us time and money!

That's unfortunate that you had a bad experience I love my series 7 brush, I'm only using it with black ink and not water colors so there may be a viscosity discrepancy but mine always holds it's shape. I've never focused on wether or not it frays in water or loaded it up with water only black ink so I'm thinking that mayb these brushes aren't the best for water color anymore since it seems that mostly inkers are using them currently. It just sucks that it didn't work out for you, I know how it feels to be let down by a tool you are looking forward to use.

Her Majesty would not be amused!

I recommend da vinci series 35 ,size 9.It is really great,but I didn’t satisfied with series 11,It lost lots of hair and I got it back.

I've also heard the series 7s are hit-and-miss with regards to quality in recent years. If you do buy one, I definitely suggest taking the time to browse through Ebay to find a well-cared-for vintage one. Or just be like me and stick with Rosemary brushes - they have never let me down.

Lol i love how you ended it. “Winsor and Newton... hmmmm” yeah I have a series 7 that I actually hate, it sits in my collection as decoration. Every time I consider reaching for it, I think about how frustrating it is to work with.

@teohyc

3 жыл бұрын

You can use it as a mop brush

@icanhazKnit

3 жыл бұрын

Teoh Yi Chie 🤣🤣🤣

I have a whole range of Nevskaya Palitra brushes, both squirrel and kolinsky sable, and they are all ace. The price is much lower, but the brushes are excellent.

Hey Teoh! I recently bought a few watercolor brushes at my local art store for about $9-$17 each depending on the size. They are the Princeton Aqua Elite series, sizes 6, 8, and 12 and I've been very very satisfied with them so far. I'd like to see your opinion on them!

@teohyc

3 жыл бұрын

I heard good things about those brushes but I have not tried them myself

yep, the series 7 used to be the standard. if you wanted to jump into a good quality brush, that was the brush that was always recommended. not so much anymore. they aren't what they used to be, they've had serious issues with quality for what now seems like years. it's a brush that you should definitely try in a store with some water, and not order online. I like the davinci maestro 35. great brushes.

Honestly, Teoh, imho you should talk to Jackson's and ask them to exchange this expensive brush for a similar one from DaVinci or another good brand. If you send the link to this video, I am sure, they will not hesitate to send you another. As far as I know their service is excellent. I only have one W&N brush and it's the Professional Water Colour Sable One Stroke in 10mm. It does a similar weird thing in the water although not as bad as yours but when I pull it out it seems fine and holds/gives off the water well. I guess I was lucky! 😉

@teohyc

3 жыл бұрын

I'll keep this to use as a mop brush and mention it in every video that the brush makes an appearance to warn others.

@ChrissieNicely

3 жыл бұрын

@@teohyc Haha, Teoh! Revenge is sweet (and best served cold), eh! 😯😆

@teohyc

3 жыл бұрын

@@ChrissieNicely I more public service than revenge. lol

@ChrissieNicely

3 жыл бұрын

@@teohyc Oh yes, that you certainly do! And we are all absolutely and ever so grateful for it! 🥰👍🏻 Btw. do you, by any chance, have a bottle of W&N Granulation Medium? I am trying to find out what it says on the ingredients list and I cannot get to the art store right now.

@teohyc

3 жыл бұрын

@@ChrissieNicely Not sure about WN but Schmincke granulation medium is made with Ethanol

Adoi, the "cucumber" strokes! 😱 Thanks for this great video review! Now I treasure my cheaper no-brand brushes even more. At least mine can taper and transfer colour well.

Im having exactly the same issue with a size 6. Also when it dries it spreading like crazy. Its so weird maybe they dont get good quality these days so they use roadkill cats now instead

Wow, this is quite an eye opener. One would think a brush of a known brand in their top priceclass would perform flawlessly. I started WC about half a year ago, one of my favorite brushes is a chinese calligraphy brush I bought years ago on a whim in a cheapo craft store and laid unused in a drawer all that time. It shedded a couple of hairs when I started using it, after that it performs great, holds a ton of water and keeps a great point (wish I had bought a couple more, could have gotten at least 15 for the price of that single W&N!).

@cristinasunrise6309

3 жыл бұрын

No brush should be pointed in your mouth. They are never 100%clean, it's a bad and unhealthy habit. Point them with your fingers

@edzejandehaan9265

3 жыл бұрын

@@cristinasunrise6309 Thanks for the tip captain Obvious. Btw even your fingers shouldn't be necessary, stroking the wet brush on the pallet or watercontainer edge should reshape the point.

@teohyc

3 жыл бұрын

I didn't think of that. lol

@cristinasunrise6309

3 жыл бұрын

@@edzejandehaan9265 I didn't intend to reply to your comment, it was a general one to the video but glad to see you don't suck your brushes 😁

@edzejandehaan9265

3 жыл бұрын

@@cristinasunrise6309 I try not to suck in general😄 And I understand, happened to me too, wanting to make a general comment, not noticing/forgetting I opened a specific comment. And of course you are right, even tough most modern pigments are not as toxic as more old fashioned ones there are still quite a few you don't want in your body. Actually I can hardly imagine there really are people who stick the business end of their brushes in their mouths....

I have two of the series 7 brushes - 6 and 4. After using them for a while, I’m not able to bring the 4 back to the point anymore - it splits into two points. Very frustrating. I thought it’s my fault for maybe not being gentle enough with it, but seems to be on the W&N’s side... I haven’t used these brushes for quite a long time, especially since I got the Silver Black Velvet. However, I must admit, I’m fond of the W&N miniature series - they perform very well. There’s also not much choice on the market - I know that Rosemary & Co has miniature brushes, but they are not easily available where I live. Anyways, thanks for the video, Theo, good to know that it’s better to skip these at all😁

@ElectricAlice

3 жыл бұрын

I don't think rosemary&co brushes are easily available anywhere, they do not have a great distribution, i think they sell mostly through their website

@susanshirley823

3 жыл бұрын

Rosemary & Co ships. It may take a while but they are awesome. Recently received a brush with a wonky point. They immediately gave e several options to make it right. Their brushes are amazing. The points are unbelievable.

@aeliren

3 жыл бұрын

Susan Shirley I would love to try them someday for sure:). Right now the exchange rate + VAT + shipping makes it a bit too expensive for me, especially considering other great brands, that are more available for me, like Silver Brush and DaVinci. But someday for sure:)

@susanshirley823

3 жыл бұрын

aeliren what country do you live in?

@aeliren

3 жыл бұрын

Susan Shirley I live in Poland. So unless it’s not available at Jackson’s - it becomes in most cases too expensive to order because of high shipping cost.

One of my watercolour teachers had a set of Series 7 brushes that he had used for a lifetime. He was till able to do very detailed work with them. I bought a number of them in the period 2005 to 2010, and they are very good. They disappeared from our local stores for a while and now are back again. It may be that they are now made in a different place. I did purchase a No. 10 in 2017, and it is a nice brush. I am so sad that you are having such a bad time with them. I do like the Series 7 brushes that I have, but they were probably all made in the original factory.

I had a similar experience with Winsor & Newton Artists’ Kolinksy Sable Watercolor Brushes. They were so frustrating to use! They did not hold any point whatsoever. They were my first sable brushes, so I was extremely disappointed.

Thanks for your review! it is a expensive brush I'm sure I won't consider as an option.

please review daler and rowney Aqua fine brush?!

This is unforgivably bad from Winsor and Newton, especially since the replacement brush performed no better than the first. Winsor and Newton has been sitting on its name and so-called 'reputation' for far too long, bolstered only by its own inflated and arrogant sense of self-importance.

Ooof that's really unfortunate, especially given the high price of these brushes. Years ago I bought a few series 7 brushes and loved them all, until one day I got a defective one that shed half it's hair in the first few uses. My non-defective Series 7 brushes all snapped back to a perfect point through years of use. I do feel like Winsor and Newton as a company seems to rest on their laurels and has not been as innovative or focused on improvement as other brands Since then I've switched to Rosemary brushes and I love them. The price can't be beat, they offer a variety of different shapes of kolinsky sable, and the quality control is excellent.

@annamaria239

11 ай бұрын

Hi! which rosemary seria is Best?

Nevskaya palitra is a really nice brand in my experience, though a bit biased. Their watercolor is also really nice. Sadly it’s hard to get by outside of Russia

Hi Teoh ! As some people already remarked and your demonstration proves this brush is weird regarding to the price. Never mind, I just had the curiosity to see what about winsor and newton quality. I don't use animals bristles brushes excepted Chinese goat hair brushes that I like for some watercolors washes or to soften creamy gouache for getting better shades between colors in some particular works. I like a lot synthetic brushes because they are more nervous even they could load enough water. Also I like the sharp points on round brushes that helps to use the same brush for thick strokes as well as for details. It seems that this winsor & newton brush is long... For watercolor and gouache works I work with short handle brush (the long handles fits more to oil paintings)

@teohyc

3 жыл бұрын

This is a short handle brush.

I had the same issue with my kolinsky sable brush, but it was a handmade one and cost me only 13$) the brush performes as bad as yours, I tried everything but nothing helped to make a sharp point or to hold water properly.

My first "fancy" brush is Kolinsky brush from brand named "Xpression/Bali Artist". It's local brand (I think?) in Indonesia. And it behave exactly like this WN Series 7. The bristle spread like crazy, you can't get a nice point, it holds a lot of water but I can't really control it, and overall very disappointing. Thank God it's cheap

I was also disappointed with the Series 7 I had tried (just a size 2). It never came to a point and would split weirdly. Rosemary and Escoda all the way for me. Thanks, Teo!

I wonder if the name on the brush has anything to do with this, it states sable and not typical Kolinsky red sable. Sable can come from any part of the animal, or any sable for that matter, while the best brushes are made from winter coat tail and only from one location in Siberia.

That's very strange. I have never had any problems with my series 7 size 7. My series 7 size 6 has been with me for more than 40 years. Still points up like new.

@teohyc

3 жыл бұрын

It is very strange to have 2 bad brushes out of 2. And there are too many people sharing their bad experiences in the comments section.

@Ross1950art

3 жыл бұрын

@@teohyc I'm as puzzled as I am disappointed. Maybe more puzzled. And curious. Such a reputation for quality and...what??? Anyhow, thanks for your reply. That's very nice of you.

@phunghuynh825

3 жыл бұрын

The answer is you got your brushes 40 years ago not recently.

Thank you for doing this review.. I was contemplating for the longest time whether the series 7 was truly worth the price tag. I have a da Vinci which I love but unfortunately I bought a size I hardly use :( Have you ever tried the Princeton kolinsky brushes? Would love to know what you think! :)

@teohyc

3 жыл бұрын

I’ve not tried Princeton. You can’t go wrong with Da Vinci, Escoda or Rosemary

Good brush review's. Think quality that were familiar with is the way to go . sometimes they may cost a bit more but is well worth their performance on cotten watercolor paper and regular art paper , I like the ones that hold water well yet good back to original.point shape , I'm.not a fan of Windsorr Newton brushes , thank you for bringing this review to us

I do NOT get the hype over the Series 7 line. I have a few small ones, and from day one I dealt with splayed bristles and basically unimpressive, ho-hum results. There are plenty of other brands out there that make much better quality brushes. Nice to hear about Jackson’s having good customer service.

I have a # 4 w&n s7 that is giving me fits. It is nice and pointed when it's saturated, but when I dab it off to use it just damp it splays out to 3 separate hairy points. At the 32$ price tag I paid from blick I'm not pleased. I have 4 other sizes in this series that are fine... But no better than the escoda reserva imo.

I'm shocked, I must say! This is the one illustrator Lizzie Harper uses for her work. That said, her brushes have to be fairly old by now. Quality control must be an unfortunate issue nowadays. Appreciate the perspective, Teoh!

Miniature painter here. These are our preferred brush. Not sure how they actually are for water color.

@teohyc

3 жыл бұрын

Maybe the smaller brushes work better

I managed to improve a winsor newton series 7 by washing it with a silicone free conditioner

@teohyc

3 жыл бұрын

I've used this for a few more times and it's getting better but it still can't taper to a point.

@KatherineStarbird

3 жыл бұрын

I'll try that. Bought 2 brushes, one is fine, the other splays out and won't point.

check out the raphael 8404 series

Wow, I've never seen such a bad brush.

I thank you for such an excellent review and comparison. Sadly I have just experienced exactly the same results. I may contact my lovely supplier (Opus in British Columbia) but I will try dipping the brush in boiling or hot water to see if that helps. Perhaps soap...I would surmise that the brush hairs are either treated or Not and hence why the sable hairs are actually shedding water. But in your summary I have identical experience and this is a pricey experience but I believe there is no reflection on the seller and not about quality control from Winsor & Newton. I will contact them directly to see if they have any information. Such a shame that their Cotman 111 round is so superior to this. I will report back if I learn more!

@teohyc

2 жыл бұрын

I've been using the brush for several months now and there's no improvement. I would like to say that I'm using it as mop brush but my actual mop brushes actually have sharper tips.

Hello Teoh in Indonesia we have Art Shop called Artemedia they have a pure red sable series and it's very cheap compared than winsor (lmao so expensive here) I have using them since and they are pretty excellent . Also they have a Kazan mop brushes are very excellent maybe you can try and give it a review.

I wish I would have watched your video before I recently purchased a W&N 7 brush. I was heartbroken when I tried to use it, no tip and doesn't hold much water.

The quality of Kolinsky sable is very dependent on having sufficiently cold winters in Siberia so I think from now on it's going to pure luck as to what we get. W&N isn't going to be the only company with increasingly unreliable brushes. Edit to add that I think W&N's popularity probably means we're seeing more new stock more quickly than we might from other makers. The note about not licking the brushes was probably because a lot of war-game miniature figure painters lick them like crazy and are going to poison themselves.

Point in your mouth? Does saliva have chemicals which affect the brush?

@teohyc

3 жыл бұрын

Some paint pigments are toxic. E.g. Cadmium

Woooow!.

I agree! I bought a Number 10 series 7 brush a number of years ago (1980s?) and it never performed satisfactorily. Consequently, even though I paid a lot of money for the brush thinking it would perform beautifully, it has been a great disappointment! Would never buy a W & N brush ever again. Instead, I buy Escoda sable brushes and I have confidence in them. I also understand that Rosemary and Co. make very good brushes although I do not yet own one. It’s sad because W & N were the leaders in the brush making field for so many years but somehow they have lost their way and lost many customers too!!!