Sable brushes ranked

All opinions are those of the author, other people are entitled to disagree. All brushes were purchased by the author at publicly available retail prices.

Methodology

• The comparison is done between size 1 (or equivalent) round brush from each brand, as this is a common size in use for detail work.
• Each brush is scored across the following metrics:
• Capacity: does the brush hold a good amount of paint. Too large a belly and moisture retained from washing can water down paint too much. Too small and the paint dries out quickly and you have to return the the palette between every stroke.
• Point: does the brush maintain a good point over time, or does it start to split.
• Firmness: does the brush return to a straight position in line with the handle between strokes, or is it a bit flaccid. 
• Lifespan: with proper care, how long will the brush last.
• Each metric will be scored 1-5 with the following meaning:
• Capacity: low capacity scores a 1, high capacity scores a 5
• Point: failing to maintain a point scores a 1, maintaining a precise point through a painting session scores a 5.
• Firmness: a brush with no elasticity or firmness scores a 1, a brush that perfectly returns to straight every stroke scores a 5
• Lifespan: This will be a relative score, the brushes with the shortest lifespan will score 1, the brush with the longest lifespan will score a 5, with the rest being scaled in between.
• The author has been using all these brushes in rotation for over a year, in some cases much longer than that, and paints miniatures with them on a near daily basis.

The Scores

Brush	Capacity	Point	Firmness	Lifespan
Artis Opus Series S	2	1	3	1
Blick Masterstroke	3	3	3	3
Games Workshop	2	3	3	2
Rafael 8404	5	5	4	5
Windsor & Newton Series 7	4	4	4	4

The Brushes

Artis Opus Series S

These brushes were released with what felt like much fanfare. You can get them in a nice box that comes with a small container of brush soap. The box was unfortunately a sign of things to come with a warped top. I’ve tried, I’ve really tried to make the Artis Opus brushes work. I’ve washed them with soap and let them dry with a small amount of clean soap in the bristles, shaped to a point. I’ve tried Windsor & Newton brush restorer. Nothing worked. These brushes split from day 1. I would have assumed this was simple bad luck, but similar experiences have been provided to me first hand by friends in the community, and second hand through online communities I participate in.

If you already got a good Artis Opus brush, you’re in luck, but if you’re yet to buy sable brushes, I’d steer clear. The quality control isn’t there and you’re liable to get a dud.

In fairness to Artis Opus, while I’ve found their Series S brushes to be terrible, and I’m not alone, their dry brushes are, in my opinion, the best on the market. That however is for another article.

Blick Masterstroke

These have become my workhorse sable brush. They’re certainly not the best but for the price often half as much or cheaper than other brands, they’re damn good. If you’re just dipping your toe into sable brushes, the Blick Masterstroke is a great starting point. Personally I would like a slightly larger belly and more firmness. I use these for filling in all the detail on troops where I don’t need the precision to be absolutely perfect, but I still want it to look good.

Games Workshop

If you started your miniature hobbyist experience with a GW game, it’s likely you also started with these brushes. At one point they were made by Windsor & Newton, though to a lesser quality than the W&N Series 7.  I’ve been unable to confirm if this is still the case and certainly the quality of these brushes has decreased over the last 20 years. At this point, based on their price vs other options, I can’t recommend them. They’re not the worst sable brushes around, but for the price, you can typically find W&N Series 7 or Raphael 8404 brushes which are head and shoulders above GW’s quality.

Raphael 8404

These are typically held up along side W&N Series 7 as the best of the best. I used W&N for a number of years before eventually trying Raphael. I’m a complete convert. Raphael 8404 brushes are slightly larger than equivalent sizes in any of the other ranges in this comparison. However they come to an exceptionally precise point and maintain said point well.

I’ve also found the Raphael brushes hold up slightly longer than W&N, making them better value for money in the long run. This is possibly because the slightly larger size makes it a little easier to keep paint out of the ferrule.

Windsor & Newton Series 7

These are the go to for many people looking to upgrade their brushes. They are very much on par with Raphael and as with everything it comes down to preference. I have found the W&N brushes have a higher tendency than Raphaels to get the odd stray hair that needs to be carefully trimmed off, hence the lower score on maintaining a point.

While I’ve found the quality to be generally good, it’s also a little hit and miss. Every so often you get a W&N that was probably made by one of their newer brush makers on a bad day and it’s not quite up to the same standard. If you’re buying W&N, try and find a local store that sells them so you can inspect the brush you’re purchasing; look out for any loose hairs.

In Conculsion

You really can’t go wrong with Raphael or Windsor & Newton, try one of each and see what your preference is.  However, these are your top of the line brushes for use on display miniatures or characters you’re making stand out in your army. If you want some good sable brushes to use for army painting, Blick Masterstroke is your friend. They’re not so prohibitively expensive you feel bad buying a new one every few months, and that’s only if you’re a truly prolific painter. Whether because of price or quality, you should probably avoid Artis Opus and Games Workshop.

Bear in mind sable brushes should be kept for finer work. Always have some synthetic brushes around to help you get through those base coats and your first few layers. Some high tier painters even use synthetic brushes for every part of their painting, they simply pull out a new, though much cheaper brush, very frequently.