Winsor & Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable Brush, Round SH #00

I bought this a few weeks ago and have plenty of time to break it in with watercolours. I have been most pleased and impressed with this brush. The #00 is about the size of my other #000s which is fine, I work mostly in very small details. So do be aware if you are new to higher end brushes, the sizing starts to change or seems that way to me. Getting a different type of brush to compare so I will come back for an updated review.First the brush came in a nice solid plastic tube which is easy to keep together and inside of while not in use, although I don't bother anymore as I usually paint on and off throughout the day.The brush itself holds a surprising amount of liquid, had to adjust to that but it was a wonderful adjustment.It keeps its shape very well and has beautiful spring.One of my favorite things aside from shape and spring back, is the handle and handle shape. I don't leave my brushes in water anymore because I'm not five, I dislike wood handles still. It also has a nice thickness but not too large. Tiny hands, tiny work, tiny brush, slightly fat handle. Its nice.

Brush shipped in a padded envelope (manilla-air type), inside a Windsor and Newton storage/shipping tube (big enough to hold the brush and protect it, not one of those courier tubes), and the brush had the brush cap (small plastic tube that only covers the brush).The brush cap is thick and well made, and doesn't appear like it's going to come off during shipping, and the actual tube for the entire brush is pretty sturdy. I wasn't sure about buying a brush sight unseen, but this was a great purchase.Holds its' point, well made, and overall a really high-quality brush. Willing to buy the 3/0 and 4/0 when they are back in stock.Also, please ignore the 1 star review where someone was upset that Amazon didn't give them the "customer is always right" treatment. 2/0 and 00 are the same thing, so the customer, in that case, was completely wrong, and seems to have copped an attitude about it; I don't see anything in that review that has anything to do with the brush being defective or bad in any way.

Why I bought this product:I have a variety of synthetic brushes that I use for painting small figurines using acrylic based paint and I wanted to see if I would have a better experience using a sable brush.Overall Impression:these brushes are more expensive than synthetic, but well worth the price. I would suggest to anyone that has similar hobbies (modelling, miniatures, fine detail with acrylics) to buy a small variety of sable brushes over a large variety of synthetic. These brushes store more pigment, have a sharper point, and provide better control. I was surprised how much I could cover on a flat surface with smaller sable brushes and still use the sharp point for fine lines and edging.

Sent the wrong size 🙄. It's ok though. I was going to order a 1 next time.

These brushes are really good quality. If you clean them properly they will last a long time and keep their shape.

I paint wargaming miniatures and do the edge highlighting that all the kids love these days. I hard previously done the top highlight with a Series 7 3/0, but I don't think I'll ever go back. This brush has a finer, longer tip. I feel like I have so much more control over the brush in every way. I'm about to order a second to have as a backup in case of disaster. It took several weeks to get the previous order delivered since it was shipped from the UK. International post is what it is. I may go ahead and get the 0 as well since I have a 1 and it's also fantastic.

occasional fraying. did not perform better than cheaper alternative so far. maybe it last longer? will see if my cheaper ones will prove you get what you pay for in this instance.

I purchased three of the Series 7 brushes as Citadel Artificer Layer brush equivalents after watching several reviews (including Spikey Bits) and I haven't been dissapointed yet, I really haven't noticed virtually any difference so far. After hearing the rumors that both brushes were manufactured in the same factory, I could see why someone would come to that conclusion. Other than the metal bit at the end of the Winsor & Newton brushes, and it's slight heft compared to the Citadel brush (completely plastic) I can't notice any other significant differences.