Ran a side by side test with my old brush set vs the new synthetic ones

I paint minis for fun, mostly Warhammer stuff. Been using the same three brushes for like 8 years because I hate spending money. Friend convinced me to try a $25 synthetic set last month. Same paint, same thinning, same strokes. The difference was pretty obvious. Old brushes left tiny ridges in the highlights. New ones lay down a flat coat on the first pass. Took maybe 30 minutes of test painting on two identical shoulder pads to see it. Has anyone else found that switching tools changed their results this much, or is my old gear just really worn out?

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sean_perry7d ago

The whole "old brushes left tiny ridges" part is what jumped out at me. That isnt just wear, thats the brush losing its point and snap. Old natural hair brushes get soft and lazy over time, so the paint pools weird and you end up fighting the brush to get clean lines. Synthetic bristles keep their shape way better, which means the paint goes exactly where you push it, and it flows off the tip more evenly. I switched to synthetics last year and the biggest improvement was actually in my glazing, the old brushes would dump too much paint at once no matter how much I wiped them. People blame technique when the real problem is the tool can't do the job anymore. 8 years is a solid run though, you got your moneys worth out of those things.