Italeri Sable & Synthetic Paint Brushes By Chris Banyai-Riepl

Italeri has recently come out with a line of modeling paint brushes with both synthetic and sable bristles. These brushes are very affordable, but do not let the price fool you: these are not low quality brushes. The handles are wood, with the sable brushes having an interesting triangular grip section. The ferrules are well made and firmly hold the hairs in place, with no play on the handle. The sable brushes have a beautiful taper to them, as one would expect from the king of all brush furs. The synthetics also have an oustanding taper, showing the great advancement in synthetic brush fibers.

The first thing that drew me to these brushes, though, was the handle shape on the sable brushes. I was curious to see just how comfortable and controllable that triangular section would be. A quick test showed that it is very comfortable to hold, with the added benefit that it forces you to keep your hand back from the ferrule. I find my fingers sliding closer and closer to the bristles, with the belief that I have more control the closer I am to the tip. In actuality, that creates balance problems and you are more likely to make mistakes that way. This handle keeps your hand positioned properly to maintain good brush balance, and I was able to draw precise lines with the 000 brush with no problems. I do not know why Italeri did not use a similar handle on their synthetic brushes, but this shape really makes painting with the sables a joy. If you are concerned about hand size and that handle, my hand model found the brushes easy to hold and use, and her hands are quite a bit smaller than mine. I would guess those with larger hands would likewise have no problems in usage.

The synthetic brushes have the more traditional round handle that we are all quite familiar with. As I alluded to earlier, a good brush balance is essential to a good painting experience, and although these handles do not have any creative shaping to them, their balance is quite good. The bristles, as mentioned before, are nicely tapered and return to their shape quickly. With proper care, any of these brushes will give you great results for years.

My thanks to MRC for the review samples.