To spot the differences between cheap synthetic brushes vs. expensive sable paint brushes, Goobertown Hobbies puts them under a microscope!
Goobertown Hobbies is a great content creator with interesting takes on the hobby. Whether it’s a collaboration with other YouTubers or a challenge for himself, he covers a broad range of topics. Since he has so much great content, why not check out what else he has done?
This week, he is literally putting different types of brushes under the microscope to see the differences in bristles and quality. That way, you can decide which is best for your hobby level! Let’s check it out.
Cheap Synthetic Brushes Vs. Expensive Sable Paint Brushes: Goobertown Hobbies Examination
These are the brushes he looks at, starting with the cheapest and moving up to the most expensive.
Cheaper Brushes
To start, we’re looking at a $.07 makeup brush, which actually comes to a decent point; there aren’t too many bristles, but for $.07, you could use these for minis!
At $.40, this is the one happy choice brush, and it’s decent, and he’s used it a lot. You get synthetic bristles, and it works.
This brush is one he recommends to many beginner painters, as it has decent quality and is still well under a dollar a brush.
Just remember, every brush is different. These are 4 of the same size brush, and you can see there are some obvious differences. So, take that into account when looking at these brushes!
Medium Price Brushes
Jumping up to $5 per brush, the Artist’s Loft Vienna is a good reminder to inspect brushes before buying. As you can see, there are some problems with the bristles on this one, but generally, they are decent. So try your best to look at the brushes before buying!
The Army Painter brush runs $6 and is much nicer looking than the one above, so it seems worth the extra buck.
He tried to pull the bristles to a point for the Citadel brush, but it still didn’t look too good under the microscope. It could be a case of another bad batch, or they could all be like this…
While he doesn’t like the name Masterclass, this brush is tiny with great bristles, which he uses to paint eyes. So, if you need a tiny brush that won’t totally break the bank, he likes this one.
Expensive Brushes
Now we’re getting over the $20 mark, and this Windsor and Newton brush actually looks really good! He’s excited to try it out.
The most expensive brush comes in at $28.25, which is pretty crazy for a brush. It looks decent, but he’s unsure if spending that much on a brush is worth it.
Used Synthetic Brushes Vs. Sable Paintbrushes
Just to compare how they look after use, this is a synthetic brush, and the fraying and slight coloration is pretty normal for synthetic bristles.
This is a normal hair brush; you can see how great the bristles still look, and there isn’t even much paint left in.
Synthetic Brushes Vs. Sable Paintbrushes: Takeaways
Simply put, synthetic brushes are more prone to fraying and damage. So, if you want your brushes to stay perfect for a long time, spending on natural hair brushes (and cleaning them well) might be worth it!
He even goes further into the process and breaks them down in the microscope, but watch the video below for all the details!
If you are curious about the whole review with more details, don’t forget to watch the full video above! Also, be sure to Subscribe to Goobertown Hobbies if you enjoy his content!
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
