I've used a lot of different brushes over the 20 some years I've been painting these little metal and plastic soldiers. I started with that cheapo white handled brush that comes with Testors paint sets, moved up to value pack brushes and then to craft store art section brushes. But until earlier this year, I'd never bought a 'high end' paint brush.

Description RAPHAEL KOLINSKY 'S' POINTE FINE 8404 FR Flagship Raphael handmade brush made with pure Kolinsky Red Sable that has a fine point and full body; provides excellent spring and snap. Hey guys, some question about paint brushes. I've seen the Raphael 8404 line of Kolinsky brushes recommended often. However, when I look at the pictures of Raphael's different lines (8400, 8402, 8404 and 8408), the 8404 seems like it has the worst tip?? Excellent paint brush, Raphael 8404 is the king of paint brushes. Excellent 'snap', retains shape well, good body, just the best of the best.

Well, after dealing with brush issues in the early part of this year and replacing them seemingly every month or so, I finally broke down and bought a set of Raphael 8404 Kolinsky brushes from Dick Blick's web store.
I've been using these brushes since mid-April, so I think now is as good a time as any to share my thoughts on them.
I picked up a 0, 1, and 2 and the first thing I noticed was the handle. It was thicker than the brushes I was used to, and at first it felt unwieldy and bulky, it just seemed massive. I've grown accustomed to it now though and the old brushes I used to use seem tiny and fragile, like I could snap them while painting.
The next thing I noticed was how smooth and soft the bristles felt and when I started painting they seemed to let the paint flow much better as well. The paint didn't seem to clump on the bristles and I was able to lay down smoother coats as well. It took some getting used to, as I'd been fighting the previous brushes forever and that seemed normal.
During the first few months, the go to brush for me was the 1. It was used for everything from base coats to fine details and washes. The 0 has seen some use, but the 2 was only used on larger surfaces and for blending. During that time, the 1 performed excellently.

Raphael 8404 Size 2

Eventually though, I started noticing random bristles on the 1 beginning to fold in half and eventually breaking right off. I've never had this happen before, but the brush was at least 3 months old at that point and I thought maybe that had something to do with it.
I should point out, that I am very hard on my brushes. I paint on a nightly basis, sometimes for upwards of 4 hours plus. Usually they get rinsed in my paint water until the next day, and get a deep cleaning once a week, also I am a notorious brush licker (super bad habit, I know). So perhaps the amount of usage and other factors contributed to the bristle issue, it could be bad bristles too, I just don't know.
I do know that the 1 has lasted far longer than any brush I'd bought a Hobby Lobby's art supplies section, by leaps and bounds. When you consider that the Master's Touch brushes I had been using were getting replaced monthly, five months is exceptional. Even with it's bristle issues, the 1 is still a very good brush, but I've since switched to the 2 instead.

Raphael Paint Brushes 8404 Substitute

Switching to the 2 proved to be a boon to my painting. I didn't realize how much the larger brush helps with blending and having smooth layers. Also that brush holds a tip so well, that I've been able to paint eyes with it as well.
This surprised me, because for years I always believed that for small things you needed a small brush. But a small brush has issues with paint quantity in the bristles and sometimes they dry out faster. With the 2, I had enough paint to do entire areas without having to go back to the palette and refill. Or, paint multiple areas in one go. Its nice.
So, will these brushes magically turn you into an excellent competition winning painter?
While they are nice and will help improve your painting skills, I am a firm believer that no brush or brand of paint will instantly make you a master. So, no, but they will help you improve. I do know that, in the months since purchasing them, I feel they've helped improve my skills in blending and in laying down smooth thin coats. But like all things, practice is the key to improving.
That said, I do feel they are worth the investment. I paid somewhere around $48 for all three brushes. If I replaced my old brushes every other month, that's $36 a piece per year in new brushes. Where these have lasted nearly six months at approximately $16 a piece. Which means they've saved me a bunch of money in the long run.
So yes. I fully approve of these Raphael 8404 brushes.

This short review compares the round brushes from what are widely regarded as the top two brands of kolinsky sable or red sable brushes. I have been using Winsor & Newton Series 7 and Raphaël 8404 for some time now so I feel that I have a pretty good basis for comparison. However, it is also worth noting that Raphaël make several other shapes of brushes alongside the 8404 range but that the 8404s are most common as they are a good all-rounder. The Series 7 size 2 is very slightly wider at the ferrule than a Raphaël 8404 size 1 (I estimate less than half a millimetre) but is almost a millimetre narrower than the 8404 size 2 so for this comparison I have taken the closest in size which are also the largest brushes you’ll want to use for most general painting.

Aesthetics
Ergonomics
Functionality
Price
Quality
Conclusion

Aesthetics

Winsor & Newton Series 7s have black lacquered handles with gold printed lettering and seamless nickel plated ferrules, whereas Raphaël 8404, which also have black lacquer and seamless nickel ferrules, have recessed (either milled or stamped) lettering painted gold, which looks a little messier, and the tips of the handles have been dipped in orange paint so that you can easily distinguish them from the other Raphaël round series but I feel that this takes away from the look of the product. While you may not feel that the look of a brush is important, I feel that manufacturers who think about the presentation of their products have often also thought about other aspects of it.

Another point worth noting is that the bristles of the Series 7s tend to be a pale yellowy brown whereas the 8404s are slightly darker and redder in colour. This suggests that they use hairs from either a slightly different breed or a different part of the Kolonok.

Ergonomics

Both brush ranges have almost cylindrical handles, which widen slightly and then narrow again just before the ferrule. This creates a bulge for comfort roundabout where you will normally hold the brush. The Series 7 brushes differ very little in diameter between each size, however, the 8404 handles, which are a little narrower than their equivalent sizes in Series 7 anyway, have a greater difference in diameter so that the size 0 and smaller brushes feel a little too small to handle comfortably (for my hands, anyway).

Functionality

The main difference is in the shape of the brush head. In the photo to the left, you can see that the 8404 (top) has a broad belly and then comes to a fine point. Remember that the Series 7 is very slightly wider at the ferrule so has a few more hairs than the 8404.

The Series 7 (bottom) has a similar belly but with a less well defined point. The Raphaël 8404s come to a finer point allowing you to paint very fine details, like eyes, on most miniatures, even with a size 2. This makes the larger Raphaël brushes more versatile as you can cover and blend large areas quickly and paint very small details with the same brush, which is something that appeals to me as I move between areas don’t like changing brush every time I switch.

By splaying the tips it’s possible to see further differences between the shapes. Though they come to a point, the Series 7 (bottom) is actually made with straight hairs in a rounded shape and the point is created partly by this shape, the hairs in the middle being slightly longer than the hairs on the sides, and partly relying on the natural taper of the hairs. In contrast, the 8404 (top) is made in a point with a few much longer, straight hairs in the middle and slightly curved hairs around the outside, which makes the belly rounder. This means that the 8404 both holds slightly more paint and has a finer point. The added bonus of the hairs curving in is that, if you look at the photo on the far right, when pressure is put on the hairs, they don’t splay as much as the Series 7 below it. This results in the painter having more control with this brush.

I have heard it said that the Raphaël brushes have coarser, springier hairs than Series 7 and after pushing these two brushes against each other, I can confirm that this seems to be true but it may just be that the fuller belly and curved hairs of the 8404s makes them stiffer, however, the Series 7 does feel slightly softer and looking at some of the stray hairs in these photos, they do look slightly finer. I find that the extra stiffness aids most blending techniques.

Price

The recommended retail price (RRP) for a size 1 Raphaël 8404, which is a good size for most miniature painting, is £9.60 whereas a size 2 Series 7, roughly equivalent to the size 1 8404 is RRP £14.00. Given that the 8404 is only slightly smaller than the Series 7 and has been imported, this is a clear saving, in fact even the size 2 8404 is RRP £10.85. It’s worth noting that you can buy both brands for less than this but the Raphaëls will normally be a pound or two cheaper and both brands, if looked after, will outlast the cheaper hobby store equivalents so are well worth the investment.

Quality

Winsor & Newton rave about quality, especially when it comes to Series 7. Generally, I would agree and when compared to the Raphaël brushes, they look nicer and feel nicer in the hand, though both ranges are handmade and both companies have a renowned history. However, I have had one Series 7 with the lacquer cracked on the handle and a Series 7 with a hair sticking out and a Series 7 Miniature with a couple of hairs broken halfway down but I have not yet had a bad Raphaël and I think that I have now bought more Raphaël brushes.

Conclusion

Raphaël 8404 are now my brushes of choice for the majority of my painting. Their more versatile shape and lower cost makes them much better in my view, however, I still use the Series 7s I have knocking around especially for very fine work because the handles are more comfortable than the smaller Raphaël brushes and the narrower belly doesn’t obscure my view as much or find its way to touching other details in tight spaces. The rounder shape of the series 7s also makes them better for smoothing down putty when sculpting than the Raphaël brushes. However, the ideal brush for you is always going to depend on your style, technique and preferences.