1. Painting, miniture models .2. No one as yet, the logevity and durability will determine, recommendation.3. Superior in comparison with synthetic brushes,the application of paints is smoother ,the design holds a higher reservoir of paint which flows evenly and the point of the brush remains exact, and rarely splits .

Amazing paint brush

This brush is like holding a Samurai sword. You just know it is amazing. But once you start using it, you immediately know how incredible it is to use. It's ability to hold paint is superb. The fine tip and strong shape means it does an amazing job of creating thin precise lines. Well, that's what it would do if it weren't in the hands of a buffoon like me. But I'm sure I'll get more proficient with it. I can only imagine how good the $200+ brushes are. But they are way beyond my price range so these brushes are well worth the money and are definitely a massive step up from Games Workshop brushes. I will definitely be buying more of these in the future.

Excellent "basic" brush for miniature paining with acrylic paints

Raphael 8404 is the best brush for painting miniatures I ever had. It keeps excellent point and holds paint very well in it's belly. Bristles are returning to its original form quite easily. Currently this is my main paint brush for miniature painting with acrylic paints. I am using it together with different size brushes from the same line: 0 for edge highlighting, 2 and 3 for basecoating and two-brush wet blending. For non-acrylic paints (like Humbrol Enamels or Vallejo Liquid Gold) and "heavy duty" (like taking paints out of pots and mixing them on a palette or in the airbrush cup) I use cheap synthetic brushes available locally. I am using "The Masters" Brush Cleaner and Preserver after paining in order to clean the brushes from paint and shape them for storage. ... MoreRaphael 8404 is the best brush for painting miniatures I ever had. It keeps excellent point and holds paint very well in it's belly. Bristles are returning to its original form quite easily. Currently this is my main paint brush for miniature painting with acrylic paints. I am using it together with different size brushes from the same line: 0 for edge highlighting, 2 and 3 for basecoating and two-brush wet blending. For non-acrylic paints (like Humbrol Enamels or Vallejo Liquid Gold) and "heavy duty" (like taking paints out of pots and mixing them on a palette or in the airbrush cup) I use cheap synthetic brushes available locally. I am using "The Masters" Brush Cleaner and Preserver after paining in order to clean the brushes from paint and shape them for storage. For the past 10 years of miniature painting I was using various brushes, both with synthetic and natural hair bristles, trying to find one that suits me best. I've tried Raphael 8404 after watching video's from Miniac and Squidmar Miniatures on YouTube and I am very happy that I have followed their advice. I don't know why it has mixed reviews on eBay - personally I had no problems with it. All in all, I highly recommend this brush. It keeps fine point, holds paint well, and has a very good "snap". It's a goodvalue for it's prize.

Fantastic Service

I use brushes for painting 40k miniatures. After hearing may praise the Raphael sable brushes, I decided to give them a go. This brush line rivals the performance and durability of the Windsor & Newton Series 7. I still have my tried and true W&N brushes, but I've found myself turning to these more and more! To anyone in the miniature painting community, you can;t go wrong with these brushes.I also wish to comment on the service received through ordering this product. My past experiences with ordering brushes online were very unsatisfactory: brushes arriving with frayed or split bristles, no inner protective packaging, etc. My order through this retailer arrived on time, with the brushes inside a resealable plastic bag, each capped with a plastic sleeve to protect ... MoreI use brushes for painting 40k miniatures. After hearing may praise the Raphael sable brushes, I decided to give them a go. This brush line rivals the performance and durability of the Windsor & Newton Series 7. I still have my tried and true W&N brushes, but I've found myself turning to these more and more! To anyone in the miniature painting community, you can;t go wrong with these brushes.I also wish to comment on the service received through ordering this product. My past experiences with ordering brushes online were very unsatisfactory: brushes arriving with frayed or split bristles, no inner protective packaging, etc. My order through this retailer arrived on time, with the brushes inside a resealable plastic bag, each capped with a plastic sleeve to protect the brush head while in transit.I am still unable to decide if I prefer the Raphael over the famed W&N, but it is a fantastic brush that suits my needs well. Whenever I find myself needing a new brush, regardless of manufacturer, I know I will be ordering through Blick Art.

Impressive, but some flaws.

I am excited that my local Blick Materials started to stock these brushes, since I prefer to buy brushes in person, not only due to risk of problematic packaging, but also to check out the bristles in person. They are not inexpensive and return/exchange is a hassle.I got a series 8408 size 3 and series 8404 size 2.The GOOD --The 8408 has a really fine tip and the difference between the two is noticeable in my painting sessions. I really enjoy the 8408 #3, a great size too - bristles measuring 18mm long and 3mm wide wet, longer than most in this size, Princeton Neptune #4 is a tad shorter but similar width.The NOT SO GOOD --I had my brushes for less than one month, and used the 8408 #3 for maybe 10 painting sessions. The golden writings on the handle started ... MoreI am excited that my local Blick Materials started to stock these brushes, since I prefer to buy brushes in person, not only due to risk of problematic packaging, but also to check out the bristles in person. They are not inexpensive and return/exchange is a hassle.I got a series 8408 size 3 and series 8404 size 2.The GOOD --The 8408 has a really fine tip and the difference between the two is noticeable in my painting sessions. I really enjoy the 8408 #3, a great size too - bristles measuring 18mm long and 3mm wide wet, longer than most in this size, Princeton Neptune #4 is a tad shorter but similar width.The NOT SO GOOD --I had my brushes for less than one month, and used the 8408 #3 for maybe 10 painting sessions. The golden writings on the handle started to come off. Worse, the "Raphael" writing on my handle is invisible already - see picture. The 8404 is also less impressive- hard to come to a point, given the small size, I don't use it as much. A bigger size might be of more use to me.Overall, I recommend the 8408 for detailing work. Both series are of exceptional hairs, but the handle/writing are not the most durable.

Love the 8408 series and the size 0

I am just getting into painting miniatures for tabletop gaming. I read a bunch of reviews on good brushes and the Raphael 8404 series was right near the top. After further reading I decided to try one of the 8408 series brushes with the sharper point. I bought the size 0 and it's amazing. The fine point is capable of very tight control. It won't quite do a hairline, but I can do 80-90% of a miniature with this one brush. Yes a #2 or #3 round holds more paint when doing a base coat, but that #2 doesn't have enough edge control if you're painting the shirt and want to avoid paining the belt or the neck. The 8408 #0 has that control.

Lovely Point that Lasts (if you take care of it!)

In 2016, I bought my first Raphael Kolinsky brush (specifically the Pointed Round 3/0, with the orange bottom) for fine detail work on my custom-painted LEGO minifigures that I sell in my Etsy store. I bought it specially to be used with fluid acrylic paints, based on recommendations from painters of miniature canvas paintings AND painters of miniature sculpted figurines. I was stuck for a moment deciding between the "Extra Pointed" white-bottomed & "Pointed" orange-bottomed models, as the different types of rounded points both models offer look identical at times in certain product images. In the end, I picked the orange bottom because it was $5 cheaper (😛).Having used the same detail brush for 4 years straight, I've gotta say that it held up to my ever-changing ... MoreIn 2016, I bought my first Raphael Kolinsky brush (specifically the Pointed Round 3/0, with the orange bottom) for fine detail work on my custom-painted LEGO minifigures that I sell in my Etsy store. I bought it specially to be used with fluid acrylic paints, based on recommendations from painters of miniature canvas paintings AND painters of miniature sculpted figurines. I was stuck for a moment deciding between the "Extra Pointed" white-bottomed & "Pointed" orange-bottomed models, as the different types of rounded points both models offer look identical at times in certain product images. In the end, I picked the orange bottom because it was $5 cheaper (😛).Having used the same detail brush for 4 years straight, I've gotta say that it held up to my ever-changing needs for the vast majority of that time!* I've since made dozens of customized LEGO minifigures, as well as small acrylic paintings on cardstock, nail art details (not with nail polish! Just paint!), and countless other projects that needed a delicate touch. Its handle is easy to grip, it holds enough paint for some linework when needed, and it keeps its point even after prolonged use.*USER ERROR ALERT: Unfortunately, that first brush did fall apart in the past month or so, with all of the brush hairs breaking off due to my lack of research on how to properly care for the best hairs. I thought washing it after every session with a 1:1 mixture of dish soap and olive oil was just fine, like it was for my other synthetic brushes, but I now have learned that washing it THAT frequently in anything BESIDES filtered water was a mistake! (What was I thinking?!) Now that I have my new brush, I will try to avoid letting it get near any soaps for as long as possible, and will instead try rinsing it with cool filtered water exclusively. I may also try adding some gentle hair conditioner to it every once in a while, to protect the hairs from the moisture-stripping effects of constant interactions with acrylic pain

THE BEST ON THE MARKET

I do a great deal of botanical painting. Among professionals these are know to be some of the best. Windsor and Newton is close, but the central hairs on the 8408 are longer. Windsor has a great miniature line for dry brushing, but for long thin lines, these are a cut above. To make the point last for years, do not use them for your initial heavy mixing. Just get any cheap brush. I use flat ones that are so cheap, I am not worried about leaving them in the water. As you carefully pick up the pigment on the Raphael, give the brush a little twist. It will point better than a ballerina. Just use the point of the brush. If you want to advance your painting, get these, the best!

Why did I wait so long to try these? I was a fool!

I tried an Escoda round 8 Kolinsky and failed to bond with the brush. I thought perhaps I just preferred squirrel over sable. Then I bought the Raphael brush during a shortage. The handling on these Raphael Kolinsky brushes is utterly divine - easier for me to control than the Escoda Kolinsky and the Black Velvet brushes I started collecting. As with so many things, it's best to buy high quality brushes from the start vs. paying to upgrade brushes in several waves as your knowledge grows. Incredibly happy with my Raphael brushes in several sizes.