Hi friends! In this post, I am reviewing two sets of Grabie synthetic brushes: the rounds and the quills. If you wonder whether these are worth the money, please read before you buy!
Grabie Synthetic Round Brushes Review
Let’s start with Grabie synthetic round brush set of 5, which retails for US$35.99 (regular). It comes with a felt brush roll and each brush has a protective cap. In addition, there is sizing on the bristles, which you can remove by running them under warm water.
This set comes in 5 sizes: 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10, which are all very useful for most paintings. These remind me so much of Artegria’s rounds, except Grabie’s brushes have matte barrels.
Brush Comparisons
Sometimes the sizes can differ from brand to brand, so I put these against other brands for comparisons:
I would say that the Grabie synthetic rounds are just a tiny bit smaller than other brands, but not by much. In terms of the feel of Grabie synthetic round brushes, it is similar to Artegria. In fact, I find them almost the same when I use them, with Artegria being slightly more absorbent.
Grabie Synthetic Round Brushes In Action
I did a few paintings with these brushes, and they worked very well. They have the right amount of snap to them but also hold quite a bit of water. I would say these perform similarly to Princeton Aqua Elite but hold a bit more water and with less snap.
While the Grabie set of 5 synthetic round brushes perform beautifully, I need to mention the cost. At US$35.99, it is quite expensive, considering the Artegria set of 4 brushes I purchased only costs US$11.95, and Artegria has a set of 10 priced at US$27.00.
Price aside, the Grabie set of brushes is still a very nice set. Furthermore, I experienced no shedding with any of the brushes.
Grabie 9 Synthetic Quill Brushes Review
This larger set comes also in a cardboard tube. Instead of a brush roll, though, the quill brushes came in a drawstring pouch. Just like the rounds in the smaller set, the quill brushes have protective caps and sizing as well.
These brushes have synthetic squirrel bristles, feel soft and hold a lot of water. For comparison, they are similar to Princeton Neptune, though Neptune is softer with less snap. I have a pure squirrel brush, and I can tell you that once it’s wet, it won’t return to a point and literally becomes a wet mop. These quill brushes, however, have more snap than pure squirrel hair, offering you much more control and will return to a point.
By the way, this set of 9 contains sizes from 0 to 8, but mop and quill brush sizes are not the same as the rounds. The 0 quill brush is more like a round 6.
Quill Brushes In Action
I painted a few pieces with them. Since they pick up a lot of water, it takes some getting used to loading the right amount of paint onto the brushes.
Personally, I rarely used quill or mop brushes before. I would use the large ones if I do a loose wash to cover a large area. However, I really like using these brushes because they offer enough control that I can still do regular paintings with. For example, they hold enough water that I won’t have to reload my brush too frequently.
That said, 9 brushes are a lot! You may not need all 9 of these, so if you can split the set with a friend or two this would be worth it.
By the way, the regular price of this set is US$99.99, but at the time of this review, it is on sale for US$49.99. The sale price is very good for this set, so if you have your eye on it, get it while it’s cheap!
Overall Grabie Synthetic Brushes Review
To summarize, these are very good brushes. I don’t think you will be disappointed with either set. The only con is the price of the set of 5; you can get a larger set from Artegria for less. As for the quill brush set, it’s a beautiful set of brushes that perform well. The only question is whether you need 9 of them. They do come in smaller sets of 3 with different sizes. However, at half price, I would recommend buying the set of 9 because it works out to be much cheaper per brush than a set of three.
All in all, Grabie has made really good brushes. I also recommend getting Grabie watercolour paper pad as well. If you haven’t read my last review on Grabie 100 Watercolour Set, you can check it out here.
I wish you a wonderful holiday season and happy painting!
Disclaimer: While these brushes are sent to me for review by Grabie, this post is not sponsored. My opinions are my own. All links in this post are not affiliated and I do not make any commission off the sales.
