+komodoweran It's a good brush. I've been using it for years.

great review, Thank you

Teoh, I have a Davinci size 5 pure kolinsky (1503) but it does not stay pointed when dry. Is that normal? It appears your 1503 is still at a point.

It's normal. I have some that have sharp points when dry, and some with frayed hair when dry. Most important thing is they should still have sharp points when wet. Usually when the hair wear off, it will be more difficult to retain the sharp point.

Teoh Yi Chie Yes it has the point when wet, Thank you for responding! :)

+Thar Chandran Thanks. These are very good brushes.

William Marler Watercolour is so difficult to control for animation.

+Gattoux Maybe you got a bad one. They should stay together. Maybe you want to exchange at the shop you bought from?

+Teoh Yi Chie i bought it at jacksons. I bought two other ones just recently. Will they do exchanges for u?

Gattoux You've to check with their exchange policy, but I think it should be no problem, just that there's the hassle of sending the brush back. A good brush when wet, the hairs should stay together, even when it's used to paint strokes.

The alternatives are Escoda or Rosemary pocket brushes.

Should work fine

I don't think having a larger hole will help much with ventilation. It is best to dry the hair without the cover at home.

So this is something of a misconception about the hole in the end of the cap/brush extension, it's not designed so that the brush is allowed to dry it's actually a safety measure to prevent asphyxiation if swallowed. The more you know!

ian chio The one that's provided in the box set may not be using Kolinsky sable bristles. That would be too expensive.

If they are wet they will retain a sharp point. When they dry, that sharp point should still be there. I notice that the point may disappear after a while but it's always there after it dries for a day.

Wow. I paid quite a bit of money for an #12 Kolinsky round from W&N. It came from UK and was in a beautiful wooden box. And after I dipped it in water and shook it to a beautiful point...I put it back in box. (I let it dry a bit...but still, after I put it back in its box. (Btw, the closing of this box has magnets...so it's fairly good closing.) Anyhow, each and every time I've gone to open it...it is 'frayed'. I got it thru either Cheap Joe's, Blicks or Jerry's Artarama or W&N. Those are the only places I've ever gotten my materials. I'd never do eBay for such an expensive brush. Oh well...I'm starting to wonder if this was a faulty brush now? It's been too long to return. I just assumed all of them behaved this way. thanks, Teoh...for all your insight. You Rock! :)

The Escoda equivalent would be the Escoda Reserva. I prefer Da Vinci because I like the twist to screw body which is firm and tight with absolutely no chance of wobble.

+malia tong Reserva brushes are the best watercolour brushes from Escoda. They are sable brushes. I personally like the Da Vinci travel brushes. Performance is the same. But I can fit the Da Vinci travel brushes into my small watercolour box.

Do not get Da Vinci Voyage 910. Those with the cover caps are better. See my review of the 910 at www.parkablogs.com/content/review-da-vinci-maestro-voyage-watercolour-brush As for Escoda vs Da Vinci. There's not much difference. Both are excellent brands. The only consideration to note is where you want to put your brush. If you want to put it in your watercolour box, some of these pocket brushes at large sizes might not fit. Rosemary pocket brushes are strangely all in the same size, but because of that very difficult to differentiate against one another. As for damage from covering. Just be careful and you'll be alright. It's not difficult. Just wet the brush to get a sharp point and it's very easy to cap it. For where to buy, I recommend you check out Jackson's Art from UK. They have free international shipping for brush orders above certain dollar amount. You can support my channel by getting stuff through them as I earn some commission when people buy through my links www.jacksonsart.com/?acc=c9f0f895fb98ab9159f51fd0297e236d&___store=jacksonsart_en

ok....thanks!

The plastic body is extremely durable.

If the hair is bent, it's almost impossible to make them straight again. You can try adding water, then shape it back, let it dry and see if it works

No luck there. I saw this tip on a website. Do you think it will work? 1. "To straighten out the bristles on brushes, use a tiny amount of Vaseline. It works like a dream (but better on small brushes than larger ones where it's hard to wash out the Vaseline when you want to use the brush). Tip from: Julie" 2. I also found this tip too: "Blot the brush to remove excess water and use hair gel to reshape the bristles and hold them in place. After the brush dries, rinse out the hair gel as you would sizing from a new brush and all should be well." 3. "Boil a couple of cups of water and then take it off the heat. Dip the bristles of your brush into it and lift it immediately. Shape it with your forefinger and thumb. You're not cooking the brush, so it's not necessary to leave it in the hot water for any length of time... but you're essentially wet ironing those fibres" The internet also mentions about gum arabic (a substitute could be Elmer's glue or a natural soap). Is there anything mentioned above that stands out for you that might work? Thanks.

I can think of any way, or heard of any way that can repair bent hair in brushes. If there are only a few of them, you may (gasp) cut them off. Or just continue using them if they don't affect the tip or painting.

UPDATE: The boiled water worked! I boiled water for tea and poured a little leftover into a stainless steel condiment cup (the kind that restaurants serve ketchup, sauces, etc.). I let that sit for 2 minutes then I quickly dipped the hair/synthetic only (no ferrule) into the water and pulled it out in less than a second. The hairs immediately snapped back into place. I left the brushes hanging in a wire brush rack, with their hairs pointing downward, for 23 hours now and they're still in place and to a point. Don't know if weather plays an important part but it has been arid for a few days and in the 60's. (ps: Did not want to take the risk with the other methods. Figured the water method was best since the brush is a water brush.) Hope this helps someone. All the best to you!

Too hot water, may damage the bristles though! don't forgetm that what holds the paint, isn't the bristle itself but the tiny little hair the bristtles have on them. Those are easily damaged, even when the brush is new and you try to break the Gum Arabic glue it comes with! That means, you must not use VERY hot water. However, it's a known trick, to bring back a brush. Using Gum Arabic, shaping the bristlkes and letting the brush there for weeks, without use.Then wash carefuly to remove the Gum Arabic, is another known trick, to straiten/revive a brush!@@lschimes6844

+S El That's one of the metal palette boxes that I use. The surface will make water puddle but with practise you should be able to get it right.

+Teoh Yi Chie thank you :)

I'm glad I live in Germany, where they're manufactured

I can't find them in mine too. The government don't facilitate for importation too.

Not sure when I will be able to get to it. You can see this review from Jane Blundell janeblundellart.blogspot.com/2017/04/da-vinci-watercolours-almost-complete.html