Best Kolinsky Sable Brush Brands

[AES]

This looks like the right place for this...

Who makes the best Kolinsky sables now? I want them for inking (comics/manga) and maybe egg tempra. Windsor newton used to be the gold standard, but I heard they've gone down in quality, so who's left?

 

[P. Barrie]

The only recently manufactured sables I have tried with oils are Silver Renaissance brights. They worked well for oils but didn’t hold up well. My grounded panels have a little grit, perhaps that’s what wore on the brushes. Sables are preferred for water color on paper for their liquid holding capacity. For oils they are good for blending, glazing and soft touch techniques such as Alla prima fat over lean.

There are several MFGs still making good sables. They are pricy. Check dickBlick, Jerry’s, Jackson’s, and The Brush Guys for different mfg selections and price points. Also I’ve read good things about Rosemary Brushes.

 

[Artyczar]

Most of mine are pretty old, especially the oil brushes, which are all Langnickel. I have some wc sables that are Princetons though, and they are really nice too.