Need a new set of brushes, suggestions welcome

Purdy poly nylon 2 1/2 " straight is a good all around brush,I find they take a little time to break in and start to perform well though. Heritage also makes an excellent brush, same type and work perfect 1st time you use it. But don't know if you can get them there.

My brushes I use the most are Purdys. 4 are 2 1/2" angles, 2 are 3" angles then I have a 1" and 1 1/2" angles for tight areas.
I have a 3" and 3 1/2" straights but never use them.

All my painting I do is interior so the brushes are used to cut in and for trim.

My oldest brush is 8 years old and use that to cut in the most.

I use a lot of Purdy 2.5" angled sash brushes. I'm not great about washing/wrapping them every time I get distracted(happens more to remodelers than painters) so I downgrade them to primer brushes then crap brushes as they accumulate paint.

I have a pretty large set of decorative and trompe l'oeil brushes from Pierre Finkelstein and those get babied like they were pure gold. I don't break them out very often anymore.

cowboysdad said:

I need a new set of brushes. This is going to be he first set I buy as a pro. I finally beat all of my personal use brushes to hell and back.

So I am looking for advice and suggestions on a decent, durable, quality set of brushes since I am going to be doing professional level finish work: painting, staining, and poly coating.

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Here's a must read about brushes from Wooster-> http://woosterbrush.com/pdfs/AboutApplicators.pdf :thumbsup:

Never thought Purdy gave a good a finish as Wooster. All my brushes are Wooster and it's a bummer but my local yard doesn't carry them anymore. Online it is!!

I would recommend Purdy next in line.

Sir Mixalot said:

Here's a must read about brushes from Wooster-> http://woosterbrush.com/pdfs/AboutApplicators.pdf :thumbsup:

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Awesome link. That tip about hydrating the bearings on the Sherlock frame... If that works, you just rocked my world. I hate that squeak!!

I like the Purdy Nylox-Dale brushes. I have moved away from the angled sashes and started using more straight brushes. Even a 3 inch flat can be a great cut in brush.

The Proform Picasso's are pretty good as well. They take a bit of getting used to, but they seem to hold a lot of paint.

I had nice Calypso, but somehow it turned into a junk brush before I even got a chance to really put it through it's paces.

My best advice is to try a bunch of different ones. They are relatively cheap. I buy a new brush or two during any job I need to paint. I'm a bit of a brush junky.

Corona brushes are all I will buy. Simply excellent.
Available from http://www.thepaintstore.com/Corona_Paint_Brushes_s/35.htm
If you put on a lot of the alkyd "modified" latex paints then I highly recommend giving the chinex brushes a try. If you are brushing oils then try the Pal.

Don't have my brushes in front of me, but I believe im in the 10-15 range, and all of them are Purdys.

Not that I dislike Wooster, just have never used them. Always used Purdys and they've always done me right.

Purdy's, but I don't think they are as good as they used to be.

Ohio painter said:

Corona brushes are all I will buy. Simply excellent.
Available from http://www.thepaintstore.com/Corona_Paint_Brushes_s/35.htm
If you put on a lot of the alkyd "modified" latex paints then I highly recommend giving the chinex brushes a try. If you are brushing oils then try the Pal.

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Oops, Corona is what I meant. I picked it up, used it for a couple hours and then loaned it out.

I'm not sure how someone mistakes "Please clean it and take good care of it because I just paid 25 bucks for it" for "Hey, just rinse it and throw it on the counter under a bunch of dirty crap, but only after you use it to stab paint into all the crooks and crevises."

I like the Purdy's with the blue bristles, they hold their shape better and clean out a tad bit better. Another secret about them is that they surprisingly make darn good oil brushes. Corona makes a nice brush too but it's really hard to beat that blue bristled Purdy brush.

Anyone else use brush combs to clean their brushes?

Anyone else use brush combs to clean their brushes?
Yes, along with a stiff scrub brush to scrub the dried on crap on the outside of the brush.

What is a brush comb supposed to accomplish? Do you just brush it a few times or do you brush it vigorously while running water over it? I just massage the bristles with my fingers. I've seen guys use a wire brush and that kind of makes sense. I've tried the brush comb, but the tines are so far apart they don't seem to do anything.

My favorite brush depends on what I'm using it for. I like Wooster Silvertip and Alpha S for some things, Some Coronas, some Purdys. Exterior wall brushes I use the old stly SW Wave brushes natural / syn mix.

I think all the companies make brushes that don't work well for me.

For cleaning I have a brush comb and a brass wire brush.

instock said:

What is a brush comb supposed to accomplish? Do you just brush it a few times or do you brush it vigorously while running water over it? I just massage the bristles with my fingers. I've seen guys use a wire brush and that kind of makes sense. I've tried the brush comb, but the tines are so far apart they don't seem to do anything.

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Combs help get the water / cleaner into the paint well and close to the ferrule. Unless you have running mineral spirits when you;re using oil, you need one.

I find it helps save brushes that have gone too long without a good cleaning. Once I started using it I threw away fewer brushes. I can also get them much cleaner faster too.

Thanks for all the advice, and thnx Sir Mixalot for the link.