Watercolor Series 498 Casaneo Paint Brush, Round Quill New Wave Synthetics, Size 8

I purchased early in learning to watercolor, and while it wasn’t what I had hoped, I wasn’t sure if this was “normal” for this brush, so I didn’t return. I assumed this was my poor technique. After learning a little more, and trying some other brushes (including the fabulous “Raven” quill brush from Jackson’s Art, which cost 1/4 the price of this Casaneo), I realize this is not how a quill faux squirrel brush should behave. They should come to a point that is at least semi-sharp when wet. Dry, many great quill brushes do not point at all, but this can be normal.I included a photo of several other watercolor rounds and quill brushes (dry, I didn’t have wet photo when doing the review), and you can see that, even dry, all these brushes have a nicer point than my Casaneo. Wet, all the others come to beautiful points, and the Raven holds an equal amount of water as the Casaneo does. The Princeton Neptune has a similar water capacity, and a slightly better point (although it is still less “sharp” than other faux squirrel brushes in the comparison photo). The sharpest pointed, snappiest brushes hold less than after than the Casaneo, Raven, or Princeton Neptune. I believe this is fairly typical. The Princeton Neptune in the photo looks scraggly, but this is just the dry brush fibers catching on the paper towel. The brush works beautifully, and is in perfect condition.I contacted Da Vinci to see if this was a typical, normal condition for their brushes, and was asked to send photos, both wet and dry. Those are the same photos in my review. They replied that they could not determine if the brush was defective or if this was the normal/expected performance, and I would need to ship the brush to them to determine. The least expensive shipping to Germany from the U.S.A was nearly the price of the brush, so I decided not to send it in. The customer service rep was very pleasant, and while I don’t believe that the company should be obligated to replace or fix a problem without being sure that the fault is theirs, this is still not what I consider fantastic customer service. I have mixed feelings about this, because I realize that there are a lot of people that abuse return and warranty policies, but at the same time, watercolor brushes can be fairly expensive, and the result for someone like me (who most likely purchased a defective brush) is that I will be MUCH less likely to purchase from the company in the future. The CSR did say that the Casaneo quills should keep their tip, but I probably won’t put my hobby budget on a DaVinci brush in the future.. If it is a quality control issue, I would expect most companies to replace a barely used brush that is relatively expensive. If I had not found the Jackson’s Raven, I might consider purchasing a Da Vinci quill from Blick, which has really great customer service (I would be confident that I could exchange or return if there was an issue). If the Princeton Neptune made a tiny quill, I would definitely get one of those, also.…as an aside, when I contacted Princeton with a question about one of their budget brushes, I received a response from “Howard”, who I believe is the owner, within less than 24 hours. My question was not a concern/complaint, and would have theoretically only resulted in a <$10 purchase, so the response speaks highly to their overall approach to customer service. It also affected my future purchases: I have since spent $150-$250 dollars on Princeton Aqua Elite brushes, which is their best quality synthetic watercolor brush line. I try to support companies that I have a good experience with, and I felt comfortable making the investment that if there was an issue, Princeton would be there to support their products. Thankfully, all the brushes from Princeton have been just what I was expecting. I’m planning to purchase more Neptunes as well, as I learn better water control.I suspect that my Casaneo quill was defective (based on photos of others), but I don’t like to return items if I think it’s my user error or poor choice, so I will be reluctant to try Da Vinci brushes in the future, in spite of hearing relatively positive things about their brushes.Hopefully my experience will help anyone with their decision.

It is a beautiful and super soft brush, great for watercolor. Got sent the size 8 at first but returned it without problems for the correct size I ordered.Fits in the hand comfortably.Value for money is fairly comparable.Holds a wonderful amount of water and paint.I've used it now a few times. Really wanted a larger round brush for various work and took a chance on this brush. My only complaint is the tip. When dry, really fluffs out as expected, most round brushes don't always keep their pointed shape when dry. However, it spreads out just a tad too much when using it wet on the paper (with just the slightest bit of pressure too). I suppose I could just have a heavy hand... or I could have ordered the wrong series brush too for my needs, which is quite possible. But oh well. It's a nice, synthetic brush, so I'll keep it and find a use for it.I didn't want a quill, have enough of those, just wanted a nicely tipped larger round that'll keep a point when wet.I gave it 4 stars as it's still a beautiful brush and I'll just keep trying to paint with it to get used to it.

I didn’t really like the handle- felt too thick. I prefer the silver velvet ones better.

Great brush. Holds a ton of paint and water. It blends the paint perfectly on paper. Has a nice sharp point. This is my first quill brush and I’m still learning exactly how it’s used but so far I’m really enjoying it.UPDATE: so it’s been awhile since I’ve bought this brush. I’ve learned a lot and this brush is my #1 favorite!! The number #2 quill is perfect for my fondness of painting on a smaller scale. I also have the size 0 and these two brushes are my go to’s. The paint has chipped from below the ferrule but in my opinion it gives the brush character. The bristles of the brush still perform perfectly well. I’ve certainly gotten my money from these brushes and wouldn’t hesitate to buy them again if ever needed.

I saw a bunch of people doing instruction in watercolor on YouTube using this style of brush and wanted to try one. I was happy it was synthetic not only because the natural ones cost so much but I just like synthetic brushes in general. Anyone who paints with watercolor or ink should have one -they just do a lot of stuff other brushes don't, in particular they hold a lot of paint and are extremely expressive. If you're serious about getting better skills these are great. Addendum: A month down the line, I use the brush with some acrylic ink and forget to wash it. Then I pick it up and my heart sinks -I've ruined it. I decided to try and wash it, although I was sure it was ruined. Some hand soap and careful rubbing and it's 100%. Amazing.

I got the number 24 flat. This has to be by far the best synthetic I have ever used. In search of a wonderful synthetic that truly mimics natural hair, none do it better then this brush. To some extent it works better then it's natural counterpart. The brush hair feels totally like natural hair and many would be surprised if I told them otherwise.It holds so much water and paint it's truly surprising that it's a synthetic. Unlike many other brush manufacturers this brush is loaded with hair, with a thick belly in the middle that tapers to a sharp chisel. and on top of that u get this amazing control that u don't get from some natural hair brushes. This is not only the best synthetic I've used it is one of the best brushes overall, I have ever used, it was truly shocking how wonderful this synthetic was. I had to double check to make sure I didn't order a natural squirrel hair brush. As u can tell I love this brush. Undoubtedly a great buy, it solidifies DaVinci as one of the best brush makers in the world!

I was hoping for more with this brush. It's the most expensive brush I own, but performs as well as brushes I've bought that are half the price. I wanted a dagger brush to be able to use the fine point and wide body to make interesting shapes, but it just seems to make a mess out of things. Maybe I'm not good enough to use it.

Who needs sable? The Caseano range are the best synthetic brushes out there

Very good brushes , love them

Nice brush to hold, soaks up a lot of water/paint. Enjoying using it so far. Maintains a good point while using it.

Great brush, but after 7 months get cracked

Brilliant brush from one of the best makers. Thank you Amazon!