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The Best Paintbrush

Last updated on August 31, 2020

We looked at the top 5 Paintbrushes and dug through the reviews from 9 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best Paintbrushes.

Best Paintbrush

Our Review Process

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Paintbrushes come in two main types. If you’re repainting the walls in your home, you’ll need one type of brush, while artists require a different type of brush altogether. Whatever your goal is, you’ll need to look at the bristles and the handle, both of which not only impact your own comfort while you work but also the quality of the finished products.

The type of bristles is important. Brushes can have natural or synthetic bristles, but often they combine both. There’s also a silver area directly connected to the bristles. This is called a ferrule. The ferrule is held to the handle by something called a crimp, and the handle is typically either made from wood or acrylic.

With artistic paintbrushes, you’ll find there are a variety of shapes for the bristles. These paintbrushes can have a round, pointed, flat, oval-shaped or angular tip. By investing in a full set, you’ll be covered for a wide range of projects. For painting walls, you’ll need a much wider paintbrush, but you should also purchase one with a smaller bristle area for handling trim and baseboards.

Our Picks For The Top Paintbrushes

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Product Overview
Our Take
Pros
Cons
 Best Overall

Benicci Nylon Hair Paintbrush Set, 16-Count

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Benicci

Nylon Hair Paintbrush Set, 16-Count

This set includes 16 brushes, a palette knife and a storage bag to hold everything. These art brushes work well for acrylics, watercolor, gouache, ink, oil and face paint. The set includes liner, round, angular, filbert, fan, glaze, comb and flat brushes in sizes half and three-quarters, and numbers 2, 4 and 8.

Overall Take

Bristles Stay in PlaceThe nylon bristles on these brushes are clamped with extra strong ferrules to keep them from falling out.

Pros
" It comes with 15 brushes and as a bonus you get a storage bag as a brush holder. It comes with a free palette knife and it's a variety of styles."
Cons
"The hair tends to come out and they are expensive."
 Runner Up

Crafts 4 All Round Pointed Tip Paintbrush, 12-Count

Crafts 4 All

Round Pointed Tip Paintbrush, 12-Count

You'll get brushes in small, medium and large thickness, along with different shapes and angles to fit each of your project needs. It has rust-free aluminum ferrules that are double crimped to hold the bristles in place. It has a wooden handle designed for an easy, comfortable grip.

Overall Take

Comfortable Wooden HandleThe wooden handle on these brushes is designed to keep your hand comfortable while you work.

 We Also Like

Pro Grade Soft Paintbrushes, 5-Pack

Pro Grade

Soft Paintbrushes, 5-Pack

In this set, you get five premium-quality brushes built for painting walls and trim. The brushes have a filament blend built to hold more paint, giving you fewer streaks and quicker results. It comes with a 1-inch flat brush, 1.5-inch angle brush, 2-inch stubby angle brush, 2-inch flat brush and a 2.5-inch angle brush.

Overall Take

For Walls and TrimThis paintbrush set is designed for painting walls and trim.

Pros
" Pro Grade is a pack of five premium quality brushes. The SRT filament blend holds more paint to save time, less streaks and premium finish on the walls and trims."
Cons
"The bristles tend to separate into clumps when it is dipped into the paint."
 Strong Contender

heartybay 20-Piece Nylon Hair Paintbrushes, 2-Pack

heartybay

20-Piece Nylon Hair Paintbrushes, 2-Pack

This two-pack of 10 different sizes of art brushes is great for getting started. It includes anti-shedding bristles, anti-rust nickel ferrules and sturdy wooden handles to give you everything you need for your painting projects. It also makes a great gift for the person in your life who's interested in getting started in artistic pursuits.

Overall Take

Great for BeginnersIf you're just getting started, this art brush set will give you everything you need.

Pros
" The best acrylic paint brushes for beginners. Durable anti-shedding bristles and sturdy wooden handles. Brushes are double crimped to last longer."
Don't just take for granted what one reviewer says. Along with our own experts, DWYM analyzes the top expert reviews of the leading products and generates a score you can actually trust.
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Products Considered

We identified the majority of the paintbrushes available to purchase.
5

Products Analyzed

We then selected the leading and most popular products for our team to review.

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Expert Reviews Included

In addition to our expert reviews, we also incorporate feedback and analysis of some of the most respected sources including: Bier International, Best Reviews Guide, Campus Career Club, Gist Gear, Repair Art.

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User Opinions Analyzed

We also incorporate user reviews from the leading retailers including

Our experts reviewed the top 5 Paintbrushes and also dug through the reviews from 9 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best of the best Paintbrushes.

DWYM is your trusted roduct review source. Our team reviews thousands of product reviews from the trusted top experts and combines them into one easy-to-understand score. Learn more.

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Look for the DWYM seal for products that are the best in their category.

The Best Bang For Your Buck

heartybay 20-Piece Nylon Hair Paintbrushes, 2-Pack

Our Expert Score

9.3
2 expert reviews

User Summarized Score

9.2
4,786 user reviews

Our Take

This two-pack of 10 different sizes of art brushes is great for getting started. It includes anti-shedding bristles, anti-rust nickel ferrules and sturdy wooden handles to give you everything you need for your painting projects. It also makes a great gift for the person in your life who's interested in getting started in artistic pursuits.

What other experts liked

The best acrylic paint brushes for beginners. Durable anti-shedding bristles and sturdy wooden handles. Brushes are double crimped to last longer.
- Campus Career Club

What to Look For

  • The type of paint you’ll be using will determine the brush you need. Natural brushes work best with oil-based paints, while synthetic brushes do well with acrylic- or latex-based paints.
  • One issue, whether you’re painting the wall or a canvas, is bristles that detach from the ferrules and end up on the surface of whatever you’re painting. Look for one that’s clamped well to prevent that.
  • If you’re buying a set of artistic paintbrushes, you’ll need a case to keep them in.
  • The comfort of the handle is important, as well. If you’ll be working with it for a while, you’ll want a paintbrush that reduces fatigue. Wood handles are best for that, but you can also find some that are designed with ergonomics in mind.
  • Paintbrushes endure exposure to moisture, both from the paint and the water you use to clean them. Look for one with rust-resistant ferrules to increase longevity.
  • How you clean your paintbrushes depends on the type of paint you used. If you’re working with water-based paints, use a mixture of warm water and mild soaps. For oil-based paints, you’ll need to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for creating a cleaning solvent. Dip the brush in the solvent, then dry by spinning on a dry cloth and rinse. Never soak paintbrushes in water, solvent or cleanser, as this can damage the bristles.
  • If you plan to paint regularly, a paintbrush comb can be the most effective way to keep your bristles from “fingering.” Fingering happens when the bristles harden and clump together due to residue being left on them.

Paintbrush Rankings

1. Benicci Nylon Hair Paintbrush Set, 16-Count

Overall Score: 9.6
Reviews Included: 4

2. Crafts 4 All Round Pointed Tip Paintbrush, 12-Count

Overall Score: 9.4
Reviews Included: 2

3. Pro Grade Soft Paintbrushes, 5-Pack

Overall Score: 9.3
Reviews Included: 4

4. heartybay 20-Piece Nylon Hair Paintbrushes, 2-Pack

Overall Score: 9.1
Reviews Included: 3

5. Loew-Cornell 245B Paintbrush Set, 25-Count

Overall Score: 9.0
Reviews Included: 1

More to Explore

The earliest paintbrushes were made with animal hair, a practice that continues today. In fact, bristles got their name because they originally came from the hair of hogs, pigs, and boars — all of which are rougher than other types of animal hair.

Metal entered the picture during the Industrial Age, allowing manufacturers to introduce ferrules into the picture. Ferrules strengthen the hold the handle had on the bristles, keeping them from falling out. The best brushes, once found only in Western Europe, gradually migrated east. After the Russian Revolution, though, Chinese brushes grew in popularity due to the easy access to pigs for bristles.

More to explore