Chronicle Cards Wolf Bristle Brush Set
An NKG staff Product Review:
Written by: SteviL
MSRP: $42.00
Our Price: $37.95
**What’s inside:** 1 drawstring bag containing 10 brushes—000, 00, 2 0’s, 2 1’s, 2 2’s, 3, 7, working out to about 4 bucks a brush.
I bought a pack of these late last year because I’m always interested in trying new painting tools. My initial thoughts upon opening them up were very positive. Each individual brush had a bristle protector, and they were all stored upright in the drawstring bag inside the canister, so they were all in fantastic shape. The polished rosewood handles are beautiful and are wider toward the ferrules, making them very comfortable to hold. The bristles are actual wolf hair that has been
responsibly sourced and have been cited as having the same quality and longevity as sable.
I used them off and on over a few months (I own a LOT of brushes) but decided to exclusively use only them for my painting while at AdeptiCon. The fact that they were already in a drawstring bag made them easy to add to my hobby travel bin, so that was already great. Busting them open in the room and using them to paint in my downtime was where the real test truly lay.
First was basecoating with the 2. It held its point remarkably well and evenly distributed the paint (whether it be standard pigments or the newfangled “one-shot” colors such as Citadel Contrasts) wherever it needed to go on the pieces I was painting. Just as with any brush, rinse often and maintain the point.
Shading came next. I like to use a larger brush when I’m applying shade color like Army Painter Strong Tone, so I chose the 7. Same as the 2, fraying was almost nonexistent, it held a good amount of pigment and spread it very evenly. And again, the tip was easy to maintain after rinsing.
I had highlights for the pieces as well as further detailing on some of them, so I went with one of the 0’s for that—some of the extreme detailing such as eyes and tattoo work were done with the 000. I paid attention to see if the tip began to bend and curve, as that is a common problem with the smaller brush heads due to the smaller and shorter grouping of bristles to support each other. And sure enough, the brush heads didn’t distort in any way at all, though to be fair, I did use those smaller brushes far less than the 7 or especially the 2.
So, are they worth the money? Absolutely. Single brushes, especially ones with a hobby company logo on them, can and do sell for twice as much or more individually. The fact that you get a full set of essential sizes, including duplicates of three more essential ones, appeals to my “one and done” mentality. As mentioned earlier, the drawstring bag makes an easy “grab and go” for painting at a convention or somewhere other than my house. The rosewood handles are
lightweight and ergonomic for long-term handholding for hobbying. The brush heads hold paint very well and distribute it very evenly, and as mentioned, they will last a long time (as with most brushes, not just these) when proper brush care and maintenance are implemented.
