Review: Da Vinci Casaneo Watercolour Brush 

Update: Casaneo are available as pocket brushes too.

This is the best review of this particular brush - so thank you! I have just ordered a #2 and can't wait for it to arrive! I'm new to watercolour and have to admit I'm kind of obsessed. And I am so glad there are cruelty-free options out there that are decent quality.

Based on your review I bought this brush and I absolutely love it! I was never particularly keen on synthetic brushes, but this one is a game changer. Thank you so much Teoh!

Thank you so much, I've been searching for hours to find a review as good as this for synthetic squirrel and sable brushes. You've helped me enormously! Thank you thank you!

I spent all day researching brushes and finally settled on the exact Davinci synthetic brush #2 you sampled here. Thank you so much!!

Check out more art product reviews at ru-vid.com/group/PLucoL_7WoAgCezEi88D1I0KYmMJ6-khAl

Thanks for a truly great review of the Da Vinci Casaneo Quill. Your comparisons to the other brushes was thorough and most helpful. I have a Princeton Neptune Size 4 Quill that I adore, but the 4 is the smallest quill they make and have been trying to find a smaller quill. Well, I just found it thanks to you Teoh Yi Chie. I wish you the very best!

Today purchased the Casaneo washing brush size 4 in a local store here in Germany for 23 Euros. Had to ask the staff if it's "real synthetic" ^^ because it doesn't look and and feel so at all. First impression was great, as well an small Fabriano 100‰ cotton paper (hot pressed, around A6 ) as on bigger Hahnemühle watecolour paper(A3, cold pressed, 300 g/sqm) . It's so smooth, holding such a big amount of water.Just found your review here and so happy it's affirming my impression💘

Thank you so much for reviewing this brush. I got mine last week and it’s so beautiful to paint with. I got the number 2. It’s a dream. Thank you Teoh!

Bought one after seeing this review and am in love. Good reservoir, fantastic SnapBack, affordable, light and easy to hold; just perfect. Tx for the recommendation

Thank you for this excellent review Mr. Teoh Yi Chie. You answered questions that I've wanted to know concerning the different brands of watercolor brushes. Valuable performance information and money saver.

I got their travel rounds from this series - they are very good - I also use their #2 quill/wash that you reviewed here and l love it. The #4 quill is also excellent for skies and larger areas. I am looking forward to May, when Davinci says they will make available in USA other shapes of Casaneo in travel format! Of course the travel version is always more expensive, so those that are not sure they will like this brush or do not want to spend extra $ for a travel version, perhaps you can get a non-travel version of your “work horse” size brush to try - you can then take it on the road with some bristle protection - it would really perform the same whether it is a travel or studio brush. In USA, these are very reasonably priced (compared to their competition) and way cheaper than natural hair equivalents. Blick Art Materials (online) carries then and you can often use their weekly sales promotions to cut down the price even further and get free shipping. I doubt you will be disappointed with this range. And no, I am not affiliated with davinci or Blick, lol, I just honestly like this product!

I also have two of these Da Vinci brushes and must echo your comments that were I to do a blind test, I would not be able to differentiate these from my Da Vinci sables or Escoda sables, which cost considerably more and are smaller. These are fantastic brushes and I am pleased to see them finally reviewed; your channel is one of few reviews. Thanks for sharing.

Synthetic brushes are steadily getting better. Lots of options on the market for all budgets. Hurray for competition lol! Seriously thanks for the excellent review. 👍 😄 This brush looks great! Thanks Teoh.

I use Casaneo brushes more than a year and has found a ONE MINUS. The tips of thin brushes are "curling", specifically I tell about my round brush #3 and a wash brush #0. And now it's really hard to work by a brush #3. All bigger sizes work perfectly, a wash brush #4, a flat brush and a mottler are fantastic!

I've been using these brushes in several shapes and sizes for over a year now and I'm pretty satisfied with them. For me they are a happy medium between more springy red sable and soft squirrel hair. Like with all synthetics, pigment tends to travel up towards the ferrule and that makes them a little harder to clean than a natural hair brush. I definitely end up using more brush soap to get these clean. Also, if I want fine detail I still prefer Silver Black Velvet rounds.

I may have to check these out. They look very nice. Dick Blick has the travel brush. Thanks for the review.

How exciting to find this one Teoh! Good score.

Much kinder than natural hair.

DaVinci brushes are very good. I have a few including the #8 travel brush. I use large brushes in my painting and quills suit me. I'm looking forward to adding a Rosemary brush to my tools. Thanks Teoh for all you do.

Thank you Teoh for the review. Hope to buy one.

I've got this brush and love it. Would definitely consider checking out the rest of the range.

Great review! I’ve experienced the same problems with my Escoda brush but this one has a very fine point. I’ll check them out. Thank you!

This was really helpful! Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

My absolutely favorite brushed I have a 4, 2 and 1 I’m going to get a the mutter and a series of rounds I use the with my Escoda round Perlas. Excellent review Teoh!

I’ve got a No0 Casanero and absolutely love it. More than my sable brushes at the moment. Really want to buy a few more sizes now.

Excellent review! You have sold me on this brush. I have avoided natural squirrel because of the lack of snap but this sounds like the answer for me. Princeton Neptune quills are priced lower but do not spring back as well in review videos. Also they do not offer smaller sizes like the Casaneo#2. You are an excellent reviewer. Thank you.

Wow. Very impressed by this brush!

Exciting! I try to buy synthetic so your review has me doing a happy dance:-)

I love this da vinci quill brushes! It is so versatile!

I have a few of these brushes, so far I’m really enjoying them.

Excellent. Thanks, Teoh!

Incredible! Definitely going to be buying some of these. I'm not vegan, but, I imagine this will also make a lot of my vegan friends happy to hear about.

I only use synthetic brushes, and Da Vinci has really been knocking it out of the park for me. The Escado series is my absolute favourite, so I was very happy to see you give a positive review!

I have used mine for quite a while, a couple of years and I liked it but I am a nnatural fiber girl so it kind of sits a bit. I love the size I got. I believe I have a 2 as well. But it is great for travel also. Round sizing is always smaller than wash. And the measurements are done by width more than length. Usually in mm.

Glad to know :) I just watched your selecting the size of brush for sketchbooks - 2015

Thanks for posting this video. As always, I learned a lot.

Thanks for this review. I just mine in the mail today and it's everything you said, amazing brush!

I have two of these brushes, so far I’m really impressed. I plan on buying more of the DaVinci synthetics.

GREAT review, thanks 🤘

Hello, I purchased this brush in Seattle Wa. Several months ago. Have used it along with my other “quill” style brushes. Teoh, you are exactly correct, this brush is wonderful, keeps a wonderful point, AND holds a large amount of water/paint, and the point snaps back to perfect Point! Love it as well! Claudia

Yes Teoh, I bought pocket brush casaneo on Amazon.ca. Thanks a lot for the information. You are definitely a great guy!

I love my Casaneo and plan to buy another very soon. Good vid...subbed

Great video. I brought the newly released synthetic brush from Winsor and Newton and it's sooooo good! First time using this type of brush too, so I'm really glad there's more synthetic brushes out there to try later :-)

I recently bought a size 8 round and I am so in love, and can't put it down.

Thank you very much for the informative video. I was looking for a review exactly like this! 👍👍👍

Waited lot for this ... finally..... Thank you

I just ordered some of these, I’m excited to try them

Very good review.

Thanks. It's going on my wish list.

The da Vinci brushes are amazing

Thanks Teoh! I just got mine and as you say, they perform just like natural hair brushes. Consistent water release, sharp point and hold large amount of water. Im hoping I will never need to buy natural hair brushes again. The only drawback is the price. They cost almost as much as natural hair brushes

Synthetic brushes are getting better. I have a Raphael synthetic squrrel brush that I really like. I'll have to try the de Vinci. I don't have a sable brush and this is more economic.

Thank you for this review. I have a synthetic squirrel quill but I just don't like that it doesn't have snap. This convinced me to purchase the Casaneo. (A pricey brush for synthetic sable!)

I got it few days ago, absolutely love it! you can get it from other sites like Jackson's for cheaper compared to amazon!

Very interesting, thank you

Thank you for this review. I've been thinking of getting a mop brush... and am convinced to go with synthetic because of price point. But not really sure what size to get...

I was considering buying the travel version of this brush when I stumbled upon your review. I’m so going to buy this one lol. Good review, thanks! And I know this is an old video so you might already know this but if not: they have multiple travel versions of this type/ brand

Update: I purchased this brush Casaneo 498 #2 a few months ago and I have to say that it is one of the best brushes I have ever used! I absolutely love it! This is saying a lot, as I have been a full time artist for nearly 50 yrs. and have bought 100's of oil and watercolor brushes. I want to try some of the others in this series.

indeed good synthetic brushes are as even good or better than real animal hair brushes. besides that fact animal hair brushes means cruelty. mostly squirrels and martens are hunted catched and killed only for their fur. I personally never use or buy real hair brushes as I don't want any animal to die to become a brush for me. I even seen horrific marten farms where they skinned the animal alive. who knows where your brush hair comes from as they don't include that information. I don't share this to horrify you but to bring awareness 😊 it all starts by knowing what you support by what you buy or pay for. that counts for everything. 🙏

They come in the pocket brush (even in other shapes than round), and also other shapes, like a dagger and rigger. These are in their new catalogs, which are shown on the right-hand side of the website you scrolled down.

Actually I saw that they will have travel versions of these brushes

I just looked on line, and they do have travel rounds in 6, 8 and 10 at Blick.

Dick Blick has five sizes of travel rounds in this series. Jackson's seems to have at least a couple of "pocket brushes," that look just like the travel brushes. Good news for urban sketchers.

Hi Teoh! If I use the link for Jackson Art on your blog will that be the same as the affiliate link here? Your reviews convinced me to try out these Casaneos 🙂

Nice product.. 👍

Hi Teoh, I would like an update: does this brush still snap back nicely into a point?

i use large brushes very often so i have to get the brush like this the brushes which i have are really bad .they can't carry lots of water i can paint without small brushes but can't paint without large brush

Will you be doing a ranking or comparisons of all the brushes you own? I'd love to hear your thoughts about overall brands

Thanks very much. I'll give them a shout. :)

It would be great if someone could compare Raphael Soft Aqua mops with Da Vinci Casaneo mops...have you tried the Soft Aquas? And is there any need for a small mop if we use sable rounds? Thanks!

Thank you so incredibly much Teo. This is incredibly helpful. I need a larger brush desperately. I currently have a silver black velvet size 8 ( my largest’good’ brush) and was debating on if I should get a larger brush Or A da Vinci casaneo mop/wash brush. They come to a pretty good point like a SBV brushes don’t they? Is the da Vinci casaneo mop size 2 a lot bigger than a silver black velvet 8 or 12? Or would it be better to get a size 3 mop? I am worried the size 3 may be a bit too big perhaps as I do paintings less than a4 ( maybe a size 0 would be fine? I’m so unsure). Also have you tried the newest Princeton aqua elite brushes ( not the Princeton elite) or the da Vinci casaneo round brushes? Thank you so much again!

This was a really good review on these brushes! Have you tried the 490 series that are a Quill/rigger hybrid? I'm wondering how they compare to the Quill wash brushes from the video. I can't decide which ones to buy. Right now my go to brushes are size 2 and 6 rounds from the Princeton Aqua-Elite line, but I want something a bit more versatile.

This brush seems great! A little expensive for me but this might be something to get in the future. Do you know how they compare to the Princeton Neptunes? (If you have tried them)

Hmmm. Have you tried the cosmotop mix b lines? I find no matter how nice a pure synthetic I buy, it just releases water too fast. Hate my Neptune mop and escoda synthetic sables. The cosmotop line is a nice blend of real and synthetic.

I've got 3 of these brushes in varying sizes, and I love them cause they can hold alot of water, unfortunately when they dry the brush does not retain it's sharp point, is it just mine or is this just normal for quill brushes?

Hi Teoh! I'm totally new to watercolours but am loving them & your useful reviews during our 2020 time-out. I'm now gathering my supplies, and would love a Da Vinci Casaneo quill, Where can they be bought in Singapore (normally) and are they very costly? Only Overjoyed is online now. I've discovered Jackson's Art but they're sold out. Any ideas are welcome!

So this #2 quill brush you tested, what is the brush size equivalence to a pointed round in this same series? Thanks!

Teoh, I went to Amazon to see about buying the #2 Casaneo brush. Right after the listing for #2 , was a listing for a 3 brush Casaneo set. The description does not list brush sizes. There is one large brush that could be a #2. Do you have any idea what the brush sizes are? If there was a #2 in the 3 brush set, it would be a better deal. I was just trying to purchase them so you would get the commission! You probably won't read even read this...but I would appreciate your input. 😦

Thank you...!

What is worth to buy this Da vinci casaneo watercolor brush or silver black velvet brush#8 cause I'm so torn about these two brushes I don't know what I want to buy. Pls answer

can you try Lenovo ThinkPad X390 ?with pen?

This or Silver Black Velvet, Teoh?

7:18 my casaneo series 498 No. 2 is not even close to the sharpness of yours - even its the same brush 😞 had to buy a da vinci dartana spin 7 to get this sharpness.

Can the Da Vinci brushes be used with inks, i.e. Dr. ph Martin matte/hicarb inks? Thanks

too bad there no such brush brand in vietnam

THE BRUSHES THAT HAVE WIRE BINDING ARE COMMONLY CALLED QUILL BRUSH'S, NICE BRUSHES TFS

what is the difference between this and 1593 series? is it only about the shape and size or there is difference quality wise also?

To be honest, I only buy synthetic brushes because I like how bouncy they are as they snap back to their points. After reading about how animals are treated in order to make real haired brushes, I'm very glad that I never got into using them...

How can we check the authencity of this brush.

Hey Teoh! Not that long ago I watched a video of yours where you compared papers with different cotton contents and the Fabriano Rosaspina was one of them I think. It impressed me greatly with its smooth blending capabilities. A friend of mine asked me to paint her a picture for her wedding, and I want to make something really nice for her. Would you actually recommend this paper for painting purposes even though I believe it was designed for printmaking you said?

Would you go for the Casaneo or the cosmotop mix b? The differ only little in the price.

Did you brush lose your point because I have one and it’s completely round

I love casaneo, give me a choice and I'd still go for Casaneo unless someone invents a synthetic that can stand up

Cost and shop

I am very much in love with the Casaneo as well! I would however caution - the regular rounds are no where near as good as the quill. They don't hold their point very well and they are very limp. Don't know what the did different in the quill brushed, or why, but the quills are absolutely amazing, the rounds are not as good in my opinion. I wish I knew why they couldn't make the regular rounds to be as good as the quills...

This squirrel brush in this shape no even exist in Brazil for purchase( Último). For a question of taste i never use sinthetic ones. I think it would be amazing this shape on natural quill and natural hairs...

5

No2 French Type Wash Casaneo Da Vinci 17,62€

i See some parallax there,...