Review: Escoda Versatil Watercolor Brush 

I watched it over and over and thought I was imagining it! Then I scrolled down and saw your comment confirming that my eyes were not deceiving me. Yes, Teoh rotates the natural hair brush quite noticeably and not so much the synthetics which gives a false result.

Good Point! No pun intended 😂

+TheSentinel3000 Thanks 😀

Same here!

+pizza5354 That's because the Reserva sable brush is really expensive when the brush gets big. And the performance for big brushes between Versatil and Reserva is not too big.

+Teoh Yi Chie Yeah, I totally get your point. I'm not looking into purchasing expensive brushes (I'm just a hobbyist, using nylon brushes, haha), but I find myself watching your videos because you're good at comparisons, and it's refreshing to see your thought process on things. :P

+pizza5354 I'm just trying to help people save money. :-D Or spend money, depending on how you look at it. LOL.

+Teoh Yi Chie I'm pretty sure you're making people spend. :P hahaha.

+Teoh Yi Chie thanks for the comparison. I am wondering how well chinese brushes do ...do you happen to know some chinese brands that could emulate size 2,6,8,10 sable brushes? -I wonder if there is money to be saved...also, Have you ever reviewed some escoda brushes from the joseph zbukvic set or alvaro set? thanks

I have all the Escoda Versatil brushes, two of some of them, and use them all the time.

+Bunny Bgood I've got another video coming up soon on real, fake and mixed squirrel brushes.

I do use sables, but also would prefer brushes that no animal suffered to create. You should try the Versatil brushes, I am very happy with the one I just got. Hopefully it will hold up well over time.

Chainsaw Kitten hows your brush now? Still has a nice point?

Richie Ray yes, it does. Just as nice, with regular use, as the day I bought it. I just ordered the size 2 and the 6. I also got another Escoda synthetic a few weeks ago, the Prado (round) I don’t love it as much as the Versatil, but still a really decent brush. So happy that there are excellent alternatives to sable.

Thanks for your answer and I am very pleased with the comparison of the three because it has given me the answer that I need money is a factor but for me if it does it really work when I want to paint then I become discouraged so I try to wait till I can afford what will do the job and I want to learn to do floral paintings I amOriginally I’ve always done landscapes and played with watercolor now for many reasons I need to go to watercolor thank you so much you have helped so much

Synthetic brushes are used for different purposes, mostly for painting small areas since they don't hold much water. Versatil holds slightly more water and can paint longer without reloading. The best watercolour brushes are still the sable brushes.

Teoh: I am still struggling with sable or other animal hair on ethical grounds. I know animal 'leftovers' are used for the brushes and they are not killed for the brushes; but I still struggle with the issue. I accidently bought a sable brush thinking it was synthetic sable, and I must admit it is superior to the synthetic brushes. I also found a brush made of pony hair amongst my late mother's art possessions. Because it was already bought and was something belonging to mum, I have tried it out. Again it is superior to synthetic. I don't know about squirrel hair as that really turns my stomach, as to the best of my knowledge, squirrels are not used for food. But maybe you can give further information?

+Erin S. Escoda Reserva smoother than the Da Vinci Maestros? Hmmm... That's interesting. :-D

+Teoh Yi Chie here is what I experienced. So I got the escoda reserva #8 and Davinci series 35 size 5 at the same time and with these two compared next to each other they are very close in size with the escoda wider by about 1mm. Ya, when taking them for a spin it was a noticeable difference. Now after using them the same with same paints after cleaned and dry the Davinci brush has a poofier, or the hairs just don't hold as tight as the escoda and this is when they are co platelet dry and I ran my finger over them once to take the stiffness out. Both brushes have a different point however I can clearly see a big difference in how the brushes were cut and escoda is more even and symmetrical whilst the brushes both dried completely. Oh and the last bit... You can see difference in color at the point of the bristles when wet and when dry, escoda is slightly darker and more uniform. I'm starting to wonder if Davinci is have some quality control issues.

+Teoh Yi Chie the only reason I even bought escoda was because I got for a really good price. I have been using Davincis the majority of my painting for a while with a few W&N series 7, Rosemary brush co., and a few others if I needed to here and there but when I got my Davinci series 11 size 10 after a week of using it I finished that painting, cleaned it and didn't use it again for a few months and when I came back to it, it looked like a frizzy, frayed mess. I also had a hard time getting used to the brush not perform the way I was so used to with the other maestros I have but as of late the last 3-4 brushes haven't been stellar and up to what I think Davinci's known for.

+Erin S. That seems to be what's happening to my Da Vinci brushes also. When they dry, the hair dries outwards. With Escoda Reserva, they still maintain the sharp point after drying.

As a beginner, the fancy name KOLINSKY SYNTHETIC actually confused me, thinking it was a mix of natural and synthetic. But after watching the video , I know that it is a better synthetic, but still synthetic. I will prefer it was referred to its basic material, personal taste, easier for a rookie like me.

Welcome :-)

+Sharon Nolfi Thanks 😀

+Bartholo Clumpdink I actually have some Rosemary pocket sable brushes. They are very good. Performance is quite close to Escoda Optimo and Reserva. I find it quite difficult to tell them apart when using. Perhaps the Rosemary is slightly softer, or just my imagination.

I had the same observation.

I noticed that as well.... it would have been much more honest if he treated all the brushes the same.

+Suzala Suzala I've heard of the Silver Black but I won't be getting that soon. I've a backlog of items to review currently.

+Suzala Suzala Keeps a lot of water but does not spring back. You can basically shape the tip and it stays that way.

It's definitely easier to get a sharper point with sable than with synthetic.

Btw.. Teoh can u do a review on the cheap sable brushes available on aliexpress.. They're like the 10th of the price of big brands

+TheSgyro Thanks. Maybe I'll check those out

Teoh Yi

+Prismatic Cosmotop is a synthetic brush so it will behave like the white Perla I showed in the photo. The tip will not be as sharp and it would not hold as much water. Synthetics are good for detail work, short brush strokes that don't require much load in the brush.

+Teoh Yi Chie Thanks so much. Have you tried the Da Vinci CosmoTop Mix B? Its supposed to use a mix of natural hair and synthetic so I'm not sure if it will perform better than the regular CosmoTop.

+Prismatic Cosmotip Mix B is slightly better. Since it's mixed hair, it has characteristics of both the hair. It can hold a point and also a decent amount of water. I prefer it to CosmoTop. But it really depends on what you are using the brush for.

+Teoh Yi Chie I'm looking for a good flat brush so the Cosmotop Mix B might be it. Thank you.

Sable 6 will be better. It has a sharper point.

thanks for the advice.

I love...LOVE...the Silver Black Velvet Squirrel blend brushes. They are awesome, they hold a great point in all sizes, last a long, long time, and perform well in every way. Oh, and they aren’t too expensive,

Look at Da Vinci brushes. More specifically look at Da Vinci Casaneo. Flat brushes are usually not sable.

+kalaramarya I think size 6 is good for A5 sketchbooks. If you like details, then a size 4 brush may be more appropriate. If your paper size is from A4 or 9*12 inches, it might be good to get a size 10 to cover larger areas.

+zucozampa They are not used that often, so the glossy metal part has oxidized to a matte surface

They are very similar. The Escoda Reserva may be slightly more firm and the Optimo slightly softer. It is difficult to tell the difference. If I remember correctly, the Optimo hair is a mix of male (hard) and female hair.

+Rawan Check out this review www.parkablogs.com/picture/review-escoda-perla-joseph-zbukvic-watercolor-brush-set-no1

Teoh Yi Chie thank you this is so helpful!!!

Versatil is better. Actually, if you're going to get synthetic brushes, consider Da Vinci Casaneo brushes too. Those are even better. Size 8 is good for A4 or 9x12 inch paper.

@@teohyc Thank you very much, Teoh. In that case, I will check Da Vinci Casaneo in more depth and take Escoda Reserva no 10. At first I wanted to buy some Trekell brushes but shipping would have cost me $58, more than for the brushes which is a bit strange because I ordered a palette from Califonia and only paid $19 🤷‍♂️ for shipping - and California is one of the most distant places in the US relative to where I live. Then I thought about Raphael brushes, but even though they're a French company they have shops in the US, so I'd rather order something from Europe and spend more money on better brushes instead of shipping.

The Versatil should be able to hold a bit more water compared to the Taklon

@@teohyc Thank you for the reply teoh

Get size 4 or 6 which is good for A5 size sketchbook

Teoh Yi Chie will this suffice for details too? Thanks for answering

@@rouellafajardo998 Yes, it's good for details too.

I've not used those before but they look like stiff brushes. Not meant to hold a lot of water.

then, what are they meant for?? As they are sold for watercolour paintings Thanks again!!

Luisa M. Lara I'm not really sure what the Escoda Bravo is for.

+Rebecca L I've not used those before