da Vinci Travel Series 1573 CosmoTop Spin Watercolor Brush, Round Synthetic with Protective Case Handle, 3

Very well made. I’m a bit of a brush snob. This brush will be my go to while traveling by rail on my next trip.I’ve included a paint tube and other items for scale in the pictures. Happy trails!

I've wanted to try da Vinci's travel brushes for years and finally bought a size 5. It arrived very poorly packed -- the capped brush was loose in a box with no protective packaging or filler and was wedged up under one of the bottom box flaps. If it had been a regular brush it would have been damaged. Thankfully, it was fine in no small part to the travel style's protective ruggedness. I'd take one star off for poor packaging except the error proved the brush was durable. I want to try the regular Cosmotops but will look elsewhere for a retailer who knows how to properly pack brushes.Off the bat I'm impressed with the spring of the brush. It holds a good amount of water though nowhere close to natural sable, squirrel, etc. Comparing it to my Cheap Joe's Legend Kolinsky the bristles are stiffer (they are synthetic, after all) but in a pleasantly responsive way. I like the durable black plastic handle setup better than the shiny brass the Legend and Versatil's have. I hope it holds it's point for a good while as it seems ideal to pair with my mini watercolor sketching kit.In reading reviews about problems with the points being splayed: for what it's worth, when quality brush manufacturers like da Vinci (i.e. W&N, Escoda, Princeton, etc.) ship brushes to retailers watercolor rounds are *always* starched to a crisp point and most non travel brushes are capped with protective plastic sleeve to protect the bristles. I see them fresh out of the box from those companies at our store. If out of the box your brush looks splayed and fails the water snap test something is definitely not right!

This brush is amazing. Holds a lot of water/pigment, small and convenient for travel, great for medium and tiny paintings. I've used it with several different watercolor brands such as Koi, Daniel Smith, and Winsor & Newton Professional / Cotman. It is definitely worth the price tag.I bought a "da Vinci Travel Series 902 Maestro Mini Brush, Round Kolinsky Red Sable with Short Handle, Size 4", but own several other Da Vinci travel brushes - synthetic included that have lasted me many years and never fail to perform beautifully.

I purchased the 2, 4, 6, and 8 of this wonderful brush and they have changed my paintings. I can't believe how much a good brush changes everything. I use them with the Masterson Rinse Well water keeper and I'll never go back to any other brush. I especially love that after the brushes dry (in less than half an hour) I can store the delicate brushes in the handle to keep the perfect point. The really do have a wonderful point when wet and they hold incredible amounts of paint. I used to have so much trouble with doing a good wash but now, with these wonderful brushes I don't get unevenness at all.Since it's getting difficult to find Sable brushes, I think these are so worth the price. The price is comparable to art store prices but most art stores are sorely low on stock. I'm looking forward to adding the 3, 5, and 10 soon before they disappear because of the ban in importing sable hair as it's now an endangered species.

Uh oh... I might have gotten in too deep... I may need to buy more sizes of these. The long tapered kolinsky really do make the best difference. Water holding and fine lines. Hold the point. Absolutely worth it.By far two of my favorite brushes

I decided to try the da Vinci series 1573 travel brushes after being impressed by the series 1503 Maestro watercolour travel brushes which I have been using for years.The 1573 series are marketed as Cosmotop Spin while the series 1503 are known as the Maestro. Cosmotop Spin uses synthetic hair while the Maestro uses Winter Siberian Kolinsky red sable hair.The brush body is made of black hard plastic, while the part holding the hair is made of metal. It's a portable design where you can collapse the brush, and the cap will protect the brush tips. At the cap's tip, there's a small hole for ventilation.They 1573 series are available from sizes 1 to 12. I typically use either size 4 or 6 for sketchbook sizes of A5 to A4.The synthetic brush tip is firm, has a nice springy feel to it, and can maintain a sharp tip. It can also hold a lot of water.The downside is, synthetic brush hair is not as flexible as sable brush hair. With sable hair, you can remove most of the water when you flick the brush in a snapping movement. You know like how some animals would shake off water from their hairy bodies? The purpose is so you can use the dried point to collect extra pools of water on your watercolour paper, or when you want to mix new colours. I tried flicking the synthetic brush and it is not easy to get rid of the water.Sometimes I would use a water loaded sable brush to transfer some water to the mixing pan. When I tap the sable brush tip to the surface, a good amount of water will come out. When I do the same thing with the synthetic brush, not a lot of water comes out that way. So while the synthetic brush does hold a lot of water, it's not easy to get the water out for purposes I've just mentioned.As for painting, well, it's a terrific brush, and is comparable to sable brush. It can do washes or details depending on your brush size.If you're just starting out, or learning watercolour, it's fine to get the da Vinci series 1573 Cosmotop Spin watercolour brushes. They are good compact travel brushes.Personally, I would recommend the Maestro over Cosmotop Spin. The 1503 series Maestro watercolour brushes might be more expensive, but they are just better.

I like this brush very much. The size 6 is a little larger than expected in bristle size, but it comes to a fine point which is good for smaller spots or fine details. Very portable, the length when closed is only about 4" so it fits in pockets nicely.

I just tried the produc because I had not had a chance to it’s terribleThey look nothing like the picturesThey bend and the bristles were damagedThey don’t hold the paint or colorThey look and feel counterfeit ! I had one that came with a schmincke set and the difference is outstanding!Very disappointed

É menor do que eu esperava quando fechado, extremamente portátil. Me surpreendi com a qualidade dele, as cerdas são sintéticas mas flexiveis e seguram muita água, até chequei para ver se não haviam me mandado um pincél de pelo de esqyilo por engano. Achei tamanho 6 perfeito pra mim e sua ponta fina e "barriga" grossa me permite fazer traço pequenos que gradualmente crescem muito, bem dinâmico!

By far one of the best brushes I've ever used. It's definitely going to be a staple in my kit for a long time to come. Great price for the size, heavy duty great quality plastic which means it's light weight. Very travel friendly. Synthetic so no animals harmed/involved. Really important for me. Holds a lot of water and glides smoothly. All in all a great brush. 100% would recommend. Great size for the price.

Gut

Good build and hold much water, but the bristle is too soft and not pointed. Can’t paint details with this brush.