Escoda Optimo Travel Brush

I use a JFW palette made by the Little Brass Box Company and I also have a Craig Young palette. Both these paintsets are great for painting outdoors but there's always the problem of finding suitable brushes to go with them. Initially I cut down some W&N brushes but when stored inside the palette boxes, they moved around and the hairs became distorted due to pressing against the edge of the box.

So when I spotted these Travel Brushes from Escoda, I was quite excited and even more so when I saw that Ken Bromley could supply the complete set of Kolinsky Sables for under £70 - I paid twice that amount for 1 W&N Series 7 brush!!

When I collected the Escoda's from the shop, I was very pleased with their construction and equally impressed with the way the brushes performed on paper. The protective covers form a nice, long handle which makes them very easy to work with and the ventilation hole in the end of the cover allows the hairs to continue to dry when the brushes have been stored away.

They're perfect for working on painting from 7x5" to half imperial and you can safely store them in a paintset or even just chuck them in a bag. No harm will come to them.

Escoda Optimo travel brushes are made of a thin metal tube handle holding a well made brush head. The handle reverses to protect the brush hairs. Unlike many travel brushes, these chrome-plated handles are as thin as wood brush handles. The competition's brush handles are often quite a bit larger in diameter. These are also very sturdy, and I do carry one or two in my jeans pocket without worrying about the brushes breaking.

Try and buy any Kolinsky sable size 12, travel or conventional, for less than £45! This Escoda Optimo 12 is not only convenient, but beautifully made, fitting firmly into its lightweight cover. The brush itself is superb, full-bodied but with a shapely point. I'll be recommending it to all my painting friends.