My Escoda Ultimo #16 has an entirely different shape to both of those. It's distinctly wide in the middle -- very fat belly - like a quill brush. And mine is fairly pointy, but not as pointy as your GFs. I also have an Ultimo travel round #6 that is perfectly awful and has NO point at all - it's made like a domed, non-pointed brush. I don't feel the length/stiffness of the bristles matches the ferrule size well at all. My only other Escodas are the real squirrel quills with the ferrule, they are very pointy. But I remember when I got them they were not at all the size described. I've gotten the impression that Escoda brushes are highly variable and I'm not as impressed as the YT hype would lead me to believe. My personal opinion after buying (for some reason) a whole lot of synthetic squirrel quills, is that most of them are nowhere NEAR as pointy as real squirrel quills. So they are not a great substitute if you want a point. But if you do, the Tintoretto are the best synthetics!
Interesting, I bought an Ultimo a few months ago and mine is just like your old one. Maybe Escoda decided to change their brush’s shape after many complains about it not being pointy enough?
The only brushes I complain about are my two Jackson's Icon and Raven French Mop brushes. The two are also good, no question, but if I buy a mop brush with a French binding I expect a mop brush and not a round brush with a French binding, so I can buy a round brush right away. Mop brushes are a bit thicker and have a slightly longer tip with which it is possible, despite the thick belly, to draw thin lines that only get a little wider with slight changes in pressure and do not get as much wider than with normal round brushes.
Super interesting to see the difference :O I agree because its handmade, it may be the reason for the shape differences. Maybe your brush skipped the eye of the person that checks the products before packing, or the brand has really changed the brush shape after some time.
An interesting review of your kit and why you use each item. It makes a lot of sense and I'm sure it will bring you good results, plus the enjoyment and other benefits of creating art. This has made me thing about my rabbit-hole stash of art materials. Maybe I should focus on a standard kit as you have done. I would probably need two, because I like to do Urban Sketching as well as landscape and abstract watercolour painting. So yeah, in my case, a two kits approach might be worth trying. That's my meditation for the rest of the week, thank you Jay Nathan.
Hi! My ultimo´s nr. 10, 14 and 18, all look the same as your old one. But I have also an Escoda Acuario 14, which tip is more pointed and it looks like your new one. Very interesting. Thanks
that is sooo odd! does it feel like they're both similarly packed with the same amount of bristles? or does the new one feel somewhat less dense? i've heard that there are increasing shortages of squirrel hair material so if they do use less number of bristles, i think that could account for the different overall shape. or is it maybe possible that the individual bristles of the squirrel hair itself is a different shape? like your older one, the bristles might be fatter but this new one the bristles might be slimmer? eh, i dont know, just spitting theories here ;P
Mine is like your old brush. I don't use it much exactly because of that lack of a pointy tip, just for some loose underpainting washes. They have probably improved them recently, specially with more and more options for synthetic squirrel brushes coming into scene.
Wouldn’t be surprised if it differs. I only got two mop brushes. (Or one is a smaller one, if you still can call it a mop then? I wouldn’t call the smaller one a round because it doesn’t feel like it ..and it is actually a mix between natural and synthetic hair so it holds so much water. Hard for me that is inexperienced to control.) But I noticed my new bigger mop brush has a better point. (Could it be because it’s newer? The oldest is less than one year though.)
@@JayNathanWatercolor I hope you will, I'd also like to know if they changed it or if this was a fluke. I've been trying to decide which brands/models to try and had decided on these but now I'm not so sure. Would you consider doing a video comparing the two and if there is much difference in their performance and how they hold up over time?
I bought 2 escoda ulttimoo tendo round brushes in small sizes like 0 and I think 000 and they had bad tips. Versatil size 4 has less pointy tip than size 6. I think they have very inconsistent quality
If you like, you can paint the whole painting with it especially if you are doing a full sheet. I love the small mop brushes instead of rounds for detail painting, because they deliver so much water.
My Ultimo Mop is size 10. Mine is smaller than yours and your partner's mops so the comparison may not be super accurate. My mop has a shape between these two. It has more volume in the middle part like you old one but also has quite sharp tip like your partner's mop. So... 🤷♀️
tey are from different series, one of them is TENDO SYNTHETIC | ROUND | POINTED 1525 and the other one is TENDO SYNTHETIC | ROUND | MOP 1530
Are you sure? Don't thee 1525 and 1530 have different sized ferrules? Both of these have the same ferrule.
I love both of my Escoda Ultimos because they are very pointy . I can paint almost any detail with size 14 and 8. Both are not older than 9 months.
My Escoda Ultimo #16 has an entirely different shape to both of those. It's distinctly wide in the middle -- very fat belly - like a quill brush. And mine is fairly pointy, but not as pointy as your GFs. I also have an Ultimo travel round #6 that is perfectly awful and has NO point at all - it's made like a domed, non-pointed brush. I don't feel the length/stiffness of the bristles matches the ferrule size well at all. My only other Escodas are the real squirrel quills with the ferrule, they are very pointy. But I remember when I got them they were not at all the size described. I've gotten the impression that Escoda brushes are highly variable and I'm not as impressed as the YT hype would lead me to believe.
My personal opinion after buying (for some reason) a whole lot of synthetic squirrel quills, is that most of them are nowhere NEAR as pointy as real squirrel quills. So they are not a great substitute if you want a point. But if you do, the Tintoretto are the best synthetics!
Interesting, I bought an Ultimo a few months ago and mine is just like your old one. Maybe Escoda decided to change their brush’s shape after many complains about it not being pointy enough?
May I ask where you got the new one? I much prefer that to the old one.
Both of them came from Jackson's 😊
The only brushes I complain about are my two Jackson's Icon and Raven French Mop brushes.
The two are also good, no question, but if I buy a mop brush with a French binding I expect a mop brush and not a round brush with a French binding, so I can buy a round brush right away.
Mop brushes are a bit thicker and have a slightly longer tip with which it is possible, despite the thick belly, to draw thin lines that only get a little wider with slight changes in pressure
and do not get as much wider than with normal round brushes.
Thanks for watching and commenting 🙏
I absolutely hate the Icon flat I bought and the Raven is my least favorite mop (and I have a lot!)
Super interesting to see the difference :O
I agree because its handmade, it may be the reason for the shape differences. Maybe your brush skipped the eye of the person that checks the products before packing, or the brand has really changed the brush shape after some time.
You’re probably right about that. I’ve still enjoyed using it though 😊
I’m not so sure about that as mine looks just like his old one
An interesting review of your kit and why you use each item. It makes a lot of sense and I'm sure it will bring you good results, plus the enjoyment and other benefits of creating art.
This has made me thing about my rabbit-hole stash of art materials. Maybe I should focus on a standard kit as you have done. I would probably need two, because I like to do Urban Sketching as well as landscape and abstract watercolour painting. So yeah, in my case, a two kits approach might be worth trying. That's my meditation for the rest of the week, thank you Jay Nathan.
Hi! My ultimo´s nr. 10, 14 and 18, all look the same as your old one. But I have also an Escoda Acuario 14, which tip is more pointed and it looks like your new one. Very interesting. Thanks
Hi! You're welcome ☺️ I also have the size 10 and it doesn't have much of a point either.
Yes the Acuario are real squirrel and it just points a ton better than synthetic squirrel!
that is sooo odd! does it feel like they're both similarly packed with the same amount of bristles? or does the new one feel somewhat less dense? i've heard that there are increasing shortages of squirrel hair material so if they do use less number of bristles, i think that could account for the different overall shape. or is it maybe possible that the individual bristles of the squirrel hair itself is a different shape? like your older one, the bristles might be fatter but this new one the bristles might be slimmer? eh, i dont know, just spitting theories here ;P
Mine is like your old brush. I don't use it much exactly because of that lack of a pointy tip, just for some loose underpainting washes. They have probably improved them recently, specially with more and more options for synthetic squirrel brushes coming into scene.
Wouldn’t be surprised if it differs. I only got two mop brushes. (Or one is a smaller one, if you still can call it a mop then? I wouldn’t call the smaller one a round because it doesn’t feel like it ..and it is actually a mix between natural and synthetic hair so it holds so much water. Hard for me that is inexperienced to control.) But I noticed my new bigger mop brush has a better point. (Could it be because it’s newer? The oldest is less than one year though.)
Mops do hold a lot of water. You'll get the hang of controlling it eventually ☺️
I got my Ultimo mop size 14 in July and this looks more like your new one.
Why don’t write an email with a photo to Escoda and ask them? 😊
That's a very sensible suggestion but I'm far to lazy 🤣
@@JayNathanWatercolor I hope you will, I'd also like to know if they changed it or if this was a fluke. I've been trying to decide which brands/models to try and had decided on these but now I'm not so sure. Would you consider doing a video comparing the two and if there is much difference in their performance and how they hold up over time?
I bought 2 escoda ulttimoo tendo round brushes in small sizes like 0 and I think 000 and they had bad tips. Versatil size 4 has less pointy tip than size 6. I think they have very inconsistent quality
I feel like a point is kind of wasted on a mop brush, but what do I know? Maybe I use mine incorrectly. lol
I guess it just depends on the way you like to paint. Some painters like to have a good point for adding some detail even with a big brush.
If you like, you can paint the whole painting with it especially if you are doing a full sheet. I love the small mop brushes instead of rounds for detail painting, because they deliver so much water.
My Ultimo Mop is size 10. Mine is smaller than yours and your partner's mops so the comparison may not be super accurate. My mop has a shape between these two. It has more volume in the middle part like you old one but also has quite sharp tip like your partner's mop. So... 🤷♀️
I have one the same shape in size 16, almost diamond shaped!
I bought one about same size as yours 1 1/2 years ago and it's not pointy. It's like your old one
Jay, i think they make a new engineering about not lose sharp-point, maybe about 4 years,i will search that vid
Oh really? Thank you for the information. I'd be interested to see the video 🙏
Interesting to note!
You weren't first! 😡
@@JayNathanWatercolor 😁
I have the size 12 and it resembled your old brush more than the new one. A fat bodied brush
First!
👏
Noooooo! Twice in one day 😂