I have been a stockist for Annie Sloan for over about 5 years now. When Annie's paint brushes were first released - they had a red band on them. They now have a blue band. They are still the same amazing brush- and still the same awesome quality.
If you stop in to one of my stores- we will gladly hand you a Purdy brush and an Annie Sloan dome top paint brush and have you paint something going to head to head with BOTH brushes. 99.9% of the time- our customers will say, "hands down, Annie's brushes are the best!"
And even HGTV HOME magazine from MAY 2015 ~ chose Annie's brush to be the very best brush for painting with products that were mineral or chalk based.
For me personally- I love the SMALL brush - and the medium is nice too. The LARGE brush is a big brush and can become too heavy for my hand to hold over time based on the amount of paint the bristles can hold on to since the amount of paint that the bristles hold equates to weight. But we do sell a lot of the LARGE brush!
The right tools make a world of difference when doing a project!
When I first received Annie's brushes, I was hesitant to open one because initially I was like - I can just use my $12 paint brush. (which don't get me wrong...are very nice brushes...but!) .......BUT,...here is what I found extremely impressive about Annie's paint brushes:
1. I splattered less paint! The brush is not a miracle, but it does hold the paint differently and painted cleaner. Almost like working with a ballpoint pen- the paint flows when I was using ...and only when I was using it. Some brushes will continue to have paint drip but this brush holds the paint very well!
2. I dipped into my quart less - much less because how the bristles hold a good amount of paint. This allowed me to finish my project even faster since I am able to get better coverage with less strokes.
3. I truly used less paint because of the even application the brush allows the paint to be released in.
4. The bristles are cut almost like a dome on the top...and they paint in grooves really well.
The key to investing in tools like this brush..... is to always take care of it. Then you make an investment in them only once!
CONDITIONING:
Prior to use, consider washing it a few times vigorously. This will expedite the normal bristle loss that happens with all new paint and wax brushes. Keep in mind, if you lose a hair from the brush while painting, do not use your fingers to pick it out. Using your paint brush, come at the hair perpendicularly. Using your brush, just swoop up the loose hair, pick off the brush, and then continue.
I assure you, once you have used your brush a few times, it will not lose hairs.
CLEANING:
Now when cleaning your brushes, never soak them overnight. In fact, click HERE to see what happens when you soak your brushes for extended periods of time continuously. Since you are using Chalk Paint®, just use warm water and gently rinse. A Paint Brush Comb is a great way to keep your paint brush well maintained. We sell them here on-line
HERE and they are awesome (they cost $12.50).
I like to tie a ribbon around the end of my paint brushes and then hang them to dry with the bristles pointing down so gravity assists in the drying process.