YasutomoNiji Waterbrush Mini Medium 5/32" x 3/8"

I was pleasantly surprised by all the brushes in the series. All the brushes behave basically the same so I'm reusing the review for each brush. Water flow is different between the round and flat brushes and I'll cover it last.From different reviews around the web my concerns were that the bristles would be too stiff, that the bristles would pull easily from the ferrule, and that the water would not flow at a comfortable rate.When they arrived I was most surprised by the flat brush. Instead of a flat ferrule the brush was actually a full round brush with a snap-off flat adapter. Without the adapter it is dense enough and long enough to act as a very effective mop brush. All the brushes have interchangeable water reservoir tubes; the flat has a purple handle, the rounds have long blue or short blue handles.All the brushes have soft white nylon bristles that spring back nicely. They were quite dense, with enough bristles that the brushes are easy to control in spite of the softness. When the water reservoir is full they have a good weight in my hand, and I can tell by balance when they start to run low. The brushes work well for all techniques I've used including lifting, splattering, dropping, glazing, and washing large areas.I've used the brushes for just over a month. They are still very supple and I haven't noticed any significant change to them over time. I have seen practically no shedding, which surprised me. They are very nearly as full and springy as the day they arrived in spite of my vigorous cleaning habits. They've held up much better than most of the inexpensive brushes I've ever purchased.I use them with Derwent watercolor pencils including their Inktense pencils that will set permanently after their first hydration. Because the brushes keep themselves moist I've found they stain less easily than my traditional nylon brushes. The tips are darkened from use but they are clean; I can soak the brush and rub it on white paper without making marks.Controlling the water flow on the round brushes was easy for me. With a full reservoir I can keep the brush dry enough to just barely hydrate the pencil so it would dry in seconds, if I want. With a mostly empty reservoir I can still keep the brush saturated to leave a heavy trail of water, if I want. It took only a few minutes of experimenting before I could keep the brush at any saturation level I wanted for any speed of stroke. I can keep the reservoir full with the lid on and water does not seep through.Controlling the water flow on the flat brush was a little more difficult. The gasket lets out water more easily than the rounds. It took about a half hour of experimenting before I got the feel of the flat brush's flow. I still sometimes put out more water than I expect. I use the brush as a mop or a wide flat rather than for detail work so this doesn't hurt, but it is a distraction when using it. Like the rounds, I can keep the reservoir full without flooding the lid.I love these brushes. I find myself using them almost exclusively instead of my traditional rounds. I can keep them full without needing to keep a cup of water on hand. They are not a replacement for traditional brushes; none of the brushes will replace a good liner or rigger. When I want a general brush for wetting my pencil work these are my new brush of choice.

The Niji family of waterbrushes are simply the best. I have at least one in every painting and drawing set I have.I bundle them in with my Derwent Inktense pencils, in a zip case. I draw with the water color pencils, then activate with the waterbrush.Easy to refill. Not much for leaking. Sturdy. And the brush is very good for a waterbrush!

Wasn't sure if this was a mini when I got it, it's still a really good size. Annoying to fill compared to another I have, but works well. I just bought the full size ones as well to compare. The tip on this one is like getting the medium tip brush, they both have pink tops so that helps to be able to tell by sight. Everything is very secure, nothing leaks, I like it! Oh and the bodies are interchangeable so if you get this and don't want the medium tip on the small body, and have the other sizes, you can swap it out and put the large or small tip on it instead! I could see this being useful if you put the mini body on the small tip as it would use less water, and then having full size water pens for two mediums and a large, depending on how you like to work.

After discovering my love for plein air watercolor painting, I’ve been unable to go without one of these mini paint brushes! They last me quite a while, and they’re extremely convenient to use!

Have reviewed this line of waterbrushes before (good control, good brush), so will only add that i love the way the mini fits in my hand and in my smallest hiking kit.

And glad I chose this one. Has been effortless in the switch from typical watercolor brush to a waterbrush. Looking forward to building my collection of these brushes.

I'm super in love with this waterbrush! I thought the order would arrive a week after placing my order but it came 3-4 days after which surprised me. I would totally recommend this especially if you're traveling or a beginner!

It's OK, the brush tip is nice, in general it is made of good quality, just not as easy to fill completely and when i squeeze, out a lot of water.