Solid Synthetics: A Turbo Dork Fauxlinsky Brush Review

In the miniature painting world, brushes come up in conversation often, and I’ve noticed a particular storyline.

A painter starts with discount brushes from Amazon or an art supply store, then they move into buying Citadel or The Army Painter brushes because that’s what’s at the gaming store, then they eventually move into buying “nice” brushes either from Kimera or Artis Opus, and then they go for the full on Kolinsky Sable brushes from Windsor & Newton Series 7…by then they’ve collected a whole lot brushes, and in some cases, at the highest end, the artist finds themselves feeling like they’ve been tricked and then they go back to discount brushes because they really like the tip.

I’ve made a meme about this. 

So, where do the new Fauxlinsky brushes from Turbo Dork fall in this chart?

Well, for $60USD, you get a set of 8 brushes, four of them being more traditional, three of them are a rounded drybrush, and one is a flat brush meant for metallics. And it all comes in a nice carrying case that can fold in 2 places and has more than enough room for extra brushes. 

I wouldn’t necessarily say these are cheap, but when compared to a W&N Series 7 (retails around $20 a brush), this is a smashing deal for high quality brushes. And yes, I just wrote that a synthetic brush is high quality. Let me explain. 

When you look at a brush, instead of paying attention to labels, look at the bristles.

In the picture below, we have my OG Turbo Dork brush, which was included in the full set we reviewed earlier this year, but Turbo Dork asked us to omit the brush, as it was more of a prototype than something they were selling at that time. Personally, I noted how well it stood up to painting, and since June I’ve been using that brush on nearly every project as my starter brush. You can tell that there’s some wear and tear on it after 4 months of use but it still has a point and still shapes up nicely.

Now, compared to the brand new brush, I’ll point out several features I like: The handles are shaped comfortably with a bit of a bigger base and no angles unlike the other two in the photo. It just feels more comfortable in hand, and I don’t feel the urge to shift the brush around a bunch in my hand outside of my normal practice.

I also really like the length of the bristles and the tips of them. Longer bristles give me more accuracy. And the tips themselves aren’t entirely pointed tips, but are slightly blunted. A blunted tip is a bit more resilient to the painting process, and I find it great for handling the majority of my work. A tip I’ve learned this year is to be broad with your initial work, then pull out the thin tips for the more intricate work. And the drybrushes are goat hair, perfectly soft and are used much like a makeup brush. Get a little bit of paint on the brush, and buff it off on something until you have a small amount of paint left. Then, brush away! 

I really love the length of the brushes. Compared to the prototype, these are roughly an inch taller, which just feels better in my hands. As you can see in these photos, the work I’ve done with these brushes can’t be understated. Granted, my skill with the brush is also a learned skill, but these brushes never really split on me, and if this new set operates like the prototype, I’ll be using these happily 4-6 months down the road, and maybe even longer.

If I had a criticism, it’s that I want more variety. The set comes with 3 drybrushes, but, realistically, I only need one. I’d love to see an angled drybrush and a mop style/larger brush for the bigger projects., but this is minor and really more of a problem that will probably be solved someday.

That’s it. That’s really all I can say. I happily endorse these brushes, and would love to direct you to Turbo Dork’s website to pick up a set.