Wooster Chinex FTP Extra Firm Angle Sash Paint Brush

Water-based paint is what killed the traditional brush. Natural bristle swells and softens the moment it gets wet, and standard nylon isn't far behind — which is why a brush that cut a beautiful line at nine o'clock is flopping about by mid-morning.

Chinex is DuPont's answer to that. It's a modified nylon that holds its stiffness in water, so the brush you finish the day with behaves like the one you started with.

Why extra firm, and why angled

Cutting in is a control problem, not a coverage one. A firm filament transmits what your hand is doing straight to the tip, so the line goes where you put it. Soft brushes wander.

Pair that with a bevelled tip and you get the combination that makes long freehand lines possible — enough stiffness to hold the edge, enough shape to see it.

Where it earns the money

• Modern high-solids trim paints — the thick waterborne satins and eggshells that drag a softer brush to a standstill.
• Warm conditions, where other filaments soften and lose their edge by the afternoon.
• Long weeks. Chinex washes out in a fraction of the time and actually comes clean at the heel, which is where most brushes quietly die.

Sizes

1.5, 2 and 2.5 inch. The 2 inch is the general cutting-in size; the 1.5 for frames and tighter work; the 2.5 where you have length to cover and want fewer reloads.

This is the top of Wooster's range and it's priced accordingly. For the same shape in a firm rather than extra firm filament, the Gold Edge is the step down.

Ireland & Northern Ireland — 1–3 working days. Charged by total order weight, VAT included:

• Up to 30 kg — €6.99, or free on orders over €85
• 30–60 kg — €13.99
• 60–100 kg — €27.99
• Over 100 kg — pallet delivery €49.99

Great Britain — 2–4 working days. €13.95 up to 30 kg, then €27.90, €55.90 and €99.90 by the same weight steps. There is no free delivery to Great Britain.

Rest of Europe — non-liquid items only, from €11.75, priced by destination and weight at checkout. Paint and other liquids ship to Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain only.

Dispatch and collection — order before 12pm Monday to Friday and it ships the same day. Click & collect at Ballymount, Dublin 12 is free and often ready within the hour.

Returns — 14 days to change your mind and 14 more to send it back. Tinted paint is non-returnable once mixed.