The Russian Black Sable, also known as high quality Russian fitch hair is so smooth that only certain master brushmakers have the dexterity to handle them. The seamless, nickel-plated brass ferrules make these German handmade brushes stable and durable. The performance is firm, yet soft enough to allow for strokes that do not mark the paint layers. Excellent for delicate blending and smoothing out ridges, they are favorites among portrait and realist painters. Multi-functional, the Rounds taper to a sharp point for detail work and maintain excellent spring. The thick belly, overall strength and resiliency of the hair in the Brights allow the painter not only to move through large volumes of oil paint, but also to delicately blend colors on the palette. Combining the advantages of both rounds and brights, the Filberts allow maximum color loading and have delicate, hand-tapered edges and points that hold their shape after heavy use.