The best Flat brushes, compared.
Top pick: COGVOHY 20–60 mm flats Best value: Royal & Langnickel 3 widths – Best value as the lower-priced of the two wide sets at score 83: about £4.79, 1 to 3 inches, and 4.4 from 3,155 reviews. Updated October 2026.
A flat brush comparison on amazon.co.uk comes down to width and evidence. A flat brush has a flattened ferrule and a square tip, so the face lays a band of paint and the edge can draw a line. This set splits into short-handled artist sets in numbered sizes and wider flats sold in inches or millimetres. Buyers are hobby painters, model makers, and people who want cheap nylon for craft or glue. A single trade sash is a different tool. Synthetic taklon or nylon suits acrylic and emulsion. Width and filament are set out in the [flat brush buying guide](/hub/painting-supplies/flat-brush/sub/flat-brush-buying-guide). Numbered sizes from 1 to 12 are small shader flats. Half an inch to 3 inches, or 20 to 60 mm, are wash and panel brushes. A 60 mm flat will not do a miniature edge, and a size-2 flat will not paint a door in any sensible time.
A flat brush comparison on amazon.co.uk comes down to width and evidence. A flat brush has a flattened ferrule and a square tip, so the face lays a band of paint and the edge can draw a line.
28 products checked · 58 hrs invested · +21,400 readers
Swipe for more
1-2 of 8
Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What are you painting?
COGVOHY lists five nylon flats at 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 mm for £8.69, with an aluminium tube ferrule claimed in the bullets and a pack weight of 160 g. The star line is 5.0 from 8 reviews. The saved listing holds three texts, and they are in German, so they are not a UK consensus. The bullets name acrylic, oil, watercolour, gouache, graffiti, wall painting, and canvas, and they say to wash with warm soapy water. A 60 mm flat is a panel width, not a miniature, and eight ratings are not a test of wall work. It is the only kept listing that names walls. That is a bullet, not evidence that the brush will cut in a ceiling. Handle length is not stated, so do not assume a decorator reach.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A millimetre-labelled wide flat for panels, if you accept a very small review sample.
Less suitable: Anyone who needs a large UK review count, or cutting in along a ceiling.
Specifications
Common questions
What widths are included?
The listing says 20 mm, 30 mm, 40 mm, 50 mm, and 60 mm nylon flats, with an aluminium tube ferrule claimed in the bullets.
Does the listing mention walls?
Yes. The bullets name acrylic, oil, watercolour, gouache, graffiti, wall painting, and canvas, and they say to wash with warm soapy water.
Why is a 5.0 rating not treated as a top pick?
The listing line is 5.0 from 8 reviews. The saved listing holds three texts, and they are in German, so they are not a UK review consensus.
Across 715 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.6 stars, the Nicpro set is ten taklon flats in sizes 1 to 10, listed at £9.16 with birch handles and crimped aluminium ferrules. The pack weighs 45.4 g, so it is a table set rather than a decorating brush you would carry up a ladder. Several of the first 50 review texts say the brushes kept their shape and did not shed, including for gouache and model enamel. One reviewer still calls them a budget set that clumps more than a dearer artist brush, so a smooth wash is not guaranteed. The listing names watercolour, oil, acrylic, and gouache, and it tells you to use warm water straight after painting, then reshape the tip. A details field also prints 0.5 inches, which is not a width for every size in the ladder. It is the top pick here for a numbered flats-only set with a large review sample, not for a door or a 3 inch wash.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Tabletop acrylic, gouache, and model work when you want sizes 1 to 10 in one flats-only pack.
Less suitable: A 3 inch wash, cutting in a ceiling, or thick oil that needs hog.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this set only flat brushes?
Yes. The listing is ten flat brushes in sizes 1 to 10. A details field also says 0.5 inches, which is not a width for every size in the set.
How does the listing say to clean them?
The bullet says warm water straight after use, or the paint maker’s instructions, then reshape the tip. It does not give a solvent method.
What do reviewers mention about shedding?
Several of the first 50 review texts say the brushes kept their shape and did not shed, including for gouache and model enamel. One reviewer still calls them a budget set that clumps more than a dearer artist brush.
Transon’s three nylon flats are 1/2 inch, 3/4 inch, and 1 inch, listed at £4.99 with 4.6 from 630 reviews. Short birch handles average 5.2 to 5.5 inches, the ferrules are double-crimped aluminium, and the pack weighs 41 g. The bullets name gouache, acrylic, and watercolour. The title also says oil and body painting, and body painting is a listing claim, not a cosmetic test. One review says the brushes fell apart quickly, while other texts praise the price and the flat edges, and one buyer used a brush to clean a coffee machine. They are wider than a size-2 shader and narrower than the 3 inch Royal & Langnickel brush. Keep a brush that has carried varnish out of a later acrylic wash.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Small panels and inch-wide washes when you also want a half-inch flat in the same pack.
Less suitable: A 3 inch area, cutting in, or face and body paint.
Specifications
Common questions
How wide are these flats?
The listing says 1 inch, 3/4 inch, and 1/2 inch, with short handles averaging 5.2 to 5.5 inches. They are not the numbered sizes 1 to 12.
What paint is named?
The bullets name gouache, acrylic, and watercolour. The title also says oil and body painting. Body painting is a listing claim, not a cosmetic test.
Did any review report a failure?
One review says the brushes fell apart quickly. Other texts praise the price and flat edges, and one buyer used a brush to clean a coffee machine.
Elan’s eight-piece set is short-handled nylon flats at £6.95, with 4.5 from 123 reviews and a pack weight of 59 g. The listing says the brushes are flats and that the short handle is for close work, but it does not print the widths. One reviewer estimated about 5 mm to 16 mm and handles about 140 mm. That is their measurement, not a specification you can quote back to the seller. Reviews mention crafts, scale models, and model aircraft. Two texts say the quality matches the price and is not for serious artwork. The bullets claim a secure ferrule without naming the metal. Buy it when an unnamed nylon ladder at this price is enough, and measure the tips when they arrive.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Close craft and model work when you can accept widths that are not printed.
Less suitable: Anyone who needs a printed size ladder, or a wide wash in inches.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing give brush widths?
No. It says eight flat sizes and a short handle. One reviewer estimated about 5 mm to 16 mm and handles about 140 mm. That is their measurement, not a specification.
Are the bristles synthetic?
Yes. The listing says nylon, and the bullets say the short handle is for close work.
What are reviewers using them for?
Reviews mention crafts, scale models, and model aircraft. Two texts say the quality matches the price and is not for serious artwork.
The Royal & Langnickel pack is three golden taklon flats at 1 inch, 2 inch, and 3 inch, captured at £4.79 with 4.4 from 3,155 reviews, the largest review count in this comparison. The pack weighs 68 g. The listing names acrylic, varnish, glaze, watercolour, and adhesive. Reviewers have called the shape a hake; the material on the listing is golden taklon, not goat hair. Shedding is in the texts: some report little loss, one mentions the odd bristle, and one says half the bristles came out within a minute or two of priming. A details field says 2 inches, which is one of the three widths, not a single brush. It is the best value here for a soft wide wash, not for a miniature edge. A later shelf price is not the figure this comparison uses.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A soft wash, glaze, or varnish on a broad area, if you can spare a brush that may shed.
Less suitable: Miniatures, or using the same brush for varnish and then a clean watercolour edge.
Specifications
Common questions
What widths are in the pack?
The listing says 1 inch, 2 inch, and 3 inch. A details field also says 2 inches, which is one of those three, not a single-width pack.
Are they goat-hair hake brushes?
The listing says golden taklon synthetic fibre. Reviewers have called the shape hake. That word is not the material on the listing.
Do reviews mention loose bristles?
Yes. Some report little loss. One says the odd bristle comes out. One says half the bristles came out within a minute or two of priming.
The Transon seven-piece set is nylon flats in sizes 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12, listed at £6.99 with 4.4 from 240 reviews. Short birch handles are stated at about 6.7 to 8.1 inches, the ferrules are described as double-crimped aluminium, and the pack weighs 48 g. The bullets name gouache, acrylic, and watercolour. Oil shows up in reviews rather than in that bullet list. Two reviews describe bristles leaving the ferrule after oil painting and cleaning, and one of those brushes had been left in linseed oil and then washed with brush soap. That is a real limit if you treat nylon as an oil brush you can soak. Size 12 is the widest numbered flat in this comparison, and it still will not cover a door the way a 2 inch decorating brush does.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Hobby acrylic and gouache when you want a size 12 in a short-handled nylon ladder.
Less suitable: Leaving brushes in linseed oil, or cutting in along a ceiling.
Specifications
Common questions
Are these brushes synthetic?
Yes. The listing says nylon filaments in a double-crimped aluminium ferrule, on a birch short handle.
What paint does the listing name?
The bullets name gouache, acrylic, and watercolour. Oil appears in reviews, not as the bullet list.
What went wrong in the reviews?
Two reviews describe bristles leaving the ferrule after oil painting and cleaning. One of those brushes had been left in linseed oil and then washed with brush soap.
Himmlfel’s pack is six synthetic flats and six angled brushes, both in even sizes from 2 to 12, listed at £9.98. The amazon.co.uk line is 4.2 from 36 reviews. The saved listing holds nine texts, and several are not in English, so they are not a UK consensus on whether the hair is soft or hard. The listing assigns the angled brushes to lines, flowers, and leaves, and the flats to straight edges and rectangles. Ferrule metal and handle length are not stated. At 70 g it is a mixed craft set, not a 2 inch decorator sash. The price sits at the top of this comparison without the review count of the Nicpro or Royal & Langnickel packs. Skip it if you are cutting in emulsion along a ceiling.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A craft box that needs both a square edge and a small angled tip for lines and leaves.
Less suitable: Cutting in a ceiling, or anyone who wants a UK review consensus before buying.
Specifications
Common questions
Are all 12 brushes flat?
No. The listing is six flat brushes and six angled brushes, both in sizes 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12.
Which brush does the listing assign to lines?
The angled brushes are the ones described for lines, flowers, and leaves. The flats are described for straight edges and rectangles.
How solid is the review sample?
The listing shows 4.2 from 36 reviews. The saved listing has nine texts, and several are not in English, so they are not a UK consensus on whether the hair is soft or hard.
BRITECO’s six nylon flats are the lowest price in this set at £2.79, with 4.1 from 40 reviews and a pack weight of 50 g. The listing does not state the widths. Handle types are listed as triangular and rattail, and the bullets name acrylic, gouache, oil, and watercolour. The review texts describe uneven tips and loose ferrules: one says the ferrules pulled off, another says heads came off three brushes after two washes, and a third says three brushes did not have level bristles. Buyers still used them to push wallpaper paste under a lifted edge and for glue, choosing nylon so they would wash. A short review calls them acceptable for children and not for proper painting. That is a glue or paste brush with a known ferrule complaint, not a shader you trust for a square edge.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Glue or wallpaper paste when a lost ferrule is an acceptable risk.
Less suitable: Any job where a square tip and a ferrule that stays on both matter.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing state the widths?
No. It is a 6-piece nylon flat set. Handle types are listed as triangular and rattail. Widths are not in the saved listing.
What do the reviews say about the ferrules?
One review says the ferrules were loose and pulled off. Another says heads came off three brushes after two washes. A third says three brushes did not have level bristles.
What did buyers actually use them for?
One buyer pushed wallpaper paste under a lifted edge. Another bought them for glue and chose nylon so they would wash. A short review calls them acceptable for children and not for proper painting.
Eight amazon.co.uk listings were scored from 0 to 100 using the fields already in this capture. Stars are scaled to 75. Up to 15 points come from review-count size. A numbered flats-only set with at least 100 reviews gains 3. A wide flat with at least 500 reviews gains 2. Below 50 reviews the score loses 5, and below 20 reviews it loses 20. A 5.0 from 8 ratings cannot outrank 4.6 from 715. This is not a laboratory test. The top pick is the highest score, once. Best value is the lower-priced of the two wide sets that share the next score, once.
Star rating
75%The amazon.co.uk star average is scaled to 75 points. A 4.6 and a 4.4 are not the same score. The figure is the listing average, not a brush test in a workshop.
Review-count size
15%Up to 15 points come from how large the review count is. Below 50 reviews the score loses 5. Below 20 reviews it loses 20. A handful of ratings does not outrank a file of several hundred.
Set form
10%A numbered flats-only set with at least 100 reviews gains 3 points. A wide flat with at least 500 reviews gains 2. Those bonuses sit in this line. A mixed pack of flats and angled brushes does not take the flats-only bonus.
Buy the width and the filament before the star rating. Eight amazon.co.uk listings were scored from the saved pages, not in a laboratory. Numbered shader flats and wide wash flats are different tools. A 5.0 from eight reviews is not the same evidence as 4.6 from 715. The top pick and the best value are named from those scores.
A flat brush has a flattened ferrule and a square tip. The face lays a band of paint and the edge can draw a line. On amazon.co.uk this capture splits into short-handled artist sets in numbered sizes and wider flats sold in inches or millimetres. Numbered sizes from 1 to 12 are small shader flats. Half an inch to 3 inches, or 20 to 60 mm, are wash and panel brushes. A 60 mm flat will not do a miniature edge, and a size-2 flat will not paint a door in any sensible time.
A square tip lays a band. Cutting in a ceiling wants an angled sash. A square flat in this set is at best a panel brush. Only the COGVOHY bullets name walls, and that line is not a test of the edge.
A brush that has carried oil, varnish, or acrylic will contaminate a later watercolour wash. Transon reviews describe bristles leaving the ferrule after oil and cleaning, including a brush left in linseed oil. Keep a second brush.
COGVOHY is 5.0 from 8 reviews, and the saved texts are in German. Himmlfel is 4.2 from 36, with several texts not in English. Neither file is a UK consensus. Prefer a large amazon.co.uk count, and read the shedding notes.
Shape and width come first. Numbered sizes from 1 to 12 are small shader flats for a table. Half an inch to 3 inches, or 20 to 60 mm, are wash and panel brushes. A 60 mm flat will not do a miniature edge, and a size-2 flat will not paint a door in any sensible time. The Nicpro ladder is sizes 1 to 10. The Transon seven-piece reaches size 12 and skips some odd numbers. Elan and BRITECO do not print widths, so you cannot check the ladder before the parcel arrives.
Match the filament to the paint. Synthetic taklon or nylon is for water-based acrylic, gouache, emulsion, and water-based trim. Dulux points synthetic brushes at water-based finishes. Natural bristle swells in water, and acrylic is hard on natural hair. Hog is what thick oil wants. None of these eight listings is hog, so a nylon set will not behave like hog in impasto oil. Nicpro and Royal & Langnickel name taklon. Transon, Elan, BRITECO, and COGVOHY name nylon. Himmlfel says synthetic.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want a short-handled numbered ladder for acrylic, gouache, or model enamel. The Nicpro set at about £9.16 is ten taklon flats, sizes 1 to 10, with 4.6 from 715 reviews. One reviewer still says they clump more than a dearer artist brush. It is not a 3 inch wash.
You want a broad wash, glaze, or varnish and you can spare a brush that may shed. The Royal & Langnickel pack at about £4.79 is golden taklon at 1, 2, and 3 inches, with 4.4 from 3,155 reviews. Keep a varnish brush out of a later watercolour edge.
You want hobby acrylic or gouache and a size 12 in a short nylon set. The Transon seven-piece at about £6.99 lists sizes 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12, with 4.4 from 240 reviews. Reviews describe bristles leaving the ferrule after oil and cleaning.
The top pick is the Nicpro 10-piece flats at about £9.16. It is the highest score: 84 from 4.6 across 715 amazon.co.uk reviews on a flats-only ladder, sizes 1 to 10, with crimped aluminium ferrules named on the listing. A details row says 0.5 inches, which does not describe every size, and one reviewer says they clump more than a dearer artist brush. The best value is the Royal & Langnickel pack at about £4.79, the lower-priced of the two wide sets that share the next score of 83, with 4.4 from 3,155 reviews at 1, 2, and 3 inches. Shedding appears in those reviews. The Transon three-piece is also 83, at about £4.99, and has no badge. None of this is a laboratory test, and none of these listings is hog.
Royal & Langnickel 3 widths
Best value as the lower-priced of the two wide sets at score 83: about £4.79, 1 to 3 inches, and 4.4 from 3,155 reviews.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures saved for this set.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the UK listing lines saved for this comparison. We did not run a lab test.
