GW has new paintbrushes available to order. One, the XS Artificer Layer says: "this brush can really help you achieve results you didn't think you were capable of". Which makes me wonder, how much does the brush matter when painting?

I do prefer a really stiff brush for drybrushing, as that was the style I was taught on ceramics. Too soft a brush tends to leave too much paint. I retire brushes to the glue pot after they no longer keep a nice point. But I'm kind of thinking caveat emptor about the $26 brush.

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"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'nice doggie' until you can find a rock." -Will Rogers

That description sounds more like what 6-year-olds are taught when they get new shoes: the flashing lights make you run faster.

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I think the brush matters a lot, but not as much as some people make out. I have heard of someone who only uses special designer brushes, and then only uses them once! After painting a single model, they consider the brushes ruined! A good set of brushes, if you look after them, can last you forever. For the best results though they should be good quality, and you should have at least a few for all the different jobs you need; and when they do get tired you should replace them.

If you are painting for Golden Deamon or something like that, then maybe plenty super expensive top quality brushes would be necessary. For most purposes though, you don't need a hundred brushes each over a hundred dollars.

Up till now I have used the old GW brushes. Not amazing, but easy to get and replace and also affordable. Only ten brushes in all, and that covers nearly all my painting experience. The new GW range though looks overkill for most painters. You don't need nearly so many brushes for most practical purposes.It's supposed to go with their Citadel Paint system which has over 140 different paints. For most of us, we will never use all of those paints, and we will probably only use some of those brushes.

Elladan

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The brush tip is the most important aspect. not the price. That said, a higher quality brush that is sable or like material can hold and maintain a tip for longer as well as be cleaned, restored, conditioned and reused for many Golden deamon quality paint jobs (at least according to several top painters I have followed). Most will get a good set of Kolinsky Sable brushes with a 3 and a 0 tip and a back up for removing mistakes in blending.
I know from experience that cheap brushes will only hold a tip for about two models worth of details even when cleaning and restoring the brush tip between colors. But since I can grab a few cheap brushes on sale for a tenner I will often pick up some and have them as they will do the job even if the lifespan is not desired.
I don't use GW brushes only because I can never find a "fine detail" brush that has a good tip, they are always frayed when I look at them, almost like they were used for a few years before selling them.
So is it worth buying a $15-20 brush? I don't know, cause a bad painter will make that brush worthless if not keeping to the tip and treating the brush right. at the same time an experienced painter will hate a cheap brush that will not last. So each painter has to judge that for themselves, talk to the pro's you admire and see what they recommend for not only use but for care and up keep. DMS for example uses a GW detail brush for almost every part, and he gets a great result. Not sure how often he changes brushes but he can answer that easily enough. But it shows you that top painters all have a preference.

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I change my fine detail only once perhaps twice a year at most. I use Games workshop brushes but will only buy instore so i can check the point or I use a particularly good indy stockist who checks the brushes for me.

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Kolinsky sable brushes every time for me. I use one of the older brushes for drybrushing, but that is a technique I seldom use, at best on some chainmail but even then I prefer to pick out certain details so it doesn't look so flat.
I have been using Da Vinci brushes of late, excellent for detail as the point is better than anything else I've found.
I'm going to try a scalecolour brush next ( excellent reports ) and maybe a reaper master series.
Either way the brush makes all the difference to me but you do need some cleaner. I use master brush cleaner soap.

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Brush matters a lot if you are trying to produce anything beyond table quality. Natural fibers are the best. As mentioned before, kolinsky sable is top of the line. I have used brushes from many different price points and i can tell you, brushes matter. If one were going to run a marathon, they wouldnt wear skater shoes. Likewise, if one is going to produce a high quality display mini, it would be in their best interest to invest in a quality brush.

It helps if they are red thought.

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