Purdy clearcut Brushes
Ron Taylor has spotted a few good brushes ahead of the curve, Picasso included. Maybe Purdy UK want to listen to his review of their Purdy clearcut. Used in Mylands paint, this is probably a double UK painting premier for Ron!
Purdy clearcut Brushes are a range designed to be the ultimate cutting in tool, hence the name. This line is, as far as I know, not available outside of North America and Australia. So how do I have it and why would I review it, if you can’t buy it in the UK?
Well, for me, a trip to the US wouldn’t be complete without some new kit to try. Also, it is available online, if you are willing to pay the fees, so let’s see what happened.
The brush I bought was a 2.5″ angled Glide.
Out of the cover it looks like any other Purdy, apart from the purple tinged bristle. Like other brushes, like the Picasso, you will see the top and bottom edges of the ferrule are set flush with the handle. This does make a brush more comfortable to use for long periods with your fingers on the join.
The cover also states this brush is a stiff formulation, but I wouldn’t put it in the same league for stiffness as Purdy’s Pro-Extra line.
ClearCut in Dulux Trade Vinyl Matt
Loaded with Dulux Trade Vinyl Matt, this brush was superb. It cuts in lines effortlessly and is very easy to brush paint out with. The paint just wants to leave the brush and get on the surface. It doesn’t drip, but application is a breeze because of it.
The first coat of Dulux was going over Diamond Matt, so this made application easier. I did find I had to thin the second coat to apply as easily. I put this down to the dry nature of the vinyl rather than any failing with the brush.
Purdy clearcut and Glidden Trade Durable matt
Switching to my favourite ceiling paint, Glidden Trade Durable Matt, this brush found an ideal partner. The thinner, more US consistency of this paint, made this a match made in heaven. Fast, easy spreading, cutting in and layoff of the paint.
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Purdy ClearCut in Mylands trim paint:
I wouldn’t usually use a stiff brush in trim paint, due to brushmarks, but I decided to try this one for this review. My test may give a sightly misleading result, because the paint was Mylands Wood Primer/Undercoat and Mylands Eggshell. These products more than any other, don’t seem to be too brush fussy and have applied and levelled equally well with pretty much any decent synthetic brush I’ve tried.
Again the Mylands proved no problem to the ClearCut. It picked up and applied well and the paint flowed out of the brush with little coaxing. Levelling was, as usual very good, but the paint would certainly have something to do with this. The brush did have a very slight scratchy feel on application, but showed no ill effects for it on the finished product. I suspect acrylics prone to brushmarks may not fare as well as the Mylands, but I tend to tailor the brush I’m using to the coating anyway.
Summary
I really liked how this brush has performed since I started using it. It feels nice and it works very well. Some US brushes don’t suit some of our products, but this performed great in everything that I tried it in. As a cutting-in tool, it is up there with the very best and for the Mylands trim paint, again results were impressive. I think this would be a great addition to Purdy’s UK range.

Ron is one of the UK’s leading authorities on the specification and application of water based and waterborne paints.
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