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I agree with Renee Price and have remained loyal to Dick Blick precisely because of their superior line of Masterstroke interlocked hog bristle brushes. I believe these brushes were designed to duplicate the Grand Prix line of brushes produced by Silverbrush Ltd., generally regarded to be among the finest brushes in the world. Like Silverbrush Ltd., Blick's Masterstroke brushes have matte-finished handles, copper coated ferrules and, most importantly, high quality interlocked hog bristle. The only difference is that the Blick brushes are SLIGHTLY less fat and bushy, which I prefer, as it allows me a sharper edge when using flats or filberts.
By the way, I prefer interlocked bristle brushes to those with straightened hog hair, (like Blick's newer Master and Studio lines.) Interlocked brushes use hog hair in its natural curved state. Brush makers then mold the curved hairs to face the center of the brush, "interlocking" them at the top edge or point. This inward curvature of the bristle allows a paintstroke to hold a consistent width from start to finish. The internal tension of opposed, curved bristles also gives a brush more snap and spring. Experience teaches that interlocked bristles also hold up better over time. After years of use, all brushes wear down and splay out, but interlocked bristles seem to hold their shape better and "season" with time. A worn down interlocked filbert can have a second life as a bushy bright. Anyway, I like to think so because it keeps me from tossing out old brushes that I have an attachment to.
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