Which roller and frame brand gets your vote ?

[shd1970]

So I am about to start decorating the bedrooms and was just checking in my decorator’s box and found at least 6 likely B&Q single roller cages
I’ll be honest they all look pretty rubbish and I recall them not rolling smoothly sliding across the wall et cetera et cetera so I’m considering upgrading and was wondering what everyone’s equipment of choice is.
I went to Brewers yesterday and was impressed by the quality of Purdy frames and poles although they obviously come with not only a pricetag which I would be comfortable with if worth it but also I believe a commitment to their roller fitting also going forward

I’m likely to be having to do more decorating myself around the house the wife tells me , so as I say would be happy with the commitment if they are truly worth it

Long story short, are you a professional decorator and if so, what equipment do you use the same question to any keen DIY decorators, and are the Purdy frames and gear the best or is there a close 2nd worth a look

TIA

 

[blup]

Harris

 

[shd1970]

Harris

Cheers @blup

Does anyone else have any recommendations?
And particularly interested to hear whether the Purdy brand is worth the investment

 

[opps]

I buy the Purdy rollers and the Colossus sleeves. 99% of the time they don't need washing before use. I have purchased about 10 of the current generation.

I particularly like the way that they attach to their extension poles. You don't have to twist the roller frame on. You push the frame on and press a button to pull off.

I have ruined a couple of them by leaving them in scuttles full of wallpaper paste. They eventually seize up. On the upside, they don't rust.

2 of them have an annoying habit of squeaking when rolling. I guess I could oil them, but the noise doesn't annoy me enough.

I have a couple of Wooster Shurlock frames as well. But here in west London, few places sell Wooster.

I would guess that the B&Q ones you have are 1.25" diameter, the Purdy ones (and most pro rollers) are 1.5" diameter.

As an aside, I would strongly recommend using a pole (Purdy or otherwise). My shortest pole is 12" (up to 22"). It means that you can you both arms to push the roller (rather than one arm). You use much less energy.

 

[IfInDoubtDIY]

I’m with @blup - Harris. I’m not a professional decorator but we recently got our new kitchen in and I decided to paint it myself rather than try to hire a decorator (kitchen fitter didn’t have one on his team of contractors). Bought a “kit” of Harris brushes and rollers from Screwfix and was very satisfied with it!

 

[Phil4433]

Another Harris vote from Me

 

[reader33]

I'm very happy with Purdy; the short extension arm let's me get to the ceiling of all my walls and I have a longer one for ceilings. Yes the sleeves cost more but I look out for sales in my local Dulux Decorator Centres.

 

[securespark]

Yeah, Harris too. I'm a DIY decorator and started out buying cheep stuff because that was all I could afford but it was a false economy.

The brushes lost bristles left, right and centre and were absolutely rubbish at cutting in, the coverage was rubbish and the rollers similar, they lost bits everywhere and there were patches.

By the time I'd stopped to picked out all the bristles and bits of roller fluff and gone over all the missed bits, I'd spent more than twice as long doing the job.

Now I can afford Harris, decorating is a lot quicker and easier!

 

[opps]

Yeah, Harris too. I'm a DIY decorator and started out buying cheep stuff because that was all I could afford but it was a false economy.

The brushes lost bristles left, right and centre and were absolutely rubbish at cutting in, the coverage was rubbish and the rollers similar, they lost bits everywhere and there were patches.

By the time I'd stopped to picked out all the bristles and bits of roller fluff and gone over all the missed bits, I'd spent more than twice as long doing the job.

Now I can afford Harris, decorating is a lot quicker and easier!

I have been using Purdy brushes 5 days a week for 30 years. I would estimate that out of 200(?) brushes, only about 10 hairs ever fell out.

For a very long time, their colossus rollers could be used straight out of the packaging. A couple of years ago I had 4 which needed washing first because of the fluff. I suspect it was a bad batch.

When I first started decorating I was using the Hamilton perfection brushes. In those days they were natural bristles. If you didn't break them in first, the tips would snap off as you worked with them. AFAIK, the range is now (a superior) synthetic bristle.

 

[GhostIntMachine]

Not a decorator, but I did buy myself a "set" of Purdy synthetic brushes about 20 years ago which are still going strong, and never seem to shed bristles. I keep them for bbwtter quality work. I have worked on jobs where the decorators used of all things ProDec synthetic brushes. I can't say how long they'll last, but I have used ProDec synthetics myself for tasks like painting metal gates, applying sealants (e.g. solvent-based MDF sealant) and initial bodying of French polish - the sort of tasks where the brushes may end up getting wrecked or permanently stained) and I've been surprised at how good even cheap brushes can be.

On the recommendation of a deco my larger rollers are Purdys, but my small 4in rollers are a Wooster and a Harris respectively - used with a Wooster Pellikan (a deep roller bucket which hooks over ladders or can be held in the hand, and you can get cheap liners for it too)

 

[Scally-Ho]

I'm going to buck the trend and recommend Hamilton. I'm not keen on decorating, but when I do get involved, I do like the paint to look good when I'm finished and Hamilton has always produced a good finish. Also, my local trade counter always has a good price on the Hamilton range.

 

[opps]

On the recommendation of a deco my larger rollers are Purdys, but my small 4in rollers are a Wooster and a Harris respectively - used with a Wooster Pellikan (a deep roller bucket which hooks over ladders or can be held in the hand, and you can get cheap liners for it too)

IMO the Wooster and Purdy "mini" rollers are both great. The sleeves are interchangable.

I keep meaning to buy some Pelicans. I have some snide ones but they are not wide enough for the Purdy/Wooster mini rollers.

I assume that the Harris sleeves are not compatible with the Wooster.

Apropos the liners, unless working with solvent based paints, I have never seen the need for them.

Here in west London, I wish the Wooster rep would travel north of the Thames... I live in Purdyland.

As an aside. I once went to LA to meet up with a pet supplement manufacturer. Whilst there, I visited a Home Depot. They had a massive range of Purdy brushes. I hadn't previously realised that they (Purdy) sell brushes at varying price points. Great brushes down to "budget" brushes. I only purchased about £200 of brushes. I saved about 33%. I am guessing that the import duty on brushes would be 8%, and then we have to pay 20% VAT.

I forgot to tell Customs that I had the brushes in my suitcase. My bad.

Annoyingly, I didn't see any Wooster brushes in Home Depot.

When painting cabinets, my two favourite brushes are the Purdy Sprig Elite and the Wooster Ultra Pro. They don't hold a lot of paint but the tips are beautifully square and help you to maintain minimal tramlines, which helps when painting rails and styles and give you a crisp edge where they meet.

Annoyingly, each costs about £18 per 50mm brush, but they are well worth the money. I could not achieve the same finish with the (UK) generic Purdy (multipack) brush. Those I use for emulsion work.

I did try Corona brushes a while back. The multipack was slightly cheaper than the Purdy multipack. I was not impressed with them. That said, I do not know if we get the "reasonable" Corona brushes, or the ones that look a bit like the Purdy brushes.

@Wayners might be able to recommend other brands which are not on shelves here in west London.

 

[Wayners]

Purdy adjustable frame and pole.

Mini rollers.

Uni-Pro High Tech Micro-Fibre 6.5" 4mm Nap 2 Pack

 

[opps]

I'm going to buck the trend and recommend Hamilton. I'm not keen on decorating, but when I do get involved, I do like the paint to look good when I'm finished and Hamilton has always produced a good finish. Also, my local trade counter always has a good price on the Hamilton range.

That'll be Hamilton Acorn... I used to purchase 170mm Anza paint pads. Back in the old days I could purchase box of 50 for £100 (inc VAT-retail). Anza purchased Hamilton. All of a sudden, they (Hamilton) refused to import the Anza paint pads. I spoke to a woman at Hamilton. She told me that because they sell their own paint pads, they would only be willing to import the paint pads from their parent company if I could commit to spending over a grand a year. I was unwilling to make that commitment.

I did speak to the export manager at Anza in Sweden. he was "sympathetic" but said that he, as an employee of the parent company, could not (would not?) dictate to their UK subsidiary.

Sorry about the rant. I need to buy another 50/100 paint pads. I am probably have to pay shed loads and buy them from abroad.

 

[Stuckinarut]

I’ve used Harris, ProDec, Johnstone and various cheap stuff. The branded ones were better, but some cheap stuff is ok too.