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- Verified Buyer
I have been using the old reliable Sta-Wet palette for a few years but I don't like their sponges as they degrade too quickly for me. I decided to try something new and this one was the model I chose. I liked the idea of a silicone lid for two reasons; snug fit and easy to clean. In the end, neither of those panned out with this palette. The lid does fit snug but being made of silicone comes at a cost. First, it's very soft and is in no way rigid at all so you have to be careful when removing or replacing the lid or it WILL flop into your paint. You really can't remove the lid with one hand or you will almost certainly end up with it in the paint. The same is true of putting the lid back on. Requires two hands or messes will ensue. Another downside to the soft lid is that you can't stack anything on top of it or the lid will sag down into the paint. None of those are issues with a hard plastic lid.Then, when it comes to ease of cleaning, while it is silicone it has enough of a texture that paints stick to it really well so dried paint isn't any easier to remove from the lid than any other porous surface. That's a shame considering how often you'll end up with paint on the lid when you try to multitask and manipulate the lid with one hand.All of that said, I do like the palette itself. The sponge holds water well and the paper works well (and you get a generous supply of paper with the palette). The sponge material appears to be more of a synthetic composition than organic like the Sta-Wet sponges seem to be. It has a nice low profile so it's easy to rest your hand on your worksurface and mix paints or just wet your brush. And it looks good, not that it really matters.I don't think I would buy it again now that I've used it for a month or so. I'll probably just keep buying the Sta-Wet sponges as there doesn't seem to be any good alternatives out there for a simple, rigid, wet palette.I bought this for my grand daughter and she was so happy because she didn't have anything to keep her paints from drying out. She loves it.This works fairly well however the paper just rips when I try to blend colors. I usually start with only primary colors and mix for a perfect shade but it’s super hard to do with this. The little plastic container does keep the paint moist for a couple of days so it does save $ using it. I’m kind of mixed on this - half and half good and not so good. Worth trying though if you’re looking for something to keep your paints usable.I wanted a product that would extend the life of acrylic paints and shades for when I was painting Warhammer 40k models. It comes with a pack of wet sheets and a pack of dry. A little bit of water sponges up the wet palette. This will keep your paint wet for a very long time.I'm still working out the best volume of water but it works great and keeps the paint freshPreviously, I had been using a Glad-ware lunch container with paper towel+parchment paper as a wet palette. This was my first "Real" wet-palette.Pros - Overall, it works. The sponge feels like a memory-foam material, very soft, and holds a lot of water. The kit comes with a lot of the pre-cut papers, so they should last a while, considering you can use one for several days, or until you need to change your paints. The plastic box is a flexable plastic, so hopefully it will not crack easy. It does hold the paints overnight and keep the ready to use again, at least until the paints soak up too much water and start running (normally this takes a few days)Cons - the foam stains easy, if you paint on it, it will not wash out to white again. The included precut parchment papers are a bit small, so there is a good 1/8"-1/4" margin of foam exposed around the edge, just waiting to soak up the paint. As for the box, it does not seal, and feels cheap. But then it is cheap, so I can't complain too much. :)Compared to my old set-up, of a Glad-ware with a paper towel and parchment paper, I do like the low profile sides, makes it much easier to get to the paints. When cutting my own parchment paper, I could make it larger than the bottom, so the paint could not spill over the edge - once I use all the pre-cut papers in the kit, I will do this again with the baking parchment paper I used before. Also, the Gladware does seal better than this Jucoci, but neither will dry out. The only issue would be with possible dropped container spills.Overall, I think it deserves 4 stars. Good, but not great, but cheap enough that I don't expect greatness. If the included pre-cut papers were a bit bigger, I would give it 5 stars.Miniature paintingThis works perfectly for what you need you can even put it in the fridge to save for laterI used a home made wet pallette for a few years with some greese proof paper in a tupperware container with a dish washing sponge in the bottom, but it would get mucky after a while and my paints always dried out way too fast.I now realise I wasn't using anywhere near enough water, and the wrong paper.Using this instead is like a night and day improvement! Just use enough water to saturate the sponge layer and make the paper damp, and the paint stays active for far longer. I really wish I had just got one of these right at the start!This looked reasonable value for the price as it includes mats and paper. Its a little under A4 size and the case is polythene and quite flimsy. I'm not expecting too much of this but then it my first time using this type of method.My main problem is with the Amazon person who stuck the 'Prime' sticker over the instructions.........I'll review this again when I have used it a few times..... maybe :)This is a handy sized stay-wet palette which, although intended for model makers is also ideal for carrying with you when doing plein air painting or attending classes.It's sturdy enough and you are supplied with enough sponges and palette paper to last a good length of time.The only down side is the price which, for what the palette actually is, is rather high.First time ever using a wet pallet, learning how to spread the paint on the pallet and keep it moist instead of adding a ton of water to the paint. Changes the way I use paint! Also haven't had paint dry up on me mid session!Keeps paint fresh for days without making it too wet. Make sure you regularly clean the sponge underneath as it can harden if paint dries into it. The sheets are good too, paint doesn’t leak through easily which I liked. Also, the sheets didn’t rip when I mixed paint on it so I would say this is a good product
