Comments about Holbein Duo Aqua Water Soluble Oils:

I have used this product for years and will recommended to anyone interested as alternative to regular oils.

Comments about Holbein Duo Aqua Water Soluble Oils:

I love these paints! I tried the Winsor & Newton Artison brand and found them sticky even when used with a medium. The Grumbacher Max are good but still don't compare with the Holbein for texture, feel, and overall performance. They are a bit more expensive but you get what you pay for and they have a great pigment load so a little goes a long way. I use Holbein linseed oil when I need to thin the paint and to clean my brushes I swish them in a jar of about an inch or so of Dawn dish detergent mixed with a little water and then rinse in clean water. What could be easier? They take pretty much the same time to dry as regular oil paints but seem to have a better luminosity. My only con is Holbein's color names differ from the standard paint colors but I have noticed they have made some name changes lately so that is not really a problem. I'm a fan for life.

Comments about Holbein Duo Aqua Water Soluble Oils:

I have mostly Holbein Duo Aqua on my palette, and I'm satisfied with most of them, but I find the Olive Green too dark, almost dirty dark.

Another problem I have is with the Titanium White. It is really hard to mix with anything. Kind of lumpy...

Does this manufacturer listen to anyone but the beat of their own drum?

Comments about Holbein Duo Aqua Water Soluble Oils:

I paint with knives primarily. I tried many types of oil paints in an attempt to find one that was safe to breathe and yet was buttery in texture. I was thrilled to find this paint. I had all but given up until I found Aqua Duo. The pigments are true and a wide variety offered. It has the added advantage of drying within 24 to 48 hours and is also mixable with other oil paints. How can that be beat?

Comments about Holbein Duo Aqua Water Soluble Oils:

I've been using Duo Oils just going on five years. I use product reviews a lot when making a decision before buying. I thought I owed a review of this Holbein product and maybe it will help others decide.
The quality of the Holbein Duo line is second to none. I don't know how anyone could do it better.
My only criticism (almost better called a comment than criticism) is they have this tendency to come up with some odd non-traditional names for their colors ("Terra Rose" for what everyone else calls Red Oxide). But if you dig a little (using Blick's detailed product description under each color) you'll find pigment information that will help find the color you're looking for.
I wouldn't have given Holbein such a great reference a couple years ago but they since introduced the cadmiums, cobalts and several mediums into the duo line and that sealed the deal for me. The "dangerous" pigments are expensive but worth every penny. I'm not a heavy user of mediums but have used the quick drying medium and it does seem to act like Gamsol (sp?) in the traditional oil arena.
If you've used traditional oils or acylics for a while you might find the Duos a bit "dry" right out of the tube. Most times it isn't any issue but I do keep a small squeeze bottle of Duo lindseed oil handy and sometimes add a drop to bring the product closer to a more buttery consistency. particularly when mixing three or more tubed colors.
One last thing. I did try Golden Open a couple months after they were released. Golden is such a great outfit and they did a bang-up job with the Open line. But, I'm a plein air painter and the half teaspoon of paint left on the portable palette will run when the the pallete is closed up and turned sideways at the end of a session. There's ways to get around that I'm sure but with so much invested in Duo at that point I wasn't willing to go there.

Comments about Holbein Duo Aqua Water Soluble Oils:

While the colors are good, it is almost impossible to use it straight out of the tube. It's simply too gooey.

Holbein Duo Aqua needs improvement in viscosity.

Comments about Holbein Duo Aqua Water Soluble Oils:

It's creamier than other water mixable products I've used but still dries faster than real oil paints. I just wish they offer more colors like instead of Vermilion Hue ( I use that a lot), sell the real Vermilion.I don't mind to pay more for it.

Comments about Holbein Duo Aqua Water Soluble Oils:

Unable to continue using turpentine, I switched to water mixable oils and struggled with Winsor Newton. The paints were too thin and slippery for me but when I switched to Holbein Aqua Duo I was in heaven again. Holbein handles and feels like traditional oils and has the thickness and creaminess Winsor Newton lacked. The colors are more saturated and brilliant and the assortment is wonderful.

Comments about Holbein Duo Aqua Water Soluble Oils:

I haven't painted in oils for many years since the mess and fumes were always a deterrent, but recently decided to get back into them since the water-miscible ones came out.

Of the couple of brands I've tried, these are far superior, and though I'm sure that traditional oils are probably more responsive, these have worked great for me, giving me the flexibility and expression I remember without the bother of fumes and solvents. I will be buying these again!

Comments about Holbein Duo Aqua Water Soluble Oils:

It is exactly like painting with "normal" oil paints except no need for solvents. Brushes clean with water and a little brush soap. The paint is heavily pigmented, and thick but easily thinned with a bit of water and their linseed oil. LOVE my DUOs!