V2 on the bottom with the red lid |
So, let's get the most obvious difference out of the way first, it's bigger! Much bigger in fact. If you felt cramped by the smaller Everlasting wet palette, then you'll definitely appreciate the expanded room here. As I mentioned in the last review, one thing you can't do with a wet palette is reuse a space on the palette. The paint won't really ever fully dry on it, so if you try to load up some more paint of a different color on a spot that was previously used, then more than likely the colors will just contaminate each other. With this in mind, a larger working space can be key depending on the project you're working on. Personally, my painting space is a little on the smaller side, so I think I actually prefer the smaller palette, purely for the fact that it takes up less space on my desk, but if you're not limited by that then larger is definitely the way to go.
The next big difference is the lid. On the previous one, the lid had a seal of its own that was fairly good, but it also had an elastic cloth band you would slip around it when not using the palette to keep the seal as tight as possible so your paints don't dry out. Well, this seal has been reworked in V2 and the elastic cloth is gone. Now the seal on the lid on its own is secure enough to lock in the freshness of the paints. This does mean it takes slightly more effort to open, but not a whole ton. The elastic band didn't bother me, but there's no denying that a better seal on its own is a big improvement.
The last improvement on the palette itself are the attachment points on the sides. All four of the sides have points where you can attach various add ons. Redgrass Games sent me two of these attachments, an Anti-Spill Pot Holder, and a Wavy Palette. These attach through a slide and lock mechanism instead of the magnets that some older versions had. The Anti-Spill Pot Holder does just what the name implies. It has spots for two GW sized paint pots to help you avoid that disastrous paint spill from the taller pots. The Wavy Palette is more akin to the hard plastic palettes of yore. There are five wells in it for you to use as palettes. This is great for colors you may not want to put on your wet palette. I personally never put metallics on my wet palette since I don't want the metallic flakes contaminating the other colors, and I also avoid washes and contrast paints on there sometimes so they don't accidentally become more diluted then I intended. The Wavy Palette is great for this as it's just off the side of your main palette, so still within easy reach.
They also sent me the RGG Glass Palette in the V2 Painter size. This is a glass palette that's designed to go inside the wet palette case in place of the sponge and membrane. No water needed. The ideal use for this would be painters working with oils, as you can put them on the glass and store it inside the sealed case to keep the oils from drying out. I don't use oils for my minis though, so I ended up using it mostly for a lot of the colors I didn't want to put in the wet palette itself such as metallics, or colors I was going to dry brush. Instead of putting it inside the case, I kept it to the side, and then when I needed to use it I closed my wet palette and set this on top of it since it was the same size. This took the place of my decade plus old piece of kitchen tile. Once it has too much paint built up on it I'll be able to easily scrape it off with some cleaner.
Reusable membrane after being washed |
The last thing I want to touch on for the palette, and I think one of the coolest, are the new reusable membranes. The membranes are the pieces of paper you put on top of the sponge itself, essentially the actual palette. Previously there were all meant to be one use and then you would throw them away when done and get out a new one. These new reusable ones can instead be washed and then reused several times. I gave this a shot and it worked pretty well! I used a utility sink in my basement and rinsed off all the paint. With a little bit of scrubbing with my fingers, the majority of the paint came off and I was able to reuse it for my next painting project. While there was a tiny bit of paint still left on that I just couldn't get off, this seemed completely dry, and didn't contaminate the next set of paints that went on top of it at all. One thing I will note, is it mentions how this is more environmentally friendly since you're reusing the paper. While true, I did have to have the sink running when cleaning it. This obviously used a lot more water than the previous one and done versions. While you could just try and scrub it clean in a small pool of sitting water, I think you'd end up having a much harder time at it, as well as the water becoming dirty and hard to see through as the paint comes off.
I like both the original wet palette I was sent and the V2. They both do the same essential function, but the V2 has more space and more advanced functions on it. I'll probably end up switching between the two of them, using my smaller one for smaller projects, and my larger one for projects I expect to take longer and use more colors. The add ons are nice, and the glass palette I think is essential for anyone working with oils. I also really like the reusable membranes. While more expensive than the regular ones, if you clean off and reuse each one multiple times you should come out saving money in the long run. You can find all of the Redgrass Games wet palettes here and the glass palettes here.
Until next time,
Tyler M.
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