A Comparison of Painting Handles

Transcript*

Intro

Why am I balancing this pile of boxes? It’s about to fall, isn’t it? Is it too much to handle? AK recently released three new painting handles. Are they worth it? Possibly. Maybe. One of them certainly is in my opinion. Uh the other one 50/50 on the other one, no. We’ll see which is which.

We’ll arrange them from least worth it in my opinion to most worth it. And funnily enough, I think the most worth it one will be the most controversial. Before we get started, I just have to quickly point out that every single item shown in this video, from the painting handles themselves to potential miniatures and paints may be shown, are all available on the website right now sunwardhobbies.ca. That’s sunwardhobbies.ca. Links in the description down below.

Painting Handle XL – Overview

Up first, meaning it’s I would I would say the worst, but really it’s okay. Uh, but it’s still the least worth it would be AK’s painting handle XL. Now, let’s get the positive out of the way. The smallest it can go is 40mm bases, which is good because there’s been an increased amount of 40mm bases over the course of the years because Games Workshop being the primary culprit. Culprit is, you know, it’s they’re not really a culprit.

Basically, they keep increasing the scale of older miniatures. Like, they keep remastering them. And in the remaster, they basically scale them up to the next base size, which a lot of them are space marines, so they go from 32 to 40. Um, so yeah, that’s basically it. So, this is very good. The only problem is we’ve already gotten it.

Comparing to Citadel XL Handle

This is the Citadel option, the one it’s trying to compete with, and it’s guys, I’m being so serious. It’s the same product minus one thing. Okay, for legal reasons, obviously we’re being hyperbolic and exaggerating. And of course, there are some changes. For example, the thicker neck support, which is better for your hand on the AK version compared to the Citadel option, which has a thinner contour, thick or deeper contour, thinner neck, which does snap sometimes if you keep dropping it by accident. I mean, cuz you know, it’s top heavy and you’re twisting it around painting, eventually you’ll lose grip. You’ll drop it.

Uh, it’s gonna happen. It has happened to me. Um, and I don’t blame you. It’s just top heavy, you know. Uh, and there’s also the biggest improvement, a magnet at the bottom. So, it’s a nice counterweight it’s more balanced. This one is definitely more top heavy. Uh, also, if you have a metal table or the AK mat with magnets, for example, the one you roll out uh black or grey, this will matter a lot uh because it can hold it stably uh while you’re painting.

But if you have a wood table or a glass table with no metal supports for the glass, then this will matter diddly squat for you. So it ultimately depends on the surface you’re working on. Uh though it does provide a nice counterbalance. But let’s inspect the negatives because first and foremost, they’re identical. If you have this, you have no reason to get this. And number two, it’s more expensive.

Handle in Action

Here it is holding a 40k miniature with a 40mm base stably. It’s perfect. So, it opens just as well as the XL uh version for Citadel.

AK Painting Handle

At number two, we have AK’s painting handle. This is where we’re getting into basically worth it territory, but still somewhat up to you. This is AK’s painting handle. This is their answer to the very ubiquitous and very well-known Citadel Color painting handle or the artist formerly known as Citadel Color, now Warhammer Color. Let’s open it up. There we go. Not much difference, is there?

Comparing to Citadel Painting Handle

Uh, but what is there is significant. Of course, it solved the neck problem. Again, not really an issue in the short term. Maybe even in the long term, depending on who you are and if you don’t drop it, of course. Uh, but it is there. Also, uh it is a better handling experience with the contour being more gradual and following your hand more there. I always thought that this was awkward, very tiny, and majority of the load is in your first two fingers, the index and the thumb. So, yeah, I don’t know. I like this handling experience much better, and it’s balanced out by the fact that it has a magnet.

This one, while extremely light uh and doesn’t really have the top heavy sort of thing, does become top heavy uh when you put on a miniature on top of it. But the fact that this has a magnet to balance that out is genius design in my opinion. Of course, it’s magnetized having a magnet. So, it’s still only useful if you have the proper surface for it. Um but it’s still somewhat useful if you don’t because of the counter balancing thing. Now, on to its usefulness as a painting handle. You’re like, “Well, that’s identical.” Nope. Look at the uh AK one again. Look at the cutouts.

You’re seeing those indents. That’s for square bases. The Citadel one doesn’t have that option. You can maybe jam it in there awkwardly, but there’s an opt uh a risk of it just popping out or sliding off. Uh it’s not made for it. Whereas this, they thought of it. It just square. Uh so 20x 20 fits there. Not to mention the normal 25 round bases up until 40 mm bases. And even then, there is a distinct difference between the two. Watch this. So, I’m using 40mm based Aquilon Terminators from Warhammer 40k.

Testing with 40mm Bases

Uh,and then I’m putting them onto the Citadel first. So, basically the way you do it, do not damage it because it does uh stress it out. It’s barely made for 40 uh millimeter bases, but it can accommodate it decently well. If you do it right though, basically you push it in on one side like that. While pushing it on one side, you pull the other. Oh, sorry. Failed my own. There we go. So, there is a little bit there of give. Um, but enough to fit 40, but not much wiggle room there because you can tell it’s being stretched to its basically its limit. Now, let’s compare it to AK’s. Yeah, that was it. Very simple. Let’s do let’s do that again for the for the camera. So, same thing, but a much easier handling experience. There’s more room comp. Look at that.

Look at the difference. One just casually opened to accommodate it while the other one was like, “Let me open, please.” Yeah, that’s a terrible analogy. That also sounds like me after cheesecake and the toilet cuz I’m lactose intolerant. Anyway, uh yeah, so there is a genuine problem with the Citadel one, it can barely accommodate 40 mm. Uh in fact, if you put it in the wrong way, uh this part right here where you force it will genuinely launch off and break off and now your painting handle is ruined. So whereas this I don’t foresee that happening because of how easy it was. So, I despite this being $2 more expensive, I actually think it’s worth it because it’s genuinely a step up to its contemporary, the one it’s competing with, unlike the XL handle, which is just more of the same. So, yeah, that’s it. That’s my opinion for product number three, and in my opinion, the best out of the three.

AK Handle Support

We have AK handle support for painting miniatures. Um, yeah, this is this one’s nice, though. It isn’t perfect. and you’ll get to see why in a sec, but it does come with a 360 rotating base. You’ll see how smooth that is in a sec. It’s nice. Uh it comes with two plastic alligator clips, which I do like, uh though they’re a little bit on the flimsy side, and six small tabs of what is essentially sticky tack, which is good. But Paul, what is that arching thing? What the heck could that possibly be? Well, my friend, it also spins just like that, but it’s a smooth spin. So, while you’re painting, you can just twist it around.

Yeah, it’s beautiful. Very well done, AK. Now, full disclosure. So, the first two products, obviously, the XL painting handle is the much more expensive product uh compared to the normal painting handles, but the XL painting handles hover around the $20 mark. This is $10 more expensive roughly. And you might be saying, well, with the rotating base, the handle support, that’s not enough. But let’s give you more features. Uh, these are the aforementioned clips, right? And you’re like, okay, why are there alligator clips? Which, by the way, I do appreciate that it’s plastic because the metal ones tend to scrape and ruin parts.

Not just the paint job, but the parts themselves. They scratch them. Uh, so I appreciate that it’s tight enough, but it’s also plastic. So the odds of them ruining a miniature plastic piece is very low. You see the holes? They’re meant to stick there. Now, this is where it’s unfortunate because I don’t know if this is a design flaw on the clips themselves or the base where you can pop open. You’ll see where there are no holes there. I don’t know if it’s because they don’t want any sort of through holes. So, where you put it in, it interferes with the smoothness uh of this rotating base, which it is smooth, admittedly, but it is shaky. Look at that. Oh, see, it’s completely shaky. I think the clips are just too skinny.

They’re just way too skinny. Uh, but this is easily alleviated by, you know, grabbing a toothpick from my cupboard and just sticking it in there. And it’s going to fit for sure. 100%. Here are the six tabs of sticky tack. And of course, you don’t have to just use these six that’s included, but it’s nice that they’re included. You can buy your own sticky tack and use it on a very convenient rotating painting handle like this. So, imagine it’s stuck not even with the thing. You can just stick it on it. Uh, and you’re just doing this, right? And then with the painting handle, if it’s a small enough miniature, you can rest your hand and do this for hours. And the best part about this, you can scale it up. But first of all, cuz this is removable, but secondly, uh, with the Sticky Tac, it can in theory hold more than even the XL bases, which goes up to, I believe, 170 mm bases.

Um whereas this in theory can hold a lot more depending on how strong and how much sticky tac you use. So in theory this negates the existence of the XL painting handles for both companies. Um uh so that’s nice. Oh, and it’s magnetized too like its brethren. So that’s just a neat little icing on the cake. So is this worth it? I think so. Yeah, but that might be controversial though because for what is essentially a little bit over $30, you’re paying for a lot of people what they use is again the aforementioned cork uh piece of wire and sticky tack. That’s less than $2 a material maybe, but this is a more elegant solution. Uh a more streamlined solution which you’re paying over $30 for. So up to you.

In my opinion, I would buy this. Uh, but again, I don’t fault you at all if you consider this a waste of money. 100,000% up to you. And I understand that the cork solution is there. But this is uh the more elegant solution for a more elegant age. Wait, that’s not the code. I’ve used one tab. One is missing there. Uh, and yeah, here it is. I stuck on the custodies. It’s not falling. Now, I didn’t stick on the painting support because the spear is too big. think it would hit it, right? Uh but also because the ponytail or whatever is uh basically at the tip there. But you know, if you have a smaller miniature, it’s perfect. Just press it on a little bit. Yeah.

Paul’s Conclusion

So, what do you guys think? Is Trevor correct? Trevor from the website, if you forgot. Um was he correct to call out the entire practice of painting handles essentially? Um or was he out of pocket? What do you guys think? Because personally, these are worth it, especially the spinning one, but only if you have no painting handles. If you have a sufficient painting handle that already does the job for all aspects or most aspects, then these are ultimately not worth it.

These are only worth it if you have little to no options or you want to upgrade essentially. Uh but if you already have these products in some capacity, now of course it’s not worth it. Um, and Big Trev was correct. Well, that’s it for me today. Thank you guys so much for watching. Down below is where you’ll find a description which contains our real time inventory via our website, sunwardhobbies.ca. Every single product shown in this video will be there. Links in the description down below. sunwardhobbies.ca. Also in the description are direct links to our social media pages. We’re active on all of them. We have the most active social media base for a hobby store I’ve ever seen to be honest with you. Minus the big guys, of course.

They don’t count their corporations. Yeah. So, follow us on your preferred platforms. We’re active. Send us questions. Email us. Yeah, we love responding to them. Be nice, though. Uh, and of course, please consider liking and subscribing. We’re trying to hit 20K before end of year. Last year, we just hit 10K before the year ended. That was nice. Um, but we’re trying to hit 20K before end of year. Let’s see if we can replicate that feat. We’re at 14 14.2, I think, as the as I’m filming this video. So, that would be nice to hit uh 15 before summer truly starts. Uh, but 20 is the goal. So, yeah. Thank you guys for watching.

My name is Paul. Signing out. Bye-bye.

About the Author:

Paul Catindig As someone who’s been building model kits since he was 8 years old, Paul is very knowledgeable and adept at model kit building! When he’s not building or painting kits, he spends his free time cooking, playing video games with friends, or at a restaurant patio somewhere. Hopes to make his very own movie one day.

*Video by Paul Catindig
Video Edited by Daniela Castellano
Transcript generated by youtube
Edited by Angelo Castellano