EZ Flow 508 vs 308 Brush

[VHunter]

When I took my L&P EZ Flow course last march, my kit came with a #508 brush.
I didn't much like it... too big... all the beads were much too wet. I complained to the teacher, and she said it was because I'm accustomed to uv gel, and that I'd get the hang of it..... Ok, that makes sense. I can't argue with that. (note: she was also teaching us to press the brush into a paper towel after picking up a bead & before applying to the nail.........)

Well, nearly a year later, and it's still driving me mad.
I'm fine with it for glitter mixes, coloured powders (they need more liquid anyway) but for clear and reg white... I can't get on with it.
To note: in my kit, there was also boogie nights & q-monomer and the high def monomer.

Am I correct in thinking that perhaps I should try the #308 because the #508 is intended for the high def & the coloured powders?

I'd hate to shell out extra money on a brush that might be all wrong for me and that perhaps it really is 'me' and not the brush.

Your thoughts?

 

[Gelly]

Hi Victoria
I don't think that you need a different brush... the 508 is a great brush.

I sounds to me that you just need to learn how to pick up the correct amount of monomer for the bead that you wish to create... ie: if you want small beads then you want a small amount of monomer in the belly of your brush..

You have probably got into the habit of consistently picking up the same sized beads... I did when I was new to L&P - I could create a great medium sized bead - which meant my beads were too large for small fingers and too small to do a free edge for a thumb in one go.

It drove me crazy!

I went for some 1-2-1 and I was advised by one of my amazing CND educators to sit and practise creating ratio correct beads of different sizes...
Altering the amount of monomer I had in my brush to determine the size of the bead. It was pretty boring but it did work!

 

[JesseDavidNailDesign]

When I took my L&P EZ Flow course last march, my kit came with a #508 brush.
I didn't much like it... too big... all the beads were much too wet. I complained to the teacher, and she said it was because I'm accustomed to uv gel, and that I'd get the hang of it..... Ok, that makes sense. I can't argue with that. (note: she was also teaching us to press the brush into a paper towel after picking up a bead & before applying to the nail.........)

Well, nearly a year later, and it's still driving me mad.
I'm fine with it for glitter mixes, coloured powders (they need more liquid anyway) but for clear and reg white... I can't get on with it.
To note: in my kit, there was also boogie nights & q-monomer and the high def monomer.

Am I correct in thinking that perhaps I should try the #308 because the #508 is intended for the high def & the coloured powders?

I'd hate to shell out extra money on a brush that might be all wrong for me and that perhaps it really is 'me' and not the brush.

Your thoughts?

I saw this technique on the ez flow videos and also on young nail videos. Does anyone know why this is better than just using less liquid in the first place?

 

[Yurionfire]

I used to think that way and then I bought #308 and tried but in fact, it's difficult to control and I still like #508 and I can control my monomer by dapping it and it's absolutely universal brush.

If you use #308, you will get a small bead which is great for infilled or 3d work.

However, it's up to personal preference...

 

[sian1979]

i do LOVE my 508 brush that i use now ...i started off with a cnd pro syler which i dd like also and have tried various other ones but always go back to this one. The way i was told to pick up a bead was to press it out at the bottom of the ezflow dappen dish to remove air....then tap the brush on one side(the side you will pick the bead up with on the closest side of the dappen dsh) then tap the back of the brush (how hard depends on how big a bead you need) on the side of the dappen dish that is furthest away...... OMG that sounds so complicatated how have put it.....but its not....its a simple press, two, three. Then you pick up a bead in three dips (i always count in 3's my head lol!!)...you could drain it of any excess monomer if needed . I always wait a second or so (with the bead on the brush) before placing the bead....which is different to the cnd training i had where you placed the bead and wait a second... but the working ratios are different and if you place the ezflow bead too quickly it will run because of the wetter mix ratio.
not sure if this is any help to you or is different to what you have been told..but hope it might help you
xx

 

[Yurionfire]

I saw this technique on the ez flow videos and also on young nail videos. Does anyone know why this is better than just using less liquid in the first place?

IMHO...

Sometime newbie cannot control the monomer because they're not used to using their brush... but if they know each other very well, you may know how to deal with...

 

[VHunter]

It simply frustrates me to press my brush to a paper towel and A) waste monomer and B) add to the vapours in my home (yes, I work from home and NOT a fan of the vapours....hubby can't stand when I do L&P)

I try to get the same size bead all the time, to learn to control the amount of monomer... but struggling in a big way :cry:

I'd much rather avoid pressing on the towel, if I could............

 

[VHunter]

ALSO.... after a year... is it normal for my brush to start losing hairs?
Or have I been a bad girl?
I thought I was taking good care of it :cry:

Point doesn't seem as pointy either

 

[Yurionfire]

If you kept cleaning your brush with the brush cleaner, yes it will lost its hair so quick by damaging as can be seen by melting plastic handle... What do you think about the brush's hair???

Why don't you try organising your self into a habit that you wipe you brush in you dappen dish, clean it and make sure there is not any polymer left.

That way you won't have to clean it into the brush cleaner and of course you brush won't be sticky and bricky too.

For the vapour, Geek said you just put the towel in a stainless steel bin with lid (the pedal one) and it's really helpful.

I think if you can control you product constantly, you won't waste you monomer, brush cleaner and bla bla.... and finally save you baby brush... too

 

[Deena]

I have to admit I love my 508. Remember that you've been learning with this brush and so it's bound to have taken a bit more 'Punishment' than the norm. Personally, I think you've done really well to keep it this long. I definitely wouldn't get the smaller ezflow brush. It's too small for general use and I think it's also the one with the rather long handle? I've got one somewhere and it kept getting in my way when I test drove it! :irked:

 

[VHunter]

I have only used the brush cleaner twice in the entire year.
I always clean it in monomer. YEs, I have a metal bin with tight lid (and pedal) for my 'towels' that I bought immediately after taking my L&P course.
BUT WHILE I am working, vapours are released from the towel.
Until I'm finished both hands, the towel doesn't go into the bin.

As for what I think of the brush's hair... I'm not sure I understand that question? It's not matted, it's perfectly fine. No clumps etc... It just loses hair.

For product control... I can't seem to get it. My brush always seems too wet.. I can't seem to find that happy medium WITHOUT dabbing onto the towel :-(

Another question, do you all put the lid/cork back onto your monomer dish IMMEDIATELY after dipping and while picking up a bead, until the next bead?
Or do you leave it uncovered WHILE working, then close it once all 10 nails are done?

THANKS!!

 

[gemsie1983]

I keep mine uncorked throughout. What liquid are you using q monomer or HD?

It is scary using the 508 at first I remember thinking how big it was when I first had mine! Love love love it now though! x

 

[lizad14]

It simply frustrates me to press my brush to a paper towel and A) waste monomer and B) add to the vapours in my home (yes, I work from home and NOT a fan of the vapours....hubby can't stand when I do L&P)

I try to get the same size bead all the time, to learn to control the amount of monomer... but struggling in a big way :cry:

I'd much rather avoid pressing on the towel, if I could............

I so agree with you and I am in the same situation with the hubs,and working at home. I use YN and those are two things I do not like about it waste, and extra smell from dabbing it on the towel so much.

 

[RAQUEL]

do you have the ez flow dappen dish.. ??? mad as it sounds.. dip your brush in,wipe one side on side of dappen dish. getting rid of excess liquid fromthat side only- then into powder..no wiping onto paper towel required- the dappen dish is deep so the brush goes right to the bottom ... it is the best brush ever..

 

[Yurionfire]

My BF doesn't like the smell too but it's something I can't help so I kept telling him that Q Monomer is the most pleasant monomer in the world so he has to make up his mind...

Personally I wipe my brush in dappen dish and no I didn't put back my cork immediately butwhen I wipe my brush on the towel (that I cut into little pieces), I usually put it directly into a bin.

it's seem silly but i think i can reduce that smell...

Oh what I learned is there's a towel that has plastic under neat might help... but I don't know what does it call!

Sorry if I say something wrong...

 

[RAQUEL]

My BF doesn't like the smell too but it's something I can't help so I kept telling him that Q Monomer is the most pleasant monomer in the world so he has to make up his mind...

Personally I wipe my brush in dappen dish and no I didn't put back my cork immediately butwhen I wipe my brush on the towel (that I cut into little pieces), I usually put it directly into a bin.

it's seem silly but i think i can reduce that smell...

Oh what I learned is there's a towel that has plastic under neat might help... but I don't know what does it call!

Sorry if I say something wrong...

lol were you typing same time as me???wipe brush in dappen dish... YEAH!!!!

 

[sian1979]

i also leave my dappen dish uncovered...would drive me insane if i kept having to put it back on after each bead....plus as your timing improves it simply would not be practical to keep doing it. Unfortunate as it is most monomer does smell...some stronger than others but i have to say that the ones that i have used (cnd, ezflow and nfu.oh) certainly do not smell as bad as the stuff that some NSS salons i have walked past use. Obviously there are ways of working that can reduce the vapours/smell..... not wiping/draining your brush is one of them and disposing of your paper towels like you said in a metal lidded bin..... i also put them in scented nappy sacks and tie them up before putting them in the bin.
There are going to be times i think where you are going to have to wipe your brush or drain it (especially if doing 3d work) i certainly do not wipe or drain as much as i did when i first trained.
One tip that i read on here by geeg i think it was....i think it was said to use a handsdown (plastic backed pad that i think was mentioned before) pad with some scrubfresh to wipe your brush on (obv. talking about those using cnd products...but i am sure the same principle would apply whatever products you used)....i am not 100% on that...i will try and find it to confirm.

 

[claireamy]

I'm a little surprised you've kept your brush going this long! I usually replace mine once every 4 to 6 months but I guess its all relative with how many L&P sets you do. They do start to shed hair when they're coming to the end of their life!!

I love my 508 and wouldn't want any other brush but you need to work on your ratios and bead pick up. As others have said try wiping more monomer off your brush before you pick up. The gret thing with the 508 is that it DOES hold a good amount of liquid in the belly of the brush, which can be very useful.

Perhaps a workshop on pink and whites would be helpful for you to gert to grips with the brush and ratios?

Keep persevering as I'm sure you'll come to love the 508!!

 

[VHunter]

Yup, I drain the brush a bit on the edge of the dappen (the one from ez flow with the cork) before picking up a bead... but can't seem to get it just right... ggrrrrrrr :irked:

Granted, my clients are mostly uv gel and I have only 6 who are regulars who get L&P at this point. Not everyone is converted or necessarily wants to, at this point.

So, it's not a great deal of practice, in comparison.

Yes, it is the very same brush from my original course kit.

I'll look into a 1-2-1 with my previous tutor and see what the costs are.... but honestly, as nice as she was..... teaching not so much her forte. It was more "watch me and now you do" without much in the way of correction or suggestions. Pretty much left to my own devices (same teacher that sent me home first day, telling me I knew too much )

I've watched plenty of vids. And I keep rewatching. (though, I notice in vids, you don't see much dipping in monomer.. mostly the working of the sculpt)
Ugh, I'll dig'em out again and read nailclass again.
There must be 'something' I'm missing that's not 'clicking' and when it finally does, I'll be off to the races LOL

 

[Lil Linz]

Personally, I love my 508, I could never change it now. It does seem like a large brush at first, but depending on the amount of liquid you take out of the brush by pressing on the side of the dappen dish, you can make any size bead. Do you press on the side of the dappen dish, or wipe on the lip of the dappen dish?

The difference between the 508 and 308 is the shape, not the the size. The 508 is an oval brush which is a size 8. The 308 however, is a round brush, which is also a size 8 (the first number relates to the shape of the brush only, not the size). Personally I do not use a 308 because I cannot work with a round brush, however there are other technicians out there who do prefer to work with a round brush. Beacuse of the shape of the 508, I find it easier to press the acrylic flush to the nail around zone 3.

Like Claireamy, I change my brush every 4-6 months, usually when the point starts to go. I do like to keep my 'old' one for glitter fades so that I have a separate brush for glitter to my pink & whites.

hth's xx