Characteristics and pros / cons between citadel and Secret Weapon washes

[Dosani]

Hi, I am investigating about different kinds of washes, as I want to import some complete sets of washes from abroad. I need to select between citadel or Secret weapon ones , and as I can't get both atm , want to ask about pros and cons about this brands before I buy any. I know that this is a difficult question as everybody has their own experiences and preferences,  but still any info is really helpful and welcome! Thanks again  for the info :)

 

[CorallineAlgae]

I'm no wash expert but I do have washes from both brands. I would mostly recommend the Citadel washes, although I find both brands are useful for different things.

 

The Secret Weapon washes seem to act a bit like something between diluted ink and thin translucent paint. The colors are good for tinting or reinforcing colors, like if you want to add a subtle tint of green, blue or red to monster skin. Or if you have something painted red and want it a bit more red, you can hit it with the red wash. Some of the colors can be used almost like thin well pigmented paint if you have a white primed model. They're good for making quick skeletons, zombies or terrain pieces with lots of stone. Secret Weapon has a number of similar wash colors that let you make subtle differences in different parts of the stones (grays, tans, browns, greens). Basically, I like using SW washes on undead, bases and terrain. 

 

Anytime I want to use a wash to shade a mini, I prefer Citadel. It's hard to describe the difference. Citadel washes flow differently and they seem to get the recesses shaded darker while leaving the upper surfaces a bit smoother. Citadel isn't quite as dirty looking as other washes. They generally leave a cleaner finish with more contrast, which is nicer for character minis and most monsters. That said, I don't use washes all that often, so I might not be the best person to answer this (even though I buy a LOT of washes). But, since no one else gave this question a go I thought I'd offer my limited personal experiences with the two lines. Bottom line, if I could only choose one line of washes it would be Citadel, no question. 

 

I also have a few washes from Reaper, Army Painter and Vallejo. For me Citadel washes beat those brands, too. Paint is a completely different story. 

[ced1106]

If you're new to washes:

* Army Painter brown Strong Tone: All-purpose brown wash for monsters and wood terrain.

* Secret Weapon Miniatures Stone Wash: For underground stone terrain.

* Army Painter black Dark Tone: Excellent pre-wash on white primed miniatures that shouldn't use brown wash (eg. adventurers).

 

AP Quickshade Ink Set includes Strong and Dark, although I don't use the other colors as often. 

SWM overview: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1129305/how-select-wash-secret-weapon-washes-link-review-s

 

 

AP brown: 

 

SWM Stone: 

 

AP dark on white-primed miniature: 

Edited May 25, 2018 by ced1106