Two Fussy Blokes roller review

The Two Fussy Blokes brand has kind of exploded onto the UK decorating scene over the last few years.  As a former marketing director, I love what they’ve done in creating the brand, and as a decorator I love what they’ve done with the product.

A few years ago, I’d never heard of them, and now they’re one of the most recommended products on the Painter & Decorators Forum UK, especially for projects such as furniture upcycling, or painting kitchen cabinets.  If you’re not spraying, these little 4” roller sleeves are generally regarded as the next best thing. I thought it was finally time I sat down and wrote a quick Two fussy Bloke Roller review.

The Two Fussy Bloke’s Offering

But hang on…there’s more to Two Fussy Blokes than the 4” sleeves we’ve all heard of (and most of us have used).  The range has been growing:

• Roller frames – 2” mini, 4” mini (available in short, medium or long – think of the long as a rad-roller…), 6” mini and 9”
• 5mm nap microfibre sleeves – 2”, 4”, 6”
• 10mm nap microfibre sleeves – 2”, 4”, 6”, 9”, 12”, 14”, 18”
• 15mm microfibre sleeves – 4”, 6”, 9”, 12”, 14”, 18”
• 10mm nap Dacron sleeves – 4”, 9”, 12”, 14”
• 5mm nap Hybrid Mohair sleeves – 4”

They also have a glass scraper and…wait for it (the moment we’ve all been waiting for!) a limited range of brushes now becoming available (can’t wait to try those!).

So, for the uninitiated, what’s so good about Two Fussy Blokes rollers, and what’s with all the weird sizes?

What’s So Good About Two Fussy Blokes Rollers?

If you can get your head around this, what’s good about Two Fussy Blokes is what the Two Fussy Blokes brand is all about. The whole brand is about quality, but in a very down-to-earth, understandable way. They strive to be the best without the need to blind us all with the science behind why they’re so good.

The story goes those two New Zealand decorators, fed up with not being able to get quality decorating tools, decided to make their own. And being fussy blokes, they didn’t rest until they’d developed something that they were happy with.

The little 4” mini-rollers, which were the first product most of us became aware of, have now become the “go to” for many furniture upcyclers and kitchen cabinet painters, and are gradually gaining wider appeal among more mainstream decorators for painting doors and window sills, for example. And with larger sizes now available, walls and ceilings are now getting the Two Fussy Blokes treatment.

What’s great about them in my opinion is that they leave very little evidence that you’ve used them. No roller marks, and very little texture.  Obviously, a 15mm a nap sleeve will leave more texture than 5mm one, and most of my experience until recently has been using 5mm nap on doors, window sills, loft hatches etc.

They do exactly what any roller should do – distribute the paint over the surface faster, and more evenly, than a brush – but with very little of that annoying “orange peel” texture.

There will always be some texture, but it’s minimal (especially with the 5mm nap), and whether you feel the need to lay off with a brush depends on the surface, the paint you’re using, and your personal preference (you could say, it depends on how fussy you are!).

Even if you do feel the need to lay off with a brush (I always do on smooth doors, less so on textured doors, for example), it’s still quicker than painting the whole door with a brush, and because it’s rolled the paint is distributed more evenly, meaning zero chance of sagging or runs.

On a panel door, you really only need the brush for the edges, the mouldings and for laying off.  So, for something that costs you less than a cup of coffee (a pack of ten 4” sleeves will cost you around £12-13 online), you get a better result, faster. No brainer.

Two Fussy Blokes Rollers – Size Proliferation

I’ve been a fan of the 5mm nap 4” mini-rollers for a while now, they’re great for doors and window sills for example.  I struggled to see the need for some of the other sizes to be honest; sure, the quality is great, but I would normally use a 15mm nap on something that was textured (an artexed ceiling, or Anaglypta wall covering), and on a textured surface the benefits of a better quality roller are less obvious.  But I thought I’d get myself a couple and see if I could find uses for them.

Final Thoughts

I’m a sucker for a good marketing story, and this brand is well marketed.  But a great marketing story with a poor product won’t last long.  That’s not what we have here – Two Fussy Blokes rollers are the real deal, they’re great little products that will make a difference to your painting for minimal outlay.

They clean out easily, I’ve never had any lint or fluff left behind from any of their rollers, and they give a great finish.  There are doubtless cheaper rollers around, but the difference is pennies.  Give them a go – you won’t be disappointed!

Review Summary