Redgrass vs The Army Painter Wet Palette
One costs noticeably more. Here is exactly what the extra money buys, and when it does not.
The short answer
Buy the Redgrass Painter Lite if you want paint still usable tomorrow: its lid genuinely seals and the hydration paper is consistent. Buy The Army Painter palette if you want the largest mixing area for the least money and you mostly paint in single sessions.
The quick version
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Redgrass Games Everlasting Wet Palette Painter LiteA sealed, mold-resistant wet palette small enough to live on a crowded desk. It keeps thinned paint usable for days instead of minutes. | Multi-day hydration | 9.3 | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | The Army Painter Wet Palette (Wargamers Edition)A big working area for noticeably less money. The lid does not seal as hard, so paint lasts hours rather than days. | Area per dollar | 7.8 | Check price on Amazon |
Scores are our own editorial read against the criteria stated below — not a lab measurement and not a user rating. Tap a row for the full write-up.
The short version
These two palettes are not really competing for the same job. One is built around a seal and sold on how long paint survives; the other is built around area and sold on price. Decide which of those you need and the comparison answers itself.
The seal is the real difference
A wet palette without a working seal is a session tool: it keeps paint alive for the two hours you are sat there, then the water evaporates and the paint skins. With a seal, the same mixed shade is still workable the next evening — which means a mix you spent five minutes getting right is an asset instead of a consumable.
The Redgrass lid clamps down onto the tray. The Army Painter lid sits on. In practice that is the difference between “still wet tomorrow” and “mostly dry tomorrow,” and if you paint in short weeknight sessions it is worth more than the extra area.
Membranes and running cost
Both use a replaceable hydration sheet, and both sell refills. The sheets are the recurring cost of owning a wet palette, so compare refill packs rather than just the palette price.
The practical note is consistency rather than cost: purpose-made hydration paper wicks predictably, which is what stops paint either flooding or drying. If you are tempted to substitute baking parchment on either palette to save money, expect to spend a few sessions working out which side of that line your brand of parchment falls on.
Size, and the batch-painting exception
The Army Painter tray is larger, and there is one scenario where that decides it: batch painting. Mixing one shade and running it across twenty models wants a long mixing strip and room for several stages of the same color at once.
For five models at a time, the smaller tray is not a compromise — it is the better shape, because it leaves desk space for the model, the water pot and your hands. Redgrass also sells a larger Studio XL for painters who want both the seal and the area; that is the expensive answer to this question.
Mold resistance
Every sealed, damp, binder-rich tray grows mold eventually. The premium palettes advertise treated foam and are noticeably slower to turn, but neither survives being shut away wet for a month. Whichever you buy, the maintenance is the same: strip the sheet, rinse the foam, store it dry when you finish for the week.
Verdict
Short, frequent sessions, limited desk: Redgrass Painter Lite. The seal is the feature and you will use it every time you sit down.
Long sessions, batch painting, tight budget: The Army Painter. More mixing area for less money, and if you finish the mix in one sitting the seal is not doing much for you anyway.
Either is a large upgrade over a dry palette. If this comparison is making you hesitate, buy the cheaper one today rather than neither — the full ranking is in the best wet palettes.
The picks in full
Redgrass Games Everlasting Wet Palette Painter Lite
A sealed, mold-resistant wet palette small enough to live on a crowded desk. It keeps thinned paint usable for days instead of minutes.
What it gets right
- Paint stays workable for days with the lid on, which is the entire point of a wet palette
- Small footprint — it fits beside a model rather than replacing your desk
- Membranes and foam are sold as refills, so the palette itself is a one-time buy
Who it is wrong for
- Too small for batch-painting a whole regiment's worth of colors at once
- Refill membranes are a recurring cost you should price in
- Still molds if you leave paint and water in it for two weeks — nothing fixes neglect
Scored against this page’s criteria
Specs from the manufacturer: Redgrass Games product page
We do not publish prices. Amazon shows the current one, which is the only one that is ever right. #ad · how this is funded
The Army Painter Wet Palette (Wargamers Edition)
A big working area for noticeably less money. The lid does not seal as hard, so paint lasts hours rather than days.
What it gets right
- Large surface at a fraction of the Studio XL price
- Comes with enough membranes to last a long while
- Does the core job — thinned paint stops skinning over mid-model
Who it is wrong for
- The lid does not truly seal, so paint dries out overnight rather than keeping for days
- Membrane sheets curl and shift more than Redgrass's
- Plastic feels cheaper, and the hinge is the first thing to go
Scored against this page’s criteria
Specs from the manufacturer: The Army Painter product page
We do not publish prices. Amazon shows the current one, which is the only one that is ever right. #ad · how this is funded
FAQ
Questions people actually ask
Is the Redgrass wet palette worth the extra money?
Which wet palette is better for batch painting?
Do both palettes use the same hydration paper?
More in Workspace, Lighting and Storage, or start from the beginning with what to buy first.
Sources
- Redgrass Games — Everlasting wet palette and handle rangechecked October 2026
- The Army Painter — Wargamers rangechecked October 2026