First, a correction worth making before anything else. Flow Enhancer is often shelved and listed among oil mediums and thinners, and it is not one. The bottle names the paints it is made for in plain type: Ideal for use with system3 & cryla acrylic colours. Both are Daler-Rowney acrylic ranges. If you paint in oils, this is not your bottle — our Low Odour Thinner or the linseed oils are.

What it does for acrylic is stated across the pink panel on the front: TO GIVE MORE FLOW AND FREE FLOWING COLOUR. Acrylic straight from the tube drags under the brush, which shows up as tracks in a flat area and as broken lines in fine work. A few drops of flow enhancer loosen the paint so it releases cleanly, and the stroke lies down as a film rather than as a set of ridges.

The bottle is the moulded glass one Daler-Rowney uses across its medium ranges, with a white screw cap and a black band carrying the brand up the left edge. The liquid is water-clear, and the volume is printed as 75ml ℮, 2.5 US fl. oz.

Now the price, because you should see it against the alternative on our own shelf. Rs. 1,915 for 75 ml is Rs. 25.53 per millilitre. Our Mont Marte Acrylic Flow Medium is Rs. 1,500 for 250 ml, which is Rs. 6.00 — about a quarter of the price for the same category of product. The Daler-Rowney bottle is named for specific acrylic ranges and comes in glass; the Mont Marte one is more than three times the volume for less money. If you are not already committed to System 3 or Cryla, look hard at that comparison before ordering.

Use it a few drops at a time. Flow mediums work at small doses and adding too much thins the colour to weakness, so the useful amount is almost always less than a first-time user expects.

It suits acrylic painters from about 12 years up. The Safencia price is Rs. 1,915 with Cash on Delivery across Pakistan. Stock, your city, and delivery charges are confirmed on WhatsApp before dispatch.

Why this product is worth considering