I don't normally gush over painting and drawing tools, especially if they do the job they're supposed to do. Some artists swear by a certain type of paint, brand of drawing pencils or brushes made from a certain type of hair (natural vs. synthetic). Usually, what is the most expensive is what is considered to be top quality. I can't usually afford top of the line stuff, so as long as I can find something of good quality at a decent price I am not particularly loyal to any one brand over another. However, every once in a while there is a tool/product that just makes all the difference while you're working.
When I was in high school I took private art lessons from a professional artist and my teacher had a cool gadget called a rinse well. It was basically a plastic water bottle standing upright over a well that had a button you could push to allow dirty paint water to flow down into the bottom of the well while clean water would replenish in the top part from the water bottle. For years I looked and looked for one for myself and never found it so I just made do with filling cups or bowls with water and then getting up every once in a while to clean them out when the dirty paint water prevented my brushes from truly getting clean in between mixing colors. Finally, right before Christmas I saw one for sale in Blick's Art Materials catalog and immediately added it to my wish list! Santa was kind enough to get it for me and I have to say, I love it!! (And no, I'm not getting any endorsements for advertising for it.) Being able to just clean out my water with just a push of a button while I'm in the middle of working has really been a big help. I would recommend picking one up yourself if you are an artist - and the best thing is, it's really not expensive at all!