Mini Review: Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen – Twin Tip – Gray & Black Ink

This drawing is from 2010!

In honor of Hourly Comic Day, I wanted to give a little shout-out to my HCD pen of choice, the Tombow Fudenosuke twin tip brush pen.

What does it say on it?? Probably says BEST HOURLY COMIC DAY PEN YOUR EQUIVALENT OF 4.25 US DOLLARS CAN BUY

It pairs well with my Rhodia Dotpad No. 12 for the perfect quick-sketch experience.

The caps are not the most convenient things to post on each other, but you do what you can. BONUS! This picture is actually of 2 pens. I’m still waiting for the first one I bought in 2010 to die.

Though a little dark, the gray is perfect for rough sketching and shading, and the black is sufficiently dark for inking and borders. There is a little give in the brush tips, but not so much as to be unruly or unwieldy for a brush pen novice.

Old tips on the left, new on the right.

Though I would prefer a lighter gray, the big winning factor for the Tombow Fudenosuke is convenience. I only need to grab one pen and my Rhodia dotpad, no keeping up with multiple pens. The tips do wear down over time, and as they near the end they get dry, but you more than get your money’s worth before that day comes.

If I draw anything sufficiently neat this year, I’ll add it to this post! Happy Hourly Comic Day!

 
Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen – Twin Tip – Gray & Black Ink at JetPens
Rhodia DotPad Notepad – Black Cover – 3.25″ X 4.75″ – 80 Sheets – 5 mm Dot Grid at JetPens

 

 

Dong-A Cronix Ballpoint Pen with Hybrid Ink – 1.0 mm – Black Ink

See that shadow line at the top? That’s from using a Rhodia Dot Grid notebook, writing several reviews in advance while out and about, having to fold back the review to start the next one…so inconvenient.

Any time hybrid ballpoint ink pops up, I’ve got to check it out. Thanks to JetPens for providing this sample!

Your basic clicky ballpoint

The Cronix is a no-nonsense situation: monochrome, with a semi-translucent smoky dark gray barrel and lightly accented gray grip.

There you go, that’s the only decoration you get

It’s simple. It works.

The final word is how it writes, and how it stacks up in the super-smooth pantheon. It’s pretty dark, but not every stroke achieves maximum darkness, with the overall effect being writing that isn’t as dark as the full capability of the ink (such as the darkness achieved on multiple passes, when coloring something in).

I really hope they come out with smaller tip sizes. I am not used to non-microtip pens nowadays.

Smoothness, however, is pretty good. I do sense some rare occasions of a sort of microhesitation, as if at times debris or a smidgen of gunked ink has to pass clear of the movement of the ball, but overall the smoothness is satisfactory. The Cronix isn’t going to unseat such kings as the Jetstream or the Vicuna, but it certainly beats out a regular ballpoint pen.

It’s like the Jetstream’s less-cool little brother or cousin or something. Forever doomed to live in the shadow of a greater pen…

If you’re looking for a down-low understated-looking super-smooth ballpoint pen, and for whatever reason the Jetstream just doesn’t do it for you (maybe you hate Uni-ball or kittens or something, I don’t know), take a look at the Dong-A Cronix.

Dong-A Cronix Ballpoint Pen with Hybrid Ink – 1.0 mm – Black Ink at JetPens

Custom Shaw Pen – Gilbert Fountain Pen w/ Steel Nib

Fun fact: this pen is one of the few I currently have with black ink in it

Picture it: my very first pen show. No idea what I’m even looking for. Lot of cool pens. One of the pen makers asks me if there’s any particular kind of pen I’m looking for, and it hits me: dark purple fountain pen. At the time, I had yet to see any in existence. And it just so happens that this particular pensmith is Alan Shaw. He had done some work recently with dark purple, and he offered to send me a sample.

Pictures fail to do it justice. And that’s why I kept pushing back this review, continually seeking justice…and continually failing.

This is not just purple, my friends, but sparkle-infused depths-of-deep-space-hydrogen-clouds purple. If fountain pens were magic wands, then this would be grade-A wizarding material. Thus I ordered my first custom-made fountain pen.

Seriously. Pictures fail to do it justice. We’ll just have to hang out sometime and maybe you can see it in person.

The finished product did not disappoint. It’s big, heavy, and beautiful. I ordered the Gilbert model with steel nib, which has rare earth magnets in the cap, making the cap easy and secure to close and post. Though, in my experience, posting the cap creates a serious Dolly Parton effect—top heavy, unwieldy, singing country music and spawning theme parks.

Am I writing or falling over? I can’t even tell.

Let’s take a picture moment to appreciate the material of this body. It’s smooth, it’s enchanting—

Like a Disney prince. In fact, this might actually be made out of compressed Disney princes.

It takes standard international cartridges / converter. It’s a decent nib, the kind I’ve seen before on other custom-made body kit-nib pens.

Standard functional steel nib

Mine’s a little on the dry side, very nice for drawing, but I’ll probably work the nib (when I get a little better at that) to be more juicy. Will keep you posted on that.

IS THIS A FAIRYTALE??

The pen is an absolute delight, and Alan was very easy to work with. The pen came in a nice box, with a converter and a bunch of cartridges. First custom fountain pen is a definite success.

Perfect purple pen

Here’s Alan Shaw’s website, and here’s the product detail for the Gilbert model. Thanks Alan!

One more picture. Just because we can.

Zebra Airfit LT Ballpoint Pen with Push Grip – 0.7 mm – Pearl Green Body – Black Ink

One day I will collect all my best doodling ballpoint pens in one place and draw myself into oblivion

Ten points to Zebra, for making a “feminine” version of an already gender-ambiguous pen, without offending the entire human race. Many thanks to JetPens for providing this sample!

Before I froth and rave about its predecessor, let’s evaluate the Airfit LT on its own merits

It’s a standard-sized, lightweight plastic body, simplicity done well. You’ve got 3 colors, nicely balanced—mostly pearlescent mint green, with main accents translucent-clear, and just the right amount of silver shine.

It sparkles! Like fairy dust magic! …or vampires, apparently. I know when I look at sparkles, the first thing I think of is the blood-sucking undead.

I wasn’t expecting a ballpoint, for whatever reason (the reason being that I didn’t pay enough attention when reading the product description). I’m curious why, if the original Zebra Airfit is a beefed-up version of the Sarasa Push Clip, they wouldn’t outfit the ballpoint version of the Airfit with a Surari refill.

Not pictured: the Surari refill that SHOULD be the standard for the Airfit LT

It makes a difference. While this pen is decent for doodling, for writing I’m not thrilled. Surari smoothness in this pen body would be thrilling, as would having a deluxe version of the Surari (comparable to the Jetstream, which has quite the snazzy deluxe version). It’s a good pen, but it could be better.

AIRFIT BATTLE! Featuring adorable cell phone charm by Chiou!

A quick rundown of their differences: the Airfit LT is obviously thinner, and slightly shorter, with a smaller grip section. The big advantage in the LT’s design: much smoother transition between the grip and the nose cone. Very well done, and undoubtedly superior to the abrupt stop between those elements on the original Airfit. Now, what the LT gets wrong:

Pretty much this entire area here

I’m biased. I’m a HUGE fan of the clip on the Zebra Sarasa Push Clip. Really disappointed it didn’t put in an appearance on a pen of the same size. I’m willing to sacrifice some of the minimalist appeal for a clip that functional. Especially if it has accommodations for an adorable little cell phone charm.

As far as refills go, I have been unable to get the Sarasa Push Clip, Uni Signo & Jetstream multipen refills, and a handful of assorted other refills to fit, though I have not yet had a chance to try the Surari refills I have. Will have to update that later today.

While it’s a good pen, I still prefer the original Zebra Airfit (which fits Sarasa Push Clip refills and Jetstream RT refills). But I’m a sucker for that clip. If you hate the Push Clip’s clip, and want that neato airfit grip without the oversized barrel, then this is probably the pen you’ve been looking for!

Zebra Airfit LT Ballpoint Pen with Push Grip – 0.7 mm – Pearl Green Body – Black Ink at JetPens

Ohto Pieni Wooden Body Mini Needle-Point Ballpoint Pen – 0.5 mm – Yellow Body

New drawing buddy??

Micro-tip ballpoint in a nigh-irresistible range of colors? Why thank you, and thanks to JetPens for providing this sample.

Looks like wood, smells like wood, probably tastes like wood—but I’ll leave that for you to verify.

Love the look—simple, bright colors with a 1950s-esque font.

Let’s eat an apple pie and worry about communists.

But practically speaking we’ve got some problems.

Why would I want a clean pen, huh? WHY WOULD I WANT TO HAVE NICE THINGS?

The blobs stay off the page, but inexplicably show up all over my hand and the body of the pen, and do not seem at all interested in being cleaned off. And though I like the appearance of the wooden faux-pencil body (elementary chic), it’s a bit thin, and not particularly comfortable to hold.

All it needs is a few teeth marks and it’ll be a true grade-school throwback.

Until I started using the Palomino Blackwing and now the Ohto Pieni, I had forgotten how sensitive wood is. It picks up dings and scratches like it’s some kind of civic duty. I haven’t had this pen long, and already it’s looking beat up.

It’s a needle! It’s a ball! No, it’s a needle-tip ballpoint!!!

Gold stars to the max for the drawing performance of the Ohto Pieni. Absolutely love it for sketching. For writing though, it’s not going to be my go to—even on smooth paper it doesn’t feel quite smooth and fast enough—it’s good, but I have unrealistically high standards for ballpoint pens (thanks a lot, Jetstream). The performance is good, but it isn’t superior. And sometimes the plunger rattles ever so slightly when you write. Just so you know.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

I don’t regret acquiring this pen, but unless I find it in some uncontrollably irresistible color, I doubt I’ll get another. Thanks again to JetPens for the sample!

Ohto Pieni Wooden Body Mini Needle-Point Ballpoint Pen – 0.5 mm – Yellow Body at JetPens

Stabilo Bionic Worker Roller Ball Pen – 0.3 mm – Black Ink

It is theoretically possible that one day, I will find a rollerball I like as much as I like the Jetstream ballpoint that I’ll go around championing. But today is not that day.

One of these days, maybe I’ll learn to stop trying rollerball pens. We just don’t work well together, me and rollerball pens, but resisting such a brightly colored new arrival proved impossible (thanks to JetPens for providing this sample!).

Good for Halloween, and for public safety cone emergency replacements

I’m all over this design. Bright minimal-industrialist, the curves, the dots—and it looks great next to a Rhodia notebook.

Maybe it’s the sleep deprivation talking, but zoom in on this picture—doesn’t it look like there’s a black bird standing on the S, dropping a dot on the T? Maybe it’s just the sleep deprivation.

It’s got the little touches that are nice to see on an industrial pen, like the unobtrusive little bump there to keep the pen from rolling off when uncapped, metal clip, and a cap that posts and secures nicely. The rubberized body, though it has a mild propensity to gather a few cat hairs, has nice traction (because I assume all industrialized environments more or less involve working in three feet of oil).

Labeling can sometimes be used to great design effect. EXCEPT WHEN IT’S COVERED IN LIES

I know that a European fine is thicker than a Japanese fine, but there is nowhere on this planet where a 0.3mm tip pen should make a line this thick and be called a “fine.” This is not fine. This is very unfine. You should be fined for making something so unrefined, Stabilo.

shhhh the sleep deprivation is talking

Maybe German workers have no need for fine things. Maybe other people like pens that don’t write consistently clean, crisp lines. I don’t know. All I know is I have a cool looking pen here that I’m not particularly drawn to write with.

Fuzzy writing on majority of papers is a pretty constant problem for me and rollerballs though, so don’t blame Stabilo too badly for that.

I might try to see if I can hack the Stabilo ink insert out and put something else in, and if it works I’ll report back. Otherwise, unless you really need something to match a Rhodia Notebook, or you collect all the rollerball pens, or you have better luck than me with these mercurial liquid ink sticks, I’d pass on this pen.

Stabilo Bionic Worker Roller Ball Pen – 0.3 mm – Black Ink at JetPens

Cross Spire Titian Red Lacquer Fountain Pen – F nib

The name slides together too easily. Crosspire. Perspire. Expire. Empire.

I’d waffled around on the Cross Spire for a while—it looked neat, but the standard diamond-dimpling just wasn’t my thing. But as soon as I saw the Red Lacquer model come in at Office Supplies and More, I said hold that hot tamale, I’ll be back on payday.

Do not eat. Not an actual tamale.

Sleek. Slim. Shiny. What more do you want, you ingrate? The cap screws on to close and to post, and takes less than a full revolution to do so. Convenience-wise, this saves time, but be warned: this makes it a little too easy to open. I have, on occasion, opened up my Nomadic Wise-Walker bag to find the cap clipped to a pocket, and the rest of the pen laying down in the bottom of the pocket, having come unscrewed of its own volition.

“Lustrous lacquers,” according to Cross. I would also add sultry shinys, buxom beveling, and a healthy dose of putting away the thesaurus before I pull a muscle trying to stretch alliterative synonyms together

Undoubtedly, this has got to be the thinnest fountain pen I own. The Kaweco Liliput or perhaps the Ohto Rook are the only others that comes close, but they are not standard length pens like the Spire. I’m not bothered by the thinness of the barrel, I just have to be mindful if I get in a blaze of writing that I don’t seize up my hand like I’m trying to bore through the table, one letter at a time. When I get like that, pens this thin will be uncomfortable to write with for extended periods of time. But if you prefer thin pens, you won’t need to be mindful at all (just don’t be mindless either, then you won’t be able to think of anything to write).

I’m sorry, grip, but size does matter

Visually, I wouldn’t change a thing about the grip. It looks so elegant. Practically speaking, however, having such a small grip adds one more point to pay attention to when I’m writing—this is not one of those comfortable-at-all-angles-grips for me. Let’s keep in mind though that I hold my pens like a broken-wristed cave-dweller; the grip isn’t a big deal, but it does take me an extra second to make sure I’m holding it in a nice, comfortable way.

Like art deco and skyscrapers. You know you’re in the fancy when the decorative silvery bits are described as “polished chrome appointments.”

The nib is 18k gold, and the pen takes special Cross Slim cartridges (standard international cartridges are too fat to fit in the barrel). I’m a little disappointed about the cartridges thing, as it means I’ll have to either refill the tiny cartridges or find a converter if I want to use any other kind of ink. Compatibility with standard model cartridges is something I like to see to draw people in to fountain pens (one less obstacle to convenience, having standard cartridges), but let’s get real; this isn’t an entry-level pen. This game isn’t being played where cartridges mean a diddly-dang-doodle; this is an object of art and luxury, and if that means having bizarre proprietary cartridges then so much the better for Cross. The pen writes fine (the kind of lines you’d need for everyday regular-world writing), and it writes well; it’s the sort of pen I’d use at work, if I worked on serious and important business things.

I’d say this pen is sexy and it knows it, but pens aren’t capable of having knowledge. Stop being so silly.

This isn’t a pen you need. It’s a pen you want. Come up with an important occasion, and reward yourself with one of these (unless you hate the color red). I’d recommend trying to find one in person, if you can, and if not, start bugging your favorite online pen store to carry the lacquered version of the Spire. You could hit up the Cross website, if you’re not interested in saving any money in this acquisition. Or you could try poking around online for deals—a quick, bleary-eyed search found a 30% discount at Pens & Leather. Let me know if you find a better deal and I’ll pass it on; given that I’m tired and I already have one, I’m not particularly motivated to sleuth out the best deal on this pen right now.

Uni Live Pigment Sign Pen – Extra Fine – Black

After an unexpected disappointment comes an unexpected delight!

Porous tip pens aren’t usually my kind of thing, but the Uni Live Pigment Sign Pen was fairly new, and whims are funny things. Thank you JetPens, for indulging those whims with this sample free of charge. I expected this to be the most underwhelming of the recent goodies, but I was five cents shy of a full order, so I threw it in.

Do not be fooled by its commonplace appearance. It is not what is outside, but what is inside that counts. But hey, the outside actually ain’t too bad!

Inexpensive pens have a unique design challenge. You don’t want the pen to look like cheap crap, but at that price point, options are limited. The Bic big mistake is overcompensating with gaudy printed-on accents. Minimalist is probably the best way to go, but if you don’t play it right you overshoot minimalist straight into boring ink cylinder territory. I think Uni got it just right on this one. The barrel’s evocative of a Kuretake No. 33 brush pen, and the cap looks like a happy face.

Oh mai gahsh! It’s greaeat to be a pen, eh!

The only bit of design I don’t know what to do with is the directions printed on the barrel in a language I obviously don’t understand.

The only language I speak is “Pen.” And also “English.” And I used to know French and Italian but we’re getting off topic here, moving on

For writing, the porous tip style of pen just isn’t very amenable to my left-handed pushing across the page style. But it’s sufficient for any writing I need to add to a drawing, and boy howdy am I digging this pen for drawing.

Plays well with other art supplies. I’d say it’s almost 99% waterproof. The water test has a faint, nigh-impossible-to-see-in-the-scan wash of gray picked up from the ink, but the ink itself didn’t get washed away.

I haven’t quite puzzled out exactly why some of the pens I don’t like writing with, say they’re too scratchy or have too much resistance when writing, can be such absolute delights to draw with. Once I figure it out, I’ll let you know.

Porous tip pens baffle me. How do they work? Is it witchcraft, or advanced space technology?

There’s a nice amount of pressure-dependent line variation while sacrificing none of the stability and control that get lost when you first try to use a brush pen. The lines have character (within a limited scope), and the ink is a rich, dark black. I had no problems with smudging, smearing, no ink getting picked up onto my hand—the pen performs like a dream.

If I had to guess, I’d say this part says something like “Uni Live Pigment Sign Pen / Awesome Little Treasure”

I’m trying really hard to think of any suggestions for improvement regarding this pen, but I can’t think of anything. It hits all the right points—great price, pleasant design, stellar performance—with no niggling problems or caveats needed. Good job, Uni! I didn’t even know I needed this pen, and now I’m not sure how I’ve managed so long without it.

Uni Live Pigment Sign Pen – Extra Fine – Black at JetPens

Bic “For Her” Gel Ink Pens

“Retractable jeweled plunger — Delicately designed floral barrel — Floral embossed nose cone — Pearlescent, contoured rubber grip” So sayeth the packaging.

GOOD NEWS, LADIES! Finally, after countless years spent unable to use pens (for they are men’s things, and our constitutions are weak), Bic has made a pen delicate enough that we may have it as our own (provided we have express permission from our husband, father, or other approved male chaperone).

The oppressive world of men’s pens we American women have been barred from. So much testosterone…I think I feel a mustache growing just looking at it…

Really, Bic? I mean, really? Were you having that hard of a time selling pens to half the human population that you felt the need to dig up your condescending 1950s time capsule? Why not bundle it with a recipe book and a dose of Valium? In two little words, you’ve managed to insult half the market, and tell the other half that they aren’t allowed to buy your stupid product. What inconceivably idiotic names did you come up with that “For Her” seemed like a good idea?

How to ruin your product as much as possible with as little effort as possible

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make a stereotypically “girly” pen, something fun and cute that you think would appeal to women—BUT CALL IT SOMETHING ELSE. Call it Delicato, call it Moonlily, call it Midnight Rainbow Barnacle for all I care; call it something that doesn’t describe who you think should buy it. Because the message you’ve just sent here is “Women, all our other pens are not for you. This is the pen you’re allowed to buy,” and to men, it says that if you’re interested in this pen, then you’re violating the rigid gender roles of this society. I don’t need this *$!# in a pen! Would you make a pen and label it for a specific race explicitly in the model name? Would you really make a pen and call it “For Whites”? No?? Then don’t do it for gender!!

Marketing should not be this hard, you guys.

It’s sad, because ignoring the name, it’s actually a pretty keen design. The subtle raised embossing is something I haven’t seen before, and it’s an especially nice touch on the nose cone. The plunger, however, shouldn’t be color-coded unless the ink inside matches that color. It’s just common courtesy.

Not that I would expect you, Bic, to know anything about courtesy.

In handwriting this review on Clairefontaine paper using the pen in question, I’m forced to reconsider my initial assessment on the writing sample above. I’ve had several frustrating skip-outs while writing, the kind of ink disappearances I’ve come to expect from most Pilot G2 pens.

Did they think we wouldn’t notice a performance this crappy? NICE TRY, WISEGUYS. I’ve got more than one kind of paper to put a pen to.

With any luck, something/ANYTHING will fit this body, because the refill itself is undesirably shoddy. So far, Uni Signo RT and Zebra Sarasa Push Clip refills have been a no-go.

The Bic “For Her” in a nutshell: pretty but useless. Really hope you’re not trying to say something with that, Bic.

Let’s review. Things it is even vaguely almost acceptable to name “For Her”: hygiene products, various sundries one might encounter in an adult store, an apology for your oblivious misogyny. Things it is not okay to name “For Her”: pens, office supplies, basically anything else in existence. I hope we’ve all learned a valuable lesson.

But which lesson is more valuable: learning to make a pen with a decent refill, or learning to not give your products stupid names?

Pentel RSVP Ballpoint Pen Fine Point – Black Ink and Blue Ink

Classic

Back before I discovered such things as JetPens, good paper, and super-smooth ballpoint pens, I was utterly addicted to the Pentel RSVP and never left the house without my Moleskine and at least one Pentel RSVP in my pocket.

THOOOOSE WERE THE DAAAYS….AND YOU KNEW WHO YOU WERE THEN……GOIYLS WERE GOIYLS AND PENS WERE PENS……

The RSVP is the signature pen I think of when I think of the name “Pentel”. When they went on sale I would buy them by the dozen. I’m still finding Pentel RSVPs in nearly every drawer I open.

Nothing fancy, but who needs fancy when these babies would go on sale five for a dollar?

The design is straightforward, yet appealing. I was always particularly fond of the fine point, because it had silver lettering on the barrel (looks nice, no?) These pens were durable, yet replaceable, and fun to chew on (don’t worry, I don’t chew on pens anymore).

This end needs some work

You may notice I keep slipping into the past tense when talking about the RSVP, and here’s why: writing quality. This pen has fallen out of my favor due to constant ink issues. My old Moleskines are filled with blobs and smears. A serious writing session would leave the side of my hand riddled with ink.

There’s even a big ink smear on the nose cone. What a mess.

Comparing standard office pens (the kind corporations tend to order), I’d take the RSVP any day, blobs and all, over a Pilot G2 or a Bic stick. But this isn’t a go-to pen for me. Even Pentel’s own Vicuna ink is much smoother, darker, and less blobby; put that ink in the RSVP body, and you’d have quite the top-notch office pen. I daresay it could even put up a fair fight against a Jetstream, especially if such a RSVP-Vicuna hybrid clocked in at a cheaper price.

All aboard the nostalgia express

If you’re ordering for your office and Jetstreams aren’t an option, then go for the RSVP. Otherwise, they’re not worth getting more of (unless you’re feeling particularly nostalgic), and you should probably find some underprivileged youths to give the ones you’ve already got.

Pentel RSVP Ballpoint Pens at JetPens

Also found just about anywhere pens are sold