Normally, I prefer easy-to-recycle packaging and The Scribe is both posh and recyclable. The pen comes in a square-shaped tin embossed with the company logo and a friction-fit cap. The packaging can be recycled because its metal but can also be reused. It’s pretty enough to look good on-shelf in a shop and present as a gift. This would definitely qualify as a pen that would or could be gifted to a graduate or someone who just got their doctorate or passed the bar.

While most readers here are avid fountain pen collectors, I suspect we all own some upscaled ballpoint or rollerball pens and The Scribe would sit beautifully amongst our fountain pens.

The Scribe is available in several different lacquer colors but I chose the millennial pink because …. why not? The pen itself is a rounded square shape that is comfortable in the hand. The hardware is gold tone and the pen features a hex-shaped, knurled end that will advance and retract the pen tip. The clip is long and slender with subtle engraving on the clip with the company branding.

The most disappointing part of The Scribe is the refill.  I discovered that The Scribe utilizes the Cross screw-in refill.  It’s probably one of the most limited refill options. While the Cross screw-in refill is available at most big box office supply stores, options are limited in terms of tip widths, colors and ink type. With the (more common) Parker-style refill, users can choose a wide variety of options and these refill are readily available just about any place that sells stationery from a drugstore to a pen shop.

For a non-pen-snob, the refill might not be a dealbreaker.  The Cross ballpoint refill is long lasting and available in blue and black. Its a solid refill.

For picky folks, like myself, this lack of refill options is a sad turn of events. Unfortunately, until I purchased the pen, I didn’t know what refill it would take. With most ballpoint pens, I already have a cache of refill options that I’ve hacked or modified to work but the Cross screw-in refill is the hardest to create an alternative. So, if you have. preference for gel ink, microtips or a wider range of color options, I wouldn’t recommend this pen. It’s beautiful but its usefulness is severely limited by the refill. I wish The Scribe had used a Parker-style refill or even the Schmidt rollerball refill. If it had, I would have definitely put The Scribe in the same class as the 849 or the Retro 51 Tornado as a new “modern classic”.

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge for the purpose of review. Some items were purchased with funds from our amazing Patrons. You can help support this blog by joining our Patreon. Please see the About page for more details.

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In case you missed it, Part 1 of Multi Madness included three multi pens with unique components. This review includes four multis with ink and graphite components: the Bic 4-Color 3 + 1, the Uni Jetstream 4&1, the Zebra Sarasa Multi 4 Color and the Zebra Clip-on 1000S 4 Color.

My fondness for multi pens goes way back. My first was the Bic 4-Color Pen, the now-iconic multi pen that was introduced in 1970 by French entrepreneur Marcel Bich. It seems basic now, but as a teen, I thought it was the coolest thing ever to have four ink colors in one compact pen. I could write a diary entry in blue or black, then emphasize certain passages with swirly hearts and flowers in red and green! Beyond nostalgic value, the ubiquitous Bic still contains the oily, (and unfortunately) blobby ink that I find to be the ideal ballpoint ink for drawing. The color range has expanded, too.

A while back, a different Bic 4-Color came to my attention: the 4-Color 3 + 1 (about $6). Actually, it has only three ink colors (I don’t miss green), and the fourth component is a mechanical pencil. In general, I’m not a fan of drawing with mechanical pencils, but having a graphite option with my beloved Bic ink does make this Swiss army knife of drawing tools more versatile.

As soon as I got it, I noticed a difference. The body shape is slightly different from the classic 4-Color, and – more significantly – the mechanism of the slidey levers is much smoother and operates better. While most Bic 4-Colors are made in France, reading the fine print on the packaging revealed that the model with the graphite component is made in Japan. To my relief, the ink remains the same Bic ink.

The pencil unit includes 0.7mm lead instead of the more typical 0.5mm lead in other multi pens. I have a heavy-handed habit of snapping most 0.5mm leads, so this was good news to me; I prefer 0.7mm for both writing and drawing. To my mind, nostalgically and practically, the Bic will always be the ballpoint multi pen to beat.

And let’s face it: In most ways, it’s not hard to beat the Bic. The other three multis in this review all have smoother, more vibrant inks than the Bic, and the bodies are generally better, too. They all write and erase competently, as you’d expect from Uni and Zebra, so most of my comparisons are about the bodies. Below are scribble and erasing samples made in a Plumchester sketchbook, which has a smooth surface. Erasing was done with the attached eraser.

When I first got one several years ago, the Uni Jetstream 4&1 ($11.75) instantly became a daily-carry. With Uni’s smooth black, blue, red and green ballpoint inks plus a 0.5mm mechanical pencil, it’s a reliable quick jotter. The plastic body has a metallic sheen like anodized aluminum, and the rubberized grip is comfy. The selector buttons are a bit springy when they snap back, but they engage securely and easily. 

For writing, Jetstream ink is leaps and bounds better than Bic. Unfortunately for me, that “revolutionary low-viscosity Jetstream ink” that is so wonderful to write with just doesn’t have the same subtle build-up for drawing as Bic’s viscous formula. 

Still, there are many more ink + mechanical pencil multi pens to try, and try more I did. Zebra Sarasa gel pens in all styles have long been favorites, so the Zebra Sarasa Multi 4 Color ($7.50) was a natural choice. You can’t beat gel for lots of colors and sizes to choose from. (I’m still deciding which colors to swap out for the basic 0.5mm black, blue, red and green it comes with.) 

The Sarasa’s trademark squeezy clip is also the lever for the 0.5mm mechanical pencil. I don’t use pen clips, so it doesn’t bother me, but I wonder if the motion of clipping it to a pocket could inadvertently select the lead. More bothersome to me, however, is that the ink selector levers are nearly flush with the pen body, making them more difficult to push, and they don’t always engage. Springy and bouncy like the Jetstream’s levers, they are probably a joy for people who like to fidget with things.

Speaking of fidgeting, when no components are selected, the Sarasa’s top button (which covers the eraser) bounces up and down simultaneously with all five selector levers with no apparent function. However, when the mechanical pencil unit is already engaged, then the top button’s function is to extend more lead. This is a bit counterintuitive, as on most other multi pens, pushing further on the mechanical pencil selector is what exposes more lead. However, that functionless bouncing would also be fun for fidgeters.

The Zebra multi pen that I prefer to the Sarasa is the Clip-on 1000S 4 Color ($12.50). Without a fidgety top and with selection levers that are easier to push and engage, this multi contains four 0.7mm ballpoint inks plus a 0.5mm mechanical pencil. Ink refills are also available in 0.5mm and 0.4mm. 

Like the other Zebra, its squeezy clip has the additional purpose of selecting the graphite component. Unlike the other Zebra, however, pushing the clip further extends more lead. Both Zebra models use the same graphite refills. I’ll probably switch mine out to 0.7mm (you can also choose the 0.3mm size).

Of the four bodies in this review, I think the Uni Jetstream’s anodized aluminum look is the nicest, and it also has the most solid feel and easiest-to-engage slidey levers. The Zebra 1000S Clip-on is a close second. 

As a ballpoint sketcher, I couldn’t resist ending the review by comparing the three ballpoint inks side by side. In the sketch of my hand, the black ink is Bic, the red is Zebra, and the blue is Uni Jetstream. It probably isn’t apparent in the sketch, but I was surprised to find that the Zebra’s ballpoint ink felt close to Bic in its ability to layer gradually (similar to graphite). Jetstream is the least satisfying in that way; it lays down a smooth, solid line every time, making it beautiful to write with but not necessarily to draw with. I’m encouraged to draw more now with the Zebra 1000S – an excellent, all-in-one jotting/drawing tool.

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. And some items in this review include affiliate links. The Well-Appointed Desk is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.Please see the About page for more details.

Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

The post Multi Pen Review: Multi Madness, Part 2 appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

Unfortunately, once the ball bearing is in place, these cartridges are not reusable.It is possible to buy a set of empty cartridges (5 cartridges for $4.75). Theoretically, Platinum converters are interchangeable with Kuretake and have been known to work with other brush pens though I have not tried it yet with these pens. Since the pens ship with two cartridges, I’ll test these first while I wait for a Platinum converter to arrive in the mail. I am sure I must own a dozen of them but can’t find one.

Each pen comes with a pipette to aid in filling. Though I recommend filling over a towel near a sink because I still managed to drip ink down the cartridge.

I filled the felt tip with Colorverse Extreme Deep Field and the brush pen with Hubble from the new Colorverse series.

The brush pen version has very soft bristles. Because it has actual nylon bristles, it can achieve extra fine lines as well as bend to lay down a thick, wide stroke.

The felt tip is much finer but still has some give and play in the tip allowing it to achieve a range of thicks and thins.

I tested the empty brush pens on Tomoe River because both of the Colorverse inks have been known to sheen and I wanted to see if it was noticeable in a brush pen. In the finer felt-tip marker pen, I did notice the sheen of the Extreme Deep Field ink. In the softer brush pen, the sheen of the Hubble ink was not noticeable.

Both pens performed smoothly. Ink wicked to the tips quickly and both the felt-tip and brush pens kept up with my writing speeds without missing a beat.

I have been regularly using the Kuretake Karappo “wicking” felt tip pens which have been going strong since the day I filled them. I use them at work for writing on post-it notes, adding notations to my task list, etc so I thought I’d also compare the performance of the wicking pen to the newer cartridge-based designs.

The tip of the wicking pen is firmer and finer than the cartridge felt-tip. I would compare the cartridge style to a Fudenosuke soft pen and the wicking pens are more like a traditional fine tip marker pen — think Paper Mate Flair but with the ink of your choosing.

Because the cartridge-based Kuretake Karappo Empty Brush Pens are softer and more flexible than the wicking pens, I would recommend these to anyone interested in using their fountain pen inks for art making, calligraphy or other more creative uses. If your goal is to have new, different ways to write with your fountain pen inks, then stick with the wicking versions.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

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There are a lot acrylic paint pens and markers available (Posca, Molotow, Krink, Montana, Sharpie, etc) but the Archer & Olive Acrylograph water-based acrylic markers ($35, the set I bought is currently sold out but this link will take you to the page where the other sets are available) have been created and marketed specifically for the bullet journal and planner market. While that shouldn’t matter, there are certain types of art (and/or craft) supplies that just don’t make it to consumers who don’t have knowledge or access to art supply stores.

The Archer & Olive Acrylograph collect a set of curated colors of water-based acrylic marker pens into a beautifully presented set with inspiring (or maybe aspirational) graphics and instructions for use. If you’ve never tried acrylic paint pens before, these Archer & Olive Acrylograph pens are a great way to start.

I got the Warm Fall Collection which included eight colors plus an opaque white and an empty pen for blending. The set cost $35 (about $3.80 per pen). There are several other sets available including sets that feature a finer 0.7mm tip which I think would be an interesting option.

The package included a couple extra tips should the tips get frayed or bent. To switch tips, use a pair of tweezers or pliers to keep your hands from getting too messy.

Like with all paint pens, they need to be shaken to get the paint properly mixed and then to get the paint to flow, use a scrap sheet of paper and press the tip down until it retracts into the pen. Don’t worry about damaging the pen. As long as you are pushing  just hard enough to retract the point and pushing straight down, you will not damage the tip. Once the tip is fully coated with the paint color, it should be good to go. Repeat this process with each pen.

The package included an empty pen for blending but I was not savvy enough to figure out how to blend colors. I think that the paint dried too quickly to blend. To be honest, I think it would be difficult to blend colors in a smooth way with these relatively fine paint pen. 

I tested the colors on a sheet of Maruman Sketch 100gsm paper first to get the pens moving and just to see the colors.

It’s really fun to make dots with these pens!

There was no show through on the reverse side of the Maruman paper which is not particularly thick which is a good sign.

I used a sheet of paper from a Flow Paper magazine to test to see how opaque these pens were. The colors were reasonably opaque. If I layered them or applied a few more coats of color, they probably would be more opaque.

I really liked the colors though for a fall color collection, I would have liked more green but that is just me.

Overall, I think these pens are a good introduction into using acrylic paint pens. The colors are rich, opaque and dense. They can be layered when dry and can bee applied to a lot of different kinds of surfaces which is great if you like to do collage or paint on other surfaces (wood, cardboard, plastic, etc).

DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge by JetPens for the purpose of review. The Acrylograph pens were purchased with my own funds. Please see the About page for more details.

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The pens are hexagonal with a soft touch feel. Not rubbery per se but a very matte feeling. The entire pen barrel matched the ink color contained within and the cap is clear with a colored dot on top printed with the  point size. This is the only permanent information on the pens.

The bar code info stickers on the pens can be removed making these pens the brandless bits of Muji perfection they are meant to be (see top photo for the stickerless pens). Without the stickers, these pens make my designer heart swoon with their clean lines and simplicity.

Since these gel pens are the micro 0.25mm tips, they have a needlepoint tip.

The caps snap into place with a quiet click, probably thanks to the soft-touch surface. They write super smooth and the fine, fine 0.25mm means I can write like the mouse I am.

Since I tend to doodle and draw on anything and everything, I thought I’d also test how waterproof these gel inks were, on the off-hand chance I decided to add marker or watercolor. They are water resistant, but not waterproof. In other words, if you were to drip condensation from a beverage, your writing wouldn’t be lost but it would smear a little.

One last test was to see how the Muji Gel Pens performed on Col-o-ring cards which are a bit more toothy than the Rhodia paper I normally use for pen reviews. Since, like I mentioned, I like to use gel pens for drawing and Col-o-ring cards are similar in texture and weight to some drawing papers. The pens worked great on the cards. They skate along smoothly on the Col-o-ring paper though any paper with tooth may cause a rollerball to pick up stray paper fibers over time so you might need a scrap of smooth paper to restart them if they get choked.

I went ahead and wet this sample too, just to see if the results were better or worse on a thicker stock. I think there was more evidence of ink bleed on the Col-o-ring paper but the writing remained so I would still say the ink is water resistant but not waterproof.

Overall though, next to the the Uni-ball Sign RT and Needlepoint, these are probably my favorite gel pens. Sadly, this particular model is not available on the Muji website but if you are in a city that has a Muji store, I highly recommend making the effort to go and pick some of these or any of their pens up.

Tools:

• Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 16 with 6mm guide sheet and  Col-o-Ring Ink Testing Book ($10)
• Pens: Muji 0.25mm Gel Pens ($2.50 each)

The post Pen Review: Muji 0.25mm Needlepoint Gel Pens appeared first on The Well-Appointed Desk.

The Pokka Pen is designed to click and close into its own cap. This makes it very portable and very unlikely to leak. When I had initially seen photos of the Pokka Pens, I thought the material would be a softer, less rigid plastic. I was wrong. The Pokka Pens feel sturdy, albeit hollow plastic, that will withstand being cleaned with Clorox Wipes.

Closed, the Pokka Pen measure 3.25″ long. Open and posted, the Pokka Pen measure 5.5″ which is similar in length to the Field Notes Click Pen shipped with subscriptions. Rubber gaskets help to seal the pen open and closed.

Pokka Pens can even be refilled or plussed up with a clip. Refills can be purchased directly from Pokka Pen and clips can be purchased from Gentleman Stationer or directly from Pokka Pens.

My model demonstrates how the Pokka Pen fits into the pocket of a pair of jeans. Thanks, Model Husband!

In writing, the Pokka Pen performs surprisingly well. That’s saying something from a lefty with a general dislike for ballpoint pens. It writes smoothly, with a fine point. While I would be unlikely to write a novel with the Pokka Pen, for jotting a quick note, signing a receipt or logging my mileage, the pen performs admirably.

THE GIVEAWAY: We are giving away one set of three (3) Pokka Pens, winner’s choice: choose any three from the 3 orange, 3 black and 1 yellow available. They will be shipped in the original packaging.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment below and tell me your favorite place to order take-out or delivery. Play along and type in something. It makes reading through entries more interesting for me, okay? One entry per person.

If you have never entered a giveaway or commented on the site before, your comment must be manually approved by our highly-trained staff of monkeys before it will appear on the site. Our monkeys are underpaid and under-caffeinated so don’t stress if your comment does not appear right away. Give the monkeys some time.

FINE PRINT: All entries must be submitted by 10pm CST on Tuesday, April 21, 2020. All entries must be submitted at wellappointeddesk.com, not Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, okay? Winner will be announced on Wednesday. Winner will be selected by random number generator from entries that played by the rules (see above). Please include your actual email address in the comment form so that I can contact you if you win. I will not save email addresses or sell them to anyone — pinky swear. If winner does not respond within 5 days, I will draw a new giveaway winner. Shipping via USPS first class is covered. Additional shipping options or insurance will have to be paid by the winner. We are generous but we’re not made of money. US and APO/AFO only, sorry.

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Gentleman Stationer for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

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For Bob, the Retro 51 Tornado was really his gateway drug into fine pens. I think one of his first Retro51s was the Pinball, Kona or Vintage Surf.

For me, I bought a lacquer lime green Tornado very early on in my collecting since it was relatively inexpensive  and a chance to experience a refillable pen with a refill known to be as good as the Japanese gel pens. While I am one of the few people who doesn’t love the Schmidt refill, I love that I can use other refills like Parker-style or hacked refills.

One of the aspects of the Retro 51 designs that I haven’t seen mentioned is the design on the packaging tubes. Early on, Retro 51 had appropriately retro-styled graphics. The yellow box on the far right of the photo is very old package that contains an aluminum tube. Later package design carried the graphics from the pen on to the paperboard tube.

Retro 51 always knew how to do packaging well.

Some of my favorite pens from Retro 51 are the Pen Addict special editions. I have all four of the special editions together in my display box. Next to them are the bright pink prototype that Lisa from Vanness Pens got for me. Then, my original kiwi lacquer Tornado. I bought a sterling silver prototype mini pen at the Dallas Pen Show a few years ago and then finally the first and most tiny Crossword pencil that Bob bought for me years ago. These are my extra special pens.

My all-time favorite is the Twinkle. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find it for the photo shoot, even after tearing my house apart looking for it. I fear that I may have lost it since it was the pen I always carried in my bag. If anyone happens to come across it, it was #1000.

I’m tickled at the numbers I’ve accumulated. The 003s are all the Pen Addict models which Brad kindly saved the first few for himself, Myke and I. The very first Pen Addict model, I didn’t get the 003 originally. A lovely fan of the show brought the 003 to me at the DC Show and I was speechless.

Somewhere, Bob has his pen tubes. Bob’s Zodiac is numbered 007 which amuses us to no end.

The pens in this bamboo tray are Bob’s (plus my System pen because they look good together. I couldn’t find my System pencil for this photo either which hangs out with the pen twins.)

The focus of Bob’s collection is, of course, the space- and plane-themed. When Retro 51 unveiled the Launchpad pen stand, we couldn’t order one fast enough. He didn’t order the Gemini because he felt like it was “too much” but now he’s a bit bummed he missed his chance. If there’s another space or plane Retro 51 before they close up shop, we’ll order it in a New York minute.

Bob ordered the full set of spirit-related Retro 51s to give as gifts to friends and clients. We still have the beer Speakeasy. Bob thinks he may keep it for sentimental reasons.

There were a few pens we realized we could not share so we have two. I guess a family who Retros together, stays together?

I wonder what pen company will fill the gap that Retro 51 will leave? Maybe Caran d’Ache would consider stepping up and using the 849 form factor as a canvas for new designs and graphics. Caran d’Ache has already experimented with printed designs and various finishes, even the Nespresso recycled cup pens… so they are a strong candidate. Baron Fig and their Squire is another contender. They’ve already done several collaborations and experimented with etching on the aluminum barrels. Could they print on the barrels or add texture? The Squire is definitely a good option and uses the same Schmidt refill as the Tornado does.

I guess we must wait and see what the future of custom pens might bring. What are your thoughts? What were your favorite Retro 51 designs?

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One day I was scrolling through new products on JetPens and spotted adorable beverage-themed metal pen loops from Mark’s called Break Time. “Coffee” was bound to go fast, so I was thrilled to get one before it sold out (which it did, almost immediately). The loop is springy metal.

I’ve used a Leuchtturm 1917 self-adhesive pen loop before, but I didn’t like that it couldn’t be reused. When I filled the journal, the pen loop remained attached to the book without a purpose. The Mark’s metal loop attracted me because its attachment mechanism is a clip that can be put on and pulled off easily.

Well, I thought it would be easy. As it turned out, the clip is a little too thin for a Leuchtturm hardcover, so I had to really force it on with quite a bit of muscle. When I removed it, the clip left a small scratch mark on the cover. It’s not an ideal fit if I want to reuse it regularly.

I then tried clipping it to a few other notebook covers, and it fits much better on a Field Notes, Col-o-Ring Oversize and Hobonichi.

As for writing instruments that will fit through the loop, a standard pencil is too loose and will slip through. Some gel pens with rubberized or textured grip areas are difficult to get into the loop, which is also textured. A smooth-barreled pen works best, like a Bic Clic or most fineliners. I started to put one of my Platinum 3776 fountain pens through the loop, but it resisted just enough that I wondered if the textured loop would scratch the barrel, so I stopped. I’m going to stick with Bic Clics or other less expensive pens.

My only regret is that I didn’t grab the beer mug loop before it went out of stock immediately, too. We all need to journal at the after-work bar as much as we do at the morning coffee shop.

Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more detail

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Ana recently reviewed a range of sizes and colors in the Uni Pin family of pigment fine liner pens. “Just when I thought I’d reviewed every possible brand and variety of felt-tipped or fiber-tipped pen, I find another one,” she said, and I could have said the very same thing about brush tip pens. So I had to try one more in the family – the one with the brush tip ($2.45; available in black only).

Like the ones Ana tried, the brush tip version contains waterproof, fadeproof pigment ink.

I like the little window in the cap that reveals the tip – a nice distinguishing feature in a vast ocean of similar brush and fine liner pens.

The feature that attracted me when I first saw its image on JetPens is the hard, reinforced brush tip that looks like it will not mush down rapidly under my heavy drawing hand. While I love the varied lines I can get from a real bristle brush pen or one with a flexible formed tip, the brush pens I find most versatile have firm, reinforced tips like this. I’ve been using the Uni Pin regularly for about a month, and it hasn’t shown any wear or mushing down. If the tip lasts as long as the ink, I’ll be happy.

The Pen Addict goes on about how brush tips like this make his handwriting look awesome, and I admit that my not-nearly-as-neat-as-Brad’s writing looks a lot better using a pen like this, too. I get thicks and thins without effort, and the line variation is impressive.

The line is crisp on smooth Clairfontaine as well as on toothier Col-o-Ring Oversize paper.

I tested the pigment ink’s waterproof quality in a Stillman & Birn Beta sketchbook, which is sized for wet media, so ink remains on the surface a bit longer than it might on writing paper. Even so, after waiting less than a minute and then again after seven minutes, the trace of visible washed ink is minimal. Since I wouldn’t have the patience to wait longer than seven minutes if I were going to use watercolor after drawing with the brush pen, this degree of washing is acceptable.

In fact, I don’t use watercolor much, but I do use watercolor pencils frequently, and this sketch of our neighborhood Halloween parade shows the ink holding up well after water was applied to the pencil pigment.

Most often, I use brush pens like the Uni Pin for quick little sketches in Field Notes notebooks while riding public transportation. Even in this simple portrait, I like the subtle line variation that’s possible without much effort, and the firm tip is easier to control on bumpy bus rides. If the brush tip holds up for the life of the ink as well as I think it will, it’s a keeper. 

Tina Koyama is an urban sketcher in Seattle. Her blog is Fueled by Clouds & Coffee, and you can follow her on Instagram as Miatagrrl.

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But I digress..

The Pentel Artist Brush Sign Pen is a, for lack of a better turn-of-phrase, wolf in sheep’s clothing. The original Sign Pen is a very unassuming bullet tip fiber-tipped marker. The Artist Brush Sign Pen is a WHOLE OTHER beast.

I received the 6-color set to try and was struck by the colors included in the set. Usually, a 6-color set will feature standard colors like red, blue, green, purple, black and either orange or pink but the Pentel Artist Brush Sign Pens mixed it all up and included grey, yellow ochre,  and sky blue with the more expected orange, violet and pink. But no black or true blue or green. I’m not complaining. I find the choice fascinating.

Each pen in the set features  long slender, extra fine polymer fiber brush hairs. Tina reviewed the black model earlier this year for drawing and compared it to several other brush pens for drawing. The close-up above makes the bristles seem huge but the photo below will provide more sense of scale. What I wanted you to see is that the bristles are individual strands in the above image.

The bristles are firm with a lot of snap back. If you’ve used other bristle-based brush markers or natural fiber brushes you may have experienced some that are slow to spring back. The Pentel Artist Brush Sign Pens are different. The quick spring back makes them easier to use for anyone new to brush lettering because the brush returns more quickly to a perfect point.

The firmer brush tip also means that the range of thicks to thins is epic. With a light touch, the thin lines can be extremely fine and with firm pressure, the thick lines can be super wide and lay down a lot of ink.

Ignore the “5 min” note above. I forgot to wet test the ink. So, look at the photo below. The grey and yellow ochre were fairly water resistant. The sky blue is not water resistant at all and the orange did not fair well either. The purple and pink showed some resistance but bled a good deal when wet.

These brush pens are not watercolor pens like the Winsor & Newton Watercolor brush pens , Akashiya Sai Watercolor Pens or Tombow Dual Brush Pens. The inks will not blend or flow like watercolor but the Pentel Artist Brush Sign Pens have their own merits. The extra fine tips with firm bristle tips make them worth the investment and the unique colors are a nice break from the standard assortment sets.

Tools:

• Paper: Rhodia Uni-Blank No. 16 with 6mm guide sheet
• Pens: Pentel Artist Brush Sign Pens 6-Color set  (12-color set available at JetPens for $43)

DISCLAIMER: The items included in this review were provided free of charge by Pentel of America for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.

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