Not all brush pens are created equal.
Yes, they allow you to write brush calligraphy. But they are all different in their own way.
From the look and feel of the pen itself, the sharpness, flexibility, and stroke width of the tip, and even the shade and amount of ink that spills out – these differences contribute to the unique style of each pen.
Read on for a comparison of the brush pens I use the most: Tombow dual brush pen, Tombow Fudenosuke soft tip, Tombow Fudenosuke hard tip, and Pentel sign fude touch. Then you can watch my new video where I go over all of these differences and demonstrate how each pen writes!
Tombow dual brush pen
The Tombow dual brush pen is my favorite! It was the first brush pen I ever learned with and a majority of my Instagram posts recently feature this pen.
- Feel: This is a very big pen. Because of its size, it took a while for me to get used to my grip on the pen. I have found it helpful to place my hands about at least an inch away from the tip because the closer I am to the tip, the less control I have.
- Flexibility: Very flexible! Allows you to easily create strokes in various sizes.
- Sharpness: When first used and if used properly, the pen tip is very sharp. Depending on use, the natural wear and tear cause the tip to fray. The less angled and more upright you hold the pen, the tip will fray faster.
- Ink: This pen comes in 96 different ink colors!
- Stroke size: This pen tip is huge! The strokes I write are very big, relative to the other pens and in comparison to writing tools in general. Because of the stroke size, I typically write pieces with one or just a few words.
To learn more about the Tombow dual brush pen, read and watch my review in this post.
Tombow Fudenosuke soft tip
The Tombow Fudenosuke soft tip (“Tombow Fude” for short) is a great starter pen. I first tried this pen when the amazing Brittany of Tombow sent me a sample to try. Trying this pen out was such a game-changer for me! It is smooth, easy to handle, and writes really well.
- Feel: Easy to hold. It is the size of most regular pens that you write with.
- Flexibility: Very flexible! The tip flexes easily for creating brush calligraphy.
- Sharpness: Stays very sharp for a long time. While I have had my pen for about two months now and have used it constantly, the tip is still as sharp as when I first used it.
- Ink: I have only seen this pen in black ink.
Tombow Fudenosuke hard tip
The Tombow Fudenosuke hard tip is a lot of fun. It writes smoothly and easily.
- Feel: Easy to hold. It is the size of most regular pens that you write with.
- Flexibility: Very flexible, but more firm than the Tombow Fude soft tip.
- Sharpness: Stays sharp for a long time as well. Great for achieving thick and thin calligraphy strokes.
- Ink: I have only seen this pen in black ink.
Pentel sign fude touch
The Pentel sign fude touch is a great beginner pen! It is one of the first brush pens I really learned how to use and I love how this pen comes in different colors. You can get the entire set with the 12-pack!
- Feel: Easy to hold. It is the size of most regular pens that you write with.
- Flexibility: Very flexible and similar to the Tombow Fude soft tip. Great for writing long pieces and a lot of words.
- Sharpness: Stays sharp for a long time.
- Ink: Comes in several different colors! My favorite colors are black, gray, ochre (gold).
Pentel sign fine point
The Pentel sign fine point is NOT a brush pen. Instead, it simply has a fine tip with no flex to it, making it impossible to create brush calligraphy. I included this pen in this comparison post to emphasize its distinction from the Pentel sign FUDE TOUCH, which I discussed above.
Video: Brush Pen Comparison
Watch this video as I review each of the pens above and demonstrate how they write:
So there you have it! The four brush pens I use for brush calligraphy. In future posts, I will share more practice drills and tips for improving your brush calligraphy. This post should help those of you with learning the basics and getting started, which will set a great foundation for you to tackle more advanced techniques.
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It’s your turn!
Which brush pens do you love to use? Which ones do you want to try?
What is the next brush pen I should get? I love trying new things!
To help me prepare for future posts, what other aspects of brush calligraphy would you like me to explain and demonstrate?
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