Customer Reviews

(6 customer reviews)

  I purchased this and..., February 7, 2011

By lemonassassin

I purchased this and a Kuretake sable hair at the same time. The kuretake wins hands down. This pen doesn't seem to retain the point as others have said and the ink it comes with is not a true black. It has a nice feel in your hand, but as far as function goes I prefer the kuretake sable hair no. 40. Now if they make a new head for this pen with real hair, I just might find a new love. It is better than a marker, but not the best. A nice pen to have in your collection for looks.

  If you like to doodle..., January 7, 2010

By Dre...

If you like to doodle and have never tried a brush pen, you are in for a treat. The incredible gliding smoothness, the way the stroke responds to your movement - it s such a satisfying way of drawing. I find just laying down a few strokes on a fresh white sheet of paper is a great relaxation at the end of a stressful day. I'm no great artist but you don't have to be. This pen feels great in the hand. The tip lays quite clean lines so it does limit you a little on the styles of lines you can draw (no blotchy or watery ones, I don't think). Still, it's a lovely pen.

The one weird thing is that unlike North American pens the cartridge is not pushed on and held by the barrel. You push the cartridge on the tip part and the barrel never touches the cartridge. Interesting and puzzled me a bit at first :) But no worries, it does hold securely.

  While I'm not sure about..., August 17, 2009

By anton

While I'm not sure about anticipating my moves, this is a very fine brush pen! It is a lot broader and thicker than the Kuretake/Pentel Pocket Brush ones though. This is good for a really nice, wet ink flow, but it does make thinner hairlines a little more difficult.

As other reviewers have mentioned, it has a great feel and balance. It doesn't post, so make sure not to lose that cap! It is quite a large pen - much more so than the other pens I've mentioned. This definitely isn't a pocket pen, and lives in the studio.

Overall, it's a great brush pen for bigger work. Recommended.

  this pen is awesome and..., January 9, 2009

By niraj_sapkota01

this pen is awesome and the best ever

  THIS IS THE BEST PEN..., January 7, 2009

By nabinsapkota01

THIS IS THE BEST PEN I EVER HAD
SO SMOOTH AND ANTICIPATES WITH YOUR EVERY MOVE
so good

  Hello! I just had..., December 10, 2008

By stewartk

Hello!

I just had to write up a quick review of this pen!

Having been trained in classic Japanese Calligraphy, I have always used a true brush in my work and drawing. This purchase was a departure for me but one that I am glad to say that has been much more than what I had expected.

I received my Akashiya Bamboo Barrel Brush Pen this afternoon 12.09.2008 and went about putting it through its paces. I must say that I have never used a pen that has the feel and balance that this does. The feel of the pen in ones hand is warm and personal, not cold and utilitarian as some pens can be. It reminds me of the Old BHCR Waterman fountain Pens that had a more organic feel about them.

The Akashiya Bamboo Barrel Brush Pen feels right at home in ones hand and the balance is about as perfect as it gets.

The Pen packaging is no nonsense and minimal as is expected. The construction of the pen in general is superb. The overall material is Bamboo as the name suggests and is well sealed by the application of lacquer. Looking under the Cap, shows a well sealed surface. There is also a type of metal reinforcement honeycomb that adds strength to the cap in whole. Further up inside the cap there is an air tight plastic cone that seals the brush tip/nib against outside air and helps prevent the brush from drying out while its being stored or not used.

The Cap slides down the Barrel with just enough tension to get a good seal but not so tight that it binds while being put on or taken off. Simple but well thought out.

Next was the inking process and ink check. The Akashiya Bamboo Barrel Brush Pen is supplied with 2 factory cartridges of very black ink. installation of the cartridge was flawless. The fit is snug as expected and has an excellant seal. I would not feel the least bit concerned about carring this in my pocket fully loaded. I spent several hours of almost continued use to really see how the brush tip/nib held up to different types of pressure. This is where I was the most surprised. The tip snapped back after several hours of use and the sensitivity of the brush is fantastic. It is quite agile and very responsive to your every motion and move.

I tested an several types of paper. Starting with traditional Kozo, then on to Hosho, followed by 90lb. Studio Fabriano cold pressed Watercolor paper, Vellum Bristol, 20lb. Copy/ink jet paper, 75lb general purpose sketch paper (mostly recycled content), Arches 300lb Hot press Watercolor sheet stock and finally Newsprint (again, mostly recycled content)

Ink coverage and penetration was consistent across all paper types. Dry times were of course different on each paper type and since I live on the North West California Coast the humidity level plays a very large role in the dry times. Differences being measured in 10 second departures between each paper type, so there was no real glaring difference where one paper type was still wet well after the others had dried.

I preformed a quick water test on each paper type and found that each sample was at least partially water resistant. The recycled and most porous exhibiting the greatest water resistance and little if any running on these paper types. The harder surfaced paper types ran the most but testing again, after allowing the sample to dry longer, I found even these to be about 85% water resistant. As already stated, the paper that had the most recycled content were almost 95/97% water fast. The test was a simple running water test at the kitchen sink as I wanted a quick test to determine a rough baseline for the factory ink. I will setup a true dip test as a followup for more accurate results in the next few days.

I normally prefer Platinum Carbon ink or the new Noodlers " Heart of Darkness" which is the blackest dye based ink I have ever seen and is formulated to preform its best on recycled material. All of this in consideration, I would feel totally comfortable using the supplied factory ink in lieu of my normal ink if needed. The blackness of the factory ink is very dense and surprised me as how dark it was, coming close to the Noodlers Heart of Darkness. about a 9 on a 1-10 scale.

In short, the Akashiya Bamboo Barrel Brush Pen is a surprising sleeper and preforms with a grace that's a pleasure. Not merely a tool in your hand but rather an extension of your hand. Highly recommended!

I purchased the black, but now, will get the other 2 colors to complete the collection.

shonen