Kuretake No. 40 Fountain Hair Brush Pen - Sable Hair + Refill

AMAZING!!!

I absolutely love this pen. I am an illustration student and this is of the best quality. As artists and art students, well all know of sable hair. The best hair in the market and the longest lasting too! ( it will not loose its point)

The price is what i would expect for this type of pen, actually a great price. (they usually go for $100 or more!)

Great PEN!

Can the above reviewer update on whether the Platinum carbon black is clunking up the
sable of the #40?
(I'm comparing it to the advice in Russ Stuler's sketchbook and here:
http://www.sketching.cc/forum3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1650 )

My #40 is on it's way and since I can't post without a rating, I'll put in an average in the meantime.

I just recieved my pen in the mail and could not be happier. I ordered on a tuesday and I received my package on friday with the free shipping. I do have to say though that this pen does not come in a wood gift box but rather a cardboard box like the 1 pictured. It does come with a oil cartridge installed in the pen to keep three sable hair from drying out. So when you first go to use it remove the pill cartridge and rinse the bristles in warm water then install the ink cartridge and with a scrap piece off paper Betsy for a good 20 to 30 minutes to get the ink flowing past the oil residue. Because off those three ink will be quite thin and grey for the first day until you work work enough ink through it. After that though I am happy to report that the ink supplied is water proof and even stands up to alcohol markers such as my Copics. The sable tip is wonderful and I finally jabber a brush poem that it's comparative to my inking brushes. I had been using a Pentel pocket brush pen and can say that this pen is in another league and definitely worth the money.

More info and pictures on http://www.elizafrye.com/wordpress/?p=1745

The Box
In typical Japanese fashion, the pen is packaged better than most Christmas presents. It comes in a slipcase box with gold foil details, and just opening it made me feel special. Look at that rice paper hang tag! I’m a professional artist now.

The Ink
The pen comes with three cartridges, and the ink itself is actually pretty decent. It’s water based and flows beautifully through the pen. Not quite as opaque as I would like, but then I find almost all inks disappointing in that regard. Luckily using the Platinum Converter the pen can be filled with any type of ink. Pretty awesome! Replacement Brush tips are also available. I feel better about a tool when I can replace its key parts.

The Brush
The pen itself has a really sleek matte finish that just feels good in your hands. The response of the brush is very similar to the other Kuretake brush pens, but better in all the ways you would expect from natural hair. It holds a nice point and produces gorgeous line quality. Quick strokes result in a dry brush effect that I found especially pleasing. The pen’s versatility of line is definitely it’s strongest feature. I used it for all of my Mid-Ohio Comic Con sketches, and could only have been happier if the tip were slightly larger, specifically size #6 like my favorite Isabey brush.

Like any natural hair brush, the No. 40 will be your best friend for life if you pamper it just a little. The instruction booklet recommends washing out the brush tip if it gets stiff or sits unused for a long period of time. ‘A long period of time’ to me means more than 24 hours, so the one to five day washing procedure is a little annoying and perhaps the pen’s only downside.

The Conclusion
If inking a line with anything besides your favorite sable-haired workhorse makes your eyebrows crinkle and your mouth scrunch up, this pen is for you. The No. 40 is beautiful to hold, performs like a champion racehorse, and comes in elite fancy packaging. However, if you just need a fantastic travel brush, I recommend the No. 13. I wore mine out and would have bought it again if the No. 40 didn’t mash all of my brush snob buttons. Congratulations Kuretake, you win the Best Brush Pen Prize. For life.

Sorry, link was cut on in my previous post. Here is one that will fit. http://flic.kr/p/8WZ3Hj