Kuretake No. 8 Fountain Brush Pen

This pen is a great brush pen, and I am pleased to add it to my collection.

I should start off by describing the way I have been using this pen. I am an intermediate Japanese student who has been practicing the kanji to memorize them, and since I also work with traditional Japanese calligraphy and making my own ink, I already am aware of the pros and cons of using a (real or synthetic) brush. So basically, I can't really review this from an artist's standpoint, and I have no idea whether it would be useful for that purpose, though I imagine it would.

The Kuretake No. 8 writes very well, but you obviously have to remember to not use it like you would a pen--you'll put too much pressure on it and the lines will be sloppy. Many have complained about the Kuretake ink not being waterproof (though it does become waterproof over the course of a few weeks), but I've heard the carbon ink fits and is waterproof instantly or very soon after drawing. I haven't tested those claims, and frankly this is perfect for me since I don't do drawing with these. The ball bearing that mixes the ink is ingenious to me.

I was impressed with the amount of control this brush has when compared to a real calligraphy brush, and it does indeed come quite close. In fact, I've found that since this tip is a bit smaller than the ones I've been using that I can almost put down lines so thin it looks like handwriting (but obviously a little thicker than a pen). This tip is essentially the same as the No. 13, and I find it has great control when doing strokes. I really dislike the felt tip brush pens mostly because they don't really seem to have the level of control that a brush tip does.

I can't really touch on how well this works with other ink, but if you need to practice writing characters like me to aid memorization, this pen is a great choice. It really replicates the feel of a natural brush fairly well for the money, though it still is not as controlled as a brush pen or brush with real hair, but in this price range, I think it's a winner. I took off a bit from my rating only because the pen appears a bit more "disposable" in nature than it could, but that's really my only complaint thus far. It's functionally a great pen and if you're on the fence, I don't think you will regret taking the plunge. :P

I just wanted to add to my earlier review favouring this brushpen over the Pentel standard. I am not bought or a Jetpen goon, but I do not want to misrepresent something good. Having used the Pentel more underlines my initial impression of both having their uses, but even more I love them equally now. In short, try both: Kuriyaki no.8 = rounded soft controllability, Pentel Standard = rustic squared off lines and snappy elasticity.

So far I've only used the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen and this one, but I like this one much better. The ink flows faster, allowing fast strokes to stay more saturated. The tip of the pen body is more tapered, so you can comfortably hold it further down for more precise work. Also what's cool is the Kuretake ink cartridges have a small metal ball blocking the hole - when you snap the cartridge into the pen, the ball is forced into the cartridge where it stays and keeps the ink mixed up. Awesome!

This pen is a joy to draw with. It's similar to the Pentel Pocket Brush, but with a touch more responsiveness. Of all the brush pens I've tried, this one is the most like using an actual brush.

The Kuretake Fountain Hair Brush Pen has functionally the same nib as the Kuretake #13 Fountain Brush Pen. The Kuretake Fountain Hair Brush Pen is not nearly as pretty and the plain brown plastic body is so long that posting the cap makes the pen feel unwieldy. However, the pen's use without its cap posted is like using the #13 pen with that pen's cap posted. If you are going for function and not looks, then save money and buy this pen rather than the #13 pen. Both pens are very fun to use and come with cartridges of black, non-waterproof ink, but accept the Platinum cartridges of black waterproof ink (also sold by JetPens).