Pilot Fude-Makase Color Brush Pen - Extra Fine - Orange Review

Over the past few years, it has become clear to me that there is almost no firm brush pen I won’t buy, even though the flexibility of a brush doesn’t really suit my ham-fisted hard-pressing writing style. When JetPens got the Pilot Fude-Makase Extra-Fine Brush Pen back in stock (as of this writing, they might be out again - they sell out fast!) I snapped up one in orange and one in pink to test them out.

I’ve only picked up a few softer broader brushes in my day, as I know full well those won’t suit my style. If that’s what you’re after, this definitely isn’t your pen of choice. It is much thinner and firmer than, say, one of Pilot’s Pocket Brush pens. The size and flexibility are somewhat similar to the Kuratake CocoIro Super Fine refills, but I’ve had always had problems with those pens having only two settings: too firm or too mushy. So, I was hoping that the Pilot Extra Fine would make for a good every day writer.

I suspect if you have a much lighter writing touch, you’ll love this pen. The brush doesn’t yield much, but you can definitely control line width easy while writing. I think I just write both too fast and too firm, so it ends up either just looking like boring old bullet-point marker strokes or I press too hard and end up mushing the brush rather than letting it glide across the paper.

Honestly, at the price point (around $3 if you can find them in stock), it is a pen that is worth taking a chance on, even if your writing style isn’t really brush pen-friendly. It comes in a wide variety of colors and, even if it doesn’t make your handwriting look stellar, makes for a nice pop of brightness when writing.

Pentel Sharp Drafting Pencil - 0.5 mm - Carbon Black Review

I have a soft spot in my heart for the Pentel Sharp Drafting Pencil. It is the first quality mechanical pencil I remember using, and was ubiquitous in offices around the world for decades. Remember the time when you had access to decent quality office supplies at work? Me neither.

Pentel has done a nice job of keeping the brand alive, releasing a metallic plastic body last year and the Carbon Black plastic body this year. It actually took me several months to get this one from JetPens because it would keep selling out every time it restocked. Pentel Sharp fans love their pencils!

What has kept the Sharp so popular for all of these years is the simple but highly effective barrel design. Featuring a slight taper from around mid-barrel to the grip area, it fits the hand just right. The taper continues down through the tip section as well, giving users an unrestricted view of their work. No wonder it was so popular with architects and engineers in its heyday.

The Pentel Sharp's heyday is still here in my opinion. Sure, pencils like the Uni-ball Kuru Toga have surpassed it with technological advances, but as with other classic designs there will always be room on the desk for something this great.

(JetPens is an advertiser on The Pen Addict and I received this product at no charge.)

Ink Links

-- Red Pens! The Montegrappa Alfa Romeo (these beautiful pens)

-- Coming this Halloween - Montegrappa Skull Pens (Goldspot Pens Fine Writing Blog)

-- Pilot Filling Systems in the 1960s (Crónicas Estilográficas)

-- Diamine – Cult Pens Deep Dark Blue (Informal Scribble)

-- Review: Levenger True Writer Silver Anniversary Fountain Pen - Medium (Gourmet Pens)

-- Uni-ball Signo 207 Battle – Blue Ink (No Pen Intended)

-- Sailor Kiwa Guro Nano Black – Ink Review (Ed Jelley)

-- Fisher Space Pen Shuttle Series (CH4) Review (The Clicky Post)

-- Lamy Red ink review (Peninkcillin)

-- BEHIND-THE-SCENES: A look into my process (ZEN PENCILS)

-- Review of KUM Tip-Top Pop Pencil Cap & Sharpener (Pencil Revolution)

-- Color Burst: Pilot Petit Pens (From the Pen Cup)

-- Ink Notes: Noodler’s X-Feather (Fountain Pen Quest)

-- The Showdown: Day Per Page Diary Vs. Undated Notebook (Plannerisms)

-- Cross Journal Review (Write to Me Often)

-- Bullet pencils: Pocket-friendly utensils from a bygone era (Woodclinched)

-- Uni Jetstream 4&1 ( and cupcakes!) (Good Pens)

-- A Double-Ended Pen? Why Not? (Edison Pen Company)

-- Platignum Studio (Pens! Paper! Pencils!)

-- Pencil Review: Faber-Castell Castell 9000 4H (A Penchant for Paper)

-- Desk Accessories for Cubicle Hell (The Well-Appointed Desk)

-- Three New Mechanical Pencils (Dave's Mechanical Pencils)