Pentel Fude Brush Pen, Medium (XFL2L)

Just started experimenting with this, so haven't done anything for a serious review as I've never used a brush pen before. I attached a couple photos - the brush swipes stay dark so long as you keep pressure (squeezing) the pen. Once you stop squeezing, the ink fades off the brush into a lighter gradient.

The media could not be loaded. Works smoothly.Instructions:Remove the red ring around the pen and then you can safely put the pen back together and squeeze.From my experience it turns to a nice and fuzzy gray color without the water. With water it's almost jet black.

Things to remember if you've never owned this pen. 1) You have to turn it to the left to unscrew the cap. 2) You have to remove the red seal (after each use I unscrew the pen from the ink cartridge, rinse the nib, reattach the red seal and the ink cartridge and store the pen nib up). 3) I squeezed the ink cartridge gently over a piece of scrap paper to get it to flow, and then rescrewd it onto the nib section to get the ink to flow. 4) Remember, left turn to tighten the cap and right turn to loosen it. Yes, it seems backwards for us westerners but it's all good. 😊I love how you can go from a thin delicate line to bolder and broader strokes. The ink flows nicely and it's a rich, deep black.

This is an excellent pen but I had a heck of a time trying to get the ink to flow. They need to fix the instructions to indicate that you have to press down very hard on the brush point to set the ink cartridge into the pen and get the ink to flow. Because of this lack of instructions I actually destroyed my first one before figuring out how to get the ink started, now it is a pleasure to use and I have used this on one of my recent ink drawings.

I have used this inkbrush for 4 years and still love it! Still going strong. I use this on a daily basis for my job as a caricature artist and have 4-5 back ups in case I lose one or forget it at a gig.Pros:1. it is refillable2. It has nylon bristles that last forever if taken care of...unlike many foam or brush “tip” markers that wear in a few days. This does not. It keeps a point if taken care of like you would a paintbrush3. You can control the amount of inkflow. This is where many negative reviews come from. It takes a little practice but the flow is very consistent with how hard you squeeze. I personally squeeze until I just see ink start to appear in the clear chamber. That gives me no mess and will draw about 1 caricature from start to finish! If squeezed too much and ink fills the chamber, you will get too much ink...although sometimes I Internationally do this if I know I need to fill a big area with black. Control in a brush is good and this gives you that!4. I personally like the medium tip because it keeps a smaller point and still gives me phenomenal variation of line width. I used to use the large tip but I couldn’t get a small line when the weather was hot...making the ink flow too much. Medium is my favorite now.5. You can buy these anywhere! Some of my caricature artist friends use markers and get used to one brand just to find out later that they are being discontinued. (Try to find a cone tip markette). This technology (paintbrush) has been around for centuries and will continue to be the most versatile.6. Many different line tricks! You can ink a single hair thin to a thick, bold line. You can also blow on the bristles to create splatter (see shaved head in pic), you can used dry brush techniques to create texture like in bamboo or bark. I’m sure I’ll figure out new tricks in the future.Cons:1. Takes time to learn to use. You must use this like a paintbrush, not a marker. If you’ve ever watercolored, you will catch on quickly. If you’ve never used a paintbrush, then look at some youtubes.2. Putting the cap back on should be done carefully so as not to bend the bristles. Once on, however, it creates an airtight click!It’s inexpensive and will last a lifetime. It creates beautiful lines...buy it.

This is super fun to use. Love this pen.

The media could not be loaded. Don't listen to bad reviews. They didn't Remove THE RED BAND! LOL hahahaha!!!!This is a great pen! I have worked with brush pens for a very long time, I Have no issue with leaks, great price and very versatile. The weight is perfect. It's a good size and fits my medium sized hands. Copied a few Hokusai manga images, the pen works fantastic for this media and style. If you are getting leaks you are squeezing the pen too hard. Squeeze a little as the ink moves down into the brush you can see it, then squeeze a little more. The brush will reload with very little squeezing.

Bought this pen for calligraphy lettering (it came up when I searched on fine point calligraphy pen), but it doesn't work well at all for this purpose. The brush tip is very thin but it's much too long. Also, I almost returned it because I couldn't get the pen parts back together again after I removed the red ring. You have to screw in backwards... not lefty loosey/righty tighty.. the opposite! I doubt I'll ever use it but it was only $5.50.