Taking a look at the Tombow Pastel Fudenosuke Pen Review. These are the latest offering from Tombow in their Fudenosuke Brush Pen line up. I have done a comparison between the Fudenosukes and the Pentel Touch brush pens which you can check out if you’re curious. But today, we are focusing on the new release which is the pastel colours. I have done a video review which you are welcome to check out as well.
I purchased these pens myself, and this post is in no way sponsored, so let’s get into it!
Design and Appearance
They are exactly what you would expect from the regular Tombow Fudenosuke brush pens, sleek round barrel, small, flexible tip, and airtight cap to keep the pen from drying out.
The biggest difference is the ink. The other Fudenosukes have water based ink. The Pastel collection has a water-based pigment ink. This means the ink is a bit creamier and need to be stored horizontally (or else the nib could clog). The pigment ink also means that the pens can write on light or dark paper. The colour becomes more opaque as the ink dries, and they suggest layering the ink to intensify the colour. These pens retail for almost $17.49 USD on the Tombow website.
Writing Performance
I tested these pens on 160GSM white, black, and craft paper. It came with a black paper notepad so I tested them on that as well. Couple of things about my review:
- It says light and dark paper – I tested it on the craft paper but think it worked as well
- Not a huge fan of pastel colours but I tried to keep an open mind
- I limited my testing to specific paper types since there aren’t too many blackout notebook options out there
The Good
- Exactly the same feel as a regular Fudenosuke
- The colours are pretty
- Works great on thicker, non-porous paper (like 160GSM)
- No bleed through on the paper I tested (160GSM and 100GSM notepad)
- No paper pilling (little paper bits) when layering
- It’s cool to watch them dry and come to life
- Smudging isn’t too bad
The Bad
- The ink is darker where you first place your pen tip down – like a highlighter
- It takes lots of layers to bring the colours out
- Thinner/porous surfaces don’t work as well as thicker/smoother surfaces
- Initial thoughts were that they don’t work on black paper as well as it seems – like the picture on the box
- Dry time is a LONG time for the ink to really pop off the page**
** After doing the review, I put the sheets away. When writing this post, I took a look at them again and the colours were A LOT more vibrant than you see in my video review and some of my pictures.
Tombow Pastel Fudenosuke Pen Review Overall Thoughts
So while I stand by what I believe to be “the bad”, these pens did jump a little in my opinion based on how vibrant the colours are after an extended dry time. With that said, I may hold onto these pens for illustration on blackout paper, instead of just standard lettering. The one layer isn’t as opaque as a paint pen or gel pen, but it’s definitely another option if you are a blackout planner.
Unlike some of their other products, these aren’t a must buy in my mind. There are other pens that are going to work better on blackout paper, but they are fun to grow your Tombow Fudensosuke pen collection. I love a variety of colours (hello Dual Tip Brush Pens!), so I may use these at some point down the line.
Have you tired these? If you have, let me know what you think!
Talk soon!
