Pentel Fude Brush Pen, Bold (XFL2B)

This is an amazing pen, fantastically easy to use and control, perfect for fancy writing and for intricate art. The synthetic brush tip behaves as a brush would and you don't even have to keep dipping the tip because it comes pre-loaded with ink. When you've pierced the reservoir, just remove the red ring and squeeze ... and squeeze ... and ... eventually the ink will flow. There is a handy diagram included.This isn't, however, waterproof ink. This is something you could never know because all of the lettering on the pen and packaging are in what I think is Japanese, so you won't be able to read it unless you happen to be able to read Japanese. I know the ink isn't waterproof because I used the pen to outline something on a canvas and ended up with a rather fetching effect of smudged ink when applying the paint. So not altogether a disaster but worthy of note.In summary, this is a lovely utensil. Get it, but remember about the ink.

The pen comes with a brush of perfect size for small characters writing. The synthetic bristle is still not as good as the real animal bristle on a traditional Chinese brush pen, however if taking the portability / ease of maintenance into consideration, I am perfectly happy with this pen.Will buy more when my current ones run out.

I was quite confused when I first received this item as I wasn’t even sure at all whether ink was included and after opening it, I wasn’t sure how or what type of cartridges or ink it requires. Unfortunately, it doesn’t help that all the text on the packaging and pen itself is not in English so can’t understand the instructions. Ink should have been included.

The ink inside this pen isn't waterproof. And when I say 'not waterproof' I don't mean that when it's used to outline water colour it smears, but I mean that having even slightly damp hands, as in NORMAL SKIN will smudge the ink.The ink also transfers to other pieces of paper very easily, to the extent where it leaves marks on the opposite page in a notebook.Additionally, it's very hard to control the flow of ink. I comes out streaky in some places and blotchy in others, so even with a change of ink this pen isn't worth the money.The only positive in my opinion is that the ink is a deep black. With some kinds of India ink or watercolour black the shade doesn't go deep enough for my liking, but here it is decent. It's still not worth the money or the stress of using the pen, but it's decent.

Just received the pen. It is an awesome one. One mention though - I saw people were expecting this to be similar with a felt tip, but it isn't. It is a 100% brush tip which means you will have normal discontinued line here and there. But that's the beauty of it :) gives originality to your work/writing. I bought this for my brush lettering and it is awesome :) I really love it and I will definitely buy another one in the future.Also, not sure it's refillable - when you buy it, you will find that little red circle around the middle which prevent the ink to come to the nib - once you open the pen make sure you remove the red circle so that the ink will get to the nib(very clever idea for protecting the quality of it).If someone knows if this is refillable and how you do it, I would be so happy to find that out :)