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Review on Pentel Fude Brush Extra XFL2F by Karla Richter

Revainrating 4 out of 5

TO REMOVE THE RED RING, TURN THE OTHER WAY!

IF YOU BUY THIS PEN FOR THE FIRST TIME, READ THIS! TO unscrew the handle body from the brush, TURN CLOCKWISE (RIGHT)! This is the OPPOSITE of how 99% of everything in the world is tightened and loosened. It took me two hours to discover this, and at this point I nearly broke the handle trying to "unclip" it. Finally, I used a pair of wire cutters to simply cut off the red ring. I then soaked the handle in hot water to "loosen it". Finally found a review video on youtube and the reviewer casually mentioned "oh it's turning the other way". This pen almost drove me crazy. Rating: After some use (I draw lines, sketch, gesture, leaves, people) I really like this pen the way it is. Good pen for this price, I will buy more. The barrel of the pen is a reservoir for ink and is made of very light, thin and flexible plastic. It doesn't feel very firm in your hand, but it's very "soft," which is necessary because you're squeezing the barrel to push more ink towards the tip. But the pen doesn't have much "hand feel" if you get my meaning. Tip: You can draw very thin lines, as well as broad strokes, thick or thin, depending on the angle of the pen and how hard you press. It is very difficult (almost impossible) to draw a perfectly straight line with this pen as the brush can slip under your hand. A completely different feel than a traditional pen like the Pigma Micron. But this pen is great for quick sketches, gesture drawings, landscapes, etc. which is what I use it for. They can also do a very good job if you slow down and are careful. One of the things I really like about this pen is that it's both very fast (good for big movements and sketches) and slow (fine movements, small details, sharp lines). Ink: I love this ink. Very black, opaque, not running, slightly running and matt. As others have pointed out, you really need to slow down to get a nice opaque line. Make sure the brush is filled with ink while squeezing the tank and take your time to get what you want. It is in order! This ink is not waterproof at all and dries completely in a few minutes. So watercolourists or anyone who wants to blur a drawing should be aware that the initial lines will bleed a lot and this will mess up your drawing. However, since the ink is not waterproof, it can be easily smudged to create shadows and depth. That's okay too! Just keep that in mind and use these pen properties to your advantage. I would recommend this pen to anyone who loves pens, likes to use pens, likes to draw with pens and make marks on paper, likes to play with ink, but remember, TURN INTO THE MUTUAL KIND.

Pros
  • Very effective
Cons
  • boring packaging