Fudenosuke Colors VS Sign Brush Pens
For years, it felt like the market lacked small, colored brush pens, but thankfully, that gap has been filled with several fantastic options from well-known brands. When Tombow Fudenosuke Colors, were released, I was curious to see how they would stack up against my long-time favorite, the Pentel Sign Brush Pens. These two pen sets offer a beautiful range of colors and versatile tips, so I was excited to explore their unique features and differences.
How do they compare, and which one stands out as the go-to choice for brush lettering enthusiasts?
The Contenders
Before we dive into the comparison, you can check out our individual reviews of each brush pen below:
Tombow Fudenosuke Color
Pentel Sign Brush Pen
Side-by-Side Comparison
Colors and Availability
Both the Tombow Fudenosuke Colors and Pentel Sign Brush Pens have solid availability across most markets, making them accessible for brush lettering enthusiasts worldwide. They’re priced similarly, offering great value for their quality, and both brands provide the option to purchase individual pens or sets in various color assortments.
Over the years, both Tombow and Pentel have expanded their color options, bringing a welcome variety to their respective lines. With these additions, users now have a wider selection of colors to choose from, making both sets versatile for a range of projects and preferences.
First Impression Out of the Box
Tombow Fudenosuke Color
The pens come in a clear, easy-to-open plastic case that keeps each pen neatly in place. This see-through packaging is practical for storage, allowing you to quickly view the colors while keeping them organized and secure.
The Tombow Fudenosuke Color pens maintain the familiar design of Tombow’s classic black Fudenosuke Soft and Hard brush pens. The body is rounded, comfortable to hold and easy to control.
The Tombow Fudenosuke Color pens have a secure, snap-on cap that can be placed on the back of the pen, making them slightly longer and more balanced for an improved writing experience. Watch out: Without its cap, the pen might roll away.
It is easy to identify colors with the color-coded cap and barrel ends, which match the ink color of each pen.
Pentel Sign Brush Pen
The Pentel Sign Pen Brush typically comes in a convenient see-through plastic container, perfect for keeping your pens safely stored when not in use. The container is easy to open, and the clear design allows you to quickly see the colors of your pens at a glance.
The Sign Pens themselves are fully colored, ensuring that no matter how they’re stored or held, the color is always visible. The design of the pen is much to my liking, with a minimalistic, no-clutter look. Each pen features just a small amount of text along the barrel, leaving most of it blank for a clean, simple appearance.
The pen’s shape is rounded, but with six subtle edges that create a slight hexagonal design. This thoughtful touch keeps the pen from easily rolling off the table, while also offering a comfortable grip.
The long lids are especially great when placed on the back of the pen while writing, making the pen longer and sturdier in the hand, which improves the overall writing experience.
Notably, the Pentel Sign Brush Pen is said to be able to stay uncapped for extended periods without drying out (although I haven’t tested this myself), which could be a significant advantage for longer projects.
While both Tombow Fudenosuke Color and Pentel Sign Brush Pens have distinct designs, they share several similarities in brush tip size and shape, with each offering precise control for detailed lettering. Both brands prioritize practical design features—color-coded caps and barrel markings that make it easy to identify colors and securely snap-on caps that stay in place while working. These design choices make both pens user-friendly and offer a seamless experience with them.
First Impression in Use
Tombow Fudenosuke Color
The Tombow Fudenosuke Color features a small nib size, making it ideal for detailed work and fine lettering. The brush tip has a firm, hard flex, providing excellent control for precise strokes. This firmness allows for consistent, sharp lines, which is particularly useful for creating structured, clean lettering styles. The sturdy tip also feels durable, holding up well under pressure, making it a reliable choice for long sessions or repetitive strokes.
Pentel Sign Brush Pen
In contrast, the Pentel Sign Brush Pen also has a small nib, but with a soft flex brush tip that offers more flexibility. This softer tip allows for greater line variation with lighter or heavier pressure, making it suitable for more expressive, fluid strokes. The flexibility gives it a looser, more natural feel, which can be advantageous for creating organic shapes and adding a touch of character to lettering. The soft tip feels comfortable to use, adapting well to the flow of each stroke and providing a smoother transition between thin and thick lines.
Colors In Use
To see how these colors perform, I tested both pen sets on two different surfaces: smooth practice paper (above) and coated paper (below).
Tombow Fudenosuke Color
The Tombow Fudenosuke Color pens offer an expanding range of colors, giving more flexibility for creative projects. However, the ink color on paper can differ slightly from the color indicated on the pen, sometimes appearing a bit more muted. This is especially noticeable on smoother paper, where the colors have a softer finish.
Pentel Sign Brush Pen
Similarly, the Pentel Sign Brush Pen offers a growing selection of colors, but the ink color tends to match the pen’s cap more closely. The colors appear bold and vibrant on paper, especially on coated surfaces, where they come to life with a beautiful intensity that makes them stand out.
While both pen sets feature a similar color palette and produce lovely results, the Pentel Sign Brush Pen generally offers more vibrant tones, providing a richer color payoff on the page.
Blending
For these blending tests, I dipped each pen in Royal Talens Ecoline Liquid Watercolor to create a smooth transition effect.
Tombow Fudenosuke Color
The Tombow Fudenosuke Color absorbs liquid watercolor very effectively, acting almost like a sponge. This strong absorption creates smooth, long-lasting color transitions, maintaining the blended effect over extended strokes. For anyone looking to create seamless gradients, the Tombow Fudenosuke performs exceptionally well.
Pentel Sign Brush Pen
The Pentel Sign Brush Pen also blends beautifully when dipped in liquid watercolor, producing a smooth color transition. However, the blended effect doesn’t last quite as long as with the Tombow. While the Pentel provides lovely results, its transitions may require more frequent dipping to achieve the same level of vibrancy across extended strokes.
Both pens offer appealing blending capabilities, but the Tombow Fudenosuke Color edges ahead in creating longer-lasting gradients. In the sample above, the Tombow pen was dipped just once, yet the colors had not fully transitioned back to the original yellow in either of the two samples, showing its impressive absorption. However, this long-lasting effect may take a bit too long to revert completely to the base color, which could be a consideration for quicker projects.
In contrast, the Pentel Sign Brush Pen demonstrated a quicker transition back to the original color, even after a second dip in the watercolor. This makes the Pentel suitable for users who want vibrant blends but also need faster transitions for smoother workflow.
Conclusion
Tombow Fudenosuke Color
The Tombow Fudenosuke Color offers a sturdy, firm brush tip ideal for controlled, precise lettering. With its expanding color range and practical design, it provides a versatile experience for those seeking clean, structured strokes. The ink absorbs color beautifully for blending and holds transitions longer, though it may take time to fully revert back to its original color. For artists who prioritize detail, durability, and long-lasting color blends, Tombow Fudenosuke Color stands out as a reliable choice.
Pentel Sign Brush Pen
The Pentel Sign Brush Pen combines a softer, more flexible brush tip with vibrant, true-to-cap colors that pop on paper. Its quick color transition after blending and soft nib make it perfect for expressive strokes and adaptable for a wide range of styles. With a sleek, minimalistic design and ergonomic shape, Pentel Sign Brush Pen is ideal for users who favor more fluid, spontaneous strokes and need a faster color reset when blending.
Final Thoughts
Choosing between the Tombow Fudenosuke Color and the Pentel Sign Brush Pen depends on your lettering style and needs. The Tombow Fudenosuke excels in structured, controlled work with lasting color blends, while the Pentel Sign offers vibrant colors with a more fluid brush tip, ideal for dynamic, expressive strokes. Both pens bring something unique to the table, making either one a worthwhile addition to any lettering toolkit.