Brush Pen Review: Kuretake Disposable Pocket Brush- Medium

I'm not sure what it is with Japanese pen companies and referring to their disposable large nibbed brush pens as 'pocket brush'.  Pentel Pocket Brush, Pilot Pocket Brush Soft, now Kuretake Pocket Brush?  I figured if it was anything like the Pentel or the Pilot, I was in for a treat, and having a history with loving Kuretake's products, I decided to splurge and ordered one from Jetpens.

The Packaging

 Although I can't read kanji or katakana, the graphic on the front of the package indicates a fairly large tip.

 

The Kuretake Disposable Pocket Brush has pretty utilitarian plastic packaging- it's meant to be read, opened, and thrown away.

 

 The Pen

The pen is all plastic, with a black cap and body.  There's gold embossed writing on the body of the pen.

 

The nib on this pen is really unimpressive, especially compared to other Kuretake brush pens.  It's fairly stiff, with very little give, and prone to fraying and becoming mushy with use.  I also noticed that although my pen was new in package, it seemed dry and took some working to get the ink going.

 

 Side By Side Comparison


From left to right: Sailor Mitsuo Aida, Pilot Pocket Brush, Kuretake Pocket Pen

 

 The Field Test

It's hard to manage a variety of lineweights with this pen, which is disappointing considering how the Kuretake Fudebiyori, Pentel Pocket Brush, and Pilot Pocket Brush all perform.  While there's a place for all of those pens in my inking arsenal, there's really no place for the stiff, unforgiving Kuretake Disposable Pocket Brush Medium.

 

 

The Verdict

I don't recommend giving this pen a shot, honestly.  There are far better large brush, affordable brush pens, some of which even do double duty like the Sailor Mitsuo Aida.  This misstep has far from burnt me on Kuretake's pens, but I won't be purchasing the Disposable Pocket Brush Pen in Medium again.