Color Pen Review: Pilot Fude-Makase Color Brush Pen Extra Fine
My first time reviewing a pen system with a wide range of colors didn't go so well. I'm sure you guys remember the Uni Mitsubishi Pure Color F. Since then, I've reviewed several wonderful fude pens available in a wide range of colors, and I'm honestly happy my first was the worst. By finding what I didn't want in a pen from the start, I was able to really appreciate the great pens that came later, pens like Pentel's Touch and today's review, Pilot Fude Makase Color Brush Pens.
I think you guys have figured out by now that if Jetpens offered a full color set, rather than just buying one or two and seeing if I actually like the pens, I'll go whole hog and just collect em all. This was true for the Pure Color F, for the Pentel Touch (although I did at least know that I liked the way the pens were built before I splurged), and it's true for the Fude Makase. I justify this impulsiveness by telling myself I'm doing my readers a service- by committing to the whole set, you guys know whether the bulk savings are worth it.
The Pilot Fude-Makase Color Brush Pens are available for individual purchase for $3.30 each on Jetpens, or you can buy the 8 color set for $26.00, or $3.25 per pen. Of course, I bought the 8 color set becauseI'm impulsive I just love spending money I love you guys and only want to give you the best. You can always thank me for my brave financial sacrifices by A: Donating through my Paypal donate button on the left there, B: Buying something cute from my shop, like the cyclops makeup pouch shown in this post, C: Buying something spendy at a show D: Commission me for a lovely custom piece of artwork! You can also show your support by linking my posts to your friends, retweeting my content with a link, and other very public displays of affection and adoration. You guys did know it's been a lifelong dream to be ~popular~ right? Help make that happen, tell your friends, link me on your blog, give my work some credit!
Your support keeps my rent paid, feeds my cat, enables me to produce more work, and helps me buy the supplies featured on this blog. From this point on, donors who send me $10+ and leave me their mailing address will receive a copy of my pocket Marker Review Guide, a handy little guide that covers almost all of the very expensive markers I've reviewed in the past. Donors ALSO get priority requests in terms of what I review, they just need to mention it in the comments section of their donation or purchase. Non-donor suggestions are considered, but it's often prioritized by what I care about and what I can currently afford. As you guys might have guessed, this blog is totally a not-paid position in my baby small business, and while I enjoy writing it, it's sometimes difficult to juggle updating, freelance, and conventions. Any help or signal boosting you guys provide is always much appreciated.
So enough with the shill, on to the pens!
The Pilot Fude-Makase Color Brush pens are so photogenic, I just had to take some glamour shots of them and the equally beautiful Pilot Touch pens with their adorable case. I just love how classy the Pilot Fude-Makase pens look- with their ecrue bodies, adorable ink-drop shaped view windows, and color coordinated caps.
The Pens
But how do the pens hold up as pens, rather than just desk candy? Let's take a look and find out!
Jetpens only carries the Fude-Makase pens in Extra Fine, a size I really don't use often, but I knew that when I ordered these. Having a good extra fine is handy for small details that you don't want to pull the tech pens out for. My black pen arrived with ink already in the view window, which is worrying, as that tends to be a sign to me that the pen is about to run out, or that air pressure has affected the ink. This happens a lot when I fly, and I blame sending the package across the country rather than Jetpens or Pilot.
The colors available for the Fude-Makase are nice, and fairly true to the pen cap, albeit a bit lighter than promised.
The Field Test
The Fude-Makase Extra Fine is indeed that, extra fine. Just look at that little nib! It's a bit soft, which can turn mushy fast if you're heavy handed like I am or if you're trying to force your Extra Fine to pull juicy lines without a bigger pen for backup. I personally found this pen so fine that it was difficult to ink with, but if you're lighthanded and looking for a good fude pen, the Makase is a strong choice.
As with the Pentel Touch pens, the nonphoto blue affects the color the pen puts down. The pink is much less blue without the non photo blue, but with the npb, it's almost purple. This is just something to keep in mind, depending on how you plan on using these pens.
Fortunately, the non photo blue doesn't seem to clog up these pens as it did with the Foray Stylemark pens, although I do worry that with lighter colors, the non photo blue may stain the nibs if you don't remove all the non photo blue from the nib.
And unfortunately, there's a bit of smudging if you ink with Fude-Makase over non waterproof black ink, even if you wait 24 hours between inking.
The Verdict
If you want a lot of color, but you don't want an extra fine nib, I high recommend the Pentel Touch fude pens I reviewed not so long ago. If you are looking for a finer nib fude pen, I think the Fude-Makase are a fine choice, and I had one in my own pencil case until it exploded on the plane ride back from TCAF. These are not the pens to pick if you have large areas to fill, or if you can't pull back on being heavy handed, nor if you're looking for one fude pen to rule them all.
I think you guys have figured out by now that if Jetpens offered a full color set, rather than just buying one or two and seeing if I actually like the pens, I'll go whole hog and just collect em all. This was true for the Pure Color F, for the Pentel Touch (although I did at least know that I liked the way the pens were built before I splurged), and it's true for the Fude Makase. I justify this impulsiveness by telling myself I'm doing my readers a service- by committing to the whole set, you guys know whether the bulk savings are worth it.
The Pilot Fude-Makase Color Brush Pens are available for individual purchase for $3.30 each on Jetpens, or you can buy the 8 color set for $26.00, or $3.25 per pen. Of course, I bought the 8 color set because
Your support keeps my rent paid, feeds my cat, enables me to produce more work, and helps me buy the supplies featured on this blog. From this point on, donors who send me $10+ and leave me their mailing address will receive a copy of my pocket Marker Review Guide, a handy little guide that covers almost all of the very expensive markers I've reviewed in the past. Donors ALSO get priority requests in terms of what I review, they just need to mention it in the comments section of their donation or purchase. Non-donor suggestions are considered, but it's often prioritized by what I care about and what I can currently afford. As you guys might have guessed, this blog is totally a not-paid position in my baby small business, and while I enjoy writing it, it's sometimes difficult to juggle updating, freelance, and conventions. Any help or signal boosting you guys provide is always much appreciated.
So enough with the shill, on to the pens!
The Pilot Fude-Makase Color Brush pens are so photogenic, I just had to take some glamour shots of them and the equally beautiful Pilot Touch pens with their adorable case. I just love how classy the Pilot Fude-Makase pens look- with their ecrue bodies, adorable ink-drop shaped view windows, and color coordinated caps.
The Pens
But how do the pens hold up as pens, rather than just desk candy? Let's take a look and find out!
Jetpens only carries the Fude-Makase pens in Extra Fine, a size I really don't use often, but I knew that when I ordered these. Having a good extra fine is handy for small details that you don't want to pull the tech pens out for. My black pen arrived with ink already in the view window, which is worrying, as that tends to be a sign to me that the pen is about to run out, or that air pressure has affected the ink. This happens a lot when I fly, and I blame sending the package across the country rather than Jetpens or Pilot.
The colors available for the Fude-Makase are nice, and fairly true to the pen cap, albeit a bit lighter than promised.
The Field Test
The Fude-Makase Extra Fine is indeed that, extra fine. Just look at that little nib! It's a bit soft, which can turn mushy fast if you're heavy handed like I am or if you're trying to force your Extra Fine to pull juicy lines without a bigger pen for backup. I personally found this pen so fine that it was difficult to ink with, but if you're lighthanded and looking for a good fude pen, the Makase is a strong choice.
As with the Pentel Touch pens, the nonphoto blue affects the color the pen puts down. The pink is much less blue without the non photo blue, but with the npb, it's almost purple. This is just something to keep in mind, depending on how you plan on using these pens.
Fortunately, the non photo blue doesn't seem to clog up these pens as it did with the Foray Stylemark pens, although I do worry that with lighter colors, the non photo blue may stain the nibs if you don't remove all the non photo blue from the nib.
And unfortunately, there's a bit of smudging if you ink with Fude-Makase over non waterproof black ink, even if you wait 24 hours between inking.
The Verdict
If you want a lot of color, but you don't want an extra fine nib, I high recommend the Pentel Touch fude pens I reviewed not so long ago. If you are looking for a finer nib fude pen, I think the Fude-Makase are a fine choice, and I had one in my own pencil case until it exploded on the plane ride back from TCAF. These are not the pens to pick if you have large areas to fill, or if you can't pull back on being heavy handed, nor if you're looking for one fude pen to rule them all.
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