Review: Hapila! Scissors Cleaner Pen

 One of my biggest pet peeves is to use dirty scissors. So you can imagine my dismay when the only pair in my pencil case gets dirty. Cleaning it with napkins used to be an option but it doesnt quite work if the scisssors gets sticky. 

Well here's a solution!

Hapila! Scissors Cleaner Pen

According to the writeup on the back of the packaging, it not only removes dirt from scissors, but also makes them slippery, and also has antifouling properties.

This is how it looks like within the packaging. There appears to be a fair amount of cleaning solution in the pen too.

Here is how to use it.

1. Clean the scissors with a dry cloth to remove dust.
2. Apply the liquid from the pen to the surface.
3. Rub clean with a dry cloth.

It works really well! The stains are gone and the scissors now has a glossy finish making it harder for future stains to adhere.

I had thought about replacing these scissors but it looks like i will not have to! Definitely a must have in one's pen case!

What do you think?

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Review: Pentel Fudehajime, Brush pen for beginners

 

My brush calligraphy skills are still very lacking but I do enjoy buying different brush pens. 

The Fudehajime from Pentel is specifically for beginners. 

I picked up the pen in black and pale black ink colours. 

Pale black is almost grey, it has a watercolour like quality to it whilst the black is very pigmented.

The ink is also quick drying and it is recommend that you use paper for inkjet printers. 

I thought that was great as not everyone will have special calligraphy paper and so the pen can be used by anyone.

As a bonus, the pen cap works great as a pen rest. 

What makes the Fudehajime a beginner pen?

The length of the brush is the best for beginner level users.

A longer brush is for intermediate to pro level calligraphists.

It is also harder than a regular calligraphy brush pen, which means better control.  

As mentioned previously, the pale black ink is watercolour like.

It's not my favourite unfortunately. 

The pen itself is really easy to use, the brush is not too soft, not too hard and easy to control, which I really appreciated. 

The black ink is really nice on paper, I definitely prefer this to the pale black. 

The pen designs are also really pretty, they are based on traditional Japanese art.

Overall, if you're looking into getting into brush pens/calligraphy, this will be a good pen to pick up. 

Fudehajime, Fude means brush, hajime means first/beginning and it really lives up to it's name. 

What do you think? Would you try this out? 

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Review: Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen 10 Color set

 I loveeeeeeee brush sign pens. But it is usually only available in just black ink [or red at most]. So when I found out Tombow Fudenosuke pens were available in a 10 color pack, I snapped it up immediately!

Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen 10 Color Set

Each pen is single ended with a hard elastomer tip.

The pens feature everything the standard Fudenosuke pen is famous for ; 

• long lasting pen nib that is good for lettering and drawing
• water resistant ink [after drying]
• water based ink
• fade resistant

Here are the swatches!

Identical looking when compared to the usual fudenosuke brush pen [the pen caps are colored to reflect the ink color]

If you are a fan of the standard brush pen, you definitely need to check out the other colors!

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Review: Nakatoshi Metallic Color Brush Pen

Details: 

Brush Size: 2mm
Size of Each Pen: 8 x 8 x 164mm
Ink Type: Water based 
Number of colors available : 6

The brush is quite fine and not super flexible.

Swatches below

The pen writes smoothly and the shape of the pen ensures it does not roll away when placed on the table. Slender in width, they are easy to hold even for those with small hands. Ink colors are extremely pigmented, show up very clearly and there is no distinctive smell present.

Have you tried these pens? What do you think of them?

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Review : BIC Intensity Aqueous Dual Tip Marker

 

I'm always interested in trying new brush pens so when DAISO started carrying these, I knew I had to buy them ^^

BIC Intensity Aqueous Dual Tip Marker

There are 12 colors in all [according to the website] and I picked 3 of them up to try!

Reminiscent of the tombow dual tip markets, one end has a brush nib and the other is a 0.7mm felt tip pen.

Swatches for BLACK, BROWN and PEACH

Since the brand promises vivid intense color, I've decided to match it up against some of my go-to brush pens. 

To be fair, only the black ink pens will be compared.

As you can see from the swatches above, the BIC intensity marker is indeed one of the darkest black inks. (Surpassed only by the Copic Multiliner Brush Pen)

Not only is the color vivid, it writes just as smoothly as the more costly brush pens. I highly recommend trying these out if you find them!

What do you think? Have you tried them out?

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Review: Midori Color Pens for Paintable Stamp

This is part 2 of the Midori paintable stamp review. 

The pens come in 2 different sets, relaxing feel (left in the below picture) and positive feel. 

Each set has 6 colours/pens, the colours are really nice I feel.

The pens have dual tips, which is common for a lot of brush pens. 

One side is a brush tip for colouring, the other is a fine point pen for writing. 

The colours for the relaxing set are aptly named. 

Cool pastels of blues, greens, greys, they're very pretty. 

The only colour that stood out for me is the magenta, it comes out more neon than pastel, which was unexpected. 

Good for a pop of colour, but I would've preferred a pastel colour. 

The positive set has more warm colours of green, brown and yellow. 

Unfortunately, this set also suffers from the same issue I had with the relaxing set, the mandarin orange is more neon than pastel.

It feels like the pen came from another set, this does affect the overall cohesiveness of the pen set. 

From left: Midori paintable stamp, Versacraft, Versafine, Stazon, Shachihata forcoat.

I used the brush pens on different stamp inks. 

Obviously it worked best on the Midori paintable stamp. 

There was a little bit of smudging with the Versacraft and Versafine, which is to be expected as they are water based inks. 

The pens worked well on the Stazon (solvent based ink) and Shachihata (oil based ink)

In conclusion, if you're looking to pair the paintable stamps with some colour, the color pens are a must have. Use them with other similar oil based inks for the best result. 

It's a pity about the random neon colours but I do like the pastel pens and I can see myself using them a bit. 

What do you think about the colour pens? 

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Review: Daiso Korea Calligraphy Practise Set

Here at TN5C, we are huge fans of DAISO. So much so, we specially sought out a store during our last trip to Seoul! In case you did not know, unlike many DAISOs outside of Japan which carry about 70% of the same inventory, the one in Korea has almost completely different stock exclusive to them (Think about 70% of their stock). 

Today we will talk about their calligraphy practise set!

Contents include, a plastic guide, word examples, paper and a brush pen. Great value for your 1000won [Approx 1usd]

To practise, you stack the semi translucent paper atop the example words and trace them as best as you can. It helps one grasp the sizing and characters without having to memorize them which in turn might distract you from concentrating on your handwriting. The plastic guide holds the paper stack in place making it secure as you write.

Have you tried this?

What methods have you used to practice calligraphy?

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Review: MUNHWA XENO brush pens

You can buy stationery anywhere and this was one of those things I picked up randomly at a supermarket in Korea but it worked out so well I went back and bought another set the next day!

Munhwa XENO brush pens 

Price: 3000won (Approx 3usd)

There are two pens in the set, one is thick and the other medium. 

Ink flow is almost too quick so one must be careful and use thick paper to prevent ink seeping through. However it is very smooth to write or draw with. 

When dried, it holds up against alcohol markers quite well. There is still some ink dispersal but its still mostly acceptable. However you must wait for the ink to dry and that can take some time.

Have you tried these pens?

What do you think of them?

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Review: Monami Color Twin Brush

Monami is a Korean stationery company, they make pens, artist supplies and office supplies.

I've reviewed their live color DIY pens previously and loved them so when I saw these brush pens, I had to pick them up, it certainly helped that they were on sale too. 

There are 3 sets to choose from, each with an array of beautiful colours. 

First, each pen has brushes on both ends, which is different from most brush pens, which has a brush on one end and a fine tip marker on the other.  

The end with the pen's colour indicated has the bigger brush and the other end is a smaller brush. 

Initial impressions are that the brushes are quite pliable, even more so than the Tombow brush pen. 

The colours are very pigmented, bright and they flow easily. 

The 'Sea' set has 4 blue, 1 blue green and 1 grey. 

The 'Flower' set has 1 yellow, 1 orange, 1 beige, 2 pinks and 1 red. 

The 'Forest' set has 3 greens,  1 teal, 1 brown and 1 black. 

I found the brushes to be too soft for my liking but that's a personal choice. 

These pens would be great for colouring and projects that require pigmented pens.

Overall, a great set to pick up if you see it and need some more colours to use, not totally unique but still great! 

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Review: Staedtler Double Ended Lettering Pens

We sure do love our pens, especially when they go on sale! 

I picked up this set last year and they've sat unused so I decided to put them to the test.

This set is 12 colours and they are double ended. 

One end is a brush pen, the other is a simple felt tip.

True to Staedtler's reputation, the pens are great for beginners and easy to use. 

The brush is pliable but firm enough for people starting out with a brush pen and the colours are rich and pigmented. 

I especially like the Magenta colour, isn't it striking.  

The felt tips are basic but usable and complement the brush tips well. 

If I had one criticism, it would be that the construction of the pen is not the best. The plastic is slightly frayed in places and there appears to be glue residue in some places. 

Overall, it is a great first set for someone wanted a brush lettering pen but not wanting to invest in say the Tombow brush pens. 

If you see this on sale, snap it up! 

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Review: Daiso Korea Calligraphy Pens

We really enjoy reviewing Daiso Japan stationery, they've always got a great selection of items for a great price. 

But did you know Daiso Korea is slightly different from Daiso Japan?

They carry a similar range but with variations. They also have their own specific to Daiso Korea product lines and the prices are not fixed though it is within a reasonable range. 

We went to Seoul recently and picked up a lot of cool stationery so there might a few posts like this. 

What did I pick up? Calligraphy pens. 

It comes in 3 different sets of varying colours and the pens are dual tip. One side is a 3mm brush pen, the other is a 2.2mm flat tip marker. 

Each pen has a 'whiteman' brand and states that it is archival quality, water based, odorless and xylene free. 

It is also made in Korea and each set costs 2000won which is roughly USD1.80, a really good price for 4 pens I have to say. 

The first set includes a black, a blue, a red and a green. Colours that remind you on a typical school or office environment. 

The second set includes a bright green, bright orange, bright yellow that is almost highlighter-like and a bright pink. A very summery neon set. 

The final set consists of a light blue, a purple, a muted orange and a muted pink. 

Out of the 3 sets, this is my favourite. I feel the colours are more unique, the muted orange really speaks to me. 

In terms of use, the brush is shorter than a Tombow brush pen but just as flexible. 

I'm no lettering specialist but I could create the same type of lettering as I would with a Tombow brush pen. Which would make this a good choice for a beginner but don't quote me on that. 

The flat tip is not something I'm used to but I found it easy to use as well. 

The ink runs thru the pen well and the colour is sharp and beautiful. 

It is indeed odorless as stated as well. 

Overall, the pens are great value for money. If you're into brush pens, I recommend you pick these up if you're near a Daiso in Korea! 

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