Tombow Mono Drawing Pen Review

Tombow has been in the art pen market for some time, and are especially well known for their series of brush pens. The popularity of the brand would lead you to think they would offer a standard drawing pen as part of their lineup before now, but it took until earlier this year for the Tombow Mono Drawing Pen to hit the market.

I got an early look at the 01, 03, and 05 tip size set from JetPens (they will be on the site soon - I’ll update the link when), and they are as good as you would expect from a company like Tombow. If you enjoy drawing pens and are a Tombow fan, I can recommend these to you wholeheartedly. If you are looking for your first drawing pen, read on to find out how they stack up against the competition.

Since I mostly write with this type of pen, I lean towards the middle of the spectrum on tip size. 01 is very fine, and limited to specific use cases unless you want to wreck the tip within minutes of opening the package. 05 leaves a fantastic, rich line, but is almost marker-sized. Too wide for me, but works well for coloring and filling in. 03 is the sweet spot, giving me a fine, clean written line, and works well for my quick sketches. It’s just the right width to show detail and remain legible.

It’s inevitable that the Tombow Mono Drawing Pen will be compared to the Sakura Pigma Micron and Staedtler Pigment Liner, the two top pens in this market. And that is before you get to my personal favorite, the Kuretake Zig Mangaka. The Tombow Mono Drawing Pen is not at that level in my book.

That’s not a knock on the Tombow, but rather a commentary on how good the other three pens are. This is a tough market to break into, and Tombow did a nice job. The are firmly in the second tier with other solid choices like the Uni Pin, Stabilo Point 88, and Pilot Drawing Pen, which it looks very similar to in fact. I’ve left out another half-dozen pens in this group as well.

In my short time using them, the Tombow feels softer than the Micron, making me wonder if it will hold up as well. It’s close, but you can tell a difference. The black ink is dark, closer to the pitch black of the Staedtler than the slightly less dark Micron.

As I mentioned earlier, if you are in the Tombow camp for brush pens and other similar pens, then you will like these a lot. If you are agnostic and just want a great example of a drawing pen, then you should check out one or more of the other pens I mentioned.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

---

Deleter Neopiko Line 3 Drawing Pen Review

Deleter is known as one of the premier Japanese manga supply brands, releasing various sets of pens, markers, and paper for those interested in manga artwork, and comic art in general. I’ve used their products in the past, and Brian Draghi reviewed the Neopiko Line 2 for The Pen Addict when it was imported by JetPens in 2012.

The Line 2 is a good pen, but not a great one when compared to its peers in the drawing pen market. I found the tip to be a little soft and the price a bit high compared to pens like the Sakura Pigma Micron but it was something different, was kind of cool, and worth having one laying around for a switch up from time to time.

Because of that, I was happy to grab the Deleter Neopiko Line 3 when it landed at JetPens and try it out. The barrel looked nice and the price was even less than the previous model, but I discovered something strange when I uncapped it the first time. This pen is a Deleter in paint job only. The pen itself is the Kuretake Zig Cartoonist Mangaka Outline Pen, also known as my number 1 plastic tip pen.

White label production is not a new thing. Many companies across many industries use this type of manufacturing for various reasons, primarily to increase the bottom line. There is no issue with this, and it is actually a benefit to the consumer in many cases, allowing them to buy a similar quality product for less than the original marketed and advertised product. Unfortunately for Deleter, that’s not what happened here.

(Note: I'm making an assumption that Kuretake is the one making the pen for Deleter. Could it be the other way around? Yes, but I think that is very unlikely.)

I didn’t catch it from the exterior design at first, but the second I opened the pen and before I even wrote with it I said wait a minute, this looks familiar. I grabbed the Kuretake Zig from my desk, uncapped it, and set it next to the Line 3 and I was right. It is the exact same pen. Literally.

That’s good I thought, because the Kuretake is a great pen. My next thought was to compare the price. The Deleter should be cheaper, or at least the same price, right? Nope. It’s 50% more from JetPens than the Kuretake, and comes in fewer options. Bummer.

If you are a Deleter fan and swear by their products this shouldn’t sway you from paying more for the same pen. I pay more for Copics because I like them and their style even though they are overpriced compared to the competition. But just know what you are getting with Deleter. If you want an awesome drawing pen, save over a dollar per unit, and have more choice, then buy the Kuretake Zig Cartoonist and don’t look back.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Shachihata Artline Blox Pen Review

Sometimes a pen is more than a pen. The Shachihata Artline Blox is of course a pen, first and foremost, but with the addition of Lego-style attachments to the barrel, this pen is a great desk toy as well.

I'm a fidgeter by nature, and sometimes that doesn't bode well for the pens around me. Constant knock clicking, twirling, tapping are all things I do frequently, especially when stuck on a call at work. The Artline Blox lets me attach the pen bodies and caps together for even more mindless fun! The only catch is you need more than one to really build up the pen connections.

When it comes time to stop playing and start writing, the Blox does an excellent job as well. The felt tip reminds me of the Stabilo Point 88 in line width and colors, although you will pay more than twice as much for the Artline. Is it worth it? From a purely writing perspective, no. From a fun perspective? You be the judge.

I grabbed the black, orange, and light blue models from JetPens and have enjoyed them laying around the desk. Even if I am using other pens, the Blox hang out nearby for me to play around with. I may have to add a few more colors to the mix so I can complete a six pen circle of life!

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)