Tombow 56621 Dual Brush Pen, N15 Black, 1-Pack - Blendable, Brush and Fine Tip Marker Review (2026)

A refill pen, not a starter set

This listing is for a single Tombow 56621 pen in N15 black, sold on its own rather than as part of a multi-color set. That makes it most useful for people who already own a larger Tombow Dual Brush Pen collection and have worn out or run low on their black, since black tends to be the most used shade in any lettering or journaling set. Buyers looking for a first calligraphy or brush lettering pen would generally get more value from one of Tombow's multi-pen sets, which include a spread of colors alongside black rather than a single shade purchased alone, saving a solo pen purchase for later once a specific color needs replacing.

Two tips in one pen

The pen has a flexible nylon fiber brush tip on one end for brush lettering, capable of thin upstrokes and thick downstrokes depending on pressure, and a firmer fine bullet tip on the other end for consistent fine lines, sketching or note-taking. Having both tips in a single barrel means one pen covers both lettering headlines and finer detail work like underlines or small text, without needing to carry a separate fine liner alongside a brush pen. This dual-tip design is one of the defining features of the Tombow Dual Brush line and is consistent across every color in the range.

Ink that blends across the line

Tombow's Dual Brush ink is water-based, blendable, acid-free and described as fast drying, and it is formulated to blend with other pens in the same Dual Brush lineup, letting letterers mix colors together on the tip or blend edges where two colors meet on the page. Because this is a water-based ink, it also works well with a water brush for softening edges or creating light washes, a common technique in brush lettering and hand-drawn illustration. The ink dries quickly enough to reduce smudging during normal use, though heavy layering can still take a little longer to fully set on the page.

Where the brush tip is less ideal

The nylon brush tip on this pen is sized for medium to large lettering, so it is not the best match for very small or tightly spaced lettering, where a smaller brush tip pen would give more control over fine strokes. Letterers working on compact journal pages or small greeting cards may find the brush tip too broad for delicate detail, even though it remains flexible enough for varied line weight at larger sizes. This is a characteristic of the whole Dual Brush Pen line rather than something specific to the black shade, so it applies to any color in the series used for small-scale work.

Who should buy just the black

This single pen makes sense as a replacement purchase for someone who already has other colors in the Tombow Dual Brush Pen line and specifically needs to top up black, which typically gets used up faster than other shades in headline lettering and outlining. It is a reasonable way to avoid buying a full set again just for one color. Anyone starting from scratch with brush lettering, however, will usually get better value and more creative range from a multi-color Tombow set that already includes a black pen alongside a useful spread of other shades, saving the single-pen purchase for a later restock once a favorite color runs low.

Frequently asked questions