I know Ohuhu from their wide range of alcohol-based markers, but did you know they make fineliners as well? I didn’t until they reached out to me a few months ago and offered to send some my way to try out. Since I’m a fineliner junkie and not an alcohol marker user (their main product category,) I took them up on the opportunity to see how they stack up.
I received two packs of pens in the mail, the Ohuhu Fineliner Drawing Pen 8 Pack and the Ohuhu Hana Highway Fineliner Drawing Pens 18 Pack. This gives me the chance to check out various tip sizes and colors, and do a quick comparison against my favorite fineliner, the Sakura Pigma Micron.
Starting with the Drawing Pen set, this 8 pen collection covers a wide range of tip sizes from 005 (which converts to an 0.20 mm line size - all fineliner companies do this,) to 1.0 mm, and also includes a Brush pen. The ink color is Black in all of these pens, which is listed as water-resistant and sunproof, along with bleed, fade, and smear resistant. They don’t use the word “archival,” but these pens cover most bases, especially when used in conjunction with Ohuhu alcohol markers.
The barrel is a White plastic, and wider than a standard fineliner barrel. It is similar in size and shape to one of my favorites, the Kuretake Zig Mangaka. It’s comfortable to hold and use, even in the finer tip sizes.
I tested with the 03 (0.35 mm,) size since it is my favorite across all fineliners and I noticed two things immediately. One, the Black is not as Black as other fineliners, and two, the 03 line is wider than I expected. The width is something that pops up across fineliner brands, and you have to test a few to find your sweet spot. For example, the Micron 03 is my overall favorite, and I would choose the 02 in the Ohuhu to get that same feeling.
There’s almost no chance you can see the color variation in this image through your computer screen, but it was worth lining these pens up together on the same page to see the differences. Line 1 is the Ohuhu Fine Line Drawing Pen 03, Line 2 is the Sakura Pigma Micron 03, and Line 3 is the Ohuhu Colored Fine Line Pen 03, all in Black ink.
The shade of Black ink is something I focus on with all fineliners. In a vacuum, the Fineliner Drawing Pen is dark enough, but I noticed it was not only lighter than the Micron, but also lighter when compared to the Black 03 fineliner found as part of the Hana Highway pack. I asked if these were different ink formulations between the packs and was told there was no difference between the two.
Jumping into the Hana Highway pack and starting with the Black set, I think I prefer them over their above counterparts. The barrel size and shape fits the traditional fineliner mold, the tips feel firmer in my short time with them. The Black ink is also darker.
As part of this set, there are 7 tip sizes - 005 to 08, and Brush - for the Black ink pens, and 11 color fineliners, all in the 05 (0.45 mm) size. The colors offer a great range, although with some variance in vibrancy and saturation. Orange and Purplish Red pop off the page, while Green and Red are more dull and flat. That’s not a bad thing, as it is nice to have a range of shades to add depth when drawing. For writing, some colors are better than others.
In my book, there is rarely a bad fineliner, only good, and better. A majority of these Ohuhu fineliners fall into the good camp, with a few - like the 01, 02, and 03 Black ink pens from the Hana Highway set - jumping into the better category. In fact, I would recommend the Hana Highway set in its entirety, even if you think you would use Black the most. For 18 pens, it’s only $16.99, while the 8-pack of Black Fineliners runs $11.99. I need to ask if the wider Black fineliner barrel has a larger ink reservoir given their size, which could play a part in the price variance.
Ohuhu fineliners have their place in the market as a lower cost, good quality marker. Can they compete with big players such as Sakura and Staedtler for someone like me who primarily writes with fineliners? I don’t think so. The added cost of those pens is noticeable in the lines on my pages. For someone who uses them in a higher volume, like with school notes or for more artistic work, I can see these being a good choice, and I think many users will enjoy them.
(Ohuhu provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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