Tombow Dual Brush Pen: Tips, Colors & Blending

One pen, two tips: a flexible nylon brush and a 0.8 mm fine tip, drawn to scale from JetPens' measurements.

Product facts

Product: Tombow Dual Brush Pen (ABT)
Brand: Tombow
Brand origin: Japan
Made in: Not stated^*
Material: Nylon fiber brush tip, polyester fine tip, water-based dye ink (Tombow)
Released: 1984^*
Price range: $under $5 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count)

Notes on these facts

Made by Tombow Pencil Co., Ltd. (Tokyo); sold in the US by Tombow USA. Country of manufacture not stated: Sources disagree. Japanese retailer Sundrug lists 原産国 (country of origin) ベトナム (Vietnam) for the Japanese 12-color Portrait set AB-T12CPO, made and sold by Tombow Pencil; Unsharpen's spec table gives Japan. Tombow's own pages don't state it, so check the pack. Source. Price: example listing. Released: Tombow Japan's ABT site and a 2020 Tombow Japan press release say it went on sale in 1984, in Japan, the US and Europe at the same time; Tombow USA's history calls it the AB-T soft lettering pen.
Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026. Conversions to US dollars are approximate, at October 2026 rates (US$1 = ¥158 = ₩1,330 = NT$32.5 = CN¥6.7 = SEK 9.9 = DKK 6.7 = ₺49.6 = C$1.41 = A$1.43; €1 = US$1.12; £1 = US$1.32; CHF 1 = US$1.21).

Key takeaways

Two tips: a flexible nylon brush and a 0.8 mm polyester fine tip, per Tombow; retailers give the brush's stroke as 0.8–3.3 mm or up to about 10 mm.
Tombow's Japanese ABT site lists the pen at 14 mm wide, 190 mm (7.5 in) long and 11 g, holding about 3 g of ink.
Tombow launched it in 1984 as the AB-T, short for Art Brush Twin, with 72 colors; new colors in 2018 took the range to 108, including a colorless blender (N00).
Tombow Japan lists a single pen at ¥330 (about US$2.10) with tax; 10-color sets made up 70% of US shipments in 2020.
Retailers disagree on where it's made: Unsharpen gives Japan, while Japanese retailer Sundrug lists Vietnam for a 12-color set.

What is the Tombow Dual Brush Pen?

It’s a double-ended marker with a flexible brush tip at one end and a 0.8 mm fine tip at the other, filled with water-based dye ink. Tombow Pencil of Tokyo makes it, and sells it worldwide as the ABT; Tombow Japan calls it a twin-type graphic marker (ツインタイプ・グラフィックマーカー).

Tombow USA’s history of the pen says it launched in 1984 as a “soft lettering pen” named AB-T, for Art Brush Twin. Tombow Japan’s 2020 press release says it went on sale in Japan, the US and Europe at the same time that year, and Japanese item codes still start with AB-T. Tombow Japan credits hand lettering for a new wave of fans from around 2009.

Tombow Dual Brush Pen specs

Spec	Value
Maker	Tombow Pencil Co., Ltd. (Japan)
Model	ABT (Japan: AB-T; black is ABT-N15)
Tips	Nylon fiber brush; 0.8 mm polyester fine tip
Line width	Fine tip 0.8 mm; brush 0.8–3.3 mm (Post CH) or up to about 10 mm (Vaessen Creative)
Ink	Water-based dye, about 3 g per pen
Colors	108, including the colorless blender N00 and 14 grays
Size	14 mm max width × 190 mm (7.5 in) long
Weight	11 g (0.4 oz)
Price in Japan	¥330 (about US$2.10) including tax, per pen
Made in	Not stated (listings disagree)

Size, weight, ink volume and tips come from Tombow Japan’s ABT site. Tombow doesn’t publish a brush line width, and retailers disagree: a Swiss Post listing gives 0.8–3.3 mm, while Vaessen Creative says the brush can reach about 10 mm with pressure. Tombow also warns that some colors may fade in sunlight or UV light.

How do the two tips differ?

The brush tip changes width with pressure, while the fine tip draws a steady line of about 0.8 mm. Press lightly for thin upstrokes and harder for thick downstrokes; that contrast is what makes brush lettering.

To-scale strokes in Process Blue: the Tombow fine tip's 0.8 mm line, and a brush stroke swelling from 0.8 mm to 3.3 mm — Fine-tip line and brush stroke at 20×, from Swiss retailer line-width figures.

Tombow Japan says it bundled springy, specially developed nylon fibers into the brush so it would behave like a real brush, and Tombow USA’s blog says the nylon nib was developed in the early 1980s to keep ink flow even. Use the fine tip for outlines, small text and details.

How do you blend Tombow Dual Brush Pens?

Because the ink is water-based, you can blend it with water, with the colorless blender, or by layering two colors. Tombow Japan describes three ways: lay a second color before the first dries (darker first), touch a dark tip to a light one, or soften the border with the blender.

For gradients, Tombow suggests scribbling color on a water-repellent surface such as a plastic file folder and picking it up with the blender or a water brush. Tombow USA notes the blender (N00) is sometimes mistaken for an empty pen; it actually holds colorless ink.

How many colors are there?

Tombow says the range launched with 72 colors in 1984 and grew to 108 when new colors were added in 2018. Tombow Japan sells all 108 at ¥330 (about US$2.10) a pen including tax, including 14 grays in warm and cool tones. Retailers usually count that as 107 colors and the blender.

Colors are numbered, such as Process Blue 452 (the color in our drawing) and black N15. In Japan, Tombow sells 12-color sets at ¥3,960 (about US$25) with tax; in the US it sells themed 10-packs, such as the Bright set (SKU 56185), which Tombow USA lists as 10 colors with no blender.

How does it compare to other markers?

Choose the Tombow for brush lettering and blending, a Pentel Sign Pen for small, firm lettering, and a Zebra Mildliner for highlighting.

	Tombow Dual Brush Pen	Pentel Sign Pen	Zebra Mildliner
Tips	Brush + 0.8 mm bullet	Fiber point	Chisel + bullet
Ink	Water-based dye	Water-based	Water-based pigment
Best for	Lettering, blending	Signing, small text	Highlighting, headers

For fine outlines next to brush lettering, the Sakura Pigma Micron is a common partner. The ABT PRO is a different Tombow model with a chisel tip. For smaller brush lettering in black, Tombow’s Fudenosuke has a much smaller, firmer brush.

Is it popular?

Yes, especially in the US: Tombow Japan’s 2020 press release says 10-color sets made up 70% of US ABT shipments. The same release says the pen is sold through North America’s largest arts-and-crafts chain and largest e-commerce site, and that Tombow then began selling the US 10-color sets in Japan as the ABT10C at ¥3,300 (about US$21) with tax.

Tombow USA marked the pen’s 40th anniversary in September 2024.

Where is the Tombow Dual Brush Pen made?

Tombow is a Tokyo company, but retailer listings disagree on where the pens are made. Japanese retailer Sundrug lists Vietnam as the country of origin for the 12-color Portrait set (AB-T12CPO), while Unsharpen gives Japan.

Tombow’s own pages don’t say, so check the pack.

How much does it cost?

In a typical US 10-pack it falls in our lowest band, $ (under $5 per pen). Tombow USA’s single pens and 10-packs both land there per pen; large sets of 96 or 108 colors cost more in total, but usually similar per pen.

Frequently asked questions

Are Tombow Dual Brush Pens water-based?

Yes. Tombow calls the ink water-based dye ink, and Tombow USA adds that it is odorless and blendable. Because it's water-based, you can blend it with a wet brush or the colorless blender pen.

How many Tombow Dual Brush Pen colors are there?

108, including the colorless blender. Tombow says the pen launched in 1984 with 72 colors and reached 108 when new colors were added in 2018; 14 of them are grays.

What is the Tombow colorless blender?

It's a Dual Brush Pen filled with colorless ink, color code N00. Tombow USA notes people sometimes mistake it for an empty pen; you use it to soften edges, blend colors and make gradients.

What is the difference between the Tombow Dual Brush Pen and the ABT PRO?

The ABT PRO is a separate Tombow model; Swiss retailer listings describe a chisel tip up to 5.5 mm and a fine tip of about 0.5 mm. The standard ABT has a nylon brush tip and a 0.8 mm polyester tip.

Do Tombow Dual Brush Pens bleed through paper?

Tombow says the ink resists feathering and bleed-through, and Tombow USA recommends smooth papers such as marker, tracing or smooth mixed-media paper. Heavy brush strokes can still soak thin paper; we haven't run our own bleed test yet.

How long is a Tombow Dual Brush Pen?

Tombow's Japanese ABT site lists it at 190 mm (7.5 in) long and 14 mm at its widest, weighing 11 g.

Where are Tombow Dual Brush Pens made?

Tombow is based in Tokyo, but retailers disagree. Japanese retailer Sundrug lists Vietnam for a 12-color set, while Unsharpen gives Japan, so check the packaging.

Is the Tombow Dual Brush Pen good for beginners in hand lettering?

Tombow first sold it as a soft lettering pen in 1984, and Tombow Japan credits hand lettering for its growth since about 2009. Its large, soft brush suits big letters; for small lettering, a smaller, firmer brush is easier to control.

Sources (16)

Plain-text version for AI agents: tombow-dual-brush-pen.md · Spotted an error? See how we check facts.