If you’ve been around the bullet journal for any amount of time, you have probably heard of the Tombow dual brush pens. They are the gold standard for creators in the bujo community but can be a bit pricey. Are there any alternatives out there that might be a bit more affordable?
Yes, you can find alternatives to Tombow dual brush pens!
They may not be quite as nice but they make a decent alternative. I compared the Arteza dual-tip brush pens to Tombow. Both are water-based markers with a brush tip and a bullet point tip.
I chose colors from both that closely matched to compare. Tombows have a much larger selection of colors than Arteza, which is excellent if you want all the slight nuances in colors. Arteza has the basic colors you need and most people could get by with only the Arteza colors.
For the test, I used Arteza A501 and A102. From Tombow, I chose 452 and 055. The blue Arteza is a bit lighter in color but very similar to Tombow. The yellows appear to be an almost exact match.
The Tombow brush is a little bit longer than the Arteza. You can kind of tell when you write because it is a little smoother. In comparison, the bullet tip on the Arteza looks to be slightly more fine than Tombow.
My biggest issue with the Arteza markers is when I go to erase pencil marks it can start to pill or pull the paper up. You need to use a plastic eraser and very lightly remove the pencil marks. If you go with the Arteza use a soft pencil and make very light marks.
Overall, the Arteza is a decent alternative to the Tombow if you are following a budget.
What are your favorite budget planning supplies? What else would you like to see compared? Drop your thoughts in the comments!
Watch the video version here.