Ohto Dude Fountain Pen - Fine Nib - Blue Body

:UPDATE:

It's been a while and I've been using this pen to write pages upon pages of notes! The pen flows a lot of ink and so far it's been great with keeping up with my fast, chicken scratch writing. Hahaha I've had to refill my converter every weekend!

Don't forget about the ink you use! I made a HUGE mistake with my other pens by using artists' ink. Also, I learned about priming, which is basically to get the ink flowing on the nib manually before getting the rest to flow with natural cohesion (this didn't affect me, since I used a converter). Ack, me and my lack of knowledge on pens!

Although I gave this pen an overall 5 stars because of its final performance and design, I'd say that my initial experience was mixed. But that was my own fault.

The pen wrote right out of the package quite smoothly with the two cartridges it came with. However, the cartridges were a weaker black ink (like the black in Pilot Frixion pens), so I got the Monteverde Fountain Pen Converter (not the mini one!) to use with my own ink. After I filled it up with ink, the pen began to skip constantly and stop writing after leaving it alone (capped) for a few minutes. I had to use pressure and writing became uncomfortable with it.

I've read some other reviews that claim to have this same issue. Although my experience may not be the same as theirs, I found out that I was filling up my converter the wrong way (for the right way, check out JetPen's super helpful article http://www.jetpens.com/articles/Article:_How_to_Use_a_Fountain_Pen_Converter) and after I did it correctly, my pen was writing like before: super-smooth, no skipping, lots of ink flow and continuous writing after leaving it alone without having to tap the pen or shake it! The converter looks very fancy and stays secure without leaking.

This pen is a dream! The nib is engraved with "iridium point" and looks beautiful. The metal body is blue, not painted blue (so the blue won't wear off), although the "Dude" printed on the cap is painted on, so it will fade more quickly. The pen is relatively heavy, but my personal preference likes heavier pens. Although I expected the grip to be rubber, it was plastic. Small disappointment, but it still functioned well as a grip. The clip is REALLY tight, but not to the point it's impossible to clip anything, and the cap clicks on very firmly and securely.

The cap, when put on the other end, does not click on, but it stays there without moving until you take it back off. I'm a little concerned with the lack of a clicking mechanism, as this will wear out the barrel end. I will have to say that this "fine" point was a little ink thirsty, and thus, it wrote more like a medium point than a fine. Still, it was a nice writing experience.

Now get it. This pen is stylish and great to write with.

Great pen for the price. I put in a cartridge and in a couple of shakes the pen was writing, I didn't even have to rinse the pen, it wrote right out of the package. Good deal, nice shape, good size pen, will be an everyday carry around everywhere pen for me.