Customer Reviews

Wow! What a great pen!

After taking baby steps in the fountain pen realm (Preppy, Petit1, Sailor Ink Bar, etc.) I decided to go after a more substantial model that I could try out a converter with. I went with the Dude over a Lamy because I liked that this pen was metal and looked a bit more fancy than a Lamy.

I have not been disappointed at all! To demonstrate my new pen and converter to my coworker, I filled it lickety-split right at my desk with no issues (it was my first time EVER using a converter) and the pen wrote beautifully right away. I have likewise been drawing and writing with it for several days and have had absolutely zero problems with ink flow. Since I am using a converter, I am also not worried about using up my ink reserves in cartridges because I know I have a whole bottle of ink at my disposal that I can fill whenever I want! (I am using Diamine ink for my initial converter go around.)

The metal body is definitely more weighty than any of the other plastic fountain pens I own and have tried, but I LIKE that. The pen feels solid and even better, it feels and looks way more expensive than it is.

As the other reviewer noticed, the cap IS very difficult at first to pull off. I have however, gotten a bit used to it and feel comforted by the effort it takes. I know that the cap won't pop off in my bag or pen case.

For the first reviewer of this pen - I suspect that you have not actually engaged your cartridge with the nib. You have to physically push the cartridge onto the mechanism to get the ink to flow. Take one of the cartridges and PUSH it into the feed and you will feel it puncture. Twist it slightly to be sure it's attached firmly and you should soon be able to write.

Most pens that use a short cartridge do so to enable you to carry an extra cartridge inside the body of your pen in case the one you are using runs out. That's why they are both rattling about inside your pen: neither of them is actually in use.

The pen is beautiful. It's a good size and has nice weight. I think it writes nicely, very smooth. My only complaint is the pen cap is extremely hard to put on and take off. It makes me nervous having to yank the cap off when I'd like to use the pen and then force it back on when I am finished.

Very nice pen. I am somewhat new to this whole fountain pen thing. This pen is very nice in design, the color is beautiful and kind of glossy. I ordered a Kaeweco (sorry for the spelling) ink cartridge set and noticed it is identical to the two ink cartridges that came with the pen. Very nice that the pen came with two ink cartridges! That is a plus! Definitely a nice pen for anyone. Comfortable to write with too. Ink flows out nicely. Yes the cap is a bit tough to get on and off, but it's nice to know that it stays on securely and I don't have to worry about ink spills in my purse or anything.

Save your money ...!!!! This pen is terrible, can't hold a solid line, skips, scratches...... I have an array of fountain pens and I never use this one because it writes so poorly.... Go with a Lamy Safari, same price or cheaper and the Safari buries this pen... I liked the color and design, but don't expect to do much else with this pen...

The pen looks really cool and is comfortable to hold--either posted or unposted. Unfortunately, it does not write very well. The nib is very scratchy and skips. If I press firmly enough to prevent the pen from skipping, it becomes uncomfortable to write with for more than a few moments.

I have been trying to use this pen for the past few weeks. I found the nib was very scratchy. The first time I posted the cap and took the cap off the back of the pen, it scratched the purple off the pen so now it has scratches all over it! It's not an expensive pen but the $ for a chipped pen and a scratchy nib, not great. BTW I love the free shipping JetPens offer! I will be ordering more fountain pens from them.

I feel completely dumb! How in the world do you get the ink cartridge to engage with the nib? The 2 cartridges keep rattling around in the pen, and even when screwed in all the way do not make contact with the nib part to pierce the cratridge and get the ink flowing. Am I missing something???

I received my Ohto Dude Fountain Pen (fine nib) about a week ago. It comes with two ink cartridges in the body of the pen - very nice. Right from the start, I found the pen easy to use with no trouble setting up. As I began to write, I noticed the smoothness of the pen and how effortlessly it glides on the paper. The ink flow was a bit heavier (for a fine nib) than I expected, but consistent in its delivery. It never skipped, and I found the shading rather attractive. The ink goes on very wet (left handers beware), but dries in about 15 seconds... write on!! Overall a very nice pen... and the price makes it easily a top pick for starters (like me).

The pen writes fine both posted and unposted - no balance issues that I could detect. The only thing is that the pen is a bit longer than most when posted... more sensitive writers may notice the difference. Additionally, the "rattling" of the extra ink cartridge stored in the body is noticeable. But seriously, who rattles their pen so much that it becomes annoying? The cap is secure... REALLY secure, and takes a little more effort to take off. Good thing I work out!

As the name implies, it's a DUDE pen. This means it will have some quirks, and some facets that get on your nerves. It doesn't respond well to nagging... hahaha - j/k. But it's a pen that is a must-have in your rotation. When the need arises, it won't let you down.

I returned two Ohto Dude fountain pens. Both of them have nib problems. Their lines are as thick as those of medium nibs. My second nib is scratchy. I don't think they have a good quality of nibs. Although they have a beautiful appearance, I will never buy any Ohto fountain pens.

Great heavy pen, looks great. Cap is very very tight, put it through the wash on accident and no ink leaked out. Pen works best with waterman ink cartridges. The Ohto cartridges write very poorly, especially on thin paper.

: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.