Ohto Dude Fountain Pen - Fine Nib - Silver Body

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.

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.

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.