Black Forest Fountain Pen

Received this stainless steel version of the Black Forest model to accompany three others, in black, brass, and blue. All have worked perfectly out of the box and at first loading with ink. The pen itself is weighted enough to be aware of in your hand, but doesn't feel heavy. It balances nicely with or without the cap posted. Every nib has been surprisingly smooth. This model is simple but nice looking, and suitable for business or professional use. The four I own have slightly textured finshes which make the pen easily grippable and resistant to smudges. For the price it is outstanding for everything a fountain pen should be.

This Pen is Beautiful! It feels cool, comfortable and well balanced in the hand. Whether writing with high pressure or low, writing fast or slow, the ink flows evenly and so smooth is the feel while writing, even on common notebook paper. Although this pen isn't heavy, it has a bit of weight that shows it's of very good quality. The color is vibrant and even, the look is elegant, to write with, it is truly fun. The slender body of this pen makes it easy to hold and puts minimal stress on my hand, even after writing for over 2 hours. When the cap comes off after writing, it makes a fun popping sound and each time the cap is replaced after writing, it has a snappy click every time. The bottled ink and cartridges which are purchased separately were very inexpensive. This pen has given back the joy of writing to me! It feels like the quality meant for a King with the price that's affordable for a Pauper!

For a $17 fountain pen I didn't expect much, but was pleasantly surprised. The pen I received writes smoothly, the ink fits securely, filling is a breeze, and I love the black nib. It appears the compromises that were made to make this so affordable didn't impact the core function of the pen. It appears corners were cut on the finish. The color isn't resilient, but I don't mind the bronze/copper color of the metal showing through the black, it actually looks good IMO. If I had to say there's anything wrong with it, it would be when posting the cap, it becomes quite back heavy. However that's not really fair because a lot of fountain pens don't post, or don't post without damaging the finish, and the majority of the ones that do are not balanced when posting the cap, so the fact this pen can post the cap well is already better than most of the pens on the market.

I ended up coming back and editing this review after having the pen for a few more months. I don't have a lot more to say than what has already been said: generally, this is a really nice fountain pen for a very reasonable price. It feels nice in the hand and has a sleek, modern look. The nibs are generally and overall pretty incredible given the cost. While the difference between an EF and an M is not as substantial as in other brands, all of my nibs so far have written very smoothly. The fude and architect options are nice bonus options-- the fude/bent nib is an especially great example of the type. I have three big gripes that depress the rating for me, with the second two being the bigger offenses. The first is simply that 3.4mm is not a very common bore size. This really limits what cartridges can be used, for those who prefer to use them. Given that it comes with a converter, there are plenty of other pens with proprietary cartridge sizes, and that I use bottled ink most of the time, this is only a minor inconvenience... but one still worth nothing. It could certainly be a frustration for someone new to fountain pens or someone who does not want to use bottled ink. Second is that the pen feels unbalanced when posted. I didn't really notice how much until I tried using it for longer writing sessions. It's actually quite disruptive and uncomfortable for me when trying to write for anything longer than 10-15 mins at a stretch. Ultimately, this isn't a big surprise for a metal pen, and it's a little long when posted anyway. I still think it's nice to have the option for posting a pen with these kinds of aesthetics. It's just a bit of a shame it's not a little more balanced that way. Lastly, the biggest drawback is that the seal is pretty iffy on some caps. It's not a constant problem but I have experienced some lightning fast drying out of nibs, or even evaporation of ink from the converter. If this were a truky big and recurring issue I'd be giving this a lot less than four stars, but it's definitely worth noting. There were a few times it took a lot of effort to get the ink flowing again after the pen sat unused for just a few days. For whatever reason, this was largely eliminated after a nib switch for that pen, so I guess it's not solely a bad cap seal problem... just something to be aware of. I would say this is a pretty great *early* pen for someone just getting into the hobby and who is prepared to deal with some idiosyncrasies, but I think there are much better choices for first-ever fountain pens out there. Overall, though, I'd still recommend this pen pretty highly. It's a great pen for the price despite its quirks. I don't buy duplicate pens super often but I still have three of these. It's also a bonus that the nibs are interchangeable with some other great Hong Dian pens like the M2 pocket pen. 4/5 stars.

I have used fountain pens for about 45 years and have been very happy with my Black Forest pens. I have two that I carry with me and one that stays at my writing desk. I have had fountain pens made by Pilot, Parker, Scheaffer, and several other brands over the years and honestly can't remember any I like as well as this pen even though many were significantly more expensive and supposedly high quality. The Black forest pen has a comfortable weight and is made of a durable metal that is textured and does not feel slick. The nib produces a crisp, clean line with a steady ink flow. I have used Hong Dian ink in cartridges and the included converter and find it to be a quality ink. I use my pens daily and have never had a nib wear out from use but, as with any pen, they can get damaged if dropped. That brings me to my only gripe. which is not with the pen itself but with the availability of replacement nibs, which adds an unnecessary expense. The nibs are only sold in packs that have a combination of sizes and types. You cannot simply buy the one nib you need or even a pack with multiples of the same nib. I prefer the extra fine nib and have had to order replacements twice because I dropped a pen and damaged the nib. Because of the way they are sold I had to spend extra money for nibs that sit in my desk drawer and am not likely to ever use.

Initially, I bought the knife blade by mistake which I figured is not for every day writing and then I switched to the extra fine tip and I’m loving it the influence consistently smooth. I have a complete black with looks awesome. The built quality is pretty good. Drying time is quick. Nib looks strong and well-built. It is a good grip and fit to Wright looks sleek and posh. I also bought the ink from the same brand and color selection is too good.

I bought the extra fine (0.38) tip and the linewidth is as advertised. Pen has a nice feel to me: weighty, comfortable diameter and I like the textured grip. Refill unit is installed, but I prefer the cartridges. Refill unit was installed securely, but proved not a chore to remove and cartridge installed easily. I have gone through a lot of pens, some of them 3x as expensive as this one and none of them were as well made as this one. Nice work.

It was a decent pen, I got it and my father bought me the replacement nibs. Upon attempting to turn the nib counterclockwise to change it out, it was near impossible to do by hand. Upon finally getting the nib to turn and come out, instead of unscrewing, the feed and nib separated from the part you screw in, as if it just outright refuses to come out as suggested. (So, the replacement nibs will not fit because a piece of the first one was still lodged in the nib housing part) I was easily able to put them back in and get it working again, so no fuss no muss, but I really would have liked to be able to use those, that was my biggest gripe. This is easily the most popular pen of this brand and I would like if it said "NIB NOT REPLACEABLE" if that was the case. If it is supposed to be replaceable, I'm not happy about that. I'm also not a fan of the washing. If you do not flush this pen every other day, it WILL cease to work properly until you do, after a bit of time. It can be very prone to skipping after extended periods, which is fine for writing, but as an artist getting into fountain pens, it can be incredibly frustrating to stop drawing, get up, unclog the pen, sit down, and then have to do it again roughly an hour later. I also seem to have bad luck with not scraping up debris from the paper, although that is likely a result of the cotton-heavy paper I use and not the pen itself. The inks I use are speedball and rotring so I know that's not the issue. I love the easiness of the screw-style feed, I think that system should be standard across all fountain pens. you should have a little napkin ready but usually it shouldn't drip if clean. Never used cartridges, maybe it's better, IDK. The metal frame is durable and reliable, no need to worry about cracking or snapping this thing. If the cap is on, you could probably run it over with a car and still use it. Overall, I did have fun learning about how fountain pens work, and it gets the job done. (With some work.) If you want to try fountain pens to see if you like or dislike them and whether or not you can put up with maintaining them, I would recommend this pen for that purpose. If you want a workhorse pen or are an illustrator, I suggest investing a bit more for something hardier. It's a good enough working pen for a bargain price. Nothing more, nothing less.

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This pen is excellent. I got the Extra Fine Matte Black version, and ive only had it for a day or so.... So i dont know how itll hold up in a week, month, year etc, but it feels solid. I have it inked up with Diamine OxBlood and it writes very smooth. Ive seen others say that it can be scratchy, so i don't know if i got lucky or they got unlucky. But from my experience it is smooth. Smoother then some pens that cost many times more. The cap has a soft cushioned close followed by a nice sharp click. The cap also posts very nicely. It sits flush against the body at the top, though i don't like to use my pens posted. This pen is lovely either way. The only gripe i have with the pen is that the step between the grip and the body is a bit steep. I tend to hold my pens very low down so the small ridge that the cap clicks into it a bit noticeable but its nothing too bad. Like my Pilot Metropolitan has a larger step, but it also has a longer grip. But thats really not a deal breaker. In closing, this pen is lovely, i really recommend it. I would recommend it if it was double the price. I like this better then pens that are 4x the price. Its a nice pen.

I own much more expensive pens than this one and let me tell you, this pen is my favourite. Worth every penny and then some.

I love it. It is my favourite medium for sketching. The weight, the grip and the quality of the tips are all good

The pen body is metallic, and has a nice weight to it. Writes smoothly and the EF nib is great.