– Matte Black Forest Fountain Pen Extra Fine Nib Classic Design with Converter and Metal Box Set by Hongdian

HongDian produce some high quality, excellent value fountain pens. They're ergonomic, well balanced, they post well & have very decent nibs. Even their EF nibs usually run smoothly in my experience, producing neat EF lines which are at least equal to most Western brands. This certainly applies to the excellent Carbon Fiber Black Forest 1861 fountain pen. It's a genuine pleasure to use even over longer writing sessions. I was so impressed with it that I also bought the Silver Stainless Steel & Raw Brass 1861 editions. All three came with smooth, consistent EF nibs. An added plus for me is that the step above the grip section on these "1861" models is less pronounced than on the regular "Forest" pens in the same series. Also, the grip section on the 1861 editions has a 2mm-to-3mm larger circumference, allowing me a more comfortable grip. See photo showing three Black Forest "1861" fountain pens as stated above compared to a standard "Forest" pen on the right. - All three "1861" editions in this series come highly recommended!

I am fairly new to fountain pens, and being left-handed, was hesitant. I've tried some before, and the result was a sloppy mess. I love writing with this pen, once I learned to adapt my writing style (which involves rotating the paper 45 degrees). People invariably comment on the bright blue colour of the pen, and the attractive diamond pattern texture. I also use blue ink which makes my writing jump off the page. The weight is just right, the grip is lovely, and the fine nib suits my form. I have friends who spend hundreds of £s on fountain pens, but this is a great writing instrument for a fraction of the price. My writing has always been very sloppy, and the slower writing that a fountain pen requires (I guess until I get more practice) has dramatically improved the legibility of my handwriting. If you've ever thought of trying a fountain pen, start with this one!

Very sturdy metal body and cap. Looks impressive and writes well. Only issue is the ink cartridge has fallen into one body a couple of times when in pocket. However this only happens after significant knocking and bashing.

I know close to nothing about fountain pens, but I decided to get this for note writing and exams at Uni. The idea of buying bottles of ink and refilling appealed over the plastic throwaway gel pens I had been buying (which were fantastic in every other respect). One warning - it's a gateway drug. You may find yourself watching fountain pen reviews on YT and wondering about investing in a gold nibbed Montblanc when you graduate - something that would never have crossed your mind a month ago. You might start actually thinking about penmanship, instead of just being satisfied with barely legible chicken-scratch handwriting. It's a slippery slope, kids. Like, who knew that handmade blown glass dipping pens were a thing. I didn't need to know that, but I blame this pen for the fact that I now do. As for the pen, when the ink cartridge has ink in it, it writes smoothly and the ink flows well. I bought the Waterman ink, which seems decent. It's solid without being too heavy. There isn't much flex in the nib, but it's smooth and writes well - no blotches or smears to speak of. I expect the paper and ink has something to do with that as much as the pen. If you leave it uncapped for a few minutes without writing, the ink can take a little persuasion to start again - something which isn't a thing with disposable gel pens, but I fairly quickly got into the habbit of capping it when I wasn't writing, which is not a bad thing since I have a lot of gel pens without their caps since I forget to replace them after use and they part company. See - this pen will make you a responsible adult. As far as criticisms, the edge where the lid and body join is a little bit of a sharp edge and can get slightly uncomfortable after a long period of writing. 2 hours in exam conditions is fine. Much longer and it gets a bit sore where that part rubs against your finger.

A fabulous pen! I am so glad that I read the reviews and ordered this pen, it's perfect! I hadn't heard of the brand before and would have skimmed past, but there were so many positive reviews that I gave it a go. On a more superficial level the colour is gorgeous, it looks lovely. Not garish, but a bit different. It arrives in a silver metal tin which is useful for storage. The pen is very comfortable to hold and to write with - I have damaged hands so this is really important. The ink flows smoothly, for the first use I gave the cartridge a gentle squeeze and a shake (over scrap paper) and from then on it's been great to use. I ordered the ink cartridges from the same brand, and there are sets with mixed colours and sets with different sized nibs. As you can tell I'm delighted with it! Thanks for reading, I hope you find this review helpful.

High quality, good looking pen. Knurled metal barrel is comfortable in the hand and the ink flows smoothly to the extra fine nib, without any scratchiness. Great value.

I used to boast how little my fountain pens cost me. Some had decent nibs and were not bad writers, but I learned that there were other considerations. Cheap pens use cheap plastic which, sooner or later, will crack and split. The cap cracks and the pen is no longer portable plus the nib will dry in a short time. Then the body cracks and the pen has died. This Hongdian pen is miles away from those pens. It's made entirely of metal. Don't listen to anyone who says there is a rubberised grip. It may seem that way but it's simply clever engineering. Rubberised grips perish, so don't expect to see that on pens built to last. The pen is not heavy, though obviously heavier than a cheap plastic pen. The cap and body will not crack. The cap fits securely yet is not difficult to remove. The cartridge end of the nib section has a positive airtight feel when inserting cartridges, reducing the chance of evaporation. The upmarket converter supplied also fits well. This pen will outlast all the bargains, and it writes superbly. The nib is marked EF yet the line it produces is almost an F. I don't believe in spending a lot of money on a pen, but this pen is very good value at this price considering this quality of design and manufacture. It's also beautiful in a classical way. The whole pen is dark blue - body, cap and nib. I'm really happy with this pen and happy to recommend it.

Update: I really liked this pen (see original review) but within a week the paint at the top of the barrel started flaking off. Really disappointing. So I arranged a return - the seller got in touch and was very helpful in wanting to sort the problem. The replacement pen came a week later and it is not showing any signs of paint flaking. The second pen is also not as wet a writer as the first so it's a close contender for my current favourite pen, and it is the pen that I am using the most for day-to-day writing. Original review: This is a lovely looking pen. If you like smart and utilitarian/industrial then this is a great looking pen. I love the extra fine nib which writes smoothly and is easy to control. My only minor gripe is that it writes VERY wet. On less robust paper it bleeds through easily. The up side is that, on strong papers, it writes a lovely strong line (i.e. very black if you are using black ink). It needs time to dry otherwise it is easily smudged or ink transfers to the other page in a notebook. It's a good price and a good pen, it just can't be a favourite for me.