M2 Mini Brass Fountain Pen with Extra Fine Soft Golden Nib, Sleek Shape Short Pocket Travel Pen (Glossy Brass)

First of all - I'd just like to say I got this pen because I like my Brass Kaweco Sport pen. Very, very solid and practically the same size as this Hongdian M2. I love the size. Kaweco also make aluminium versions, but for a fraction of the price, I thought I'd try the Hongdian. So...the review. It comes in a wee cardboard box, which contains a nice sturdy aluminium box. It's actually a bit too long for the pen, but who's measuring. It's not going to stay in the box - this is a workaday pen, ideally sized for carrying around pretty well anywhere. I've attached photos showing the size - with cap posted and unposted. There's also one showing the Hongdian M2 and my brass Kaweco Sport. It comes with an ink filler, although you can also use 'standard' ink cartridges. I say 'standard' as my Kaweco and other pens also profess to use 'standard' cartridges, but their openings are too small for this pen. So - as long as you have the correct size cartridges (standard 'long', I think), you'll be fine. As I don't currently have a bottle of ink, I plumped for cartrdiges, as personally I do find them more convenient. However.....I don't know if it was a problem with the pen or the cartridge (or me!) - but I just couldn't puncture the cartridge seal with the pen. In the end, I had to use a pointy penknife. However, once installed and ink flowing (took quite a few shakes for this to happen), again, this worked fine. Now to writing - I haven't as yet crafted an essay with this pen, but I can say it writes very nicely and you can vary the ink flow nicely. This isn't to say that if you press hard (DON'T!) it floods - but if you use it with the 'correct' pressure' it has a nice flow. If you press it lighter, you can almost shade with it. Very controlled. My Kaweco has a 'Medium' nib, so I went for the 'Extra Fine', which I believed to be one step finer than the Kaweco Medium, which I actually find a wee bit too large. It's lovely - but - it doesn't quite suit my writing style, as I do tend to write small and the pen forces me to write larger, or else the ink just all all smooshes together. The Hondian M2 with super fine nib works just dandy - just right for my little scribbles. It's a very light pen, being aluminium, but it feels very solid and sturdy. It screws and unscrews well - both the cap on the pen and the barrel - and the barrel also has a rubber seal for extra security. Be careful you don't lose the seal, though, as it does have a tendency to roll off. It's maybe slightly too large - but it isn't loose and when tightened up, again it's absolutely fine. Just something to be aware of. Back to the nib, which doesn't appear to fill up with ink in use - just enough to impart the ink on to the paper, which it does in a nice smooth fashion. Obviously it isn't going to compete with the best of nibs, but I don't have any complaints. The pen feels very smooth to the touch and it sits in the hand well - although to use it unposted you would need a really small hand to have it sit right. So - posted it is. The cap fits well - it doesn't slip off and you can easily turn it to have the clip resting on your hand, as I do, to give the correct angle for writing. Once put where you like it, it stays put. The clip is spring loaded and it's nice and solid. #EDIT It's still as spring loaded as it was - however, I've nearly lost the pen on a few occasions (once I found it on our drive the next morning!), as it does NOT clip onto a pocket very well. It's just too smooth and it keeps sliding out of my pocket. It doesn't affect my enjoyment in using the pen, but I am worried that one day I'll lose it - all because the clip doesn't hold on properly (The Kaweco does...). The Midnight Blue is an absolutely gorgeous deep blue. So - overall, I really like this pen. It has a couple of small flaws, but the plus points far outweigh these, for me. It's already sitting in my pocket, next to my Kaweco, for day-to-day use. I have black medium in my Kaweco and blue fine in the Hongdian. Both work great - but I must say I couldn't now see myself buying an aluminium Kaweco (as I had been considering doing) - the Hongdiang M2 is just too good an alternative at an exceptional price. It's also finished very, very well. So buy one! I doubt you'll regret it. Oh yes - the company seem nice and friendly, too :)

I ended up purchasing 3 of these Hongdian M2 fountain pens - in red, blue and army green. All write smoothly, consistently wet and are of great build quality. Never a dry start. They are shipped complete with an ink converter and cap clip unlike another brand, which I have, where not only is the bare pen more expensive, but the clip and converter are an extra expense. A stylish travel pen that is a pleasure to use.

Super nice pen, compact, great colour and built. The system for loading the ink works great. Only thing is I wish it actually was extra fine as per the description; the nib is more like a medium or in between medium and fine but definitely not extra fine as some of my other more expensive fountain pens.

I write alot for my job, and at home, so I decided to treat myself to a fountain pen. I did alot of research about the Hongdian M2 and heard and read nothing but good things. Decided to buy it, I went for the Forrest / Army green and it's a lovely colour. It feels nice in the hand posted and unposted when writing ass it's nicely weighted and balanced, it's convenient to have in your pocket as it's a nice compact size. I used Diamine ink and the converter was very easy to use, straight forward to fill, no mess. I've used it for writing, to sign things, and to sketch, and it performed well in all applications. I would happily recommend this pen to anyone, especially for the price, you'd pay alot more for less quality. I went for a fine nib and it's smooth and flows well, I would like to try a medium nib if I was to buy another one in a different colour, which I probably will, just because I really like this pen, and it would be nice to have a couple of them with different coloured inks in.

My other fountains pens are off the expensive variety - Mont Blanc, Yard-O-Led, Parker Centennial and a nice handmade silver pen. But I saw this miniature pen and was intrigued, and so I bought it. Intended as an inexpensive pen to keep in my bag, I wouldn’t be too worried about losing it, should that happen. It arrived a little while ago and after filling it from the bottle (it has a piston but this can be exchanged for cartridges), I was ready to go. It looks great, the size is very appealing, and it holds nicely in the hand, with a good balance. Most importantly, the (in my case, medium) nib just danced effortlessly across the page, with a good flow, neither too wet nor too dry. No slipping, no catching. It just wrote. And beautifully. This gorgeous little pen is a revelation and far, far better than I expected. It would be perfect as an inexpensive introduction to trying out fountain pens - though I think it’s much more than a mere introduction. Highly recommended.

Absolutely superb pocket pen which honestly is better than my Kaweco's. Aluminium is standard for M2's but I liked the look of the Brass version. Being made of Brass makes it heavier but coupled with the small size gives the pen a solid, "dense" feeling in the hand which is very satisfying. Only & a quarter turns to uncap which is excellent for a pocket pen. The spring clips main function is to provide a roll stop, the Kaweco's don't need this due to body shape. Does work OK but it grip isn't super tight. Of no concern for me as I never added a clip to my Kaweco's due to their small size. The nib is excellent, another Chinese "Knott" engraved nib, very smooth and wet when writing. An interesting observation is that Hongdian didn't just produce a Brass version of the M2 as an exact duplicate of the Aluminium M2's. Brass is significantly heavier, it looks as if it was produced by machining bar stock, and posting the pen, which as with the Kaweco, you need to do, would make the pen unbalanced. However, they made the Brass version so that it posts more deeply on the body and this adjusts the balance point making the pen very comfortable to use. An attention to detail that should be commended.

*pin holding the clip in place falls out and the clip keeps falling off or becoming loose* otherwise it is a nice pen but this issue is really pivotal to its use and aesthetics, this is my first hongdian and this is really disappointing

I have been very pleasantly surprised by this mini fountain pen. I have smallish hands so have been looking for a pen that isn't too rounded or bulky. Love the brushed aluminium feel and the colours (check out the video to see), and it has a bit of heft but is definitely not heavy. What I love most is the feel of the nib on the paper - I use Rhodia notebooks for work and it is hard to describe but the feel of the pen across the paper is crisp yet super smooth; smooth in a way that I have not experienced before... I also picked up the pack of 3 nibs (fine, extra fine and bent nibs) so I could swap out nibs as I choose. I get ink shading with both fine and medium nibs - yet to try the others. Reasonable price and have brought a couple as b'day gifts for my fountain pen-loving friends. My hands are small enough that I can use it without posting the end and that gives a real feeling that it's an extension of my fingers, but posting is solid and doesn't move. Super compact, gorgeous colours, writes beautifully, very happy.