Dryden Designs Fountain Pen and Sleeve PU Leather Clips - Medium Nib 0.5mm | Includes 6 Ink Cartridges (3 Black, 3 Blue) and Ink Refill Converter - Black

A really good fountain pen - nice size and weight, the balance is good and the cap fits well. The nib is medium, writes smoothly and the ink flows through it well.I'm a left hander, and the nib worked well for me.I used ink instead of cartridges - no problem with the converter and I was surprise how much ink it holds (what I mean is that I seem to have written an awful lot on a single refill. Very impressed.)The customer service is brilliant - they keep in touch to check everything is okay. I had given up on using a fountain pen again - I've had some very expensive ones that have had no end of problems. Yet this one is fine. Looks nice, comfortable grip, writes well. Does what it says on the tin!In fact i'm so pleased I'm going to buy another!

I'm extremely happy with this pen. Great value for money, feels and looks more expensive than the price in my opinion. Easy to fill or use a cartridge, a good weight and length for my hand which is quite long/large and well balanced. Smooth writing nib. Arrived in a drawstring pouch with some printed instructions for use. Very impressive customer service - a follow up email after purchase to ask how you are getting along with the pen, with fountain pen hints and tips, and a free e-book on signatures. Unfortunately my parcel was lost (by the Amazon delivery agency, not by Dryden) and Dryden were proactive in following that up for me and in resolving it very quickly. Excellent communications and customer service.

The reviews said that this was a joy to write with, it is not 'friction-less writing' it does not glide across the paper.You cannot write quickly with this pen. I not sure what 'Sheerness' has to do with the writing experience, like what as 'Sheerness' got to do with an aspirin when you have a headache?Is this pen better than others?Its cheap enough to risk it, and I maybe I should have got the finer tip - less paper contact less friction, more slip?.My benchmark is the "1990 PARKER 95 THUYA LAQUE FOUNTAIN" that had a 'ball' tip that was 'friction-less writing' till the gold nib wears out.Who now writes letters? Who now writes at all?But if your creative medium is pen and paper with quality ink (me) then getting this pen is a still a good investment.I will still be on eBay collecting vintage pens that I know are good from the 1990.This is a good attempt by Dryden.

I am big fountain pen fan generally. I do have a few in my collection. I would like to share my experience so far with the Dryden pen.Look and presentation:Looks really nice and smart. Have got a few colleagues of mine commenting on the look as well today. I have gone for the silver and gold combination. I have a Sheaffer and a Waterman in black and gold and hence I went for this combination.Grip and feelExactly what I was looking for. Very light and smooth. Does not slip away unlike some other pens I had in the past.Writing experienceAll I would say, I now am looking for opportunity to write. The flow of ink is smooth and even. No sense of fatigue or tiredness whilst writing. Seems like a pleasure rather than a chore.Ink converterUsing the ink converter as I like the experience of filling the pen out of the ink pot rather than a cartridge.I sure am going to buy some more for myself and also as gifts for my friends and family in future.

I had to replace a rival branded pen I had used happily for years. I purchased this just over 1 year ago. This seemed like a good bet with all kinds of promises. These promises were the basis upon whch I purchased the pen. Sadly, the pen does not live up to reasonable expectations. I really tried hard to make it work, but it is so scratchy and fine (I purchased a medium nib, no way is this medium) it is like trying to write with a sewing needle. I now realise I wasted my money. I've tried generic and branded cartridges- all perform the same in practice. The thing is, once you purchase, you're stuck. I may have been unlucky compared to others. But I am noticing via reviews that those who are happy are using bottled ink. If that is what you'll be using, you may be fine. In my view, you may be lucky if you plump for cartridges, but if not, you'll have a scratchy, irritating experience requiring multiple washings of the nib, squeezing the cartridge to increase the flow and then putting it away and reaching for a uniball. I'm disappointed and fed up.Update. I thought I'd purchase some ink and try the pen with the converter to provide some balance. Sadly, this proved to be equally disappointing. There was a slight increase in ink flow, but the nib is still irritatingly scratchy and the insrtructions aren't clear, resulting in the entire contraption falling to bits into the ink and staining my hands. I tried writing and the flow is poor. See pictures. I included the ink bottle so you can see it's proper branded ink, and some handwriting attempts. So, so so disappointed with this pen. Given the positive reviews, I reluctantly conclude I got a duff one. Perhaps. If you do go ahead and purchase, my advice is to try the pen extensively when you get it and return it if it does not live up to your expectations. It's too late for me to do this. (Anyone fancy a scratchy unreliable pen out there? I've got one here you can have!)

This is a good pen but the nib is a medium acting like a bold. It does depend on whether the paper you are using is smooth or more porous but most modern paper surfaces are course giving the ink more bleed into the grain. Nice and smooth to write with though but for me its like wearing welly`s in the living room.