Black Forest Series

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.

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 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.

This will give you all the information you should need before getting a fountain pen. This pen is mostly seen by beginners, so I will offer more information than necessary, haha. For its price: it offers the same as literally any other fountain pen, besides the ability to use any cartridge (most pens recommend using a jar, anyways). It is my first and currently only pen, and has been for about half a year. It's had consistent performance with proper care. Note: proper care. Pens need love too. About a fountain pen: It writes like a normal pen. Better than ball point, though, if you have trouble with those. You will need to care for it, as it's not a disposable pen-- research how to properly clean and swap out ink colors. (It's actually pretty simple, don't worry!) Also store them with their tip facing up, so they don't accidentally leak if yours is faulty or from user error. Importantly: it fixes having pens run out of ink. Just pop in another cartridge- its not messy! Also, due to how it works, you can only use it when the tip is flat -- there is a little line dividing the tip, and both sides have to touch the paper to pass ink. It's easiest to see when you don't have ink in the pen. (Also, pro tip- if you flip the pen upside down so the engraving is on the bottom, when you write it will be thinner! It may feel a little more raggedy on the paper, though.) The pen itself: The paint may run off if you use it aggressively, most notably on the grip. (Not the smoother part next to the tip, though.) Underneath is just a regular grey pen, and it will turn pink when it touches your skin, like a ring. For now it's not very noticeable. Holding it, you have to get used to it's weight- its more heavy than your average pencil (I mean, it's made of literal steel, I would expect this). The size is comfortable for all hand sizes, and gripping it isn't slippery or forcing an uncomfortable angle. (Remember, you can only hold it when its flat!) The ink of all pens, do note, will not dry immediately and soak better or worse on different papers. It may bleed if you leave it on your paper for too long, because of how the pen dispenses ink. Please do not insult the pen if this happens :( All in all? It's awesome for me. I actually haven't used a pencil in ages... And if you think you won't use it often, then don't get it - just buy a regular pen! It is for long term keeping, not just for a two-day hobby. **Without proper care, any fountain pen can explode with ink.** Thats not fun.

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.

I rarely do reviews, but I just purchased my 5th Hong Dian (that's how it's written on the cap) fountain pen. As much as I don't want everyone to clamber on board and drive up the price of these little beauties, I've gotta give this company some love for creating a really well-made fountain pen on the cheap. I've tried several other 'affordable' brands of fountain pens and have been, generally, not WOWed. I have three go-to brands in this category, of which Hong Dian is one. The colors in the 'Forest' are more muted in person than they appear online. The green is almost a drab olive. However, the image of Purple Forest (as well as the blue) is the closest to a true representation of the actual barrel color. I was originally a bit disappointed in the barrel colors, but I've quickly gotten past that. The pens are actually pretty dang good! I was skeptical about the quality but my first one was on deep discount. I've since purchased 4 more of these pens. They work beautifully out of the box with no fussing over the nib. The ink converters come with the pens, making this an insanely good value for the money. I have a thing for fine nibs and Hong Dian does not disappoint. The EF nibs are the thinnest I've encountered among any brand. The EF are advertised as .04mm (their Fine at .05mm) although they feel like .035mm. The ink flow is perfect, with no skips or bloops. Although, I admit that I occasionally get some minor skipping with the bent nib if that pen hasn't been used in a day or so. The bent nib requires constant use. (I hate to say this, but I prefer the Sailor Fude bent nib and the Pilot stub nib to the Hong Dian bent nib because of that skipping.) The EF nibs, though, write perfectly even if they haven't been used for a few days, like over a long weekend. While quality inks are preferred, the Forest line still writes like a dream when used with cheaper inks. They create thin lines that are as equally suited to ink sketching as they are to letter-writing. In a nutshell, I've got a small collection of fountain pens. The wallet can only stretch so far so I've enjoyed trying out some of the different affordable lines. I am a big fan of the Pilot Metro and Dryden Designs. Among my three favorite lines of Affordable Pens, Hong Dian vies for first place with Pilot Metro. Dryden Designs have rich, creamy colors and a sioothing weight behind them. Their Fine nibs feel a little thick for my taste, but there's definitely a place for them in daily life. Pilot Metro are a good value, come in a variety of fun colors, and write beautifully. Their Fine nibs are true and produce a thin line. The Pilot Metro are rather light, however, compared to Dryden and Hong Dian. The Hong Dian Forest pens weigh only slightly more than the Pilot Metros, but the weight of the cap on the end of the pens give the impression of them being far more heavy. This not a complaint, as they are well-balanced and the weight of the pen is welcome when writing fine, detailed lines. I have surprised myself because, over the course of the pandemic, Hong Dian's Forest line has become one of my favorite pens. After a year of using these pens, I'm even happier now with them than I was in the beginning. I use them daily and, although I'd hate to lose one, they are affordable enough to replace should a Terrible Thing happen to one. I've even branched out to try other Hong Dian fountain pen lines based on the success of the Forest line. I am super pleased with this pen and highly recommend it, particularly if you enjoy EF nibs.

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!

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.