Black Forest Series

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!

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.

Excellent value. The pen shipped quickly and was well packaged. The metal is well-formed, with no sharp edges or sloppy engraving. I picked Extra Fine because this is to be an EDC/Work pen, and I will be using cheap paper. I have it filled with Noodler's 54th Massachusetts, and it writes wonderfully. I got the classic black for a sleek, professional look. There are a lot of other colors available, and I plan on picking up a few of the other colorways. It has a good size, long enough to use unposted even in my larger hands, but is made to be posted and writes like a dream when posted. The converter is fine. Good quality, but not the nicest nor the best converter I have handled. Just a note, this takes the 3.4mm size cartridges; most cartridges and converters that are listed as international will be either 2.4 or 2.6mm. Make sure you get the correct size, should you look for replacements. It doesn't ship with any cartridges, which is a bummer, but does include a converter.

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.

Edited December 2025: After two months, the clip broke off... This was my EDC pen, but I need the clip in order to carry it! ———— Original review in October 2025: The nib writes pretty smoothly, but this EF nib writes almost as large as Lamy Safari F nib. I did have a hard time getting the ink to flow for the first time, but after that I’ve had no issues. The case material feels smooth and premium, but it did come with a small scratch. Fine for me since I’ll be daily carrying this, but might be a turn off to some. The weight and balance is fine unposted, if a bit light, but writing feels extra nice with the cap posted. Overall, extremely good value, especially considering the built in converter. I’ll probably get a second one in another color to try out some of my other inks.

FYI, this is my first ever fountain pen, so I have zero experience with fountain pens. But I have always been a pen enthusiast and have tried many different kinds. I like to save money on nice pens, and this seems like the perfect way. Personally, on this one I love the metal feel, weight (it’s heavier in my hand than most pens), and the matte finish (I chose the matte black pen with the finest tip). It’s perfectly well constructed for my tastes (I don’t notice any issues whatsoever), seems sturdy, and it’s fairly intuitive when you take it apart. Still, having instructions is helpful. It’s possible I missed it, but there were no instructions enclosed, so I had to go back to the Amazon page for a bit of help putting the first cartridge in. But it was very easy, and now I won’t have any trouble going forward. After inserting the first ink cartridge (bought separately from the same brand), I swung the pen around a bit to see if any ink would fly out, and none did. I use everything pretty gently, so maybe some users would have to be careful; I’m not sure. The ink flow is smooth and gorgeous. It doesn’t bleed even on cheap paper yet it flows perfectly. I’m a big fan and will probably use this pen all the time. The ink refills are even super affordable. I can’t wait! I’m considering if I’ll like to buy a few more of these pens plus ink in different colors for variety. I wouldn’t have to deal with my disposable pens anymore. It always bothers me to collect so many plastic throwaways, but I love pens, both for art and for writing. These are also much more convenient than my dip pens.

I was super impressed by the quality versus the price. It is for sure a good value. It has a nice feel and weight to it. It writes very smoothly and well.

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.

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Brilliant for drawing and sketching.

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