Asvine Dark Green Forest Fountain Pen Fine Nib Classic Design with Converter and Metal Pen Case Set

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.

I was looking for a fountain pen to keep in my art/travel bag, and this HongDian pen turned out to be exactly what I needed. It’s not too big or too small, not too heavy or too light—just the perfect balance in both size and weight. The metal body gives it a sturdy, high-quality feel and the overall design is clean and aesthetically pleasing. One of the biggest perks is that it comes with its own converter, allowing you to use any ink you like. I’ve noticed that many fountain pens require you to buy a converter separately, so having it included is a great bonus. I also appreciated the wide variety of colors and nib options to choose from: everything from extra fine to broad, plus the fude nib. I went with the matte black design and the fude nib, which has a bent tip that makes it easy to achieve expressive line variation from thin to thick. It’s a fantastic option for sketching, calligraphy or general writing. If you’re looking for a well-constructed, stylish fountain pen that won’t break the bank, this one is absolutely worth picking up.

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 overall nice quality for price. ASSEMBLY & WRITING Easy to use and assemble. Seeing some other reviews, I rinsed the nib first before using. Easy to clean. Let it dry for about 2 days (pen is refillable, comes with a refillable converter). Then tried it out. As soon as I started writing it worked nicely! Write speed is efficient. I’m left handed and this pen works well for me. COMPARISON Comparing this pen to my platinum preppy, It’s feels heavier. The Platinum, it’s light as a feather. But the Asvine, you know you’re handling it. Also, I got the “fine” nib but writing looks more “medium” to me. My Preppy fin nib produces smaller writing. I will say that this Asvine pen seems to write better from the start. My Preppy pens are touch and go even with cleaning. And can be a little finicky. STORAGE & FUNCTION The Asvine pen also comes with a nice ten box for storage if you’re not using it often. However, if you plan on everyday use, be aware this may not be the most comfortable pen. I’m still testing it out. It feels fine but I personally like a thicker round grip like the Preppy pen. Also the Asvine clip is a bit stiff and mostly is for aesthetics not really functional. But the pen does glide well in most my folio & notebook pen loops.

ok

Finished are good, it is metal painted, not plastic, and the writing is very nice and fluent, very good for the price, totally recommend.

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.

Penna fantastica ! Scrittura pulita e ottima scorrevolezza. La sto usando da più di un anno.

I had some doubts about this pen since it’s a Chinese brand and there are too many that I don’t know and never heard of, but the product is amazing. The body weights in a way that feels like a high quality pen and the way it flows in the paper is amazing. Highly recommended.