Dryden Designs Fountain Pen. Medium Nib Premium Box | 6 Ink Cartridges Included (Mysterious Blue)

These pens are well-constructed, write well and very nicely designed. For the price, these are great pens and are pretty enough to display.

I love this pen it's light and glide across the paper and documents perfect, Roberta Boykin

First, the con: This has been mentioned in another review that I saw (after it arrived and I unpacked it), in that the color is NOT metallic. It is more of a dull... Well... Not 'dull'... But... Not vibrant, and certainly not 'metallic'... purple.. It is not UNATTRACTIVE. But, it looks very different than the pics in terms of the color/metallic thing. Not like the pics of it that is in the examples... Not at all... Now that the bad stuff is out of the way, the pros: Good feel. Good heft. Not too heavy. And, for the price, the nib is SMOOTH... Without a bit of tuning, it writes very well, not to wet or dry, and glides across the paper. Not HIGH END buttery smooth (costing 20 times the price of this), but for the price it is superb. As in: The best under fifty buck pen I've used in that respect. I haven't had any issues over the days that I've been using it with leaking (as some had written a few years ago, it seems). The cap has been OK coming on and off. All good. I am sure that this would have gotten 5 stars, had it been the color/metallic that I'd been lead to believe it would be. Otherwise, it really is nice. I'm tempted to get a red one (this one had been purchased for my wife, in any case), as the review pics seem to indicate that THAT one is the correct metallic style!

Ink flow is excellent. Very nice pen.

I've been wanting to make my journaling and other writing times feel more special, more sacred. This pen from Dryden is helping me do just that! I love the deep jewel purple color, the weight of the pen in my hand, and the sound and feel of the ink meeting the paper. I didn't realize it doesn't come with any ink at all (a follow-up email from Dryden explains that this must be shipped separately, however, I ordered the ink cartridges the next day, and Amazon just threw the tiny box into a big bubble envelope, so I'm not entirely clear on why a cartridge or two couldn't be shipped with the pen. I understand not being able to ship the pen with an ink cartridge installed out of concern for the pen becoming damaged in shipping. Also, I wish the first follow-up email included the promotional discount for my next purchase, as it came through the day after I ordered the ink. But, oh well, none of that has to do with the beauty, ease of writing, and tactile satisfaction that comes with using this instrument. It's a great value for the price. A little sample of writing luxury without a huge price tag. I recommend.

ADDENDUM: I've stopped buying these, sadly. I love the price and that a conversion kit is included, but they aren't particularly robust and the paint chips off easily. I'd be happy to ignore this, but I'm a bit of a klutz. I purchased three Dryden pens in switching from ballpoint pens to fountain pens. After two weeks, I'm mostly happy with the purchase. I'm a graduate student in theoretical physics, so I do a large amount of writing every day and nice pens seemed like a good use of money. Utility: These pens write beautifully, smoothly, and with less effort/pressure than my old ballpoints. It took me a few tries to figure out how to hold them, since I write left handed, but I'm quite happy that Dryden built a pen that doesn't seem to "care" much about how you hold it. I have to refill these pens a little more than I'd like: once every two days or so of heavy writing. Also, I would say that these pens do occasionally stop writing and need a shake, which can be a nuisance. These two minor inconveniences are the only reason I would rate the products at four stars instead of five. Value: These pens cost slightly more than their apparent direct competitors, but the fact that they came with a conversion kit pre-installed essentially makes up for the price difference numerically, and more than makes up for the price difference if you count the convenience of receiving a convertor pre-installed that you know for a fact fits in the pen barrel. I'll also add here that these pens also look quite good, and while this statement is subjective and less important, I would say the Dryden pens look significantly better than their similarly priced competition. Overall: I'm quite happy with these. These pens write quite well, and I didn't need to buy a special model or extra parts to deal with the fact that I write left handed. They look slightly more expansive than others in their price range, but the fact that they come with a convertor makes up for that price difference.

Love the happy colour choices, such as this pink and the weight felt good. What I don't like is the feeling of the ridge before the nib against my fingers but it's a common problem.

The pen is beautiful in both function and appearance. Does not come with ink, but that just means you can load it with whatever colour you want. There was one issue with a small black cap coming off the back of the barrel, but it had no affect on the function of the pen. The company was more than willing to hear my complaint and offer assistance. They care about each individual customer and about quality control.

It arrived quickly and was easy for a novice to begin using. I’m using the included converter with bottled ink, but the ability to use cartridges is a nice option if travelling. The fountain pen writes smoother than a gel pen and is a pleasure to use. Since the nib glides over the paper so easily, it doesn’t need the pressure that ballpoints require and helps to prevent writing fatigue and cramping. I never thought that I’d be this impressed by a pen, and I’ve managed to get a friend hooked on these as well, with equal enthusiasm. I’ve bought more fountain pens from Dryden Designs since and am very happy with the quality and craftsmanship of their products. Whenever I’ve had questions, their *excellent* customer service team are quick to respond and very helpful. They’re actually quite impressive. It’s a refreshing change to what we’ve become accustomed to (and frustrated with) from the retail industry in the last few decades and instead reflect a level of service that would be expected from a much more expensive establishment. I’m glad that they’re reversing that trend with a customer-focused outlook.

Not really a lot to say. The pen is quite slim with a heavyish feel (all metak) Simple design, decent nib which flows well from the get go. Cap is a good fit and shouldnt fall off. I find the pen a bit unblanced to write with when the cap is attached to the end of the pen in use, but, again, the fit is very good. Well built inexpensive pen.

I only purchased this pen because I wanted to try writing with a fountain pen without forking out a lot of cash. I bought this pen for $20 off so it was a great deal. The pen is everything I expected and more. It's beautiful to look at and provides a nice writing experience. I would definitely buy this pen again next time it's on sale.