A Tale of Three Pens - Fude that is.

I was supposed to write about my SketchWallet but I really haven't used it enough yet, to really weigh in on. So I am having a little bit of an obsession lately with Fude Nibs. I blame it all on Parka Blogs  for their great review and discussion about it here. One thing to keep in mind on my reviews, especially specialty nibs like this is that I am left handed, so some of these specialty nibs don't quite work as intended or quite as well for left handed...yet still I press on!!!

I purchased the Sailor Fude DE Mannen Fountain Pen - it was the starter pen that every on recommended to start with. It is very inexpensive, but I found it to stutter and splatter ink. It just does not seem to have very good flow.  It was fun to play with and the lines it makes, so I thought maybe another different type of pen. It does have a bit of flex but still, meh... it is what you would expect form ANY $10 fountain pen.

Then I bought this bad boy.... The Duke 551 aka Confucius Compound Art Fountain Pen. This is one heck of a heft pen!  The first thing my partner said when she went to try it was, 'Wow! This is a heavy pen!'.  IT comes in this fancy box with a bamboo mat thing of which I have no idea what to do with, but is interesting. The box I think may come into use for other things though.  This lays down a really thick line, much bolder and wider than the other two and the flow seems to be pretty good so far. It lays a DRAMATIC line. It is also a little scratchy of a nib. It is available on Amazon for about $60 including the box, etc. or cheaper on Ebay without the box if you prefer.

Then finally is this delicate little flower, the Duke 209. I really enjoy this one, it feels good in your hand. Nice weight and not too heavy and just the right thickness for my grip and hands. I don't like smooth slick metal grip sections though, especially for lengthy writing, but this is not something I would write a long document with anyway.

It is a much more 'delicate' nib, it is sturdy and a good nib, but it is not as bold and brutish as The Duke 551. It almost could be used as an everyday writing pen in terms of the lines it uses.  It flows very well and so far I have not any issues and because of its size and weight - I see it as more of something I could carry in my everyday travel sketch kit. It is available for about $13 from Amazon.

So there you have it! We are flying to Oklahoma this week, so hopefully I will put the sketchwallet to some use and have something to report on it next week!