Manuscript Pen

This pen is a great pen for beginners because it comes with three nibs in varying sizes, two standard international ink cartridges, is easy and smooth to write with and there's not a big loss if you ruin or lose it. The nib sizes are fine, medium, and "2B". I have used all three, and found that there is a tiny bit of feathering with the fine nib on regular copy paper, but have had no other issues with that nib thus far. The medium nib, which is the clear one shown on the pen while it is still in the box, doesn't cause any feathering. It is about 40% larger than the fine nib. I don't know why its grip is clear rather than black, but when I inserted the cartridge into it I discovered that I could see ink outside of the feed. It didn't leak, and when I flushed it through with water the ink easily washed out. I don't know if this happens inside the other nib grips. The 2B nib, which I assume is the broad, is definitely my favorite. It is, again, about 40% larger than the medium nib, and puts down a line around 2mm wide. When put on paper, it may take a couple of strokes to get the ink flowing, but the nib is very smooth and writes a solid line. If you hold the nib up to a window or source of light, you can see daylight between the tines, but not much. However, the nib is obviously meant for slow strokes, so if you write too fast the ink channel will dry up. Just before it dries up it will begin to drop a lighter, almost marker-looking line. It takes a minute to get the ink flowing again, and you may have to run the tip under lukewarm water. The pen is easy to use, though, so it is worth the occasional rinse or tap (ie, tapping the nib on the paper a couple times to get the ink flowing). The fact that it comes with two cartridges is another high point of the pen. These are Standard International cartridges, so refills are widely available. There's a little ball or piece of plastic inside the cartridge, which helps to stir the ink if you gently shake the pen. The cartridges are easy to insert; you just hold the tapered end at the top if the feed, nib up, then gently push it in until you hear/feel a slight click. Once inserted, the cartridge can be twisted. I really like the idea that you can store an extra cartridge right inside the barrel of the pen. It's so practical! I think you could also get a Standard International converter, but that may not be a good idea because of the plastic barrel. The pen's barrel is made of blue, or in my case, pink, plastic. It is light in weight compared to other pens, but that's nothing you can't get used to. It is a brittle plastic that could be easily broken, hence I'd recommend keeping it out of your back pocket, bottom of your purse, etc. If held up to light, you can see the two cartridges inside. The cap and barrel screw together. The barrel screws on to the pen grip with 2-3 rotations, and the clear cap screws onto the outside of the barrel. The cap and barrel can be screwed together without any 'nib'. The cap does have a clip, but it wouldn't hold up to much use. A dodecagonal shape (12 sides) of the barrel keeps the pen from rolling away when placed on a table. One problem that I have had with the grips is their being too 'rough'. After prolonged use, the little pyramids on the grip begin to leave an imprint in your fingers. This could just be because I am new to calligraphy and grasping the pen tighter than usual. The set includes an instruction pamphlet, which tells how to replace the ink cartridges and warns you to carry the pen upright to avoid leaks. Personally, I have had no problems with the pen leaking while carrying. On a final note, it helps, when writing, to shake the pen periodically to get the ink flowing more quickly. Be careful doing this though; a drop of ink magically appeared on my paper after I shook it. One of these magic drops also appeared in my cap, but not because the pen leaked...