Duke Ruby Fude Pen Calligraphy Fountain Pen Fine to Broad Size for Signature and Art Drawing with Pen Pouch

This is a stunningly beautiful pen. It has gorgeous silver-toned metal decorations (rather than a painted or printed design), and has a really nice weight and feel. It also has a barrel that is neither too fat or too skinny, and is balanced in the hand, making it easy to hold and control.I've used many types of fountain pens, technical pens, and nibs in the past, including some very unusual vintage nibs in stick holders, but this is my first fude-nib fountain pen, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect in actual use. I discovered that this one works well flat, on its side, and at various in-between angles, with good ink flow and no skips. It fills with a smooth piston converter, allowing you to use whatever colour ink you like.There were no leaks or excess ink at the nib, and no ink all over my hands while filling it or using it. Ink flow is smooth and controlled, with no bubbles, blobs or unexpected streaks. The ink goes where you expect it to go — definitely not always the case with pen and ink.It is such a pretty pen, and works so well for the kind of drawing that I do, that I now want more pens in this brand. The only thing I didn't love was that it doesn't come with any kind of instructions or insert. If you weren't familiar with how a piston converter works, it would be somewhat mysterious as to how to fill the pen. Also, no box, but it does come with a little drawstring velveteen pouch, which is ultimately far more practical if you're carrying this pen around.I was also very pleased with the customer service I received. Following my query regarding delayed delivery (ultimately due to the pandemic), I received a prompt and courteous reply within a few hours. The item arrived two days after my query, so was already on its way by the time I asked about it.This would make a great gift for any artist who likes using pen and ink. It's definitely great value for the price, and my next pen will probably be a nice Duke fountain pen for writing.

I bought this pen because I was really curious about how the bent nib would impact my sketching. I'd read a few reviews and watched some YouTube videos on fude nibs for sketching. It is an interesting change. And I am really enjoying practicing with it, using it along with pens with my usual nibs. I'm not a great artist. I'm just enjoying the play of it. So it's really great to get a fine quality pen to add to my bevy of art supplies at such an affordable price. No fancy boxing for this one but the pen did come with a converter. So I was able to fill it with an ink I have and start using it the day I got it...and I did!

I got this today and was very pleasantly surprised of the quality, fit and finish given the pen’s price. The engraving on the cap and the details are fantastic. It’s absolutely beautiful! I loaded it up with Sailor black pigment ink and it writes very well. It’s so easy to vary the width of your lines because of the fude nib. Writing looks very nice and formal. Even when writing notes it gives you sense of substance. It starts easy and flows smoothly. The included ink reservoir is easy to fill. I’m sure you could a cartridge but I like filling my pens from bottle ink. Don’t hesitate to buy, especially at this price!

I'm amassing quite the fountain pen collection and this one is an instant favorite. It's such a pretty pen.It's my first Fude and I love the line variation possibilities. As one might expect, it's a wet writer. It's such a joy to write and draw with.I have a gorgeous De Artramentis shimmer ink that simply doesn't work in anything smaller than a broad nib. This pen was no exception to this rule. That particular brand clogged this one up pretty quickly. Other shimmering inks without the same particulate build up issues might do fine, though. I know LAMY's bright pink and the Diamine lines work much better in most of my pens, so I suspect they'd be fine with this one, too, because of its wet writing.A lovely pen and great addition to my (ahem, large) collection. I recommend this one highly.

Beautiful pen, but the nub is really stiff. I had to press quite hard to get a thick line. I prefer a much more flexible nib, otherwise my hand gets sore.