Hongdian 1843 Navigator Fountain Pen Fine Nib Solid Metal, Green Ripple Pattern with Refillable Converter and Metal Pen Case

I think I first need to mention, this is my daily writer! I use this pen every day, but will sadly have to cut back on usage because of what I'll touch on just a bit further down. (I actually just bought another for my home.)If'n you're looking for an inexpensive daily use pen, I would highly recommend this pen with a couple of caveats:1.) Do NOT over-tighten the cap. It is very easy to over-tighten the plastic on metal cap, which will then ruin your entire experience with this pen. TRUST ME! I did it two months into owning this pen. Why in the world they would use plastic threads on a metal cap is beyond me, but they did. The plastic literally completely broke off so now I cannot use this in a pocket or satchel bag - it remains in front of my keyboard ready for use in my office. That, to me, was a big deal. I used to carry this pen everywhere but can no longer do so after the screw threads broke as the cap comes away from the pen very easily.2.) Extra-fine, in this fountain pen, is not as fine as you would think. This pen lays down a good amount of ink so you won't get the incredibly fine detail you would with another extra-fine pen. That being said, this pen has never skipped on me, nor has it failed to lay down a good line; signatures are crisp and clean. It is, though, more of a fine to medium stroke.There is great feedback, sound, and smoothness to using this AWESOME Chinese brand pen. It is relatively solid and feels good in my hand - being metal it's even a bit on the heavy side - good heavy, not tiring at all!That's really it - I have nothing else bad to say about his pen, and those two things aren't enough to keep me from continuing to use this pen.

I'm more of a medium nib kind of person, but I decided to give this pen with a fine nib a shot because of the great price and looks. It's a smooth writer and it actually makes my writing look better. It's an understated fountain pen, perfect for business, but I really like the shade of green and the texture on the body, which I do not have on any of my other 50+ fountain pens.It's a screw cap with a very springy clip and the cap does post, but it can become a bit backweighted if posting, so I prefer to keep mine unposted. One thing I really liked is that with some pen manufacturers, the converter is almost always a throw-in that is poorly designed and cheap, and I always have to throw on one of my own converters. This converter is very nice with a large ink capacity. Happy with my purchase.

The first thing I noticed about the Hongdian Navigator fountain pen is how nice it looked. The second thing I noticed was the unusual but interesting texture on the body of the pen. I found myself looking at it as if it were mysterious for some reason. It is chrome on top and a blue material with continuous blue waves in it on bottom. The pen’s clip is unadorned but nicely fits into the rest of the pen design. It’s spring seems just right to me – not too stiff and not too loose. The cap is threaded and takes 2 revolutions to uncap the pen. The threads are very smooth. The cap can be posted but it seems to back-weight the pen too much for my tastes. That is not a concern of mine since I don’t normally post when I write. Unposted the pen is a nice weight and seems balanced in the hand. The grip section is chrome which matches the overall aesthetics of the pen but some may find it a little slick. The pen came equipped with a quality converter for using whatever ink you would like. I got the Fine nib and it wrote beautifully right out of the box with Waterman’s Serenity Blue ink. Very smooth, no adjustment needed. This is a very nice pen and one I’m happy to have join my collection. At under $17.00 this is a bargain.

I've been meaning to come and give this pen a great write up (ha! see what I did there?). It's just an incredible writing instrument for the money. Nicely weighted and smooth as butter. But before I had a chance, the ink cartridge ran out, and when I replaced it, pushing the new cartridge in caused the plastic feeder to break and separate from the tip. It's just inexpensive enough that I threw it away instead of lodging a return complaint. Also... I enjoyed the pen enough that I'm considering buying another even though the first one self destructed.

Very nice. Delivery on time and nib as described. Ink flows very well without any blotting. Another good pen from this company.

My Hongdian 1843 Navigators arrived in good condition. I got one in green for myself and in blue for a gift. I flushed the converter and nib with distilled water (standard practice), let them dry, and filled the pen with Pelikan Edelstein Sapphire. It wrote beautifully, without skips, from the very start. I tested it on cheap paper and on quality paper, with a line I'd call F-M. It wrote equally reliably in reverse, with an EF-F line. (I gauge these as an American.) The pen has a slight heft without being in the least heavy. The construction looks and feels solid. It has the smart look of certain German-made pens, while costing only a fraction. I might say to those who feel this is a knock off of the European models, compare Faber-Castell to Otto Hutt or ONLINE. It is no more a knock off than they are to one another. I am happy to recommend this pen for its good looks and reliability. I hope I am right about its durability, but check with me in 20 years.

Issue 1: I did not expect this pen to be uncomfortable to hold but it is. The chrome collar is very slippery and makes gripping the pen to write hard on my hand. I had to wrap a piece of masking tape on the collar to provide some grip.Issue 2: After 3 months, a little plastic ring broke. It was a ring that allows the cap to snap on tightly. Without that ring, the cap does not stay on.Issue 3: The nib is very scratchy & the ink flow is too meager for the writing to be smooth. Cheap nib.Issue 4: The pen body is very slim, the length is only about 3.5 inches. I have small hands so did not think that mattered but between gripping a thin pen & it being slippery to grip, writing with it gives me hand cramp.It's too late to return, but I would not recommend this pen.