The Ohto Dude Fountain Pen is pretty notable simply because its a metal body fountain pen for a mere $24.50. Its got a pleasing hexagonal shape, aluminum body and the cap easily posts to make it a nice sized, well-weighted pen. It takes standard European short cartridges or a converter. I used the Kaweco converter I had laying around and it worked just fine. I got the silver finish which looks like a polished aluminum. Its not as shiny as a chrome finish but is bright and definitely shiny. The Ohto Dude is also available in a lacquer black, metallic royal blue and a metallic purple finish.
What’s odd about the Ohto Dude, other than the name, is that it is described as a medium nib and it is NOT at all comparable to other Japanese medium nib pens. Its more like a European bold nib. It is a very broad medium and stretches the definition of a medium nib quite a bit. The nib has a little spring to it, though, which makes for some nice line variation and makes it light on the page. Its not at all scratchy and wrote easily, even when I’d left it uncapped for several minutes. Only after sitting uncapped for awhile did it need to be primed (scribbled on a piece of scratch paper to get it flowing again) and then, only just a little bit.
The smooth, molded plastic grip is quite comfortable to hold.
If you’re looking for a nice looking pen with a wide nib and a nice aluminum body, the Ohto Dude is a good option. Like vanity-sized clothing that does not run to proper sizing, the Ohto Dude should come with the caveat “runs large.” Then again, what would you expect from a pen called “Dude”?
Ink used: De Atramentis Pigeon Blue. Paper used: Rhodia No. 18 Uni-Blank Pad.
DISCLAIMER: This item was sent to me free of charge by Jet Pens for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.
Thanks for the review! I bought my 15 year-old sister this pen in the beautiful purple color for Christmas. It’s her first fountain pen, so I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. After Brad’s less-than-glowing review, I was nervous. But she seems to like it. And I’m definitely glad for your pictures.
That purple pen with A Kaweco Aubergine purple ink cartidge in it is just gorgeous, by the way, especially for $25. 🙂
I just got up my review for this pen as well and I agree with almost everything you say. I would call it a try medium in my eyes but not what many expect from a Japanese medium. http://bit.ly/1o6FtTA I also didn’t have the priming issue but I may not have left it uncapped as long. I love the color options but mine is this silver which I personally prefer.
I bought this from JetPens where it was initially described as a FINE nib! I loved the pen and it was beautifully smooth, but much much wider than my tiny writing could handle. I like my F-Lapa fine (Ohto uses German nibs, so it’s a western fine) and would like a similar width, or smaller in the Dude.
P.S. Love Pigeon Blue! It looks wonderful in this wide nib.
I really like the look of this pen. Great review, Ana!