Otto Hutt Design 06 Fountain Pen Review

The Otto Hutt Design 06 is my latest dalliance with the century-old German brand. A century old, and you haven’t heard of them before? Don’t worry, you are not alone. In the US market, for example, they have only been widely available since Kenro Industries inked a distribution deal with them a few years ago.

My introduction to the brand was the all-black Design 03, followed by the Blue Wave of the Design 04. I got along extremely well with both of those pens, so I decided to keep carrying on up the charts and test out the Arctic Blue Design 06.

Being the third Otto Hutt fountain pen to land on my desk, you wouldn’t be surprised to know how consistent the 06 experience has been with the previous two. Right from the first inking, I knew it was going to be good, and that thought has remained the same over the last two months of use.

Let’s start with the build quality of the pen first. With 100 years of manufacturing in their back pocket, Otto Hutt knows what the end user experience should be like. Not only do they manufacture their own lineup of pens, they make pens for other brands you have heard of as well. If you think their pens favor other popular German brands, that’s no coincidence.

The Design 06 features an all-metal barrel that tapers on each end, with a noticeable concave metal grip section. I always wonder if this deep of concave will be too much for me, and it never is. It fits my hand perfectly. The balance is nice, too. For a metal pen, it’s not overly heavy, or off-kilter in any way.

Included in the build quality is the nib. I have a steel Extra Fine nib in my Design 06, and it is glorious. It is firm, which is my preference for any type of nib, and the line right out of the box was perfect. It continues to perform flawlessly with the Wearingul Cheshire Cat ink I’m using with it. The only question I have on the nib is who makes it-Jowo? Bock? Schmidt? I don’t think it matters, because it is flawless. I will say it feels more like a Jowo/Schmidt nib due to the firmness, so I’ll try to get some clarification this week.

Everything related to the build and performance the Otto Hutt Design 06 is unimpeachable. The same goes for the 03 and 04 from my previous reviews. And, as with those previous reviews, that leaves price as the only part of the equation to sort out. It’s an important part, and I believe Otto Hutt’s biggest challenge.

At $236 for the pen as set up in this review, I think it is fairly priced. The challenge is the competition, and where it stacks up to lower priced steel nibbed pens, and equivalently priced gold nib pens. Otto Hutt loses both of those battles.

I’m raving about how this steel nib performs, but you know what other steel nib performs similarly, if not better? The one in the $20 Pilot Metropolitan. Or in the $35 TWSBI ECO. Or any maker pen with a Jowo nib. Steel nibs are fantastic, and it’s costs very little for a great one. On the gold nib side of the ledger, the 06 resides in the same neighborhood as the Platinum 3776 and Pilot Custom 912, two of my most recommended pens. That’s a tough sell from a value perspective.

Then you have to consider the style of the Design 06. Is it $150 better than the very similar Lamy Studio? I’d argue not.

Otto Hutt is not here for your arguments, though. It is a good enough pen to stand on its own, with a price that places it squarely in the premium steel nib fountain pen bracket. Being near the top of that bracket isn’t a negative, but you better bring your A-game when that is what you are shooting for. Otto Hutt does that with the Design 06.

(Goldspot provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Otto Hutt Design 04 Wave Blue Fountain Pen Review

Two months ago, I reviewed the Otto Hutt Design 03 Fountain Pen. I remember that one well, because it took a little bit of time to understand exactly what I had in that pen. The more time I spent with it, the more then pen and I clicked, and I’ve ended up loving it.

You could repeat the exact same process, and same result, with the Otto Hutt Design 04 Wave Blue Fountain Pen.

The Design 04 is a classically designed and manufactured German pen. Otto Hutt has been making pens for themselves, and other brands, for nearly a century, and that experience shows in the end result. The quality is exceptional all the way around.

There are seven pens in the Design series, and the 04 sets itself apart with a lacquered barrel, which allows for several different color and design choices. These range from standard solid colors - such as black, white, pink, and green - to an all black model, to different inlays and guilloche patterns, like with this Wave Blue. There are even different hardware colors depending on the pen. There are more individual models on the Design 04 than there are numbers in the Design series!

The metal barrel of the Design 04 is not overly heavy. You feel some weight, but it is balanced in the hand. Posting the cap is possible, but that does alter the balance of the pen significantly and I wouldn’t recommend it.

Balance with this pen is important due to the narrow nature of the grip section. As someone who prefers this size of grip, it is ideal for me, but I know others will find it to be too narrow. The section is long enough to allow you to grip low up against an upturn towards the nib, or pull back to the middle and reside on the taper. Neither the cap threads or barrel step pose any real challenge to a standard grip.

The stainless steel Fine nib was perfect out the box. And in true German fashion, it is wide and wet. Do I personally prefer finer nibs? Yes. But I’ll be darned if this isn’t a perfect writer. It also started up immediately every time it sat on my desk for several days between use.

I was able to choose which Design 04 I wanted to review, courtesy of my friends at Kenro Industries - the US distributor for Otto Hutt. As I mentioned above, there are a ton of options, and the Wave Blue stood out not only for the pattern, but as a design style I don’t have in any other pen. That said, Otto Hutt didn’t make it easy with all of the great options!

The price varies from $200 to $316 in the Design 04 lineup at Pen Chalet, with this exact model checking in at $280. From a value perspective, I think it is right on the mark. I only have to look back to my Tibaldi Perfecta review to realize that the base Design 04 is a much better bang for your buck. From there, you can choose from a slew of designs and features that suit your needs the best.

Right now, the Otto Hutt Design 04 suits my needs for a well-made, classically-designed, wonderful-writing, German-engineered fountain pen, with other models from the brand residing firmly on my radar.

(Kenro Industries provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Otto Hutt Design 03 Fountain Pen Review

The Otto Hutt Design 03 is a prime example of the challenges buying a fountain pen without getting to handle it first. My process with this pen has gone something like this:

“Wow, that’s a great looking pen.”

Acquires pen

“Hmm, this is heavier than I imagined.”

Inks it up.

“The balance is towards the end of the pen, not the nib.”

Commits to using it daily.

“It’s fantastic!”

I’m fortunate that I am able to test and try a TON of stationery goods, and I want to relay my thoughts on them as best as possible to you. Sometimes, that means breaking down the materials, mechanics, and specs of the products. Other times, feel plays an outsized role. This review falls in the latter category.

It took using the Design 03 for an extended period of time for it to really click. I’m at the point now where I want to use it all the time, which is fantastic, because at $180, this is not an inexpensive pen.

Otto Hutt has been manufacturing pens in Germany since 1920. You may have already guessed that, with design nods from classic German brands like Faber-Castell and Lamy seen throughout the lineup. The Design 03 is no exception, but brings a more modern look to the brand.

The design is what caught my eye the most with this pen. It is simple, clean, and understated, but is subtly impressive. Of course, I love the all-black look, including the PVD coated black steel nib. In fact, the full name of this pen includes the word Allblack, because there is also Rosewhite, Darkgrey, and Lightgrey. Maybe they should change the company name to Ottohutt?

What they shouldn’t change is the design of this pen, no matter if I think the weight should be 1. Lightened, or 2. Shifted slightly. The Design 03 clocks in at 2.02 oz., which is weighty for a pen of this stature. For example, the Sailor 1911 Large is the pictures clocks in at less than half of that, at 0.88 oz. When simply holding the pen, that is noticeable. But when writing, not as much.

I think that is why the Design 03 reminds me so much of one of my all-time favorite pens: The ystudio Brassing Portable Fountain Pen. Just look at the picture below:

Pretty close, right? And at 1.49 oz., it is closer to the weight of the 03 as well. They both have a thinner than standard section, too, which I don’t mind.

From a writing perspective, the Fine steel nib was perfect out of the box. You only choices for the 03 are Fine and Medium, which is why I didn’t choose an Extra Fine, but I’m pleased with the output. The nib is smooth, flows well, and I didn’t notice the PVD coating making the line wider than I would expect from a German Fine nib, or feel any different.

Finally, let’s talk price. I think $180 is at the upper limit of value for this pen. It’s fair, but there is a ton of variety and competition in this range. The aforementioned ystudio runs $160, and I think both could use a $20-$30 decrease to be more competitive. But that’s irrelevant, really. The price is the price, and if you’ll spend $150 on a pen, then you will spend $180.

If you couldn’t tell, I am enjoying using the Otto Hutt Design 03. Will you? That depends. I think there are necessary questions to ask up front, especially about the weight of the pen, the lack of nib options, and the price. For me, I look forward to seeing what else Otto Hutt has to offer.

(I purchased this pen at a discount from Vanness Pens.)

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