One of the categories of stationery I’ve found myself enjoying recently are dip pens and nibs. Glass nibs, steel nibs, folded nibs, different handles … you get the picture. Why? Fun. Ok, quick ink testing, too, but mostly fun. Who doesn’t want to quickly and easily start slinging ink around on the page?
I’ll be reviewing more of this type of product in the future, but today I wanted to take a look at one of the more fun acquisitions I have made recently: the Sailor Dipton + Hocoro Ink & Dip Pen Set.
Sailor’s Hocoro Dip Pen is a recent offering, allowing users an easy access point into the world of dip nibs. The plastic barrels are simple and lightweight, and feature interchangeable nibs, so one barrel can handle all of the sizes (Fine, Medium, 1.0 mm and 2.0 mm Calligraphy, Fude) on offer. The Fude nib is what I was after this time, especially in combination with the Dipton shimmer ink they paired with.
What is a Fude nib? The end of the nib is turned upwards in such a way to mimic the strokes of a traditional Japanese calligraphy brush. This allows for line variation from wide to thin, depending on the angle of the nib, and the shape of your stroke. And if you simply intend to write normally, like I do most of the time, it works well while providing added character to your letters on the page.
Along with the Fude nib, the Dipton inks for these sets were designed specifically to be used as dip nib inks, not filled in a fountain pen. Could you, if you wanted to? Probably, but I wouldn’t. The glitter particles could clog feeds and filling systems, so if you want to use shimmer inks in your pens, I would buy formulations designed specifically for them, of which there are plenty.
This particular set had three ink variants: Mellow Forest, Coral Humming, and Ice Dance. I went with the dark and moody Mellow Forest for this test, as opposed to the two brighter options. Sailor has also made other sets of these available that feature sheening inks, so definitely shop around if shimmer isn’t your thing.
The line I get from the Fude nib at my regular writing angle is broad, and has that brush tip flair that works well with my letters. If I write holding the pen at a higher angle, the line gets finer, and the lower the writing angle, the wider the line. This is the perfect nib to get creative with.
It may not look like it from the pictures, but this nib holds a lot of ink. The feed design is trough-like, holding a good amount of ink in the middle area between the nib and the feed. This design is also easy to take apart, making cleaning a breeze.
This was one dip worth of writing.
As an ink, Mellow Forest looks great on the page, and in combination with the nib, allows for great shimmer coverage. One tip: make sure you cap the bottle after each dip, so when you go to shake up the bottle before the next dip you aren’t throwing ink across the room. I don’t want to hear this Horror Story! But to get full shimmer coverage, you do want to shake it each time, so be careful.
While I enjoy having the 10 ml bottle of shimmer ink to play with, I’ll get much more usage from the Fude nib in this set. It will work well with any ink, and I look forward to seeing what I can create with it.
You should think about creating with dip nibs and inks as well. They are easy to use, and provide a different experience than traditional fountain pens and nibs. This Sailor Dipton + Hocoro Ink & Dip Pen Set is a great choice, albeit a little expensive for a beginner at $29. It is nice to get an all-in-one kit up front to see if you like it, and then you can explore a world of different options out there.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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