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.
The Ohto Dude metallic finish compared to the Monteverde Poquito in Chrome on the left and the Lamy Studio in brushed aluminum on the right. The Dude in the middle had the look of an unpolished aluminum.
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.
