Duke 551 Fountain Pen Golden Silk Bamboo,Medium Nib Heavy Large Pen for Collection and Signature

I would like a nib that makes thinner lines. The big line was too bold. It did seem not to drop a big blob of ink like the regular nibs sometimes do. I also thought it would work as a fountain pen. The pen is very attractive.

I really like fude nib pens and own several. This Duke 551 has a great fude nib with a great flow of ink BUT it is very heavy compared to any other pen I own. I'm not sure I could sit and hold for an hour. I use it for small sketches that take 5-10 minutes and then often watercolor over. The other thing I didn't like is that I had to remove the ink converter to fill it. All my other pens, I don't remove the converter when refilling. I lower the nib in the ink bottle then twist the plunger up to fill. I'll keep it and use but as I don't see any period of long use at one time due to the weight.

This pen is not for the feint hearted, it is a big and heavy pen. I have now had the pen for a couple of months, it's becoming more familiar with each use, and I'm still learning all its possibilities. I'm very impressed with the pen. I struggle to find any negatives.The 551 has been around for several years (earliest review 2012) and is available in a couple of variations so be careful where you buy it. This later version has resolved many of the earlier issues. My pen is perfect, so here are the things to look out for: screw on cap, extra detail on the sleeve of Confucius, and a large Duke converter. I was only interested in the Fude nib so didn't buy it with a box. If you can afford it, I recommend buying the box as well.I had seen many reviews before I bought the pen and almost all come with high commendation particularly from other artists. It's a personal choice if you prefer light or heavier pens for art, personally the heavier pens gives me a steadier line and also works well with calligraphy.The Fude nib was not designed for normal cursive writing but it still handles it well when writing at a higher angle. Writing with the nib upside down also produces a consistent smooth XF line. The Fude nib is meant to be used for Asian characters so it is capable of replicating brush strokes. It does this well and is great for art since it gives lots of line variation and expression when drawing . This nib has three tines (2 slits) to allow more ink flow and also has an overfeed which collects more ink and drives it to the nib. When used as a dip pen with pigment inks, the overfeed holds quite a lot of ink. The ink flow with this nib is capable of drawing fast. This is my first Fude nib and lucky for me it appears to be give the widest line of any Fude nib. I suspect I would be disappointed had I bought any other Fude nib.Duke has done a nice job on the finish of the pen, especially the bamboo. I like the finish on my Duke 552 and the finish on the 551 is just as impressive, it looks good and feels good. The cap posts securely but I find the balance of the pen is perfect without posting.I enjoy the pen when used for writing, but much more so for drawing and calligraphy.

Duke 551 Confucius Fude Nib Fountain Pen Bent Nib Nature Bamboo Medium to Broad Art Handwriting Drawing Calligraphy Pen This is a very fine pen. The construction is very solid. It is a large and very heavy pen. Posting the pen is quite easy, however I would never do that. The pen is already heavy and the weight and balance un-posted works well for me. I was able to balance the pen in my hand and it felt like an extension of my fingers (very nice feel). Once I posted the pen, the balance was off (back heavy) and I could not control the pen.Then pen has some beautiful markings on the cap and the body is designed nicely in bamboo. My en is a twist cap.The selling point of this pen is the nib. The "Fude" nib means that it's bent and this allows for a wide range of line variation. The pen has 2 slits and 3 tines and one tab that collect an enormous amount of ink and helps the ink flow in large quantities. This pen is a wet juicy writer. In fact you will have to wait a long time for the ink to dry, especially if you are using the pen for coloring or drawing.The pen can be used as a dip pen or you can use the included converter. Be aware, if you travel with this pen, bring plenty of extra ink. I use it primarily as a dip pen when I'm writing at my desk. If you use the converter, you will be filling it constantly.There is a steep learning curve for me using this pen as the line variation depends on how you hold it. I do not draw but I write with sharp curt lines. But I get tons of character in my writing. The pen is very expressive, very striking and quite unique for my fast writing style.I think the pen is a great value for it's price and it's function. The only thing to worry about is the ik taking so long to dry. If you are rushing, you will have a mess.

There are two consideration here: cosmetics and functionality. For a pen at this price point, cosmetics is a valid consideration; I'm frustrated that the surface of the pen I received shows some defects. Ugh. Functionally, it works very well and the ink flows very smoothly. This is my second Fude tip pen, the other being a Sailor Fude de Mannen. The Duke 551 is definitely the smoother of the two, and has a wider range of line widths. Four times better? (The Duke is four times the price of the Sailor.) Well, that remains to be seen. For the casual sketcher, I doubt it would be. For a more serious sketcher, I think the ink flow and range of line weights would be a benefit. The Duke is awfully heavy though and I've yet to get used to the heft. I imagine it will eventually feel more natural, but the Sailor felt immediately right in my hand.

This would be a perfect pen if you have large hands and want a heavy body pen. I find it to be uncomfortable because I have small hands and it’s just not easy to use.

Fabulous pen- it's a much heavier weight than many pens, but comfortable in my hand. That Fude nib!!-- you can cover a lot of territory with it!! And it makes lovely fine lines as well. Wish the refillable reservoir/converter was a large as the barrel (either a fatter converter or longer)- a tiny bit disappointing but the fact that they include the converter is a huge bonus compared to many pens on the market where it's an added cost. I'm enjoying using it.

After a difficult delivery through which both Fedex and the seller were both very helpful, it was a real pleasure to see how beautiful this pen is irl.A perfect addition to my fountain pens for drawing collection. It’s really heavy, the fube tip is smooth and writes richly. So far, so good.

I love the marks I cab get with this pen and the Fudé nib. I had been wanting a Fudé nib pen for a long time and saw a few sketchers blog about this one and they were absolutely on track about it. It is not a pen for tentative sketchers as the marks are bold - but if you love experimenting and allowing yourself the freedom to go with flow (pun intended) then this is the pen for you. It is heavy, but gorgeous to look at as well. Fantastic price.

Misaligned tines resulted into the worse scratchiness that I ever experienced. Moreover, the tip of the nibs was ground oblique making it impossible to write or draw a really fine line with the pen inverted. All this made it unusable. Fortunately I was able to return it right away and Amazon refund came fast. Your mileage may vary but there are surer bets out there in the fude market.

My dad loved it. And the characters on the cap say "Kind People love people" I think or something like that. After some research I concluded that the person on the cap is likely the chinese philosopher Confucius which has s strong view on family valued and kindness to others. Very nice piece for a gift to someone. My dad said it is a bit heavier and bigger but that actually was good cause he has others that are not so it gives him some variety.