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Dryden Designs Fountain Pen

I found a review on youtube for the Dryden Designs Fountain Pen, and it was highly positive. The big A had a pink one (M nib) for around ten dollars, including converter and 24 universal short cartridges...so I had almost nothing to lose. The pen arrived in a simple box, and included a velour pen sleeve! I loaded a black cartridge and after trying it out, I am blown away. The ink flows wonderfully and the nib is amazing. IMHO, it writes better than my Sheaffers, Conklin, Pilot, Jinhao, Monteverde, Sailor, Kaweko and various other pens. It is all metal with metal threads and very well designed and assembled. The nib glides effortlessly and has zero scratchiness or drag! This may be the best ten dollars I have spent in my new hobby. These pens cost a few dollars more when you buy the pen with a nice box, which includes a converter and only 6 cartridges. I am sure they must be manufactured in China, due to the pricing. I am going to purchase a second one, to see if the quality is consistent, or if I got extremely lucky. Has anyone else tried out these pens?
 
$10 is not a lot of money to risk IMHO, the only question I would ask is that I see a step down on the cap threads, some people find this to be annoying but if you are good with that then it looks a good, attractive and substantial pen. I like the screw cap instead of the push/click cap that often comes with cheaper pens.

These pens were reviewed by members of a Pen Club in Chicago in 2019 and they were all very positive and enthusiastic about the brand

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J

Jughead

These pens seem to get good reviews just about everywhere. I was curious and did some digging and it is generally believed the Dryden nibs are German Schneider nibs. Schneiders aren't widely discussed in the US but I have a couple of their plastic "student-level" pens and they're great writers. Let us know how the second one compares!
 
J

Jughead

I just had to look and picked a random sample of each of these wildly-disparate fountain pens on Amazon and here's how the ratings play out. Numbers are the "Star Ratings."

Pilot Custom 823

5-62%
4-7%
3-18%
2-5%
1-8%

Dryden Designs Standard Fountain Pen

5-64%
4-16%
3-8%
2-4%
1-8%
 
I have just done the same exercise with Montblanc and I was surprised to see that they scored less than Dryden and Pilot in terms of customer satisfaction
 
J

Jughead

Even though I buy a lot of pens on Amazon I must say I never pay any attention to the customer ratings or reviews for any of them

The 823 is a rather highly-esteemed pen for the most part so I was surprised by its 5- and 4-star numbers.
 
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JCinPA

The Lather Maestro
I have just done the same exercise with Montblanc and I was surprised to see that they scored less than Dryden and Pilot in terms of customer satisfaction

It's hard to beat a Pilot Metropolitan. It proves the adage that price is not a good indicator of quality, it's a fairly loose relationship, very evident in the shaving realm.

I don't collect these things, I have a couple Lamy Safari pens, a M and a F nib, and I probably will never buy another fountain pen. I have a few others, as well, but never use them. I just keep the Lamy pens clean and loaded. Works for me.
 
Chinese pen makers have really upped their game of late, some to the point of outshining some of the traditional big names pen makers. Some of the clones that are coming out are quite impressive. I keep eying one of the Vanishing point clones (as if I need another pen). Check out the Doodlebud chanel on YouTube for some more recent pen reviews and comparisons.
 
I have just done the same exercise with Montblanc and I was surprised to see that they scored less than Dryden and Pilot in terms of customer satisfaction
Buyer's remorse. Perhaps it's shock that all the hype is just that, hype. Things just ain't what they used to be anymore. Which is why if I'm going to put money into a pen I tend to go vintage. (I like mid-cenrury German piston fillers.) Even student pens from 60 years ago are better that the IPG nib crap available today.
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
I have just done the same exercise with Montblanc and I was surprised to see that they scored less than Dryden and Pilot in terms of customer satisfaction
I’m sure you are right but I think this calls these reviews into serious question.
 
J

Jughead

I've decided the best thing to do in this case is to just buy a Dryden Designs and try it out myself. I've got a "Royal Red" version arriving on Monday.
 
I need to add some clarification. I purchased the Dryden, based on youtube pen reviews. With razors, blades and pens, I like to see the product actually being used, and the associated reactions and comments from a real person on the video. I like to see the unboxing, pen assembly, installation of the converter or cartridge, and the actual writing performance...all of which a written review cannot provide. I pretty much use this process for nearly everything I purchase, and avoid Amazon reviews (since many of them have proven to be fake, resulting in much recent litigation). I used to love going to the state fair and seeing all the new products and hucksters who hawked them...back in the old days. Our state fair has nearly none of these vendors anymore (except mattresses)...and has been replaced by QVC and HSN on TV. In recent years, I have found a youtube video for nearly everything I have purchased. Believe it or not, when I went through my Creed Aventus "clone" obsession...there was a video for nearly every clone I purchased (now approaching 20+). I am now over that ridiculous mess and have found my favorites. Unfortunately, I am now going through my fountain pen obsession. I am over RAD, BAD and soap/aftershave/cologne "AD" (which lasted 7 years). I have found my favorite razors (3), my signature scents (3), and still searching for my favorite pens. I will let you know how the second Dryden performs. All deliveries are delayed due to the holidays, and some of my giving gifts will not arrive on time (one was supposed to take 3 days, and now will take 2 weeks!)
 
Lamy and Pilot E95 has been my winning combo for pens. Just reliable work horses. I've tried others, including chinese clones, but they just aren't as enjoyable or have enough flaws that I just don't want to bother with them.
 
J

Jughead

I need to add some clarification. I purchased the Dryden, based on youtube pen reviews. With razors, blades and pens, I like to see the product actually being used, and the associated reactions and comments from a real person on the video. I like to see the unboxing, pen assembly, installation of the converter or cartridge, and the actual writing performance...all of which a written review cannot provide. I pretty much use this process for nearly everything I purchase, and avoid Amazon reviews (since many of them have proven to be fake, resulting in much recent litigation). I used to love going to the state fair and seeing all the new products and hucksters who hawked them...back in the old days. Our state fair has nearly none of these vendors anymore (except mattresses)...and has been replaced by QVC and HSN on TV. In recent years, I have found a youtube video for nearly everything I have purchased. Believe it or not, when I went through my Creed Aventus "clone" obsession...there was a video for nearly every clone I purchased (now approaching 20+). I am now over that ridiculous mess and have found my favorites. Unfortunately, I am now going through my fountain pen obsession. I am over RAD, BAD and soap/aftershave/cologne "AD" (which lasted 7 years). I have found my favorite razors (3), my signature scents (3), and still searching for my favorite pens. I will let you know how the second Dryden performs. All deliveries are delayed due to the holidays, and some of my giving gifts will not arrive on time (one was supposed to take 3 days, and now will take 2 weeks!)
I totally agree with this. When you watch a video review, it gives you a better idea if the person doing the review actually has at least some idea what they're talking about. Amazon reviews are definitely suspect. I rarely pay any attention to them and never do when I'm buying a fountain pen on there because I already know what I'm getting before I decide to order it and some random user isn't going to change my mind about it.
 
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