Fountain Pen: Hongdian N12
- whimsicaleccentric
- Oct 22, 2024
- 2 min read
VISUAL
The Hongdian N12 is a large piston pen. It comes in a variety of colors - this one is a mottled dark blue. It has a crackled resin appearance, with decent flashes of chatoyance. The section and piston nob are black, and the clip, cap band, finial, and piston band are all gold. The finial is stamped with a cute bird and wreath design.
The nib is nice and large, and stamped with the flourishy Hongdian design. It looks very nice!
I do find that the gold finish on the clip and cap band is fairly prone to scuffing.
TACTILE
Though this is a larger pen, it's fairly light. I would compare it to the modern Conklin Duragraph, but with even thinner acrylic resin.
The section is decently wide and comfortable, and the threads are far back enough as to not bother me while writing.
PRACTICAL
This is my first time inking up this pen, so I'm trying to determine if the flow issues are ink-related or pen-related. I have intermittent issues with flow that can be slightly frustrating.
Since this is a piston filler, I really wish there was an ink window. I can slightly see the ink level if I hold the pen in front of a bright light. It can be really hard to tell if I have a full fill or just ink chamber residue from the ink moving around.
The N12 does post firmly, and in such a way as to not activate the piston knob. It is a decently long pen when posted, but the cap is so light I barely notice it.
STATISTICAL
Pen Measurements:
Weight:25.8g
Weight of Cap: 9.89g
Length Capped: 139mm
Length Uncapped: 128mm
Length Posted: 163mm
Nib: 6mm 'Fine' Steel
Body Style: Classic
Fill Method: Piston
Fill Volume: 1.3 ml
Comparison Pens: Pilot Metropolitan, LAMY Safari
OVERALL
Pros:
Larger budget piston pen
Posts decently well
Cons:
No ink window
Flow issues with nib
Thinner material - not sure about durability
I'm a bit on the fence about this pen. I like the color, but the pen itself is not as exciting as I had hoped it would be. Maybe some of my concern is that I just had a bad experience trying this one ink in it, so I will continue experimenting with a known lubricated ink next.
DISCLAIMER: Pens and inks purchased by myself. Photos and opinions are my own.
Comments