Hongdian N11

Packaging & Accessories: 8/10 The pen comes in an oval metal box. I have another Hongdian fountain pen (N12) and the packaging is the same. The pen came in a plastic envelope. Aesthetics & Quality (10/10) The pen comes with different patterns and I chose the more elaborated one, which is sort of a swirling rhombus pattern. There is also an octagonal version and a twirl version: the difference between the different patters is $1 difference. I also picked the blue version, which is more of a blue tending to green (sort of a dark turquoise). All in all very nice. The pen is a metal pen which comes with a Hongdian converter. There is no way of checking ink level if not unscrewing the pen. The converter is nicely done and doe not feel cheap: it has a metal reinforced nipple (nice touch!), there is a little plastic ball in the converter to ensure good ink flow and the converter can be taken apart for maintenance and cleaning (this is another nice feature). The pen, part for the particular pattern on the body, does not have a lot of other aesthetic features. The cap has a ruthenium-type (titanium?) medallion with no stamping. Same applies to the bottom medallion. The band at the end of the cap has some nice texture (same coloring of the top and bottom medallion) with “Hongdian” stamped in front and “N11” in the back: it is nicely done. The cap unscrews with a little less than one rotation, which makes the pen very usable for taking notes on the fly. The section is metal with three circle etched into it which makes the section very usable. The section appears to be comfortable and not slippery. The section has an O-ring at the end of the internal threads to avoid unvoluntary unscrewing of the pen. This shows great care in the design of this pen. The threads of the body are non-intrusive and very smooth. I didn’t try posting as I don’t want to ruin the pen and I usually don’t post my pens but I suppose you could post (at your own risk). Weight and Dimensions: 9/10 I didn’t wait the pen, but overall it is not as heavy as one could expect. Probably the body and cap are aluminum. It is a very comfortable writer and I am surprised how much I like writing with it. Nib & Performance: 910 The nib is a #6 and it has the same ruthenium like finish with what it seems like a flower stamped on it and Hongdian, “F”. The feed is black plastic and the nib unit can be unscrewed for replacement and maintenance. Replacement are available, and you can probably use JOWO or Bock replacement nibs if you would like. Nonetheless the nib performs well: it is smooth and a little springy (but don’t expect line variations as it is pretty stiff). Cost & Value: 10/10 I am amazed at quality of Hongdian pens. It shows that the pen was carefully designed and manufactured with a keen eye to ensure performance. For $28, this is definitely a great value. Conclusion: (46/50 –92%) You may not like metal pens, but I would say give the N11 a chance. The pen amazes for the quality of the finishes and for the care taken in the design and its execution, which surpasses pens made by more blazoned manufacturer.

For the price the quality is fantastic and it writes like a dream. I have multiple Hong Dian pens and they have all been wonderful so far. This one is a bit higher price than the other ones they make but worth every penny. It’s solid has great weight and is an eye turner. Just buy it!

Beautiful pen. It writes quite wet with a small amount of feedback. Fine point nib is closer to a medium. Don’t expect to be in “flex-nib heaven” or you will be sadly disappointed! Nevertheless, it writes very smoothly. I’m docking one star because the description states that it has a soft nib with some flex. Also the cap is a screw-on, and the pen would likely be scratched if it is posted

This is my second Hong Dian. I also have an N12. Both pens are beautiful and fit and finish is excellent on the ones I received. Both of these models come with what Hong Dian are calling "SOFT" nibs which have more spring and give to them then the standard nibs on most of their pens and replacement nibs. So far, I have tried the soft fine and the soft extra fine. Both write very well, especially for the price. Both the N11 and N12 are nice wet writers and take little effort putting ink to paper. They are smooth on high quality paper with some feedback, but not excessive, even the extra fine. The feedback does increase on cheaper copier paper, but it is still comfortable and reliable to use on even cheaper paper with no bleed through and little to no feathering, despite the wet writing these pens are capable of. Please don't confuse a "FLEX" nib for this "SOFT" nib. This is NOT a flex nib. If you are expecting a flex nib expierience, you won't get it. However, this nib has a pleasant give and forgiveness in the hand. It is softer than say, a stock jowo or schmidt nib. That is what Hong Dian means by the "soft" designation. And I can feel it in the control and forgiveness when writing, which makes the pen more pleasant to use. I have a lot of pens and most are quite a bit more expensive. I'm impressed with these newer Chinese pens. They are solid performers and a joy to write with for under $30.

Have said it elsewhere, but without question, the Chinese pen manufacturers and ≈ 5-6 I know & use, have come a long way over the last 3-4 years w/ general quality & QC of their fountain pens. But over the last 12-24 months, their DESIGN(S) plus overall quality given the low costs is truly incredible and turned me into a huge fan & user. Amazon has clearly helped them (and us in the US!) grow because of the obviously no-risk return policy. Kudos AMAZON. The all metal, geometric pattered design here provides a solid feel in the hand, which I like. Initially this particular nib, a gray titanium Fine per the model description, needed some minor use & "work-in" which is fine to me. An important tip for those brand new or just starting out in the fountain pen hobby-- you need to understand that, FP NIBS can sometimes be finicky or "not perfect" right from the start from ANY factory around the world, REGARDLESS of whether the FP costs $500 from Europe or Japan or $25 from China. Now yes, a $400 Conway Stewart may have extra assembly line nib checks vs a $40 Jinhao or Asvine but I can promise you, I've had lots of perfect $30 Chinese fountain pen & nibs and poor performing $150 - $500 top branded FP nibs that require subtle tweaking. To that end, be patient & read up/watch the HUNDREDS of useful articles & YouTube videos. If you happen to get a pen you love like this great design but the out-of-the-box writing is maybe scratchy or start/stops, it MAY be the initial nib or it COULD be the ink/nib combo, or your paper! Be patient & read up. Try a different sized nib or get a replacement pen. Of note, extra, various sized Chinese or German steel nibs from Extra Fine to Medium to "Bent" or "Broad" are cheap & fun & can totally change your overall ink/paper/nib and therefore, fountain pen experience! I have "no dog in the (Chinese) hunt", so I say all the above to say these recent 2024-25 fountain pen times where Chinese pen manufacturers are indeed improving & actually seeing the growth of their pen efforts as they improve their QC, their designs, even their included english instructions, benefits any/all fountain pen users!

Having found myself starting a new fountain pen journey after years of Lamy Safari daily use- I felt it was time to try new pens and inks and down the rabbit hole I go! These are inexpensive and incredibly versatile pens- having purchased a few examples of the Hongdian brand - the N11 is a gorgeous pen- aesthetically it’s beautiful but the writing experience is also smooth and it’s a light pen! I love light weight pens. This pen is currently inked with diamine sherwood green, and I like the pairing. See image examples attached. It’s a very good value and I like it better than my Lamy at present but … there are more pens to try!

This pen writes really nicely. I like the size, balance, teal color, and design with the soft spiral shape.

I highly recommend this pen, which is well balanced and comfortable to write with. The #6 nib is juicy and a pleasure to use, wet and reliable, always starting up immediately. It’s firm and very smooth. I especially like the “rhombus” (AKA “lozenge”) pattern, and I have two pens that I enjoy: a green one with a fine nib and a blue/teal one with an EF nib. This is a metal pen and I like the weight, not too heavy but with enough heft to help keep the nib on the paper without effort.