Duke Black Fountain Pen Double-Nibs Iridium Medium and Fude Calligraphy Nib Interchangeable Writing Gift Box Set for Office/Business/Art/Painting

Review: Duke D2 Dual-Nib Fude (筆) Nib Fountain Pen Gift SetHave you ever had one fountain pen that, when you wrote with it, made you think, ‘you know, if I could only have one fountain pen, this would be it’? Well, now I do. Come join me for an experience of a lifetime.For starters, this is the nicest gift set packaging I’ve seen south of a $500+ fountain pen. The outer box is nice and thick, has full color print and feels like it will last for years on a shelf or in storage. You open it to find this substantial, hinged, velvet-lined box containing the pen itself, with both nibs, the standard international converter and some nice paperwork. Remove some much appreciated wrapping on the pen and second nib and you have possibly the most welcoming gift set I’ve yet encountered in the fountain pen hobby.Getting past the gorgeous packaging almost requires therapy, but moving on to the pen itself proves to be the best part. This Duke is a cigar-style all metal pen with a flawless black lacquer finish which it wears like a fine suit. The iridium trim shines like a luxury wristwatch or fine cuff links. The cap is topped by a matching black lacquer finial delineated by an iridium trim ring just above the clip. The clip is standard Duke attire complete with the crowned badge and pinstripes engraved along its perimeter. It is just stiff enough without being unwieldy. The lower section of the cap is graced with a substantial iridium cap band which itself is adorned with the Duke crown on he front, the DUKE script on the reverse and filigree running between them, all inlaid with more black lacquer to better show off their details. The perfectly medium-length body tapers down to a matching iridium trim ring and black lacquer finial at the end.Removing the snap cap reveals the Medium iridium nib, engraved with a beautiful design incorporating the Duke crown, the DUKE script and “GERMANY”. The grip section is all metal, finished in more black lacquer with iridium trim at both ends. The black portion is nicely concave and is the perfect length and diameter for my hands. There is a significant step up to the body, but the section distance to the writing surface is perfect for my writing position so I don’t notice it when in the hand. Unscrewing the body from the section reveals a high quality standard international converter, complete with an internal spring to agitate certain inks.And now to the best part. As if all of this wasn’t overwhelming enough, when I inked this beauty up, I think my life changed forever. I inked the pen up with some Pilot Iroshizuku Murasaki-Shikibu ink and put the Medium German iridium nib to my Rhodia *80 DOT pad, only to find the most impressive writing experience I’ve ever had with a fountain pen. My notes inevitably include phrases like “zero scratch”, “zero feedback” and “perfectly smooth”. Some line variation is possible, but with the Fude (筆) nib also included in this gift set, it is unnecessary. Reverse writing provides the finest usable line I’ve ever been able to achieve in a fountain pen, and it of course does so, again, with no scratchiness whatsoever.As if this couldn’t get any better, I swap nibs to the included Fude (筆) (“Fü’-deh”) nib, again German made and again in iridium. These are sometimes called “bent” nibs, for good reason. The tip is still finished in a specific size, but the tines are bent into any of a series of specific angles and curves, producing a writing instrument which provides a nearly infinite variety of line variation, without having to change nibs or pens. Just vary you pen’s angle to the writing surface and you can achieve anything from an EF line when reverse writing, to a Fine at 90* to the paper, to more bold than the boldest nib when at a steeper angle. These are perfect for sketching and drawing, and are particularly popular for calligraphy use in some eastern cultures.This one is the first I’ve used myself, and it does not disappoint. Reverse writing is again extra fine with zero feedback. A 90* angle produces a Medium line with minimal feedback. And utilize a 45* angle or more and vary the pressure applied to achieve a wide variety of super thick, luscious strokes which would be welcome by the most experienced of Asian calligraphy artists. Extremely smooth, desperately thick strokes simply ooze out of this nib when used at the steeper angles. I doubt if all Fude nibs are like this, so I’m especially appreciative to be using this one as my first. It is simply astounding.As I drag myself away from my Rhodia pad in order to share this experience, I already find myself thinking of excuses to use this pen and nib again soon. Honestly, just the included Medium nib is more than worth the price of admission here. If this set had any more notable brand on it, it would be hundreds of dollars, and rightly so. The Fude nib is an absolute dream by itself as well, and the whole pen feels of significant quality.This is the single best writing experience I’ve had with a fountain pen yet. It cannot be more highly recommended. Go buy it. Now. You’ll thank me, I promise.

I've been writing with fountain pens for a few decades, but they've never been my go-to writing instrument. Which is to say I'm not hardcore but I know what I like/expect from a fountain pen.As with all Duke pens that I own, the presentation is top notch for an inexpensive writing instrument. I purchased the black version of this ca 2008 and still have the Duke case. The 2020 presentation is even better; the same cases with an added small instruction card and extra nib. I believe the price is unchanged, too. I like the weight of this all-metal pen; I don't post the cap as I'm always concerned about marring the finish so for some it may feel too heavy. The cap on the 2020 model has a satisfying 'snap' when closing.Out of the box the nib practically shot ink* onto the page, regardless of what I was writing on. I tried to make small adjustments but found it was difficult to find a middle-ground between flooding out and not flowing at all. When writing large letters or writing quickly I nonconsciously apply added pressure which obviously bends the nib and increases ink flow. I am getting more adept at using the correct angle and pressure to re-adjust the nib when this happens, I just wish it didn't happen as often. But, this is a fairly long nib so there's more leverage than on a smaller nib like the Duke P3.It currently writes with a similar stroke to most 0.5mm rollerball pens (compared to Uniball Vision elite). I have let it sit for a few days and find that it only takes a little coaxing to get the ink flowing properly, which is my experience with Duke pens in general.The 2008 black barrel and 2020 red barrel are in heavy rotation currently as I have decided to change up my note taking at work. With a little care in my stroke and pressure I have found these to be reliable and enjoyable to write with. For the price I'm quite happy with this purchase.* my ink of choice to try out a fountain pen is Noodler's bulletproof black. The black barrel pen is loaded with Noodler's bulletproof black and the red barrel pen has Noodler's Dragon's Napalm.

The medium nib writes smooth but the bent nib is too broad for practical use.

I just got this pen out for the first time in months, and I remember why I put it away. I'm afraid I just don't like it very much after spending a lot of time with it. The nib is fairly scratchy, and skips pretty often. It's as if ink doesn't travel to the end quite fast enough. It also dries out super rapidly. Like, if you stop to think for a few seconds, it may have a hard time starting up again. Otherwise, I stand by what I said in the original review. It's got a lovely heft and shape, and its cap stays on better than either of my Picasso pens. But the nib (or flow? something...) is just so unsatisfactory that I'm just going to shop for something to replace it.Original review:While it is an attractive pen, it is less "green" than I'd imagined, and more of an aqua. After having a Picasso pen leak out in my pocket from coming uncapped under its own weight, I'm excited that this pen seems to have a much snugger fit than the other fountain pens I've bought to this point. It came with a second nib which is curled, and I suppose is for writing more thickly. I don't know if I'll use it. The ordinary nib is stiffer than those on my Picasso pens. I've only just opened the thing but I'm excited to use it and it feels like a nice, solid instrument.