25.4.2017

I've been an amateur calligrapher for almost 40 years, since discovering Tom Gourdie's excellent book How To Improve Your Handwriting. I have quite a collection of pens and nibs, mainly using bottled ink (sometimes via refillable reservoirs). These are not suitable for everyday use, however - even I have never taken a bottle of ink into a meeting! For many years, I used my prized Waterman italic pen as my main everyday handwriting implement, with its narrow italic nib and refillable reservoir (I turned my nose up at disposable cartridges; they always seemed overpriced and limited in colours). However, as it became increasingly convenient to take notes in electronic form,I found I was writing by hand so rarely that the Waterman had always dried up by the time I wanted to use it! So I resorted to felt-tip italic pens; always usable, but always a little more fuzzy round the edges. These are getting harder to find nowadays, and always were more expensive than ink cartridges. So for everyday writing, I now tend to use rollerballs and ballpoints; but I miss the uniqueness that an italic nib can give.So I wondered what it would be like to use this inexpensive cartridge-based italic pen... and it's been a revelation. The first attached photo is of the very first thing I wrote with it, on a small (A6-ish) cheap piece of notepaper. (A pen that can only write on expensive paper is no good for everyday use.) I was pretty impressed. It's comfortable to hold, it writes smoothly and cleanly, and the lines are pretty sharp. It doesn't look very classy (your view of the styling may vary), but I like the idea of surprising people who are expecting it to write like any old pen!Over the past month, I've used the pen from time to time. Even after a week of inactivity, it still writes perfectly from the first letter - no having to warm it up with squiggles in the margin. I even took the pen on a long-haul flight (in the cabin, but wrapped in a bag in case it leaked; it didn't). It still worked fine afterwards.There is something of a twist/sting in the tale/tail, however: nice though it is, at 1.4mm the nib is a little too thick for everyday note-taking - the natural letter-height is a too high for most lined notebooks. So I tried one of the spare cartridges in my Waterman pen (which has a much narrower nib, perhaps 1.1mm), and - after some initial resistance - it started writing again - and seems to be OK even after several days' disuse. (The second photo shows a comparison between the two pens.) So the Stabilo hasn't become my everyday pen after all - though it is very good for headings, and for writing in birthday cards etc. But I am somewhat grateful to it for getting my Waterman working again, and for encouraging me to start using ink cartridges; and having a thicker italic pen that is so reliable is very useful.

12.4.2017

I've been doodling around with calligraphy, on-and-off, for 30 years or more and though I've never really achieved a very high standard, I know the basics.This Stabilo pen is perfect for the idle doodler or person new to calligraphy, as it is fairly basic and well made enough to make use easy. It can be used for more formal calligraphy and I found that it was easy to create cursive handwriting too. At 1.4mm the nib is fine for standard, lined writing paper, though some cheaper paper will allow the ink to bleed. The ink is fairly translucent and creates interesting areas of lighter and darker, when used on less-absorbent papers. As to the results you'll get,

22.3.2017

This is definitely a "fun" calligraphy pen, because elegant it ain't. The fat barrel is brightly coloured and the whole thing is a chunk of plastic that I really don't want to show to anyone. It has a big clip, but I don't plan to carry the pen in my pocket.You load it with standard ink cartridges, and the pen comes with two, so you can get started right away. Oddly, the ink is blue -- most calligraphy writers would prefer black, but of course you can buy refills in any colour you want. The nib is a broad 1.4mm, suitable for a bold, italic style, and I found that writing was smooth. At this nib width, my writing is too large for everyday use. I think a keen calligrapher would want something better than this,

10.3.2017

As everyone knows, fountain pens come in different themes, cost, and efficiency. So, at first glance a calligraphy fountain penat a modest price could be 'written off; (pardon the pun,) but they would be wrong.This STABILO fountain pen, complete with three blue ink cartridges is effective, user friendly and -it can't be ignored cost saving.Not that this would surprise other users of STABILO products.Mine was in an attractively coloured turquoise, and had a modern 'feel' about it.It was easy to set up in the normal way that you would use a fountain pen, carefully removing the blank cartridge inside the pen andinstalling the supplied new one by firmly pressing it upwards to the nib.I have used the pen and it writes perfectly well.

14.4.2017

First off, the pen body itself is attractive, in a subtle geometric lines design, and looks nice and modern (I had the blue one). The pack also comes with a couple of spare dark blue ink cartridges, so you're ready to use it as soon as it pops through your letterbox. Pop in a cartridge, give it a bit of a shake to get the ink flowing, and off you go.It's comfortable to hold around the soft, black grip section, and even if you're not au fait with calligraphy techniques, you'll be making very attractive curves and lines with minimal effort. The nib itself isn't particularly chunky / wedgy at 1.4mm, so you could use it for more everyday, less fancy things too. It does lend itself best to flourished and florid creations,

14.4.2017

This is a nice looking straightforward cartridge pen with a broad italic nib. The breadth of the fat stroke is about 1mm, which doesn't sound much, but that's quite broad, and certainly as broad as you are likely to want for everyday handwriting.the barrel is turquoise plastic with a sort of woven design printed on it,navy blue caps at either end and finished with a stainless clip. Its not an expensive looking pen, but it is certainly attractive.It comes with 2 blue cartridges to get you going. it writes reasonably well, although on mine the inkflow is not quite adequate. that said inevitably with a new pen you need to write it in, and I haven't used it enough for that yet.

12.7.2017

My daughter is an artist and loves drawing, both electronically and by hand. When she's drawing her 4-komas and art for her graphic novels, she does it old school- each panel completely by hand, including the lettering if it's a 4-koma- before scanning it into her specialty art program for final edits and compilation. She loves these pens. The lines are clean and sharp and perfect for her hand-lettered 4-koma and she has also used it on occasion for fine drawn lines. It's comfortable to hold, too, thanks to the design of the grip. Given how long she spends holding her pens while working on her art, grip is pretty important as poorly designed pens can add to her hand fatigue.The replacement cartridges are not super expensive either,

7.3.2017

This new beFab calligraphy fountain pen is produced in Germany by Schwan-Stabilo – the high-quality German pen manufacturer – and is available in three bright barrel colour designs, turquoise, blue and apricot. One standard ink cartridge is supplied fitted in the pen with another two replacements included in the blister pack, so there is enough ink to last for quite a while. The pen is good quality for the price – currently around a tenner from Amazon – and would make a good model for someone just starting out practising the art of calligraphy. This pen is comfortable in use and the supplied nib has a width of 1.4mm, which is ideal for general use.

17.3.2017

This is quite a nice pen. The clip for the pocket is good and strong. The barrel screws apart at the centre for insertion of a cartridge. Although it states there is a standard ink cartridge in the pen I found that the cartridge was an empty one so only 2 ink cartridges were received. Using as a normal pen it writes quite thickly but nicely. I think it is a pity that no calligraphy instructions are included. I had a set many years ago and although my skills were rusty I managed fairly well and enjoyed writing in this manner. If you are new to calligraphy I would advise finding some instruction as it is very enjoyable and very distinctive.

23.3.2017

I found this pen nice and solid to hold, just bulky enough to be comfortable. The lid fits snugly on the other end while the pen is in use. The design is attractive, and the clip is sturdy enough to be practical. The nib is a 1.4, so just about small enough to use for ordinary writing as well as for larger, fancier stuff. It moves smoothly and the ink flows freely, so that using it is a pleasure.It uses the smaller ink cartridges, so you can carry a spare inside the pen. I find this useful, as with the larger cartridges, if I run out, then I'm hunting around for a replacement while in the middle of something. There are also lots of colours available in this size cartridge.All in all, a very useful,

24.3.2017

A nice calligraphy pen for a beginner.It is ready to go straight out of the packet as it comes with 3 blue cartridges. There is also a cartridge blank inside the casing which I have kept as I think it needs to be left inside the barrel to help click a new cartridge into the pen head (although there are no instructions at all so this is guess work!) The blue ink looks a little pale as you write, but dries a really nice dark, slightly purple shade of blue. They are standard small cartridges so other colours could be bought and used.I'm sure there's technical terminology, but I would describe the nib as medium wide.

8.3.2017

An excellent low cost calligraphy pen with two blue cartridges. The ease and convenience of a cartridge driven fountain pen, with the fashionable body design that is typical of Stabilo. This pen allows you to practice your calligraphy with a quality result without having to pay the earth. The nibs responds well and results in a wide range of writing capabilities that will allow you to produce the highest standard of stylistic writing time after time. Personally, I prefer black ink for calligraphy, but the blue was an interesting colour to play with. A really well designed product that allows you to reach your goal without spending a lot - well done Stabilo!

14.4.2017

This is a lovely calligraphy fountain pen for those who haven't used a fountain pen before. It's very easy to fill with the ink cartridge, and very easy to write with. The three blue cartridges included should last a wee while, though it would have been nice to have a black cartridge to try it with too. It's a fairly chunky pen, and it's not something you'd buy for its aesthetic appeal, but it does a great job of writing. It's nice and smooth, with the ink flowing easily, and is a great way to get into calligraphy without splashing out too much money. Nice wee pen, which I suspect would soon lead to buying lots more lovely calligraphy pens!

6.4.2017

This fountain pen features a wide nib (1.4mm) ideal for calligraphy. You would not use this for regular handwriting but it looks nice for place settings or a table plan for a wedding etc. The ink flows quickly and easily, the pen is quite fat so can be held easily, and the cartridges are the regular bullet-looking where you put two into the pen back-to-back. The results are pretty good actually.My only moan is that the cartridges are blue - I suspect black would be more useful but it's only a matter of opinion and you can get them from any regular stationer or online.

13.3.2017

Not sure I’d call it a Calligraphy Fountain Pen as I always thought they were a lot finer tipped. However I do like this pen, as my everyday pen its brilliant, I prefer writing with a fountain pen, much neater than a standard ball point pen.Nice weight and easy to hold, not to wide on the grip.Comes with 3 blue ink cartridges, I prefer black but thats just a preference rather than an negative comment.I’m sure there are better and nicer pens on the market for Calligraphy, however as a everyday pen its great value

Stabilo beFab! (B-51144-5) - Reviews

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