My number of currently inked fountain pens stands at 17, which is about average for me. But what is a bit unusual at the moment is that three are the same. They are my Delike New Moons.
I have already written an Early thoughts and a More thoughts post on this model, in March and April this year so there is little more to say. At that time I had bought one, loved it, given it away and bought a replacement. That was my marbled green acrylic version. Since then, I added the marbled blue and then, just recently, the marbled red.
What is so good about these inexpensive pens? Well, the fact that they are inexpensive is one benefit. They are well made, they have screw caps, they have attractive colours (which includes the grip section), three shiny plated metal bling rings on the uncapped pen, plus two more on the cap, they are uncomplicated, comfortable and come with a converter which has a spring coil ink agitator. But what makes them so enjoyable, and versatile, is the fine “bent nib”.
On all four of the Delike New Moons that I have purchased, the nibs have been faultless, out of the box. They all write smoothly, with a good flow and all have that capability of writing four distinct line widths, depending upon how you hold the pen.
I have never been proud of my handwriting. I am no calligrapher and have not studied or been trained in those skills. On my fountain pen “journey” I have owned countless standard nibs, of fine, medium or broad tips (mostly mediums) which are easy to use, practical and forgiving, but which do little to produce a line which can be distinguished, one pen from the next.
And then this year I discovered the fude nib: a tip which bends upwards giving a flat area to write with. If the pen is held in a conventional way (an under-writer style) this will produce a narrow down stroke and a wide cross stroke and various widths in between. This is the opposite effect of a stub nib. It is how I imagine an “architect grind” nib might be.
Flicking back through the pages of my notebooks, for once I like how my writing looks with these pens. I can use them in my lefty, over-writing style which feels the most natural to me, either with the pen laying back in my hand to give a medium line, or held more vertical like a ball point, which then produces a finer line. But I tend to prefer to use the pen in my under-writer style. This slows me down and I form each letter and word more carefully and deliberately. I delight in the line variation such as in the two sides of the capital A.
As you might have guessed, I now have these three pens inked with a matching ink. The green has Waterman Harmonious Green, from a bottle that I have had since 2015. The newer, blue pen is filled with Diamine Pelham Blue, a very pleasing shade from the generous flow of this nib. My latest New Moon addition, the marbled red one, is now filled with Montblanc William Shakespeare Velvet Red, which is possibly my GOAT red ink.
I expect a lot from my pens. Not only must they look good and feel good. They must write and behave well. They must (most of them) be good value. They must be enjoyable to use – by which I mean that the act of putting pen to paper is a pleasure, but also that the resulting script is expressive, neat, attractive, legible and satisfying. And as if that were not enough, I depend upon my pens for their role in maintaining my mental health, as a source of relaxation and unwinding to counter the stresses and strains of daily life. Writing with pen and paper lifts my spirits.
I realise that this is a lot to ask of a pen, particularly one that you find on Amazon and which costs under £25.00 including shipping. But when you find one (whatever yours might be), buying three of them does not sound so silly after all.
Fountain pen blog 
That red marble is very attractive.
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Thanks. Yes, even my wife was impressed with the red one when it arrived.
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This was a pen sought out after reading your blog. I find it to be a really good every day pen, and has you mentioned it extremely good value.
Amazon is a good online shop for cheaper pens but when spending more the £50 I personally like to know how the pen feels in my hand
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I too believe enjoyable pens don’t need to be expensive. The pen I’ve purchased in a variety of configurations is the Pilot Prera. Under £30 but it has a snap on cap.
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Apparently also available in the EU (at least in Amazon France) as the “Majohn Newmoon” (yes, spelled exactly that way); about the same price, too.
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This was a pen sought out after reading your blog. I find it to be a really good every day pen, and has you mentioned it extremely good value.
Amazon is a good online shop for cheaper pens but when spending more the £50 I personally like to know how the pen feels in my hand
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Thanks John. I agree that it is preferable to buy in person from a bricks and mortar shop where possible, to try the pen and support smaller businesses.
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Yes, you can find these on Amazon, searching Majohn Newmoon, although on the pen’s cap bend, it reads DELIKE on the front and New Moon on the back. I do not know the details of the relationship between Majohn and Delike.
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Same happened to me and I purchased the colors in the same order as you. Unfortunately, the green has developed a bad case of mold since I loaded it with a different ink. If I could find a bent nib on Amazon in the U.S., I would replace it. It is an excellent nib especially at the price point. In fact, I recommended it today on Instagram. When I only have one pen inked, it’s the one. There is no better recommendation than that.
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Sorry to hear about the mold problem. I recall that you always used Pilot Syo-ro in the marbled green pen. You had a lot of use out of it.
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Last fill I switched to Stipula Verde Muschiato. Then was dealing with some pen tests and set it aside for weeks. Mold was the result. Yes, I got a lot of use out of it. I will order a replacement via eBay as I don’t want to risk the contamination spreading. The ink will get tossed just to be extra safe. It’s not like I don’t have other inks though Verde Muschiato is rather unique. It’s the second bottle of it I have had problems with so I won’t replace it. Lesson learned.
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I recently picked up a DELIKE pocket pen. I was surprised and delighted at how good it is. Definitely a great value.
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I am glad to hear that you are pleased with your Delike pen. The model featured hear is currently for sale on Amazon under the name Majohn Newmoon. I enjoy using these “bent nib” fountain pens
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Hello! I have recently started using fountain pens consistently for the first time in my (short) life. So far I have only used lightweight Parker steel body pens (the Vector XL and another one my mom got me, I can’t remember the model right now), so seeing those thick pens, I can’t help but wonder if they’re heavy, especially the metal ones.
By the way, I really like your blog. Reading the entries is both informative and soothing, I can tell you’ll see me in the comments section often. I have already subscribed :).
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Hi Lorena,
Thank you very much for subscribing to my Fountain pen blog and for your kind comments.
Yes, some metal pens are quite heavy, such as pens made of brass. Some people find that these are tiring to use for a long writing session. But other people find that they prefer heavier pens and that their hands get tired when they use a light one.
Not all large pens are heavy. It depends on the materials. For example, recently I have been much enjoying a new Jinhao X159 fountain pen, which is made of plastic and although very large, is not heavy at all. They also make a similar pen called the Jinhao 159 (without the X), which is a metal pen, with a glossy lacquer coating and is big and heavy. Personally I much prefer the new X159, (which also has a larger, (number 8 size) nib.
In conclusion, there are pens in all shapes and sizes: you need to find what length, girth, shape and weight, what materials, and what style of nib, you like best for the way you write and how you hold the pen. You may find that you like different sorts of pens for different purposes. Good luck and enjoy your writing!
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