Ohto Pens For Entry Level Fountain Pens Or ... ?

[sidpost]

I'm seeing some Ohto Proud and Dude model pens all with fine nibs coming mainly out of Japan for ~$14 at my door. How do these pens compare to others in a similar price range like the Platinum Plasair and Pilot 76G and others? The body colors seem pretty and the aluminum should make for a reasonably durable pen. I don't see much written about them in general but, they appear to take standard international cartridges and converters and appear to be a good entry level pen for middle school students or older novices like myself.

 

TIA,

Sid

[Algester]

Ohto pens have Schmidt made hardware they are kind of ok if you like them the Tasche version can also be found in Muji stores if your Muji store actually carries the FPs

[sidpost]

"kind of ok"? Does this mean they aren't very good? Would I be better off looking at something from Pilot like the 78G which is a few dollars more delivered to me here in the USA?

 

TIA,

Sid

[antichresis]

Thank you for starting this topic. I've seen a display of these in the local bookstore chain and had been wondering if they were any good (they didn't have any inked for customers to try). Hopefully, owners will chime-in soon!

[Algester]

"kind of ok"? Does this mean they aren't very good? Would I be better off looking at something from Pilot like the 78G which is a few dollars more delivered to me here in the USA?

 

TIA,

Sid

when I say kind of ok its either going to be a hit or miss in terms of nib performance (if you expect them to be like Faber-Castell smooth then this isnt the pen for you) most Ohto pens use number 5 nibs so... yeah they are good of you consider them good I bought the ones from Muji it was ok thats just me speaking it lays down a line and thats whats primarily important Edited January 23, 2017 by Algester

[imtheslime]

I've been eyeing these up as well. There is a deal for a two pack of these pens on Massdrop right now for $30 (ends in 12 hours). However, I'm hesitant because I'm unsure of the quality and unsure which converter, if any, will fit properly. Does anyone know what converters will fit in the Ohto Proud?

 

Edit: no affiliation with Massdrop. Just mentioning because I've been looking at the deal all week but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

Edited January 23, 2017 by imtheslime

[JunkyardSam]

Considering they use Schmidt nibs they'll likely run finer than an actual Japanese nib. You mention an OHTO with a Fine nib -- that will likely write with the width of a Pilot Medium.

 

This is just personal preference but I prefer a Japanese pen to have Japanese nib, especially since the big 3 make excellent and unique nibs.

 

In your case --- I would recommend the Pilot Metropolitan. It has a metal body, too, and is relatively durable although I caution against considering any fountain pen "durable." You can get one for ~$12.50 or so and it comes with both an ink cartridge as well as a squeeze converter so you can use bottled ink if you like. (Only use fountain pen ink, not "drawing ink" or India ink, etc.) I'd also suggest a Fine nib, as a Japanese Fine will even work reasonably well on bad paper... but this is assuming you like very Fine nibs.

 

When I first got into fountain pens I discovered that what German nib makers like Schmidt & Bock consider "fine" is actually quite wide to me.

 

Forgive me if I've gone too far off topic with a Pilot recommendation. Just personally -- as a fan of Japanese pens I've always held off buying into OHTO since they use imported German nibs. I prefer Lamy for that! But again, opinions.

[mhguda]

I have an Ohto Tasche that I bought a few years ago - have not used it much recently but that is because I have too many other pens and found that I do not like slender pens so much anymore. The Tasche is a very nice pen, although the fact that I never found a converter for it is a minus, for me. I love using my bottled inks!

But the nib is nice and I liked very much that when not in use this is a pocket pen but when you use it and you post the cap you actually have a regular-size pen.

[sciumbasci]

I was unaware of Ohto as pen producer.

While their fountain pen line does not appeal me too much, with the only one notable exception: The Jazz (but the IPG nib is disturbing).

 

On the other hand, you just opened a new world of ballpoint pens to me!

[Tinjapan]

The Ohto pens I have, Tache and Dude, are good writers. Nothing fancy, no flex or anything like that, but they start right away and lay ink on paper. The Dude is one of my most recent purchases.

 

While I do prefer my more expensive pens, these are nice to have available for jotting down quick notes outside. I would not like to drop one of them but would rather drop them than a higher priced pen.

 

The Tache was my first FP. Wanted a really inexpensive one to try out before going for more expensive pens. It remains inked and in the pen loop of my pocket note book.

[Barkingpig]

I watched a "Pen PowWow" last nite with Dr. Stephen (SBRE) Brown & he was discussing his fondness for the Ohto pen, I believe the model he showed was a Dude. It reminded me of a Kaweco Sport AL but & less than 1/2 the price.