Comparison of Fude nib fountain pens for drawing

Here's the video of me going through the pens and testing them for drawing

These are the Fude nib fountain pens mentioned in the video review.

From left to right, we have

• Hero 7009
• Hero 9018
• Hero 501-1
• Duke 209
• Duke 551 Confucius Compound Art Fountain Pen
• Sailor MY FIRST
• Sailor Fude DE Mannen Fountain Pens (ふでDEまんねん)
• Sailor Naginata Fude

For the detailed review of each pen, just visit the linked reviews above.

Recommendation

For beginners looking for a good Fude nib fountain pen. I would recommend getting the Duke 209 or the Hero fountain pens. They are cheap and can be found easily on eBay or Amazon.

The durability of the Hero fountain pens is questionable to me. My friends and I have out fair share of pens that failed, but we also have perfectly fine working ones. The Duke 209 has been working well for me so far.

If you want something more exciting, get the Duke 551 for the extra broad strokes. The variation of the strokes from thin to thick is immense. Because the strokes are so thick, I feel that it's more suitable for use on A4 paper or larger.

The Duke 551 has the most expressive and thickest possible strokes. Other Fude nib pens are comparable and difficult to differentiate.

The budget Sailor Fude nib pens are not as nice because their bent nib are not as smoothly curved as the Hero or Duke pens.

If you have the budget, then you can consider the Sailor Naginata 21K gold Fude nib. In terms of value for money, this pen would rank the lowest since it cost more than USD $300.