Review: BlueDew flex nib fountain pen

If you want the Zebra G nib performance without the constant ink reloads, BlueDew flex nib fountain pen is the one for you.

BlueDew is based in Singapore and they make a fountain pen with a customised flex nib designed for calligraphy. On their website, they say "Vintage flex were often mislabelled, overpriced, and needed additional care and maintenance. Dip pens simply aren’t a good portable option."

Official retail price is US $88. Global shipping is $12 and shipping within Singapore is free.

A hard pen case is included with the purchase.

The cover is hard and snaps onto the case with magnets.

Texture on the side.

Leather-like texture on the cover.

The pen is available in two colours, blue and white. I bought the blue because it looks more striking.

The gold-coloured pen clip is extremely stiff. Top and bottom are rounded off nicely.

The BlueDew name is shown prominently on the side of the body.

I would have preferred a cleaner look because the marble like design of the body is really beautiful. The body is also slightly transparent so you can see through to the nib and ink convertor.

The pen is considered light to medium weigh and is comfortable to gold. It measures 14cm when capped, and 12.5cm without the cap.

The cap can be posted and the weight is still quite balanced.

Design of the nib is quite simple. Note the 2 extra slits on the sides, and the horizontal strips perpendicular to the main slit.

The nib is made with stainless still and coated to produce the gold-like colour.

The feed looks like it's made with ebonite but I can't confirm since the website did not mention the material used for the feed and pen. Overall build quality of the pen seems quite good.

There are some misalignment with the fins of the feed. The fins run vertically, but some fins look like they are made with two parts, top and bottom, but not aligned perfectly. It's a minor cosmetic issue that thankfully doesn't affect performance.

The ink convertor also has the name BlueDew on it.

This pen can be dismantled completely very easily for a thorough cleaning.

Before you load the pen with ink, I recommend washing the pen with liquid detergent first. This will help with the ink flow and prevent railroading.

This flex nib is said to be able to produce a thin EF to thick 1.5mm line. It does look to me that way. The flex is considered stiff or normal, very similar to the Zebra G nib with pen holder.

This nib is surprising good at hatching. The nib is sharp but still smooth on paper. Compared to the Zebra G nib, the BlueDew nib is noticeably smoother. Horizontal strokes are very thin, download strokes (with more ink) are thicker.

I buy flex nib pens for drawing rather than for calligraphy. Flex nib pens are versatile for drawing because they can produce thin and thick lines depending on pressure. The sharp point allows you to draw details with precision.

The drawing and writing performance is very similar to a Zebra G nib except there's no need for ink reloads that often, and the BlueDew nib is slightly smoother. The Zebra G Nib is noticeably scratchier maybe because it's sharper.

Sketch on the left was drawn with BlueDew and the right with Zebra G nib.

I don't write calligraphy but I'm pretty sure this pen will be good enough for calligraphy. You just have to go a bit slower with the broad strokes to allow ink flow to catch up to prevent railroading.

The flex nib performs as expected. I've never used vintage flex nibs because so I don't know how soft a vintage flex can be. The BlueDew flex nib has the same flex as a Zebra G nib and the similar stiffness.

Overall, I'm quite satisfied with my purchase.

You can get this pen from BlueDew.com.

Oh, do check out other flexible nib fountain pens I've featured on my blog at https://www.parkablogs.com/tags/flexible-nib