Fude 40

Pen review of the Sailor Fude Pen 40.

This is a very special, and very East Asian pen. Fude pens, as they are called in Japan, have their nibs bended up at a certain sharp angle. By doing this, the user has the possibility of choosing the line width by changing the angle between pen and paper. On top of that, at a certain inclination, a horizontal line drawn with this nib is very wide, while the vertical line remains thin.

Only some Chinese companies and Sailor in Japan manufacture this type of nib. The waverly nib Pilot offers does not have these characteristics. Sailor, on its side, makes three cheap pens with these nibs. Two of them have the nibs at an angle of 55 degrees. This one reviewed here has it at 40 deg. This company also produces a golden fude nib for more upscale pens.


1. Appearance and design. (6.5/10)
This pen is made entirely of plastic and does nothing to hide it. It has no clip to attach the pen to a pocket, but a notch on the cap to keep it from rolling. The cap screws to the barrel.


This is a surprisingly long pen. It seems to be made for the purpose of using it on a desk, and not to carry it around.

2. Construction and quality. (8/10)
Despite its cheap price and appearance, this pen seems to be well made. Nothing is loose and everything fits well.


3. Weight and dimensions. (7.5/10)
As I mentioned before, this is a long pen. But made in plastic, it is light and well balanced, especially unposted.

Dimensions:
Diameter: 13.0 mm.
Length capped: 169 mm.
Length uncapped: 150 mm.
Length posted: 191 mm.
Weight: 14 g.


This is a big pen and it might be inconvenient to carry it around. However, this is not a usual pen and few people would use it as a daily writer. For that purpose, Sailor makes a smaller torpedo-like fude pen.


4. Nib and writing performance. (9.0/10)
This pen’s nib is, once again, the raison d’être of this pen. It is bended upwards at an angle of 40 degrees to allow the user to write with different line widths—from extra fine to extra coarse. Its purpose is to write Chinese characters with the line variation a brush provides naturally.


The nib is made of stainless steel. Non-tipped, rigid, very wet. And very smooth.

For those of us who do not write Chinese ideograms, this pen is more suitable for drawing and more creative tasks. It is fun to use.


5. Filling system and maintenance. (8.0/10)
A cheap pen, but accepts Sailor cartridges and converters. Its main problem is the limited capacity of those in a very wet pen. I see no major problem in making it an eyedropper, and then the pen would have a huge ink deposit.

Cleaning this pen is very easy. Nib and feed are easily removed from the section by pulling.


6. Cost and value. (9.0/10)
This is a very specialized pen. So, taken it into consideration, the value is excellent. The cost, less than €10 (JPY 1050, taxes included).


7. Conclusion. (48.0/60=80/100)
This pen is fun to use, although it can hardly become a daily writer. It is inexpensive and performs well. The lower scores come in the department of design and appearance—it could certainly be more attractive.

PS (August 9, 2010): Some additional comments on this pen are available on the entry entitled Angle.

(Sailor Fude Pen 40 – Sailor 100717031)

Bruno Taut
(Inagi, August 2-3, 2010)
[labels: Japón, Sailor, plumín, caligrafía]