Dip Pen Review: Moonman N6 Fountain Pen with Extra Fine Fude Nib and Glass Dip Nib

Many weeks ago I was browsing JetPens (like you do) and I was stopped in my scrolling by the words “fude nib.” For those not in the know, a fude nib is a nib where the tip is somewhat bent. This means that depending on the angle at which you are holding the pen, you’ll see distinct line variation. I was ridiculously thrilled by the idea and immediately ordered the Moonman N6 Fountain Pen with an Extra Fine Fude nib/Glass dip nib in Iris Blue Swirl ($21).

Now what I didn’t read was the fine, or not so fine print, that the fude nib was an extra fine. When I discussed the purchase with Ana, she informed me that since it was a nib that was bent to be an extra fine, I probably wouldn’t get the results I was looking for. However, it wasn’t an expensive purchase so I decided to wait and see what I got.

I have a few dip nib pens and I enjoy playing with them, but I find they really shine when I want to sample inks. Years ago I bought a dip nib pen on ebay that came with a glass nib and 5 other interchangeable nibs (XF, F, M, B, XB) and I have used those with a fair amount of success to this day.

So let’s start by talking about what you’re getting when you buy a glass nib. When you’re investing in a more expensive model of pen, you might be getting a true glass nib. For these less expensive versions, you’re most likely getting a clear acrylic nib. The nib itself may be a variety of shapes (often bulbous or swirling) and will have lines etched in the sides of the nib. When you dip the glass nib in an ink bottle, these grooves will hold more ink than a standard nib, enabling you to write for longer on a single ink dip.

For this particular N6, I admit I’m a little disappointed in the glass nib. For starters, it isn’t as thin as my Delike Glass Signature Pen, and I really like the thin lines I can get with that one. Second, this one has a few imperfections. In the photo above I managed to capture where there’s extra acrylic – it didn’t come out of the mold cleanly? And there’s another small section where there appears to be a chip. Neither of these imperfections really affect the performance of the glass nib itself. They might possibly result in less ink being held in the channels, but of course I’m just using the tip to write with. That said, it was a bit disappointing.

For the extra fine fude nib, it’s a nice nib that wrote cleanly and fairly thin (more like a western extra fine, but that’s ok). There is a definite angle to it, and that will take a little playing with to get used to. I do appreciate that this particular pen also includes a converter, meaning if you want to use this pen as an everyday writer with the fude nib, you can fill it with ink. My other dip pen has a purely decorative handle; no room for storing ink.

So overall, I would say you could probably skip the N6 unless you’re interested in trying out an inexpensive dip pen.

---

• Papers: Write Notepads Dot Grid Steno ($14)
• Pen: Moonman N6 Fountain Pen with an Extra Fine Fude nib/Glass dip nib in Iris Blue Swirl ($21)  
• Inks: Colorverse Redshift (15mL for $7)

DISCLAIMER: Some of the items included in this review were provided to us free of charge for the purpose of review. Please see the About page for more details.