Ooly Splendid Fountain Pen from Barnes and Noble

When I started taking an interest in pen pal writing, I wanted to look for supplies. So face masks in tow, my husband and I headed to Barnes and Noble. While I didn't find any paper I was interested in buying, I did find a new budget fountain pen I didn't know existed.

The Ooly Splendid line of fountain pens comes in a range of colors: black, blue, purple, red, pink, and green. Our store only had pink and black in stock. I decided to take a chance on the black. At $5.99 each, it really wasn't much of a gamble.

If I had to compare it to anything, I'd say it's a step above the Pilot Varsity. The body is a nice, glossy plastic that doesn't feel exceedingly cheap. It has a comfortable soft grip reminiscent of what you find on pens in the gel pen and ball point world, which is nice. It's comfortable, well-balanced, and has a polished look consistent with a more expensive pen.

It comes with three cartridges with satisfactory ink in them. The nib is a fine, without being too wet or too dry. It's not fussy about grip angle and I haven't noticed any skipping or clogging with the standard ink. I've used it on all kinds of paper, including cheap writing pads and composition books, and I was very impressed by how well the ink performed. There was minimal ghosting and no bleed through.

It's lightweight, so it would be very easy to do a long writing session without experiencing any hand fatigue. The cap also posts securely on the back and is reasonably secure when closed. I would feel totally fine throwing it in the pocket of my purse without fear of it leaking, coming uncapped, or making a mess.

If you like the Pilot Varsity, give this pen a try. I'm almost through my first cartridge of ink, so I'll probably syringe fill the cartridge with one of our black inks (both Noodler's) and see how they perform.

I'm also a sucker for purple pens, so I may end up ordering another one. You know. For reasons.