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Manuscript have received quite a bit of attention here in the past for their very crisp italic nibs, which are much favoured by calligraphers it seems - and also some brickbats for putting them in poor-quality bodies. Now they have a new body out, marketed as the Master, which provides these British nibs with a German-engineered home. It's a pretty good pairing, and if you get one at 'street price' (which you don't do by buying direct from the manufacturer in this case), quite a bargain I'd say - I found one for £15 on Amazon here in Blighty, and it's got a lot more character than anything Lamy could rustle up at that price point I'd say. This doesn't mean I can lay claim to any great calligraphic prowess with it myself, mind - you can see my experimental scribbles and a pic of the pen here: http://scribbledemonboddo.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/manuscript-master-11-italic-nib-2014.html I'd be interested to hear what other FPN users think of the Master, if anyone else picks one up (and if you're an italic fan, they seem a good bet). It has also got me thinking about how interesting it would be to have some of Manuscript's copperplate nibs served-up in a handy converter-fed body a bit like this... which is an idea I can put directly to Manuscript if there's interest. What do you think? Something they should try?

A new calligraphy ink by Manuscript with extreme shimmer. Definitely not something to use in the office but it looked interesting to write some cards with in the upcoming holiday season. This ink is clearly not meant for long notes or letters. A very dark violet or purple with heavy gold shimmer. I find it a hard to use ink. OK to use in a fountain pen like the TWSBI ECO with a stub nib, but a dip pen made the ink feather and spread, even on Clairefontaine or Crown Mill Vellum paper. On Lalo Vergé it was much better. The ink is very wet, causing considerable show-through and even some bleed-through. The drying time wasn't too bad though with 35 seconds. The shimmer smears easily for a bit longer. As can be seen even on this scan, shimmer is gold and very high. A bit of water will keep the ink readable, enough to rewrite. The violet or purple is comparable to Herbin's Améthyste de l'Oural. Diamine's Imperial Purple (no shimmer) is brighter and lighter. All in all this is a nice ink to have and it will have its use for greeting, holidays, or birthday cards.

"My First Love" Several years ago, a black version of this pen was sold in the US as the "College Cartridge Pen". I had discovered fountain pens in my freshman year of college with the Sheaffer Reaktor from Walmart. It was night and day compared to the Bics I used up to that point. This was night and day compared to the Reaktor - the nib was buttery smooth, the feed even and reliable, and it was a joy to write with. For more than half a decade and most of a pen worth of replacement parts, it was with me in my pocket nonstop. I put most of a bottle of Sheaffer Turquoise through that thing. When I sat on it and broke it, I was crushed. (Interestingly, the screw-on cap protects it nicely; I had somehow managed to unscrew it in my pocket before I could break the pen) So was it. I spent an inordinate amount of time and money tracking down the last few of these left on the market, and absolutely did NOT regret doing so. Now I find they're available at Hobby Lobby, for half the price I paid for my first two, and I'm ecstatic. This is probably the best cheap pen on the market. I highly recommend an ink cartridge converter and buying ink by the bottle - you'll like this thing enough that you'll find any excuse to write with it, and if you do any appreciable amount of writing before, well… Also, there are far more shades and colors of ink available in bottles than cartridges; you're sure to find one that suits you. If you prefer the convenience of cartridges, Waterman long cartridges will fit, one at a time; short international cartridges will fit with room for a spare. Cheap generic ink cartridges are available on eBay in bulk for a price that you won't mind paying; they're not quite as cheap as bottled ink, but the difference is pretty small. While this can be considered a "gateway" fountain pen, it stands up to the more expensive pens you may be tempted to upgrade to nicely. Because the cap screws on, it does not dry out quickly; it can be left in a desk as an occasional pen. Because it's so cheap, it makes a wonderful gift for those considering trying a fountain pen, or a loaner you won't cry about losing. You want this pen - trust me. Maybe more than one.

As I said in my intro http://introduction I got taken by fountain pens finding the old calligraphy set from my father. And as requested by FPNer Sasha Royale I want to show it to you: I do not want to go into great detail as of every basics are already beautifully explained by FPN-member Mendes back in 2010. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/169078-manuscript-calligraphy-pen/'] Long story short the set is from Manuscript and looks like that: The manuscript box with four different nibs, from fine to double-broad: The pen assembled (I write with the cap posted to have a better feeling for its balance) a closer look and last but not least, my first writing test for FPN:

Pen being reviewed: Manuscript Clear Calligraphy Set w/ five nibs Cost: ~12$ Appearance: 5/10 This is a clear demonstrator that is neither ugly nor pretty, it just kinda exists without being spectacularly bad or good. The cap is the same diameter throughout with 12 facets and an enormous clip that looks well enough to not be a problem. The body has the same 12 facets but is thinner than the cap and then thins further, ending in a dome shape. The pen is/looks small, and the nib is even smaller. The nib looks nondescript and vintagey if anything, with "MANUSCIPT" in an arc and "ENGLAND" and the nib size underneath and inside the arc. Construction And Design Quality: 3.5/10 The plastic is a clear and very cheap. a big rectangular piece of plastic at the domed end with a continuous thin rectangular piece of plastic going down the cap with barely any tension serves as a clip. While tightening the barrel onto the pen a little too much it cracked and from there got worse. I see the cap cracking as well with further use, the barrel is also cracked pretty badly (more on that later). The section is very thin, and the grip is a pyramid design that is moderately comfortable, more so than if they had chosen a smooth grip because the section is so slim. The threads are also very hard to use, they slip out of alignment very easily and it is hard to get them into alignment in the first place. Couple this with the fact that the plastic cracks easy you get a little nervous. Weight and dimensions: 4.5/10 This category is very subjective, and this pen does not gain any advantage like most cheap pens. It is light as a feather because the plastic is even lighter than most plastic, coupled with its small size. This pen is very slim, and I like slim pens and am not bothered by the thinnest of pens, but others may feel differently. Nib Performance: 7/10 The pen came with five nibs/sections (five times as much as most pens and as many section colors), but I have only tried one. It was neither wet nor dry but was smoother than most cheap pens without adjustment. It was stub rather than an italic, but this is not a problem and it was not labelled as so, just "calligraphy". There is no extra tipping, just a squared off end. Filling System and Maintenance: 3.5/10 This pen apparently has it's own cartridges and converters and does not fit other systems. I tried to make it an eyedropper by filling the body up with ink and sealing the section with silicone grease, but the ink leaked through the nib and filled the cap after putting it down and walking away for less than 4 minutes. I then tried to put a converter in the pen but it is apparently too big and after i had tried to screw the section back in the barrel cracked when it was almost in and got stuck (I did not even notice the converter was to big because there did not appear to be a problem screwing it in). I tried to take it out with pliers but it barely came out after scratching the end all up and possibly ruining it. The cartridges are also shaped differently at the tip, leading me to suspect that other cartridges do not work. Cost and Value 4.5/10 This pen is made up of cheap, easily cracked plastic. It restricts the user to in-house c/c's that are not well made and this pen does not come with a converter. It also is very leaky. The nib I tried was good, and it comes with extra nibs and differently colored sections. I think this pen was not a very good use of my money, especially compared to similar calligraphy sets, but it is not too bad if you do not expect much. Conclusion: 5.6 This pen did not pass the "Is this a good pen" test. I am also disappointed to learn that a pretty mush wasted my money and am mow missing money that could have been used to buy a better pen, even in the same price range and purpose. Do you know of any better calligraphy sets in the same price range? I would prefer if it could be made into an eyedropper for the extra ink or if it is completely clear, as it kinda looks dumb to see a c/c in a clear pen as you are not really showing anything, but c/c is fine otherwise I can also post pictures later, but they will be taken with a smartphone so will not be very high quality. (the numbers in the title were from when I was calculating the final score, I forgot to take them out and now cannot change them)