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See what I did there with the topic title? (...might be time to cut back on the coffee...) Seriously though, anyone have advice on this? Im on a economical pen kick to figure out grip size/type before going all in on in on a high end pen. I tried my standard international converter, but its wobbly. If the pen gets jarred or if I drop it, Im pretty sure Ill make like a squid and ink everywhere. Are there other standard international converters? Am I missing something? Thanks!! N

I really like the looks of the Ohto Dude in purple, and it is very inexpensive on JetPens. Have any of you used it? How does it compare to the other popular starter pens like the Lamy and Pilot Metropolitan? (I wish Goulet Pens carried this brand, as I have learned a lot from his videos. I do plan on getting my ink from him, at least).

Hi everyone, This is my first post so I'm not too sure if this is the correct place to troubleshoot about my pen. Basically my 3rd Fountain pen - the OHTO Tasche isn't writing properly. It's brand new and opened the package to use it just yesterday. I've tried everything and found out that the nib and feeder alignment is off. Trouble is; I can't actually take out the nib and feeder. It's far too hard and all I'm getting is blisters and bruised thumbs. Any help would be fantastic. Once again my apologies if this isn't the right forum section.

Anyone ever heard of the Japanese writing instrument brand OHTO? They market mostly to Japan customers. I've never seen them for sale in the USA. I recently stumbled across a ballpoint and mechanical pencil set made of an aluminum alloy. Very slim, as aptly named "Mine Slim." And very light. But the machining and fitment is excellent. The mechanical pencil can post and still perform lead advance action. The "ceramic ballpoint" acts like a roller ball. Nice ink flow with little pressure. I got this set as part of a pen lot purchase... with no interest in these at all. I was going to give them away, but after trying them out, I changed my mind!

I'm trying to accumulate some nicer (but not expensive) bodies to hold my Pilot G-2 refills. Unfortunately, the first one came today and it doesn't quite fit, so I'm trying to determine if it can be hacked or if I need to send it back. I thought I'd ask for insight from those more experienced than I. The pen is an OHTO Words. It takes a refill that's almost identical to the G-2 refill, but the "almost" is causing an issue. There's something about the tip that isn't quite fitting through the hole, and I don't know if maybe I can drill it out? When I put the original refill (that the pen came with) in, I have to kind of push once it gets almost in, to get it to go all the way in and "seat." It's a little hard to explain; it feels a bit like when something hydraulic moves. So I'm not sure if there's some intentional mechanism in there that I'll mess up if I try to drill it out. Another potential approach would be to hack the refill, but I don't know if that's doable. You can see in this picture that the original refill has kind of a "collar" where the tip is attached to the "cartridge" area. The G-2 has that, but it also has a second "tier" of collar. I can't tell for sure if the diameter of the tip is the problem or if that extra collar is the problem, or both. Here you can see the two refills side-by-side. Also, you can see where the original refill inserts to without resistance as compared to when it's all the way in. Any suggestions? Anyone done this before?

Hi, has anyone tried different nibs on the Ohto Tasche pens? I figure the Rook is the same pen basically. I have somewhat succesfully used a Kaweco sport nib in it, but it was too wet, and the Tasche nib didn't fit the Kaweco pen at all, so I guess the compatibility is not quite perfect with the Tasche feed. Someone suggested the TWSBI mini nib, and a couple of others I have not been able to locate so far. (I posted a somewhat similar topic elsewhere, but it didn't get much traction, so I figure maybe I posted it in the wrong forum, trying a different angle as well).

Hello. In looking at my Ohto Tasche under magnification, I discovered the number 16 on the underside of the nib. Does anyone know whether this number have any significance, like nib type or anything like that? Being able to get a better nib for this pen from some third party would be really neat, that's why I am asking. Thanks for listening.

My first review, OHTO Tasche on Rhodia Dotpad. Forgive my handwriting, I'm a left hander who is trying to improve.

Time for a second stab at a review. This time I'd like to draw attention to what I think is an inexpensive, almost criminally unknown pen - the Ohto Dude in silver. I'm going to sum up my review right now: If you like the look of the Kaweco Al-Sport with the Raw Aluminum finish but wanted a full size pen, take a serious look at the Dude. It's bloody gorgeous. First Impressions: 10 The pen came in a simple plastic sleeve with two international short ink cartridges, one blue, one black. The pen fits international standard converters but does not come with one. My reliable Schmidt K5 converter fitted perfectly, and that's what I have installed. For a pen that costs ~$20, this is perfectly acceptable to me. Indeed, I'd rather have more money put in to engineering and quality control than packaging. Besides, if you've been in this hobby long enough you've probably got a drawer full of converters floating around. What really surprised me though was the finish. Instead of the standard satin finish present on the Ohto Tasche, the Dude has a very lightly brushed finish with a "raw" look very similar to the Kaweco Al-Sport. It's gorgeous. Like, really, really gorgeous and something that's very difficult to show in pictures. The label "Ohto Dude Made in Japan" is stenciled on to the cap. It's in white over the silver finish and not highly visible, and since it's paint I expect it won't last that long. I don't really mind, I know what the brand and model of the pen are. Design and Apperance: 8 A very modern looking pen with a fully aluminum body (grip included) The cap and the majority of the body are faceted with six sides (hexagonal), with the body tapering to a round tail for posting the cap. Between the body and cap there's a triple ring in polished aluminum. The edge that butts up against the grip (when opened) is a touch on the sharp side, but it's nothing I noticed in usage. The clip is polished stainless steel and very tight, which is consistent with a lot of Asian pens I've used in the past. I have no concerns with it bending or breaking but it can be difficult to use. The cap is a slip type and posts securely for writing. The pen is extremely well balanced both posted and unposted, a consequence of the cap being fairly light compared to the rest of the body (6.8g for the cap vs. 25.25g for the entire pen with converter and ink). The pens caps very tightly, so tightly in fact that it's not uncommon to splash a little ink on the inside of the cap. Thankfully it doesn't get on the grip. The grip section is fully aluminum, with a black anodized finish. I was originally unsure if the grip was aluminum or plastic, but a quick test with a file on the underside confirmed that it's made of aluminum. It's slightly slippery but has a lovely hourglass shape that provides a fairly firm grip on the pen nonetheless. Fit and Finish: 8 Fit and finish are generally very good, with no body gaps, poorly fitted parts or serious issues. My only concern is that the first body ring that butts up against the grip is a little bit on the sharp side. I tend to hold my pens fairly close to the nib this was no issue for me, but if you hold your pens fairly high I could see it being an annoyance. Nib and Peformance: 8 As far as I know, each Ohto model comes with only a single nib size. Unlike the other Ohto pens I've owned/used in the past (Proud, Tasche, F-Lapa) that have Japanese F/Western XF nibs, the Dude has a Japanese M/Western F nib. The nib is fairly smooth and has a decent amount of spring to it. There is some feedback as is common on Japanese pens but it's fair from being scratchy or toothy. As it is it's a step or so below my very best steel nibs but very usable in everyday use. I could probably take a bit of micromesh to the tipping and smooth it out a little more but I probably won't. The pen started immediately on being inked after a quick wash with warm water. I've seen some other reviews of the Dude that had people complaining about excessively dry nibs but thankfully that wasn't the case for me - the pen writes a consistent, medium wet line with no skipping or hard starts. Even when not used for a few days the pen starts up immediately once the nib hits the paper. Compared to some other recent purchases that required a good bit of work to get the nibs to my satisfaction (looking at you Kaweco!) this was very nice. The nib and feed are standard friction-fit #5s, so can be easily replaced if you want something more exotic or a different size. This also makes cleaning very easy. Filling: 7 International cartridge/converter. The body will fit full sized international cartridges, full sized converters like the Schmidt K5 or two international short cartridges. Nothing special but reliable and easy to use. Value: 8 A few years ago I probably would've given the Dude a somewhat higher value ranking, but with so many excellent, low cost pens available these days the Dude has some stiff competition. The MOMA Muji and Pilot Metropolitan immediately come to mind. The Pilot comes with it's own converter and at least two nib sizes, but (at least for me) is less comfortable to use and not as well balanced, especially when posted. The Muji is lighter and has somewhat similar styling, but has a very sharp edge on the front of the grip that kind of bothered me. Having owned all three, I prefer the Dude but as always, YMMV. Conclusion: If you're looking for an entry-level Japanese pen and like modern styling, the Ohto Dude definitely deserves consideration. It combines a solid writing experience, good design and beautiful finish. There's some stiff competition at the $20 price point these days, but I think the Dude has enough points in it's favour to merit a serious consideration. Specifications: Length Capped: 135mm Length Uncapped: 125mm Length Posted: 152mm Weight Capped: 25.25g (with converter and ink) Weight Uncapped: 18.45g http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/jekostas/OhtoDude1_zpsa23eadbc.jpg http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/jekostas/OhtoDude2_zpsb3fb09ab.jpg http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r181/jekostas/OhtoDude3_zps13bff80e.jpg