Sorry, this is a bit long, but when I am writing a review of something I like to try to provide information and impressions I would have liked to know about a product before purchasing. Short version - I love this little fountain pen. It is well made and writes wonderfully. One little point - the pen ships from China so delivery takes a couple of weeks, but it is well worth the wait. If you want a lovely brass pocket pen that writes great you really owe it to yourself to try this SIPLIV Short Paragraph Pocket Pen. Lately, I have been kind of obsessed with the idea of a brass pocket pen, but the ones that seem popular are in the $100 price range, the Kaweco Brass Sport, Kaweco Lilliput, and Tom's Studio pocket pen. I have a regular plastic Kaweco Sport, which is a great pen, but the looks never did anything for me. This little SIPLIV Short Paragraph Pocket Pen bears some structural similarities to the Tom's Studio pen, but I was immediately captivated by the textured exterior of the cap. Honestly, for the $12.95 price I did not expect much, but since I am very comfortable with adjusting and smoothing nibs it was well worth the gamble. I am THRILLED with this little pen. All of the threads are smooth and secure, and the pen writes wonderfully. The Fine nib is a lovely two-tone, gold and stainless with some simple but lovely scrollwork engraving. The nib says Iridium Point GERMANY so I assume it is made by one of the big three German nib manufacturers, JoWo, Bock or Schmidt, all of whom make high quality nibs. To me the German nib was a pleasant surprise. For any fountain pen aficionados who have read this far, the nib is small size found on some very small pens. Perhaps #2? The brass construction gives the pen a bit of heft, though it is still a light pen, and a real feeling of sturdiness. The little disc on the cap is a mystery. I assume it is to loop a lanyard or tether on so it can be worn around the neck or attached to a notebook. It would be a neat place to engrave an initial. For reference, I have slightly large (man) hands,. Closed, the pen is the length of my middle finger about 84mm or 3/8". When you unscrew the body from the cap the barrel is way too short to write with unposted, but it is designed to turn the body around and thread the cap onto the same threads to make the pen normal length for comfortable writing. The barrel/grip section is on the small side at about 9mm diameter, but even in my large hands it is comfortable. It is fine for quick notes, which is, after all, the real purpose of a pocket pen. Still, I would happily write with it all day if necessary. The barrel/grip is smooth but not slick. I have some issues with my hands and grip, but I have no trouble maintaining a grip on this pen. Do not buy it for the cartridges, though some may work better than others. I could not get the first one I tried to press into place. I was able to get them open by using a 1/16" punch to pop cartridges open for use. If you do this wrap so paper towel around it because when the valve does pop a little ink may squirt out. I never planned to use the ink anyway because I prefer to refill them with inks I like. So why is it my Dragon pen? The deep cross-hatching on the cap has a wonderful texture and even in the product pictures my first thought was "Dragon scales!." When the dragon curls up to sleep all you can see is a small mound of scales that look like a rough stone. When awakened the dragon unfurls itself to reveal its impressive size. As soon as I held the pen and felt its delightful heft and texture, that impression was reinforced, so the first thing I did was order some Diamine Red Dragon ink for it. As I mentioned earlier the disc was a bit of a mystery, but a tale has grown up in my mind around it. At first I thought it was the shield of a warrior who had the audacity to challenge the dragon whose shield got stuck in the dragon's scales. Then I decided it belonged to a brave warrior who engaged in an epic battle with the dragon that went on for three days until both agreed to a draw. As a token of respect the warrior presented the dragon with his battered shield. The dragon was so moved by this gesture he proudly wears the shield on his chest as a symbol of friendship. Sorry, I am an old man who has been reading science fiction and fantasy since I was able to read real books.
