I have a couple fountain pens in my collection – a Waterman and a Parker – so I am not an expert but a casual user. The BlueDew Flex is a beautiful pen by any standard. I ordered the Blue which is absolutely gorgeous with black and gold accents. This is a finely crafted pen with a presence. It has a nice heft to it but not too heavy that it is cumbersome. I did experience a bit of hand fatigue about a half an hour in but this is most likely because I am not at all used to using a fountain pen but rather a super light oblique holder.
It is very clear Jeffrey, the designer of the pen, has put an extraordinary amount of thought and time into creating it. It features elegant little accents such as the nib engraving along with the name on the band of the cap and the B embossed on the top of the nib.
The ink flow was great right from the start. There was no difficulty in getting it to start and it produced a graceful, lush line which was not so overflowing with ink as to blob but enough that it felt really nice to write with it. It sailed gracefully on the paper with little to no drag or scratchiness. I tried it on smooth Rhodia paper and Southworth 100% cotton, 32 lb resume paper. Both took the ink wonderfully with little, if any bleed. I dare say, it far outperformed my entry level Waterman in terms of fluidity and joy in writing.
No fault of the pen, I quickly went through the two Waterman ink cartridges I used in just a few pages. However, they were older so may have evaporated quite a bit. There is a sudden and noticeable drag when the ink runs low, a nice alert for the user to replace or refill the ink.
As the creator suggests, slow and steady wins the race. This is not a pen to do elaborate flourishes with or with which to write quickly. The website states “never try to explore the limits of the flex” as the nib has a moderately soft and forgiving tip. I found it to work well for both Spencerian and Copperplate (Engrosser’s Script). However, if you are an experienced calligrapher, you will find neither the fine hair lines very thin, nor the shades considerably thick. An adjustment in expectation is required in comparison to using a dip pen and nib.
This is truly an “on the go” pen. So while advanced calligraphers may not be using it to do a finished piece of calligraphy, it certainly will do if you want to pen something on the fly or while sitting watching tv or simply just to practice. Beginners will find it a joy to use for a range of projects without having to worry about dipping in ink or finessing a nib into compliance.
Where I found it to exhibit its best features is when combining thick and thin writing with a casual feel (see address and BlueDew title). There you can clearly see the considerable contrast the pen is able to produce without the taxation of trying to produce a formal script. It would also be terrific for illustrators who like to do monochrome work with variation in line thickness.
In regard to whether it is better suited to a beginner or an advanced calligrapher, there could be an argument for either. The beginner will like the minimal work necessary to produce a hairline or shade and the advanced will enjoy the subtle nuances of line quality without much effort. Overall, a very satisfying tool and beautiful pen for anyone.