Fountain Pen Review: Otto Hutt design 04

Here's another first in Rants of The Archer blog: Otto Hutt, a pen brand from Germany's "Golden City" of Pforzheim. Founded by Karl Hutt in 1920 and successfully run by his son Otto, the company has a first-class reputation around the world through centuries of making jewelry and writing instruments. Using the Bauhaus style, the company produced new products for pocket consumer goods and writing devices made of silver. Otto Hutt still uses silver in some of their pens, but they mostly use brass and aluminum now.

Otto Hutt was relaunched in 2016, and the company's new package includes a modern collection of seven different design lines, design01 to design07. Each line has several variations such as shape, material, and pen type. The design04, however, is an exception as it is the only line with an extensive combination of designs and variations. Otto Hutt design04 is available as a fountain pen, rollerball, ballpoint, or pencil in ten combinations of patterns and designs including this black lacquered square guilloche fountain pen. The lacquered guilloche on the barrel is elegant and classy.

Pen products are presented differently by their brands. Though presentation boxes and accessories are usually unused and kept in storage — or discarded — after purchase, I enjoy seeing them and their branding. To me, such details reveal how a company values its products. I like Otto Hutt's presentation box for their pens. It's elegant, compact, and sturdy, and like their pens, these boxes and other accessories are also 100% Made in Germany.

This sleeve, printed with Otto Hutt logo in silver, covers the box carrying the design04 fountain pen and accessories. 

The box carrying the Otto Hutt design04 fountain pen and accessories is elegant and sturdy.

All Otto Hutt writing instruments are packaged with an ink converter, a cleaning cloth, user manual, and warranty card.

I came across Otto Hutt on Instagram. I was very impressed by the pens from their different series which all speak precision, quality, and functionality. When I discussed this collaboration with them, I didn't know what pen they were going to send. The design04 fountain pen surprised me. It has a subtle design, but it is elegant, classy, and functional. It looks ultra-modern and very Bauhaus, despite coming from an original design by Otto Hutt from the 1960s.

Otto Hutt design04 fountain pen is 100% made in Germany, produced in their own factory with a 70-man workforce. This slim and compact medium-sized pen is made of solid brass. The barrel has a checkered guilloche pattern, lacquered in several color coats with a final velvet, matte finish. The cap and clip of this pen are both made from brass and plated in platinum. For its size, this pen is well balanced. It's not too heavy from the materials it's been made from, but it's not light, either. The design04 is available as a fountain pen, rollerball, twist ballpoint pen, and twist pencil.

Otto Hutt design04 fountain pen black square guilloche with a bicolor steel broad nib.

Otto Hutt writing instruments all carry the label "Made in Germany." Initiated by the German Federation of Jewelry and Watches, this label shows the product came from Germany and is a unique distinction within the jewelry industry. To get the distinction of this label, a brand must fulfill an extensive range of requirements. To fulfill such requirements, Otto Hutt products are exclusively manufactured in Germany using high-quality materials and a sustainable manufacturing process.

Otto Hutt design04 fountain pen has the following measurements and specifications:

• Length, capped: 5.25 in | 13.3 cm
• Length, uncapped: 4.9 in | 12.4 cm
• Length, cap posted: 6.75 in | 17 cm
• Length, barrel only: 3.1 in | 7.8 cm
• Length, section to nib: 2 in | 5 cm 
• Length, cap: 2.3 inches | 5.8 cm
• Weight, capped/empty barrel: 34 g | 1.20 oz
• Weight, cap only: 13 g | 0.45 oz
• Weight, barrel only: 21 g | 0.75 oz
• Body material: Brass with guilloche pattern in a checked design
• Clip material: Brass, coated with platinum
• Nib material: Steel or 18ct gold
• Filling mechanism: Converter or cartridges (standard international long or short) 

The design04's clip is Otto Hutt's unique mechanical spring clip handcrafted from solid brass with a high-quality platinum coating and checked by hand several times to ensure quality. This clip is a special feature of Otto Hutt writing instruments. It is highly polished but well constructed. There are no sharp corners or uneven parts that could snag a shirt pocket or pen case slot. It feels solid, very sturdy, and the spring works perfectly.

The design04's clip bears Otto Hutt's branding and the pen's identification. The company's logo is laser etched on top of the cap behind the clip.

Otto Hutt pens are unique pieces and have individual numbering. A 6-digit numerical code is engraved on the opposite side of the cap, which also bears the word GERMANY. This code is also noted on the warranty card, and it ensures that every writing device is one of a kind.

The cap's finial is engraved with a variation of the Otto Hutt logo, and some people view this branding a little too much. I think the first two branding marks are a nice touch, but I prefer the finial to be smooth and shiny and free of any engravings like this pen's barrel end.

The lacquered guilloche on the barrel of design04 is very elegant and classy. Otto Hutt describes the process of making the barrel pattern: "The barrel sleeves are given a guilloche pattern in a checked design. This is followed by multiple lacquering with colored lacquer and finally with high-quality matt lacquer." The guilloche pattern is smooth to the touch and a perfect combination with the brass barrel.

design04 can be inked using standard international short or long cartridges. It can also be filled with ink using the converter that is included in each Otto Hutt fountain pen purchase. The converter that came with the design04 fountain pen is branded with the Otto Hutt logo and I prefer this because it helps me prevent mix-ups and use the correct converter each time. A  wrong converter could result in breakage or ink spills.

Long brass threads in the barrel and section ensure stability and durability. These threads will always stay in place and prevent unnecessary loosening of the pen parts.

For its fountain pens, Otto Hutt offers both steel and 18ct gold nibs in EF, F, M, and B. A stylized image of half a nib is engraved into the nib. The design04 fountain pen sent to me has a steel bicolor broad nib that is platinum- and yellow gold-plated. The plating is neatly done and it's also very pretty.

The Otto Hutt design04 is a slim and medium-sized fountain pen. While capped, it is shorter than a Faber Castell e-Motion or Lamy 2000 and shares the same length with the Kaweco DIA2.

Uncapped, it's another story. The design04 is now longer than the Faber Castell e-Motion and shares the same length with the Lamy 2000, Kaweco DIA2, and Pelikan M400. This length comparison shows the design04 is not so compact at all. It's a pen that anyone can use for comfortable writing, even without the cap. I also think that if the design04 fountain pen came in the same size as the Faber Castell e-Motion, it will be a heavy brass pen.

To test how the design04's steel broad nib writes, I filled it with Otto Hutt Ocean Blue ink, and the pen performs so well. I inked it out of the box and it wrote smoothly and consistently with good ink flow. In the days that I tested it, this pen always writes even when I have not used it for days. It doesn't skip, and it never had any hard starts at all. This pen's steel nib is so good, it's perfect! Get one for your collection!

Erratum: the design04's cap is made of brass, not silver.

When Otto Hutt sent design04 to me, they kindly included a bottle of one of their handmade inks. I wasn't so sure about their inks, but testing it in my design04 proved me wrong.

Otto Hutt also carries a series of inks for their fountain pens. There are five different colors in their selection of handmade inks, including emerald, black night, ocean blue, red rose, and gold dust. They also have permanent blue and black inks. I got a 30 ml bottle of Otto Hutt Ocean Blue ink together with the Design 04 fountain pen. 

Otto Hutt Ocean Blue fountain pen ink.

Also called 'schoolboy' ink, Ocean Blue is a bright, vibrant blue ink — the blue that I like — that is wet and saturated. It has good flow in the design04's broad nib and shows sheen in some paper types. It has a faint scent of detergent/soap, too! Lastly, I like the Otto Hutt ink bottle because it's so simple yet functional. It's glass, has a wide opening, and a coated metal cap. I just wish they use a more sturdy material for the ink bottle's box.

Otto Hutt Ocean Blue is a nice blue ink, perfect for everyday writing. Get it for your pens!

Otto Hutt design04 fountain pen is an excellent pen. It's subtle, classy, and elegant. This slim, compact, medium-sized pen is well-built, sturdy, and comfortable for writing. It also comes with a 10-year availability and guarantees on all parts. Get one from Otto Hutt where it retails for €185.00, or from authorized sellers in 23 countries worldwide. Find the one nearest you!

This year, Otto Hutt celebrates 100 years of traditional craftsmanship, technical perfection, and timeless design. The company marks this important milestone with many unique products including Unique by Otto Hutt, a bilingual magazine, new pastel colors for their design06, three new additions to design04, and the iconic and innovative designC fountain pen by award-winning international designer Mark Braun. 

Rants of The Archer thanks Otto Hutt for providing the design04 fountain pen for review purposes. Visit the Otto Hutt website or click the links below to learn more about their series 01 to 07:

• design01 - classic
• design02 - classical style with traditional artisanal craftsmanship
• design03 - modern
• design04 
• design05 - functional
• design06 - innovative
• design07 - perfection in form and functionality

Follow Otto Hutt in their new adventures!

• Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ottohuttgermany)
• Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ottohutt/)

Fountain Pen Ink Review: Honest Ink Ultramehrine

Honest Ink Ultramehrine by Straits Pen

Last October, our local fountain pen group, Fountain Pen Network Philippines, organized the first-ever Manila Fountain Pen Show. Members of the group, guests, and local sellers of fountain pens and related products were present during the much anticipated one-day fountain pen show. Straits Pen, a company from Singapore was also at the show with their store-exclusive inks, notebooks, and fountain pens. Straits Pen produced the Manila Fountain Pen Show's special edition exclusive ink, Manila Copper.

I was excited to visit Straits Pen's table at the show because of their blue inks. I wanted to get their store-exclusive Noodler's ink Blue Straits of Malacca and the newly-launched Honest Ink Poorman's Sapphire. I was only able to get Poorman's Sapphire because Blue Straits of Malacca was already sold out. But Ng Lip Sing and the Straits Pen group offered me a bottle of a still-unreleased Honest Ink for review.

I appreciate details such as this one. Most of us throw away the boxes that our ink bottles came with, not knowing that the box helps prevent the ink from fading due to exposure to bright light and heat.

Straits Pen's Honest Ink is a very young ink brand. The ink series is the company's significant move to becoming a manufacturer from being a distributor and reseller of fountain pen inks. Most ink manufacturers are from other parts of the world, and Southeast Asia seemed poorly represented. As a Singapore-based maker, Straits Pen wishes to bring colors and approaches to the market that people from the region would recognize as being from their "neck of the woods." The ink colors' names such as Bougainvillea Purple is a message to the world that Straits Pen is part of a wave of makers that are embracing their own traditions and bringing Southeast Asia to the world.

Not even a year old, the first season of four ink colors was launched in August, during the San Francisco International Pen Show for the US market. The batch includes Poorman's Sapphire, Shitty Sepia, Sad Stormy Swedish Sea, and Happy Accident Lilac. The inks were again launched twice in Japan at the Tokyo International Pen Show and at Itoya's INK.ink.ink! event in September. In October, Honest Ink was launched in the Philippines at the Manila Fountain Pen Show.

Honest Ink is still young, yet the second batch of four new colors is already awaiting their launch. One of the colors in the second batch is Ultramehrine, and the Straits Pen group is thinking of a launch during the Singapore Fountain Pen Lovers Pen Show in 2019. While Honest Ink has been released in different places already, it has not been introduced formally to the local fountain pen community in Singapore. The upcoming pen show in Singapore is the perfect opportunity to launch the inks. The group will also launch the second batch of Honest Ink at the next San Francisco International Pen Show.

Honest Ink comes in a simple no-fuss bottle with a simple no-fuss label.

Ultramehrine is a deep, dark blue fountain pen ink with purple tones. This ink has moderate flow and excellent shading (see writing and calligraphy samples below) which is very visible when used in fountain pen-friendly paper such as our local Victory notebooks. Ultramehrine is not waterproof, however, but it doesn't stain, and I was able to easily clean it off a Lamy Al-star which was used in my writing samples.

The people at Straits Pen named their inks Honest Ink because these inks reflect the reputation that the group has made over the years. They believe in selling honestly, and in telling people the truth about the products they sell. They do not only tell customers about the upsides of a product, but they reveal the bad points as well -- which is evident in the story behind the name Ultramehrine.

According to the group, they wanted an ultramarine ink color, but initial tests were underwhelming --  the color was a subdued dark blue rather than the brilliant ultramarine blue that they want. The resulting color was still a good dark blue, and they decided to use it, even though they felt the ink was 'meh.' And this is how the name UltraMEHrine was created.

Swatches of Honest Ink Ultramehrine.

I love blue inks, and I had so much fun testing this ink (See the tips I used in swabbing inks for this review.). I like using fountain pen inks which surprise me and Ultramehrine did. In the ink swatches above -- details below -- the single layer/single pass swatch is already a nice handsome blue, but note that the double layers swatch is not only significantly darker, it has a distinct poignant character, and I'm thrilled that this same depth is what I see in my writing samples from a 1.1 Lamy nib.

Ultramehrine up close, single layer/single pass. It's a nice, handsome blue ink!

Two layers of Ultramehrine give us a poignant, dramatic dark blue ink.
I'd love to use this ink in my journal entries!

Ultramehrine's drying time. From a Lamy 1.1 nib on Victory paper, it took 12-13 seconds to dry.

I have a wide selection of blue fountain pen inks, including some dark blues which are similar to Ultramehrine. I find Ultramehrine to be very close to Noodler's Midnight Blue, Diamine Sargasso Sea, and Rober Oster Midnight Sapphire. All these inks are beautiful dark blues, but I have stopped using the heavily saturated Sargasso Sea after it stained a converter. Ultramehrine is a dark blue ink but it's not heavily saturated at all and has not stained the two fountain pens I have inked with it.

Honest Ink Ultramehrine is very close to Noodler's Midnight Blue and Diamine Sargasso Sea.

Among the Robert Oster inks that I have, I find Ultramehrine to be closest to Midnight Sapphie.

Here's a (long) writing sample of Honest Ink Ultramehrine. I wrote this using a Lamy Al-star with 1.1 nib on local Victory notebook. 

I love shading inks, and I'll take shading over shimmer or sheen anytime. But, does Ultramehrine fountain pen ink shade? I tried this ink using 1.1 and 1.5 Lamy italic nibs to see its shading, and I was not disappointed. Ultramehrine is a shading ink, and when I tried it using the 1.5 Lamy nib for italic calligraphy, the ink color became more dramatic and meaningful.

It's confirmed. Ultramehrine is a shading ink!

This is Ultramehrine in italic calligraphy using a Lamy 1.5 nib. Excellent shading, beautiful color.

Ultramehrine is a blue ink that every fountain pen user should have. It's a versatile dark blue that is suitable for business or art purposes, or even for daily journaling and notetaking. It doesn't stain so I'm sure it won't clog pens. Overall, it's a joy to write with.

Right now, we don't see the Honest Ink selection in the Straits Pen website. The group said they cannot put it on the website yet because they do not have enough bottles to sell at the moment. Well, I think they should hurry up. These inks are sure to fly off the shelves fast as soon as they become available online.

After my week-long visit in 2011, Singapore became a special place for me. That visit opened my eyes to new horizons, new opportunities, and to more knowledge about the world. Singapore is even more special to me now because of Straits Pen and Honest Ink.


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I received the ink in this review for review purposes at no cost from the Straits Pen group during the Manila Fountain Pen Show in October. The Honest Ink selection is available for purchase at Straits Pen in Singapore. Their office is located at Office Block 212 Hougang Street 21 #04-349 Singapore 530212.

A Comparison of Blue Fountain Pen Inks

Black and blue are the two ink colors that are commonly used in fountain pens for everyday writing, and most people use blue inks for business and professional purposes. Blue is my 'go to' ink, and I have more than 30 bottles of blue fountain pen inks, but not all blue inks are the same. I have a few favorites, and I categorized them into three categories: Regular/Standard Blue, Dark Blue/Blue-Black, and Turquoise.

REGULAR/STANDARD BLUE INKS

This category has the widest selection of blue inks, including the basic and true blue inks. Some blue inks in this category have green and red undertones, but the ones I included here are the true, vivid blues. These ink colors can be used everyday in business and and legal documents, in note taking, and even journaling.

J. Herbin Éclat de Saphir is a vivid, bright blue ink with excellent flow and lubrication. It's a wet ink, and shades well, especially in broad or stub nibs. Éclat de Saphir is a beautiful, bright blue even after it dries on paper. It doesn't stain the pens I've filled with it, and is easy to wash off.

J. Herbin Éclat de Saphir

American Blue is my favorite Private Reserve blue ink. It is bright, saturated, and has excellent flow. Shading is best in broad and stub nibs, where I occasionally see a distinct red sheen. American Blue is a well behaved saturated ink, and does not stain or clog my pens. My PR bottle is a fast dry ink, and it dries really fast!

Private Reserve American Blue (Fast Dry)

I have Noodler's Baystate Blue, and I love its bright color, but I am more drawn to the depth and richness of Noodler's Blue. It's a saturated blue ink, and takes longer than most inks to dry. I usually use it on my broad-nibbed pens.

Noodler's Blue

DARK BLUE/BLUE-BLACK INKS

Whenever I want to try a different ink color that's still blue, I go through my box of blue-black inks. They are still blue, but darker, and yet lighter than black. I use blue-black inks to sign documents, and in note taking at the office.

Noodler's Midnight Blue and Bad Belted Kingfisher (BBK) were my first blue-black inks. I prefer BBK because of its depth, shading, and lubrication. It's a saturated ink, smooth, and a true blue-black ink that doesn't become teal after it dries. The only downside to this ink is its drying time. It takes a while to dry, around 20-25 seconds, especially when it's used on a wide nib. It also takes a while to wash off.

Noodler's Bad Belted Kingfisher

Pelikan Blue-Black is my favorite blue-black. It's from Pelikan's 4001 ink series, and a dry ink, so I use it mostly in broad and stub nibs. It's very expressive, turning grayish blue from dark blue, and the shading is simply awesome. It doesn't feather or bleed on thin paper, and dries fast.

Pelikan 4001 Blue Black

My bottle of 1670 Bleu Ocean came from this ink's first batch. It doesn't have the additional gold flecks, and I like it that way. Most people avoid this ink because it is heavily saturated, but I love its deep, dark blue color, and my Lamy Al Star Ocean Blue is always inked with it. The pens I filled with this ink wrote smoothly, and Bleu Ocean dries faster than its older sibling Rouge Hematite, which is a notoriously slow drying ink.

J. Herbin 1670 Bleu Ocean

TURQUOISE INKS

When I was a fountain pen newbie, my first ink love was Waterman South Sea Blue, a turquoise ink. It has been discontinued several years ago, and I have found a few turquoise inks in place of South Sea Blue. While turquoise inks are lovely, I use them more for journaling.

Bleu Pervenche is my introduction to J. Herbin inks. It is a lovely turquoise ink, with subtle hints of green. Bleu Pervenche has excellent flow and lubrication, shades well, dries fast, and easy to wash off.

J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche

Pelikan 4001 Turquoise is a bit darker than J. Herbin Bleu Pervenche, but has the same hints of green. It has nice shading, excellent flow, and dries fast (around 10 seconds). Although it's a light blue ink, it becomes a bit darker when it has dried.

Pelikan 4001 Turquoise

Below is a photo of the ink swatches on a page.

These inks are my favorite blue inks. They are the most behaved, easy-to-maintain-in-pens inks, they do not clog nor stain my pens. The pens in my EDC are always filled with one or two of them.

I got these inks from different stores at different times, but in Manila, they are available at Scribe Writing Essentials. For availability and prices, contact Scribe through their website, or visit their stores in Eastwood Mall, Shangri La Plaza Mall, Glorietta 5, SM Aura, and SM Megamall.