Review: Fulin 4-layer stacked nib fountain pen 816

This 4-layer stacked nib is an excessive or even outrageous design, but it works, and it works superbly.

I had bought the pen from AliExpress for USD 102 which includes shipping and tax. I bought it from this seller, and there's another seller that sells it too.

The brand listed on AliExpress is BALAOYE but the brand on the pen nib and box is FULIN.

These are the nib options available, the the respective line width they can produce:

• 1-layer, 0.5mm
• 1-layer, 1mm
• 2-layer, 2mm
• 3-layer, 3mm
• 4-layer-4mm (the one I bought)

Many different pen body designs are available. The one that I chose has a brown wooden body which feels quite similar to the Faber Castell Pearwood Ambition I used to have. The wooden body has a natural feel and the glossy metal surface makes the pen feel classy.

I am very happy with this (lucky) choice. In fact, I like this so much I may even buy another version of this pen with the 3-layer stacked nib with a darker wood body. That's USD 60 - 70, much lower than the 4-layer stacked nib.

Build quality of the pen is good, feel solid, not filmsy.

The pen comes in a black flip-up box with an ink convertor, user manual (in Chinese), two pieces of Chinese calligraphy writing paper, flat metal tine cleaner and a small black-coloured rectangular writing pad.

The glossy cap is the twist-type. Words at the cap opening are FULIN 816.

The end of the pen has screw threading for the cap.

Pen has a nice weight to it and is comfortable to hold. The wood has a matte surface to it, not lacquered so it's best to avoid ink on it. I'm not sure how real the wood is though.

This pen nib has four nibs stacked together. I can see the metal is fused together and the sides are polished.

This pen nib has a huge tip that has three contact points: the top, broad side and bottom. You control the line width by how you hold the pen and not by pressure. This is a pen nib that's capable of producing several line widths and this is versatile for drawing.

Design on top the nib looks simple, not too flashy.

I only got to know of this nib because my friend Drewscape introduced me to the Jinhao 750 which also has a stacked nib, and I came upon this pen on AliExpress. It's not too expensive so I thought I could buy one to try, make a video review for it, and if the pen sucks, hopefully the Youtube video can earn some money to cover the cost.

The lines that this pen nib can create is actually not very different from a fude nib, a bent nib. The two differences here is the line from the 4-layer stacked nib is thicker and the ink flow is better since there are cross slits.

Speaking of ink flow, the ink had difficulty flowing at first. But after clearing whatever there is between the slits with the slit cleaner, the ink flow is now good. Lines are wet and juicy. In fact this pen uses so much ink that it's best to remember to fill the ink convertor fully before you bring it out.

The only stacked nibs I know prior to owning the Jinhao 750 and the Fulin 816 are the Sailor Specialty Nibs which are at least 15 times more expensive. It's great that there are now Chinese fountain pens that can produce the same types of lines as the Sailor pens but at a fraction of the cost.

Pen nibs like this are actually designed for writing Asian calligraphy, but my review is from the perspective of drawing with it.

The Jinhao 750 with a dual stacked nib is also capable of producing 4mm thick lines and that pen is USD 52. But the build quality and finishing of that pen isn't as good as the Fulin 816.

Hold the pen vertically and you can produce EF lines.

Tilt the pen slightly and use a portion of the broad tip and you can produce a F or M line.

Hold the pen at around 45 degrees and the line is much thicker.

With the whole broad tip down, the line is 4mm. This uses a lot of ink and if you use watercolour make sure to wait for the ink to dry completely.

Drawing experience with this pen is very satisfying as it's such a versatile nib.

You can draw thin lines easily, then use broad strokes to fill in large areas of black.

The thing with this pen is you won't know whether you like drawing with a pen nib like this unless you try. And thankfully this pen isn't too expensive to buy to try. Imagine spending thousands on a Sailor Specialty Nib only to find out you don't like its writing or drawing style.

The Fulin 816 with this 4-layer stacked nib provides amazing value for money. This is a pen I can recommend easily. If you have experience with drawing with a fude nib, this stacked nib will make things even more exciting for you. It's so good.

Availability

This pen is available on AliExpress from Seller A and Seller B.