Internet Scam or Hidden Gem? Ellington Fountain Pens 

I dropped my pen and the lacquer was chipped on the cap. I contacted Ellington and asked if I could buy a replacement cap! They asked me to send a photo of the damage, which I did. They sent me a brand new pen! If that’s not good customer service! I don’t know what is! Thank you Ellington.

Figboot gently blew the whistle on Ellington a year ago. It's an AI company in every respect, from the fictional "Ethan Ellington" - and his painfully AI voice - to the breathlessly synthetic, AI quality of, well, every aspect of the company. There's no crime in marketing a generic, entry-level pen as affordable luxury. Creating a fictional character who tells of his dogged determination to create said pen is another matter. It seems to be a functional, made-in-Asia contraption. My worry would be people getting one, hating it, and deciding the whole "pen thing" isn't worth their time. Thus Spake Reddit: "Based on a UK business and trademark search, Ellington Pens is owned by the same person who own(ed) Dryden Designs. Neither Ethan Ellington nor Michael Dryden actually exist. The person behind these two brands has other e-commerce websites with fake employee profiles and other unsavory business tactics. And that's just what I dug up in an hour's worth of internet search." Have a safe and interesting week, Ye People of Pens. 😺 Best wishes from Vermont 🍁

I picked one of the Stealth models on a lark since their marketing was so omnipresent; I figured it was worth the pretty low price of admission. It's not bad. It writes pretty smoothly, especially considering that I got the EF nib and getting that size to write smoothly can be a challenge. There are a few downsides for me. The first is the balance when posted. That octagonal decoration does add a lot of weight. Posting the cap throws all that weight on the wrong part of the pen and it's hard to exercise control. There are some situations where I almost always post my pens, so this one joins the ranks of pens like the Diamond 580 ALR that are a little more limited in where and how I use them. The second minor issue was that the ink in the supplied cartridges is pretty awful. It feathered like mad for me and took more than the usual effort to clean out. For any would be buyers, I'd suggest throwing the cartridges away and sticking to a good bottle ink (I have Iroshizuku Take-sumi in mine). The last and biggest issue for me is that the cap is probably the worst sealing of any pen I own. If I don't use this pen daily, it starts drying out and hard starting on me. That's kind of a shame. I have $6 Platinum Preppies loaded with notorious inks like Nitrogen that I can leave for weeks without troubles. Definitely not the case with this pen. Because of that, I tend to use it sporadically. I'll ink it up and use it heavily for a week but then will clean it out and let it sit for months because it's hard to use it so exclusively. Maybe I should try one of the Private Reserve Infinity inks in it and see if that makes it a little better behaved. All in all, for the price point, I'd rather have a TWSBI Eco, though I do admit that the Stealth is a more elegant looking pen and might do better for certain environments. Another nice video, Hemingway. I enjoy that you will look at pens at any price point and give them a fair shake. There aren't too many channels where you can see a video on an Ellington Pen and then find another talking about Montblanc's. Kudos to you for spanning the spectrum of our hobby!

I hate lying to sell a product, it's disgusting.

When a company lies so blatantly on their marketing, I avoid. I vehemently detest those tactics.

Very fun review! You know, if we didn’t try out those squeaky, mediocre pens at some point, we wouldn’t faint dead away at the quality of staggering Egyptomanias, buy greeting cards just to sign with silky stub-nibbed TWSBIs, or EDC the writes-as-good-as-the-14kt steel nib Kawecos. (As far as whether it’s worthy of review-the same was asked of the NYT review of Guy’s American Kitchen in Times Square. The place is thankfully now gone, but omg, Pete Wells’s takedown was one for the ages, and still a great read.) Would I want a squeaky pen? Hell no, but watching & hearing Hem endure one is very entertaining! Thank you, Mr. Jones!

Just a tip, when you take off a pen cap, the way you are doing it, you risk hitting the nib. I would suggest laying the pen across the palm of your hand and grasp it in a fist. With your thumb and pointer grasp the cap and gently push it off. It is a one handed operation. The cap only unsnaps a few millimeters then you can just slide it off. This will protect your nib. Removing the cap is a one handed operation and it is impossible to accidentally hit the nib and knock the nib tines out of wack. I very much enjoy the content. Saw you at the show but didn't want to interrupt you. You are now a celebrity.

Thanks for the great video, HJ! I like the 'Stealth' pen. I'll order myself one in a few weeks. I like the fact that the cap stays on tight. I usually push the cap off with my thumb on the bottom of the pocket clip to try not to rub the nib too much on the inside of the cap. And the heavy cap won't bother me much since I don't like to post them anyway.

It's brave of you, to spend your pen dollars on an unknown brand. I'm glad it wasn't a disaster.

When you hear affordable luxury, you know it's sus. If it is luxury, it is definitely not affordable. Jowo is smooth, but not the smoothiest pen. $34 USD manufactured in China is steep. Imo it reminds me of DW watches, all marketing, nothing impressive.

For my money, I'd opy for a Lamy Al Star or Twsbi Eco. Heck, Pilot Metropolitan... Great review!

My sister bought me a boxed set with a bottle of ink, one Ellington pen, and a set of nibs. Clearly she saw a Facebook ad. Let’s just say I was not impressed. This will be donated.

“It’s a demonstrator so it’s REALLY transparent…” haha brilliant!

Thank you for the detailed review of the Ellington pens. I've been seeing the company's advertising on Facebook recently. As I think you said, these could be good entry level pens. Not the very best, but a good, solid pen that could be used a lot.

A very fair review. Nice job. I agree it is a pen of conflicts. Good and bad. An ambivalent pen. Mine was an everyday carry when I didn't want to risk damaging a more expensive pen. But alas, they are not made for longevity.

I bought one of these in a calligraphy set -- including seven nib sizes, a bottle of ink, a converter, and some ink cartridges -- for just under $80 (on sale) combined. I thought it was a great deal, and a lot less expensive than most calligraphy sets, which normally come with fewer nibs and no converter or ink. It's a decent pen, if perhaps a bit heavy or clunky -- but that doesn't bother me as it does some. Overall, I'm happy with the purchase -- with one major caveat. My only complaint is that the threads were stripped on one of the nibs (the popular 2.5 mm). I reached out to customer service, and they asked me to shoot a video to prove that it's not "operator error." (SMFH!) And then they told me to soak the nib in lukewarm water overnight. At this point, I'm about to return the whole damned kit, only because the customer service is not only inconvenient, but a bit insulting -- as though I'm so dumb I cannot properly screw a pen nib into a barrel and need to prove that I'm doing it properly by taking my time to shoot a video. With the combined hassle of shooting videos and sending them via email (i.e., links, compressed files, etc.), I'm about two hours into this process and still have no sign that they're going to send me a freakin' $5 part. So, the pen is decent, and was a cost effective way to acquire a full calligraphy set all at once, but I'm not so thrilled with the company or its customer service like some of the other posters here. I'll give them two more rounds of email messages, and then I'm invoking the 30 day return policy for the whole kit.

Really nice music work here my friend! You really pack in a ton of visuals and sounds, so impressive! 🎶

I have a blue one of these. Perfectly adequate for the price. Its decently made, writes nicely and I didn't believe a tiny bit of the marketing. I don't post so that's never an issue for me. Its a shade heavy for me so I don't use it much.

I got one of these as a first pen. I bought the stealth pen and got it in medium. I’m a journaler and don’t like a medium nib. The Ellington customer service was excellent both with follow up after purchase and with helping get a new fine nib. That makes a good company regardless of the marketing.

Looks like a mace in case you need to defend yourself. 😂😂 Love that one!

'if you need a mace'... sold!

Hi HJ! While the Ellington pen is not a bad pen, I think that I would spend my money elsewhere. Not long after I got back into pens I bought a somewhat similar pen from Amazon. Metal body, same type finish as the red Ellington you show, but green. And its not a bad pen, either, but I almost never write with it! I believe it was in a similar price point as the Ellington pens you show. Thanks for the interesting video!

Now we need to see a review on the Webson Gill fountain pens. This was great I've been curious about these Ellington pens.

Got one when I was first getting into inks, actually. Needed something not too costly. Don't go to it often. Has the fude nib in it right now.

Great Video, interesting pens. Love your commentary and video styles. Thanks Mr. Jones!

It's seems like a decent, solid practical pen. You can get decent metal pens, including converter, from a number of Chinese brands for ~$10-15. They won't have Jowo nibs, but that doesn't need to matter much. The tests here are: How well sealed is it? How fast will it dry out? And - do you like it? I like Baoer 801 and 388 a lot. And they are solid, smooth, very well sealed and typically cost less than $10. And that's just an example. "Luxury"? Obviously not. Luxury normally implies most people can't have it. ...Or shouldn't have it. If that Ellington can do lying on the desk for two-three months without drying out, I could have one.

Thanks for this one. Not one for me of course, metal section, to thin, and metal all no goes for me. Most importantly good job at exposing the questionable aspects of their advert program, thank you. On another subject: did you get my IM to your IG account? I’m Edgar to get the pen sent off to you.

To add a little balance to the comments ledger. 😊I have had a good experience with my black & copper Ellington “Midnight Rose.” Just lucky, I guess. My “EF” nib writes smoothly, but too wet and wide of a line for my taste. Not surprising since I prefer Japanese Pilots in EF or F. No squeaking observed. The snap-cap is stiff, and it is too back-weighted when posted, as others noted. I don’t plan to buy another Ellington. I am much more impressed with my Scriveiner between those 2 brands. Or certainly TWSBI Eco at comparable price. Thanks for your always interesting, entertaining, and educational videos, Professor Jones! - Pam

I have seen their ads and did not trust them. I wouldn’t buy one of their pens now considering all the excellent pens I own! If I was just starting out I might try one. Thanks for the review!

I know someone who was using it as an everyday writer and he says there are signs of rust

Sounds like the marketing campaign they had about Mvmnt watches. They were garbage.

Great vid!!! I have one of these pens and it's now my EDC! The EF I have is quite smooth (rare on EF nibs). I have multiple ECOs, but carry this. Would not be afraid to order from this company.

I have never heard of Ellington!

Sounds like my squeaky JinHao. I'll keep my TWSBIs. Love them! Thanks for this great review!

Not familiar with this brand. Probably won't buy one. My latest pens are a Scriveiner and my husband bought me a Conklin 1898 14 Kt Orange Misto Omniflex.

First to be balanced posted or not posted... One of the first I've seen is the Parker 51... Their claim that they came up with the design. I'm certain it's made in the same Chinese factory as the Ferris Wheel Press pen. They look almost identical. But, then, overblown claims have come from almost every pen manufacturer, over the years. 😁 For the price, I could probably recommend these for a beginner or everyday pen. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this pen! For super long, posted, try the Parker Duofold from any era, Sheaffer's flattop from the 1920s, Esterbrook "Dollar," and so on. I personally have a Sheaffer's 3 that could double as a light pole in length, posted... And I think backweighted some cases can be a good thing, as you're supposed to have a light touch using a fountain pen (which not everyone has.)

Is the red pen squeaky or do you have mice? Thank you.

Happy to see another video calling the maker out for false advertising. Yes, it could be worth more, but so much hype. I aimgine the main victims are people who might consider a fountain pen. These heavy things make me yearn for vintage pens like a Parker Vacumatic. Such a different experience.

Excellent, honest, fair review. It is what it is. The Stealth sounds like a skate blade on ice, to me. The red one? 🐁 Squeak! Squeak!

I love the ellington pens..love the balance..the flow of the ink..it's soft and simply glides on the page..I've used parker, sheaffer, lamy and other fountain pens..ellington and lamy are the ones I bought again for work..

Maybe the cap has a surveillance chip inside😮

Hemingway Jones, I so much appreciate your honest reviews and your ability to always manage to infuse some type of humor in them. This video does not disappoint. I'm one of those people that just cannot use a pen with a metal grip. I have one - otto hutt series 06 - that I purchased before I knew this about my preferences. I love the pen and will not get rid of it but I do have to put a piece of washi tape on the grip in order to be able to write with it. Thanks for the video. Cheers edit: cool playing cards!

Unless that company does something special to the nib, I can’t see how it would be smoother than any other pen with a similar nib.

So, aside from pens can we assume from the actions of the JGB that fountain pens are going to become nominally more expensive: as in hyperinflation and if so do you recommend more gold nibs?

To me it seems like they are similar to Monteverde pens, where a Ritma will go for $50 and mostly made in china, this isn’t a bad alternative no?

Great video thanks for posting. I was just looking into one of these pens. I think I’ll try one. On a sidenote, there’s a pen that’s been going around in my feed called the webson Gill Admiral.. Have you ever reviewed it? What’s your thoughts?

Very good video. Thanks

Great video,I like the red pen,frank in Oswego,ill

I own a stealth. It seems really heavy to me too. Thanks for the review.

I have 2 of them (pink + silver) and they serve me just fine

You always have great background desk surface coverings. What are these charming little playing cards?

I got one a while back. It's okay, but nothing special. For the price it's okay.

Hello HJ..love the review. I was tempted to get one but now have changed my mind based off of the AI comments. I do like the pens though. My question is have you ever done a review on the Lamy Aion? For me the grip is to wide and too slippery. See ya up the road 😂

Hi, Tim, I really enjoy your content and style. I’m curious how you acquired your very unique and pleasing accent, were you educated in Northern Europe? I particularly enjoy your “hard t” sound. What most American and many Commonwealth accents would render as a d sound becomes a true t, bottle often pronounced as “boddle” is preserved in your style as “boTTle.” Thanks for the channel.

Lovely review. Very fair comparison to others in same price point.

An enjoyable video

Both Scriveiner and Ellington are "white label" brands that purchase pens from a Chinese manufacturer and resell them at inflated prices. Scriveiner puts German-made nibs on their pens, but the pen bodies, just like Ellington pens, are made in China.

Hey HJ. Just wanted to know how the jinhow boheima was working for you?

Good video

Thanks.

Silicone on the threads will handle the squeaking.

It’s 5 dollar pen selling for 50 dollars.

That’s particular scratch sounds too much. I love a scribe sounds but the black in the vid made me cringe. But I have to confess I won’t purchase a pen under $100. Just hasn’t proved a good tools for me.

Thank you for keeping us from buying an unremarkable pen. It was you who encouraged me to buy a TWSBI Eco. Arriving next week. It will be my first stub nib. Really exited. Thanks!

It is excellent to see fountain pens gaining popularity, and more companies are putting out these entry-level pens.

The Ellington looks like another knockoff pen...maybe Scriveiner? I have a couple Scriveiners but no need for more heavy metal rock fps. I like a thicker pen.

I smell a lot of snobbery in these comments -- I love my Ellington Emerald Enigma.