Italix fountain pen | Mr Pen

Do you remember those adverts where people exclaimed 'I can't believe it's not butter' as they tucked into delicious buttery goodness that wasn't? This is exactly how I felt when I discovered that this pen retails for under fifteen quid.

The Deacon's Doodle from Mr Pens feels like a pen that costs at least twice the price, honestly.

But before we look at the pen itself, a li'l bit about Mr Pens.  This is a UK-based and family owned company that was set up in 1989, originally as a marketing consultancy to the office products industry.  Since then their business has grown to include many non-pen products, but their largest site is for the pens.  Mr Pens pride themselves on customer service and their website says that they post the same working day that an item is ordered.

Sounds great, doesn't it? But that's not all they are chirpy about - they actually have a range of fountain pens that are made exclusively for Mr Pens!

This is their ITALIX range and it's an Italix pen that I am waxing lyrical about today.

I give you ... the Deacon's Doodle and box

Let's start with the box. The pen arrives in a serviceable little black cardboard box with the Mr Pen branding in gold on the top.  Inside we find the Deacon's Doodle, complete with standard converter.

I am pleased that the converter is included because too often you find yourself buying a pen and then having to pay another couple of quid for a convertor. 

The cigar-shaped pen is stainless steel and feels a lot more expensive than £15.00 in the hand.  Not HEAVY, but pleasantly THERE.

Black end cap and 'ITALIX' engraved on clip
I really am no David Bailey....

The pop-on cap is ever so slightly flared to accommodate the shape of the pen when posting and has a clip with ITALIX engraved on it.  Also, I must add that you can get additional engraving in a choice of styles for between £3.60 and £6.00.  The end piece for the cap is black and the overall look of the pen is classic.

The barrel and cap are in a brushed finish with the section in smooth, shiny stainless steel which then echos forward into the nib. This nib is Italic and my writing sample doesn't do it justice as it's the first italic nib that I've tried to write with and as a left-hander, it can take a bit of getting used to flourishing with a fountain pen!  I did get a nice flourish with it so your signature can certainly be amped up with this pen and the nib is quite wet, which was fun.

When ordering Mr Pens has a range of options that you can select from and one of them is a left-handed nib, so thumbs up from me for having the foresight to include that particular option.

How does it write? Wet, smooth, reliable with no hard starts and no unpleasantness at all as far as I can see.  And it's £15.00!

Who would love this pen? If you are looking for an exclusive yet  inexpensive pen that can be personalised with engraving and a choice of nibs, then this consider the Deacon's Doodle.  Someone going off to uni or college that you want to make a special present for that doesn't cost the earth? This is the pen you're after.