The Ohto Rook Fountain Pen

The Ohto Rook Fountain Pen caught my attention the other day while I was going through the familiar routine of filling up my cart over at JetPens.  The black and red contrasting colors and the unique compact design had me clicking that add button without even really thinking about the fact that I didn’t actually need a new fountain pen.

The Ohto Rook Fountain Pen Taken Apart

The Ohto Rook is a compact fountain pen that opens up to a full sized pen that is very easy to write with.  In its smallest state with the cap closed, the pen measures about 3.7″ and when you uncap and post it, the pen measures about 5.6″ in length.  The photo above shows the pen and all of its parts, along with the international short replacement ink cartridge.  The red part of the grip section and body that you see there is a light weight aluminum, while the black body and cap is black plastic with a matching red aluminum band to accent the top of the pen.

The Ohto Rook Capped (front) Followed by a Pelikan M215, Lamy Studio, and TWSBI for Size Comparison

In the next photo, you can see the Ohto Rook with its cap on and compared to three other fountain pens.  The three others pictured are the Pelikan M215, the Lamy Studio, and the TWSBI, all of which are significantly larger than the Ohto Rook.

The Ohto Rook with Cap Posted (front) Followed by a Pelikan M215, Lamy Studio, and TWSBI for Size Comparison

The next photo shows all of the same pens bu this time with the cap posted on the Ohto Rook.  Now, you can see that with it’s cap posted, the pen becomes a normal sized pen that will be comfortable to write with.  The pen has a nice balance in the hand, and is obviously a bit lighter and thinner than many other pens, although it still has a nice solidly constructed feel to it.

Ohto Rook Fountain Pen Nib

The Ohto Rook only comes with a Fine iridium nib, and this close up shows the design work on its surface.  In this photo you will also notice the tapered grip section that flares out with a small ridge at the end which acts as a snap to click into the cap when you close the pen.  You do not however get the same snapping confirmation when you post the cap, as it just slides on the back of the pen.  Regardless of the lack of snapping when you post the cap, there is definitely no worry or feel that the cap might wiggle its way loose while writing.

Ohto Rook Fountain Pen Writing Sample

I only had one issue when writing with the Ohto Rook, and that didn’t even have to do with the pen itself, it was really an issue with the ink cartridge that it came with.  I didn’t like the shade of black that it came with, which was very light, and more like a dark gray, and it also seemed a bit watery and free-flowing on the paper.  I swapped out the ink with a much nicer Private Reserve Velvet black, and went happily on my way writing with this great little fountain pen.  The fine sized iridium nib writes very smoothly, and the ink managed to retain a nice consistent fine line both in my Black n’ Red notebook, and also on my regular Levenger paper which I don’t have a sample of here.  One thing that I noticed about this pen that is worth mentioning is that the grip section is pretty thin.  I didn’t find this to be an issue at all, but it was definitely something that stood out as it compares to most of the other fountain pens that I am accustomed to using.

I’m glad that my impulses kicked in when I saw this pen because if I had given it too much thought I may have convinced myself that it was too small, or that it might be too light, but as it turns out this is great little fountain pen that can easily travel anywhere and makes a great addition to any arsenal of pens.

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