Speedball Basic Calligraphy Set, Set of 7

Great quality! I still use this set years later. Would be a wonderful gift for anyone that is getting into calligraphy.

While the pens and nibs work beautifully in terms of line variation and overall look/feel, they are ideal for calligraphy only. As someone searching for dip pens for artistic reasons I had hoped it would work for full on inking for drawings. My mistake!!It is my bad though and the product delivers in what it actually promises, so make sure you purchase the correct set for your purpose! 😂😂

This is just a gift from the past, and we really enjoy using it. In the same way that I tried it myself, and shared it with my Vietnamese father in law to try, we both agreed this was a marvelous example of all the writing tools we both learned to use in our childhood. He demonstrated better technique than I, as he had to use these much longer than I.It's funny to think that we are from an era where these nibs were normal, and now are obsolete.I'm very happy to say that anyone who still enjoys using these writing instruments from the distant past, would probably enjoy these nibs just as much as anyone. Just buy it, and enjoy. Some people say you should pay a lot moremoney for better, especially if you're an expert, or a professional calligrapher. In the mean time, unless you're a really fantastic calligrapher, I expect you'll do just fine with these. Just buy the ink, paper, and have fun with this.

The set is nice. It works for my needs and the price is reasonable.

I am new to the world of calligraphy but am a long-time fan of fountain pens and ink. These calligraphy nibs have been a great introduction. The set comes with 6 different brass nibs of different sizes and shapes, and a holder. You dip the tip of the nibs into an ink well, and carry the ink to the page. It takes some time to get used to, but the results are beautiful and it's easier to pick up than you think. It comes with a little instruction book that was actually super helpful! I was skeptical but it gave good tips about using a page to guard your hand and the different styles of writing. Would recommend this kit to anyone interested in learning calligraphy without spending a ton up front on the highest-quality materials.

I was so happy that I found these. I have been looking for a calligraphy writing set for some time. All I have came across is the pre-loaded ink ones. I do not like the pre loaded ink. I have never been able to get it to work properly. If you are old school calligraphy like I am. When I was taught to write calligraphy it was with a quill and no nibs. I do enjoy the nibs. I can now get creative with my pen pal letters. I love the dip style pen. Not as messy as the pre loaded pens that are out now. I gave the Speedball set five stars because they are holding up well and wash out nicely.

These were purchased as a Christmas gift for an artistic granddaughter who has done Asian calligraphy, but hasn't yet experimented with Western.Calligraphy has become a lost art in this day of computers. In the 19th Century, children learned to write "a fine Copperplate hand", a beautiful,elaborate script. Sometime later it was followed by the Palmer Method, the rounder, 'loopier' precursor to the Cursive (joined) handwriting taught in the American public schools from the early 1950s until relatively recently, when many schools seem to have given up on teaching good handwriting in the computer age.This is a pen (plastic-- I don't think they make the wooden ones anymore, at least not at this price point) and a set of six nibs, each of which can be slipped into the pen. The nibs are designed for two scripts, for Roundhand and for Fine Italic. Once she learns these, there are specific nibs available for other scripts as well, although these two are more than enough for her to develop a side business in wedding invitations should she want to!Recommended.

Calligraphy pens, dip pens, fountain pen, and the different nibs and inks used with these pens or pen holders, are specialized products. No one, I believe, desires to purchase these products just because they need to scribble down a few words on a scrap piece of paper. The people looking for these products are looking for more than that. They are looking for the experience that comes with it. Otherwise, it makes more sense to buy a dozen pens from the dollar store down the street. The experience of opening a bottle of ink, taking the dip pen out, and dipping the pen in the ink, while at the same time enjoying the fantastic design of the ink bottle and the label that comes with it, can be greatly satisfactory.Yet, for some reason, the people designing and making these products could care less about your experience. From the horrible plastic bottles of inks and the poorly attached labels that come with these inks(Noodlers), to the worst packaging job I have ever seen done by the speedball people…, to the absolutely horrible customer service(Noodlers). Maybe I want to take the pen holder and the nibs without destroying the package. Maybe I want to hold on to the package. If the speedball people think that the package is not that important, perhaps they should ship them in little zippy bags that say: We just don’t care enough for you or your experience.In addition, the nibs are not that great either. I can’t say that if I was a professional and needed a dip pen, these are the nibs that will feed my family. Nevertheless, for someone looking for an amateur experience, these will work well.