Dip pens were invented in the beginning of the 19th century. Prior to that the quill pen was the most popular writing instrument. Mass manufacturing of dip pens, that are also called “nib pens” or “steel pens”, brought them to the fore until fountain pens were developed. But even nowadays dip pens are in demand. They are chiefly used by illustrators, calligraphers, comics and manga painters. And of course, every collector desires to have at least one dip pen in his pens collection.

Dip pens generally consist of two parts: a metal nib with capillary channels and a handle or holder, that can be made of glass, bone, wood, metal, or plastic. Most often dip pens don’t have an ink reservoir like fountain pens do. So they must be repeatedly recharged with ink while drawing or writing by dipping it in the inkpot (and that’s why they are called so). Though, some simple, tiny tubular reservoirs can be clipped onto these pens so that one can write or draw for several minutes without recharging the pen. The majority of painters and illustrators prefer to recharge their dip pens with the help of an eyedropper, as it gives them more control and accuracy. That is why the term “dip pen” doesn’t seem to be very successful.

One of the most evident advantages of the dip pen over the fountain pen is the wider choice of inks that it can use. You can charge your dip pen with waterproof pigmented/particle-and-binder-based inks (the so-called "India ink"), traditional iron gall ink, drawing inks, or acrylic inks, and have no troubles working, while all these sorts of ink would definitely clog up the fountain pen or cause corrosion. Don’t forget that with the dip pen you can make use of more colors and change them with great ease (by changing the nib).

Furthermore, the widest range of exchangeable nibs that are available for the dip pen can set your imagination and creativity sky high. With the dip pen and it nibs you can draw almost any type of lines and effects just with soft and easy strokes.

And of course, one more advantage is that, metal nibs and holders for them are very inexpensive. But the price doesn’t reduce the real value of this remarkable pen for a pens collector. And every collector should have a dip pen and at least one set of nibs for it in his collection.