A true budget pen:

I was given this as a gift, and opened it to find a light, plasticky pen. The extremely firm nib wrote without much character, and the box came with two included cartridges tucked away:

My favourite thing about this pen is the plunger converter, which works smoothly and has a little metal loop as agitator. It’s quiet and doesn’t rattle around like Pilot’s ball bearings in the CON-40, and actually proces quite fun to use.

It was also possible to ram a standard international cartridge into the pen.

One of the reasons I don’t like the pen is due to the finish on the body. I am well aware there are other finishes for this pen, but mine has a slightly rubbery feel to the ABS plastic. It doesn’t slip, but then it doesn’t feel good either.

The other is the nib:

It’s so hard and characterless: it lays down a line, and that’s it. It’s not satisfying, and also requires some pressure to write evenly. It doesn’t help that mine came with a strange sweet spot and that the tines were not cut symmetrically. The section is, if possible, even more rubbery than the body, though that means my grip doesn’t slip. The cap is a snap cap, which closes securely.

If you have the money for this pen, you have the money for 5 (or more) Jinhao 992s. Go with the Chinese pens instead. You’ll get something that writes better than this does.

Other budget pens to spend your money on include:

all of which will make you much happier than this nib will.