Blackwell Wood Holder

I first purchased the blackwell plastic holder; this wood holder is by far the superior. This is a great holder not only because it is easy to change nibs but also because of the weight and "feel" of the holder and the angle of the flange. Highly recommend!

I'm no master penman. I've enjoyed the Copperplate/Spencerian writing for as long as I can remember. I have owned other holders, but they're not like this one, and it makes a difference. I didn't notice it in the pictures on line, but when I got it out I could see it, and just seem to be better on the paper. I don't have $1 million, so I can't try a bunch of holders, so I thought I'd get one of these since it had such great reviews. I haven't been disappointed! I use this with a Leonard EF nib; I've never used the Leonard's before. Always a Nikko G, and a decent pen holder (I thought...), but my lines were never hairline enough for me, and I could never make lettering as small as I wanted to. But using those nibs along with this holder, and McCaffery's gloss black on Rhodia paper (based off a fine calligrapher on YouTube), I took the plunge and spent 100 bucks. It has changed my world... funny the things you fight when you always think it's you! Is it all this holder? Probably not, but this set up is a whole lot closer to how I want my writing to be than it was! Angles, nibs, paper, ink... I don't know what percentage of what is the answer, but this holder is simple but wonderful! (Here's where I thank my mom for the birthday present I'd have never bought myself, and I would have continued to fight problems that were not due a lack of skill. THANKS MOM!! I smile a lot when I write now!)

Very good quality writing instrument. I have not used an oblique penholder before, so am discovering how it feels and works, and the feel of this item is quite comfortable. Looks very professional, also. The green finial is an excellent accent against the brass collar.

I have other oblique pens, but I really like the way this pen holds the nib, I feel like it is able to let the nib do what it is supposed to do because it tightens it from the side and not in the middle! I also like the metal tip at the end of the wood, it is easier to keep clean. Writes very nice (used both Nikko G and Brausse nibs in it so far).

I love this pen holder. It has made my work much easier since I don't have to constantly readjust my flanges. I also find that by making sure I keep my flange clean from ink it helps with keeping my screws from getting stuck.

This is simply the best oblique holder. I use it with with a range of the cage nibs and love it! It's my go-to and workhorse pen!

The best pen ergonomically. Very easy to mount nib and very secure, but you have to make sure it is flush.

This pen holder is pricey and somewhat unattractive--especially compared to the lovely assortment of pen holders available in every conceivable material today--so it took me awhile to bite the bullet and finally buy one. I'm so glad I did! The ease of changing nibs and not ruining any more Ink cage nibs far outweigh those negatives for me. (I only use the Ink cage nibs, and I'd already ruined a few trying to insert them into my other oblique holders, but there is no such issue with the Blackwell holder.) I must admit I have lost a few nibs into the ink, due to looseness of the screw which holds the nib in place, but this was entirely my fault for not tightening it enough. Bonus: for the asking, JNB sent me a small supply of those screws at no charge with my next order.Also, I tend to have a heavy hand, but the feel of this pen holder is very substantial.It's really worth every cent and it's the only holder I use now.

My most used oblique holder. Changing nibs is super fast and it's easy to clean since there isn't a folded sheet of brass to trap any ink in case I over-dip. The balance is ever so slightly nib heavy because of the solid brass arm, but it's not enough to bother me. I like the minimalistic look and the diameter. I feel the brass arm could have been cut a little more precisely, since the corner where the nib rests was cut a little too deeply, and nibs won't sit completely straight. It may be a little unreasonable of me to expect machine like precision on a handmade hold though. Other than that nitpick, I'm happy with this holder.

It's a great pen holder, one of the best I've ever used, except for its appearance--far from elegant, to some extent, ugly. The design is simple but useful. I can put almost any kind of nibs in this holder in always the same rotation angle. Well, the screw should be treated carefully. I lost it in my pouch once. And I think it hard to get a replacement.(We do offer replacemnt screws for a small fee. --Michael @ JNB)