Compiled from 6 sources; we haven't tested this product ourselves yet. How we research
Quick answer
The Sailor Fude de Mannen is an inexpensive Japanese fountain pen with a gold-plated steel nib bent upward at 40 or 55 degrees. Held upright it writes a thin line; laid low it makes a broad, brush-like stroke. Sailor lists it at 169 mm long and 12.0 g, taking Sailor cartridges or a converter.
On this page10 sections
The Fude de Mannen in Wakatake green, drawn to scale from Sailor's 169 mm length.
Product facts
Product
Sailor Fude de Mannen Fountain Pen (40° and 55° nibs; 12-0150)
AS resin (navy) or ABS resin (other colors) cap, barrel and section; gold-plated stainless steel nib
Price range
$$$5–20 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count)
Colors
Navy (紺)40° nib · Dark Blue at Goulet Pens
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Notes on these facts
Made by The Sailor Pen Co., Ltd., Kure, Hiroshima, Japan; majority-owned by PLUS Corporation since May 2022. Made in Japan: LarryPOST (Australia) says "Made in Japan" on its Fude de Mannen listings. Sailor's Japanese product page doesn't print a country of manufacture. Source. Price: example listing.
Colors: names per Sailor Japan, checked October 24, 2026. Five colors per Sailor Japan (紺, 若竹, パールホワイト, パールピンク, パールブラウン); the color sets the nib angle. Goulet Pens sells navy as Dark Blue and wakatake as Dark Green. Tints were sampled from Sailor's product photos. Tints are representative, not measured. Shops stock different colors.
Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026. Conversions to US dollars are approximate, at October 2026 rates (US$1 = ¥158 = ₩1,330 = NT$32.5 = CN¥6.7 = SEK 9.9 = DKK 6.7 = ₺49.6 = C$1.41 = A$1.43 = CZK 21.7; €1 = US$1.12; £1 = US$1.32; CHF 1 = US$1.21).
Key takeaways
Sailor's Japanese site lists the standard Fude de Mannen at 15.0 × 169 mm (0.6 × 6.7 in) and 12.0 g, at ¥2,750 (about US$17) including tax.
The green Wakatake pen has a 55-degree nib bend; the navy, pearl white, pearl pink and pearl brown pens have a 40-degree bend.
It fills with Sailor's own cartridges or a Sailor converter (not the mini converter), per Australian dealer LarryPOST.
Amazon US ranked the green 55-degree pen #27 in Fountain Pens on October 22, 2026, with 2,395 ratings averaging 4.5 stars.
LarryPOST lists it as made in Japan; Sailor builds its fountain pens in Kure, Hiroshima.
What is the Sailor Fude de Mannen?
It’s a low-cost Sailor fountain pen whose steel nib is bent upward at the tip, so one pen writes both fine lines and brush-like strokes. Sailor’s Japanese page says it lets people who struggle with a brush write brush-style characters easily: hold it upright for a thin line, lay it down for a thick one.
The name is Japanese wordplay. Sailor writes it ふでDEまんねん, from fude (brush) and mannenhitsu (fountain pen). Sailor credits the nib grinder Nobuyoshi Nagahara, who began testing a brush-lettering fountain pen in 1974–75, as our Sailor history explains.
It’s also one of the few Japanese fountain pens near the top of US sales charts. On October 22, 2026, Amazon US ranked the green 55-degree pen #27 in Fountain Pens, with 2,395 ratings averaging 4.5 stars.
Sailor Fude de Mannen specs
Spec
Value
Maker
The Sailor Pen Co., Ltd. (Kure, Hiroshima, Japan)
Model
12-0150 (Japan); sold in the US under the Compass name by some shops
Nib
Gold-plated stainless steel, bent 55° (Wakatake green) or 40° (navy, pearl white, pearl pink, pearl brown)
Filling
Sailor cartridge or Sailor converter (not the mini)
Body
AS resin (navy) or ABS resin (other colors)
Size
15.0 × 169 mm (0.6 × 6.7 in) capped; 187 mm (7.4 in) posted, per LarryPOST
Weight
12.0 g
Cap
Screw-on
Japanese price
¥2,750 (about US$17) including tax
JAN (green 55°)
4901680176831
Made in
Japan (LarryPOST)
Sizes, weight, nibs and codes come from Sailor’s Japanese product page, which we read on October 22, 2026. Sailor doesn’t give a launch date there.
What is the difference between the 40° and 55° nibs?
The angle is how sharply the nib tip is bent upward; Sailor recommends 55 degrees for people who write with the pen upright and 40 degrees for people who hold it low. Color tells you which you’re buying: the green Wakatake pen has the 55-degree nib, and the navy and pearl colors have the 40-degree nib.
Australian dealer LarryPOST says the 40-degree pen gives finer lines than the green 55-degree pen and suits Chinese characters. US shops sell both, labeled by angle.
Sailor's two bends: 55° for an upright grip, 40° for a low one.
How do you write with a bent nib?
Change the angle between pen and paper: upright gives a hairline from the very tip, and lowering the pen brings the flat bent face onto the paper for a wide stroke. Turning the pen slightly as you write also changes the width, which is what gives kanji and lettering their brush look.
It takes practice, and the broad strokes use a lot of ink. Impress Watch’s reviewer noted that the long barrel holds a spare cartridge, which helps.
What ink and converter does it take?
It takes Sailor’s proprietary cartridges or a Sailor converter, but not Sailor’s mini converter, per LarryPOST. Sailor’s own page lists it as a cartridge/converter pen. LarryPOST says the pen comes with two black water-soluble cartridges, and converters are sold separately.
A converter lets you use bottled ink. A wet, dark ink shows off the line variation; see our guide to filling a fountain pen for how converters work.
How does it compare to a Pilot Parallel or a brush pen?
The Fude de Mannen varies line width by tilting a bent nib; the Pilot Parallel uses a wide flat nib for italic strokes, and brush pens use a soft tip that responds to pressure.
LarryPOST lists the Fude de Mannen as made in Japan. Sailor’s product page doesn’t print a country, but Sailor is a Japanese maker whose fountain pens come from its factory in Kure, Hiroshima, as our Sailor Pro Gear Slim guide explains.
Frequently asked questions
Can the Fude de Mannen replace a brush for Japanese calligraphy?
Not quite. When Impress Watch's reviewer handed one to a family member who practices shodo, she noted that a calligraphy brush is held upright, while the Fude de Mannen makes its broad strokes when laid low, so it takes getting used to.
Why is it called Fude de Mannen?
Sailor writes it ふでDEまんねん in Japanese: fude means brush and mannen comes from mannenhitsu, the Japanese word for fountain pen. The name says it writes brush-style characters with a fountain pen.
What is the Profit Fude de Mannen?
A dressier version on Sailor's Profit body, with a 55-degree nib. Sailor Japan lists it at 17 × 134 mm including the clip, 12.2 g and ¥3,850 (about US$24), against ¥2,750 (about US$17) for the standard pen.
How long is the Fude de Mannen with the cap posted?
LarryPOST lists 187 mm (7.4 in) posted, against 169 mm (6.7 in) capped. Impress Watch's reviewer described it as close to 20 cm posted, about the length of a brush.
How much does a Fude de Mannen cost in the US?
It sits in our $$ band ($5–20 per pen) at US retailers such as Goulet Pens and Amazon. In Japan, Sailor lists it at ¥2,750 (about US$17) including tax.
Is the Fude de Mannen good for sketching?
It suits rough sketching, because one nib gives both hairlines and broad fills. Impress Watch's reviewer bought it for bold idea sketches and rough drawings; we haven't tested it on sketch paper yet.
