Dex by Kingsley Scarlet smooth soft inkliner

As someone who is never far from a pen and notebook I'm always looking for pens that help me improve on my handwriting. Handwriting practice is not just for school children. Adults can also benefit from a little practice now and then. I have spoken to so many people who type their work straight onto PCs, tablets and other devices and they tell me that when they find themselves with a pen in their hand it no longer feels natural and they realise that their handwriting isn't what it used to be.

Dex by Kingsley

When I came across the Dex by Kingsley pen which claims to encourage correct grip along with confidence and enjoyment in handwriting I thought it was definitely worth looking at so I added it to my wish list. And now thanks to the very kind people at The Pen shop I have one.

peep hole to keep an eye on ink usage

The pen is plastic with a metal clip and a soft touch grip.
The Dex is so light to hold that I had complete freedom to move across the page, nothing was holding me back and the grip made such an easy task even easier.
Sometimes even when a pen has a grip my fingers slip into an uncomfortable position but the contoured grip on this Dex makes slipping almost impossible. The grip flicks out slightly near the tip preventing my fingers from going any further. Each time I use this pen my fingers instantly snuggle into the grip as if it's where they belong. It's the same feeling I get when I sit on my side of the sofa that over time has moulded itself around my shape. Instant comfort and familiarity.

Dex writing sample

To begin with I experienced quite a bit of intermittent skipping, even when I'd been writing for a while so I know the ink was given plenty of time to reach the nib. The ink would flow nicely for a while then skip like crazy for a few sentences then work fine again and so on. I tried altering the angle at which I was holding the pen and nothing seemed to make a difference. Just when I'd given up hope I tried one last thing - pressing harder onto the paper. It worked. The ink flow was much more consistent. The pen just needed a firmer hand. The fact that it's light and comfortable made me think I could loosely hold the pen and let it do all the work for me. I'd become lazy. I'm pleased the Dex had pointed out my laziness as I found myself slowing down and concentrating more on my grip, pressure and neatness, creating much neater handwriting.

Refillable with Dex cartridges

The Dex pen uses Dex ink cartridges which instantly transported me back to being 11 on my first day of secondary school with my brand new fountain pen and stash of cartridges in my pencil case.  I haven't used a fountain pen for years, I much prefer the simplicity of a rollerball but if fountain pens are your thing then the Dex by Kingsley can also be purchased as a fountain pen and is available in a range of colours.

The cartridge is so easy to fit. The pen stores 2 cartridges, one spare and one to use. Place the spare in the barrel, narrow end first and then place the one you will use on top of it, narrow end up. When you screw the pen back together the top cartridge will be pierced and in place, ready to write. No more double checking to see if the cartridge is secure. It's a fool proof method.

There is a little peep hole on the grip so I can keep an eye on my ink usage. It will take me about a week to empty one Dex cartridge based on my average usage which might consist a journal entry and a couple of lists or notes per day. The cartridges are fairly cheap for a pack of 6 so I'm happy to keep my Dex in business.

 When the ink dries it will look a couple of shades lighter than it does when it was first placed on the paper.

On a couple of my notebooks the ink feathered a little but it's to be expected with wetter inks. It's a matter of finding which paper best suits my pen and using the same notebook every day is boring anyway. Ink drying times averaged at about 5 seconds across most of my notebooks.

The Dex has a habit of making a very odd squeaky/squelchy sound at times. It is only noticeable if there is no background noise. I'm not sure what causes the sound so if any of you have a squeaky pen and you know why it squeaks I'd love for you to get in touch and enlighten me. I'm always willing to learn where pens are concerned. 

reliable clip

When the pen is not in use I would recommend storing it upright. I returned to my pen after leaving it laying on my desk for a couple of hours, popped off the lid and sprayed ink everywhere. I should have engaged a bit of common sense. The ink is very wet and runny in the cartridge and quite wet when it's first applied to paper so it makes sense that it would leak. I thought I'd mention it so that none of you end up wasting precious ink needlessly. The clip on the Dex is a good sturdy clip although if I do take the pen out of the house I will try and make sure it stays clipped in an upright position just in case.

The Dex is pen that demands respect and wants to work with you rather than for you. If you store it correctly, apply the correct amount of pressure and give it quality paper to sink it's ink into the Dex will do it's very best to provide you with an enjoyable writing experience. If you carelessly leave the pen lying around or expect it to do all the hard work for you it will certainly teach you a lesson.

I love using this pen for my journal entries. It's a place where I can write whatever I want, experiment with my handwriting styles and really get lost in my own thoughts and just enjoy using my Dex.

Once again, Thank you to The Pen Shop for providing me with this pen. It is definitely a pen I will reach out for when my handwriting takes a nose dive and I need a crash course.


 Despite receiving the pen for free all opinions in this post are entirely my own and I have not been influenced in any way.