edding 1880 Review: A Simple Fix for Hard-to-Read Writing
You know that moment when you look at your child’s work and think help what does that say. Or worse still their teacher says they “can’t always read” what’s been written. It’s an awful feeling. In secondary school, unreadable work can quietly chip away at marks and confidence long before GCSEs begin. That’s why I’m always looking for tools — like the edding 1880 — that might offer a small change that has a big impact.
This November's Mystery is the edding 1880
Every month in the Get Set Write Club students are sent a mystery pen. This month it was the edding 1880 by the German company which was founded in 1960.
Quick Facts
- Pen Name: 1880 drawliner 0.1
- Brand: edding
- Pen Type: Fibre pen
- Grip Style: Hard plastic
- Best for: Any age. Left and right handed. Ideal for technical work.
- Price Range: Medium - £2 + shipping costs
Why I Chose This Pen (The OT Perspective)
Every month I choose a different pen and this month I wanted a fine tip pen, the thinner the better.
When students write small and use a fatter pen tip it can make the writing more difficult to read. An easy solution is to write using a fine tip pen. Drawing pens are ideal for this and there are many makes out there e.g. Rotring, Faber-Castell etc.
I wanted to give the club students a fine tip pen that was so fine that would either love it or hate it. I chose the edding 1880 drawliner 0.1. But I made a mistake. I thought 0.1 equated to 0.1mm nib size. Perhaps it was an easy one to make? I wonder how many others have done the same. Initially, I ended up disappointed because the nib was actually 0.25mm in size. It worked out ok, any thinner and it would have been a mistake.
Here’s how to avoid making the same error.
- 005 tip is 0.2mm
- 01 tip is 0.25mm
- 02 tip is 0.3mm
- 03 tip is 0.35mm
- 04 tip is 0.45mm
Only when you get to the higher numbers does it start to all make sense!
- 05 tip is 0.5mm
- 07 tip is 0.7mm
- 08 tip is 0.8mm
What Our Students Said: The Real Truth About The 'edding 1880 drawliner 0.1'
- Overall Rating: 4.1/10 stars
"Hate it, horrible"
Year 7 Student
"I liked it until it broke"
Year 7 Student
"Lasts less than 1 week"
Year 8 Student
"Didn't like the fine liner for writing"
Year 9 Student
This was very disappointing. Many said that the ink ran out. Perhaps that is because it is a drawing rather than writing pen/ Quite a few commented on the nib breaking. Or having issues with the nib. This can happen if someone is pressing too heavily when writing. I feel this might be “user-error” rather than the pen.
The Parent's Guide: Is The edding 1180 drawliner 0.1 Pen Right for Your Child?
✅ Consider This Pen If Your Child:
Struggles with legibility using fatter nib pens – The 0.25mm fine tip can make previously hard-to-read writing much clearer, especially for GCSE notes and homework.
Writes lightly or carefully – Students who don’t press hard may find the smooth ink flow improves the clarity of their work.
❓ You Might Want to Try Something Else If:
- Your teen presses heavily or writes quickly – The nib can break under pressure, and the ink may run out faster than expected.
- Long writing sessions are common – Coursework, exam practice and even the amount written in school could be interrupted by the ink running out or the nib breaking.
💡 Pro Tips for Success (If You Do Try the edding 1880 drawliner 0.1):
Introduce the pen gradually – Start with short note-taking sessions or homework tasks to see how your teen adapts to the finer nib.
Monitor pressure – Encourage gentle writing to avoid nib breakage — a light hand works best with this fibre-tip pen.
The Verdict on the edding 1880 Review
The good thing about the edding 1880 was that the ink did not smudge. However it was an acquired taste for all of us trying it.
OT Recommendation: The concept of a thinner nib pen is still a good one. I personally was distracted by the noise it can make against the paper. It sounded “scratchy”, yet it felt smooth when using it. For this reason, I would suggest it’s not for those students with sensory processing difficulties.
Student Verdict: One student really liked it and asked his Mum to go out and buy more of them. However most students did not like it.
Parent Takeaway: It could work but it is a marmite pen. Some loved it, some hated it. Introduce it slowly and always ensure they have a back up pen.
Coming Up Next Month
Our next mystery pen has been chosen to make their writing look special, it is a calligraphy pen. Often students like trying to use this style of pen but it can be tricky to master. lets see how they get on. Fingers crossed it goes well.
Why try and piece together handwriting solutions on your own? The Get Set Write club provides everything: expert OT tuition, mystery pen testing, themed lessons, and progress tracking in one monthly subscription. Start today. Find out more here.
