Sabonis Review

[withoutink]

You can find the full review on my blog, here is a direct link to the full review: Sabonis Fountain Pen Review

 

This is my first fountain pen review so, be gentle :-)

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2485/4197627379_fe50798603.jpg

 

This fountain pen brand is primarily marketed in Latin America. This specific pen was sent to me from Mexico. I am not 100% sure what model this is, as it came to me without a box or any paperwork. There doesn't appear to be any markings that reflect a model on the pen or nib.

 

 

The first thing I noticed about this pen, was the weight – it's pretty heavy. heavier than most of my other pens. The pen is a little plain looking, it also does look more expensive than it is. The cap is very tight fitting, it requires a pretty good grip to pull the cap off.

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2508/4197628239_b457c1305f.jpg

 

The dimensions of the Sabonis Fountain Pen are as follows:

 

Capped – 5.25″

Cap removed – 4.75″

Cap posted – 6″

Weight – 1.1oz

 

 

I was surprised that this pen didn't include a cartridge and or converter. I tried using the extra Platinum Preppy and the Waterman converters I had… neither one fit correctly. I ended up ordering an International Piston Converter for a Pelikan (from my friends at Pear Tree Pens) and it ended up fitting perfectly.

 

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4011/4198476646_09f9580e6c.jpg

 

 

The nib seems to be a fine-medium steel nib. It has the Sabonis logo and is made in Germany. It originally was difficult to get inked up. It was having a lot of problems starting up. I decided I needed to floss the nib. That ended up working perfectly. Now the pen starts much faster and flows a nice fine-medium line.

 

The nib is nice and smooth and it produces a nice wetish line that has a nice bit of shading to it. I recently did an ink review with the Sabonis, it can be found here: J Herbin Bleu Azur Ink Review

 

All in all, for an inexpensive fountain pen, this is a pretty nice pen. I won't say it's my favorite, but its fun and will stay in my rotation.

 

Full sized images can be found on this set on my Flickr account.

Edited December 20, 2009 by withoutink

[Nikhil]

The Waterman should have fit. Waterman and Pelikan are both international brands and are interchangeable.

[Ondina]

Nice pictures. The pens looks very nice, and the nib is very attractive ( at least, I find it much better than the similarly built made in China pens). Thanks for the review.

[TassoBarbasso]

Where does the name of this brand come from?

[bone215]

1. very nice first review, you have skills!

2. that is a very nice looking pen.

 

good luck with it.