Bexley Any Good?

[mhosea]

I have several Bexley pens. They are my favorites. I just bought a used one that is winging its way to Greg Minuskin because the previous owner put a pronounced foot on it, but all the others are good or great except for one steel nib unit that I bought separately. That one is defective with an off-center cut through the tipping. Some are much more wet than others. Generally I find that a new pen that hasn't come from a nibmeister may need 5 minutes of nib tuning of the purely amateur variety--alignment of the tines and a quick smoothing with the finest grit. I'm not too skilled at adjusting the nib separation, so if this is very much off and my cautious efforts make no headway, I get professional help. FWIW, I've found the Bexley nibs easy to adjust with respect to smoothness, and I would not say I have any talent for this.

Edited September 8, 2012 by mhosea

[Glenn-SC]

Also, a smooth nib feels scatchy on rough paper. Do you have some top quality

writing paper ?

And a scratchy nib feel scratchy on any paper.

Yes, other pens are smooth on the paper I use, even the Bexley's I've kept.

[NedC]

I have two Bexley made pens, on a 2010 Owners' Club in orange G-10 composite with a fine steel nib which i got from isellpens.com and it wrote very well out of the box, very smooth indeed, almost boringly so. The other is a Gate City Belmont pen bought from Richard Bender which came with what appears to be the same Jowo steel nib except engraved with a generic Iridium Point Germany instead of Bexley's logo, it was tuned by Mr. Binder and writes very smoothly, essentially the same as the OC.

 

Of course I have found very few pens to be scratchy, the worst was a Pelikan m200 I have and rather like after having reground the nib, but I learned how to write with fountain pens in a Catholic grade school under the tutelage of strict Dominican nuns who stressed correct form and a very loose grip with almost no pressure on the pen, the hand just guides the pen, gravity, capillary action and your arm and shoulder musculature do all the work. I also have used steel dip pens and Rapidograph pens for drawing for many years and those are truly scratchy pens by their very nature.

[Johnson]

Interest to read everyone's experiences. I haven't owned a Bexley in quite a while (sold them off when I took a hiatus from the hobby a few years ago) but I owned quite a few back then. I can't think of a single one that was scratchy or anything less then excellent. I bought some from Mr. Binder but others from the late Dennis Bowden, ISellPens.com, and various used models. Schmidt steel nibs, 18k Bock nibs of various sizes, all wrote well.

[pelahale]

I'm not a fan of Bexley pens so far. My daughter loves her Jitterbig with the Pendleton Brown's custom italic nib. I don't like them because they are mostly converter pens which I hate. The barrels and caps all scream cheap plastic to me. For the price, they don't seem justified. They don't have that feel of high quality that Brian Gray's Edison pens for instance have. I like Howard Levy & companies goal of trying to capture the designs of the days of Sheaffer/Waterman/Parker, but I wished they'd use celluloids, ebonites, and do lever-fillers, vacs and such - so that they are making pens very much the equivalent of those classics, not just a superficial empty shell of them. For the price, you'd be better off actually buying those real classics on ebay for now. That's why I don't like Bexleys - no innovation, just a shell copy of the classics but using inferior material. That's just my honest opinion about them. Sorry.

[Postscript]

Used my Summer Storm at a Trustee retreat today and a fellow trustee lusted after it. The Jitterbugs I use are fantastic.

 

Post Script

[Freddy]

I like Howard Levy & companies goal of trying to capture the designs of the days of Sheaffer/Waterman/Parker, but I wished they'd use celluloids, ebonites, and do lever-fillers, vacs and such - so that they are making pens very much the equivalent of those classics, not just a superficial empty shell of them. For the price, you'd be better off actually buying those real classics on ebay for now. That's why I don't like Bexleys - no innovation, just a shell copy of the classics but using inferior material. That's just my honest opinion about them. Sorry.

 

 

Bexley has been using hard rubber {ebonite}..celluloid..re fillers..button..aerometric..

eyedropper..piston..iirc..in Owners Club 2006 vacumatic..sleeve..as you can see there is

variety..And I do appreciate your point of view..

 

Fred

Sailor Jack and his dog Bingo

Edited September 8, 2012 by Freddy

[faustulus]

I like Howard Levy & companies goal of trying to capture the designs of the days of Sheaffer/Waterman/Parker, but I wished they'd use celluloids, ebonites, and do lever-fillers, vacs and such - so that they are making pens very much the equivalent of those classics, not just a superficial empty shell of them. For the price, you'd be better off actually buying those real classics on ebay for now. That's why I don't like Bexleys - no innovation, just a shell copy of the classics but using inferior material. That's just my honest opinion about them. Sorry.

 

 

Bexley has been using hard rubber {ebonite}..celluloid..re fillers..button..aerometric..

eyedropper..piston..iirc..in Owners Club 2006 vacumatic..sleeve..as you can see there is

variety..And I do appreciate your point of view..

 

Fred

Sailor Jack and his dog Bingo

I don't see any button fillers or aerometric in their catalogue, most of what I see are c/c. I have been considering a Corona, but really it is basically a new version of a classic and I am not sure why I shouldn't just spend the money on vintage. The company does seem fairly conservative so I think pelahale does have a valid point. I can't honestly say if the plastic is cheap or if the feeds are ebonite, and they don't offer that information on the website. That isn't to say they are bad pens, but I too tend to balk at expensive pens that use c/c, rightly or wrongly.

[bphollin]

I wished they'd use celluloids, ebonites, and do lever-fillers, vacs and such

Perhaps you'd like the 2006 Owner's Club, which is both vac and celluloid.

 

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4078/4935959918_36c2297a97_z.jpg

[watch_art]

I traded my Pilot 742FA at the 2011 Arkansas Pen Show for a Bexley 10th anniversary with an 18k F nib that needed a bit of smoothing to make me happy. It was so nice! I really miss that pen - but selling it helped me to start making my own pens.

 

I like Bexley - think they're great.

 

Feeds are all plastic as far as I know - at least on the Jowo nib units.

[mhosea]

I don't like them because they are mostly converter pens which I hate. The barrels and caps all scream cheap plastic to me. For the price, they don't seem justified. They don't have that feel of high quality that Brian Gray's Edison pens for instance have.

 

Now that the Corona and 2012 Owners Club are using Bexley's piston filling system, I think you will see more Bexley piston fillers over time, and neither my Corona nor Poseidon Magnum seem like "cheap plastic" to me. I haven't had the pleasure of comparing to an Edison--I have been planning to order one from the Signature line with a custom grip section (because there is no question that the Edison curved grip shape and me would simply not get along). Problem is, I don't want a bulb filler or an eye dropper pen. Actually what I wish there were more of is the Gate City Belmont's syringe filling system (pen designed by Richard Binder, built by Bexley). It's soooo easy and fast to fill and flush. But the Belmont has just one particular styling, and even if you like it you might like something else for a change. It would be great to see more body styles using this system.

[tonydent84]

My only Bexley not from Richard Binder ... bad. Nine Bexleys from Richard Binder ... perfect. He fixed my bad one.

 

Similar experience with me. Bought Pelikans from other places, returned every single one of them (except one). Bought Pelikans from Binder, all are some of the best writers I own. And for the Pelikan I bought elsewhere that I didn't send back, I ordered one of Binder's nibs cos the one that came with it was horrible and scratchy. Outstanding service without any fees for the service. Just wished he carried more brands so I'd always be confident when I buy a pen online.

[tonybelding]

I don't see any button fillers or aerometric in their catalogue, most of what I see are c/c. I have been considering a Corona, but really it is basically a new version of a classic and I am not sure why I shouldn't just spend the money on vintage.

 

I'm not sure which classic you think the Corona is a new version of? It does have some resemblance to a Duofold, but it's not a copy -- and the classic Duofold wasn't a piston-filler, of course. (And just compare the price of a Corona with a new Duofold, which is a C/C pen!) In any case, the reasons to buy a new Bexley instead of a vintage pen should be obvious: Bexleys are readily available in new condition with a factory warranty and replacement parts available. The Bexleys are bigger, less delicate (no 70+ year old plastics!), and easier to maintain and repair.

 

I can't honestly say if the plastic is cheap or if the feeds are ebonite, and they don't offer that information on the website.

 

The materials used by Bexley are largely the same materials used in Edison pens (in most cases acrylic or ebonite). They aren't cheap injection-molded plastic like a TWSBI for example. The nibs and feed units also come from the same German sources as Edison's, I'm pretty sure. (The feeds aren't ebonite, but they work Just Fine anyhow.) The modular nib system is a big advantage, in my book. It makes cleaning and swapping nibs a snap, and if you like steel nibs (which I generally do), then spare nibs are cheap.

 

That isn't to say they are bad pens, but I too tend to balk at expensive pens that use c/c, rightly or wrongly.

 

Bexley have made a number of non-C/C limited runs in the past, and they have the piston-filling Corona as their flagship pen now. Plus, they make all the pens for the Gate City Pen Company, which have included bulb-fillers, syringe-fillers, and a Dunn pump filler. Compare that with Waterman... or Parker... or Sheaffer... and all their overpriced C/C pens. Bexley is also the company that started offering a choice of steel or gold nibs, so those of us who actually like steel can save a lot of money -- again, compare that with Pelikan, Waterman, Parker, etc. It seems that Bexley has the advantage on these very points that you try to complain about.

[pelahale]

Compare that with Waterman... or Parker... or Sheaffer... and all their overpriced C/C pens. Bexley is also the company that started offering a choice of steel or gold nibs, so those of us who actually like steel can save a lot of money -- again, compare that with Pelikan, Waterman, Parker, etc. It seems that Bexley has the advantage on these very points that you try to complain about.

 

The Modern Parker, Waterman, Sheaffer companies are no where near the same company (in terms of either quality, production, nor ownership - all non-US now) as those of yesteryear as you know, so of course Bexley (an American Company nevertheless) compares favorably to those nowadays. To me those so-called companies are not even in the running for consideration anymore. Bexley, I would say could be in the running if they began to focus on quality and innovation, rather than making a quick buck. If the latter is their goal, they will lose out to other companies that can do it better. They are a quality company, but I won't buy any more of their pens til I see pens like their Flagship Corona line become their norm. Also, where are the American nib-makers? This could be a great avenue for a new small business idea. America has a great tradition in nib making, now all shuttered. This makes me very sad.

[faustulus]

It seems that Bexley has the advantage on these very points that you try to complain about.

Wow, I clearly failed to convey my point. Looking on their website Bexley has two models not c/c, this is a fact and not in dispute. I never said other companies had more choices, not sure where you got that from other than your own assumption. As for reasons to buy a Bexley, why when I can get almost the same pen from Kaigelu for a tenth of the price. Will it be as good? No, but the Bexley won't be 10 times as good. It also seems you assume I am saying Bexley is worse than other companies, if I gave this impression I am sorry, it was not my intent.

I don't care what other companies make or don't make since they are not the point of the post which is that penhale had a point in his criticism, and I don't think anything you said really negates any of this criticism. It is valid even if you don't agree.

[terminal]

I think it's telling how many of the Bexley success stories here include nib tuning by someone.

[Glenn-SC]

I think it's telling how many of the Bexley success stories here include nib tuning by someone.

Yeah, that's what I should have done with my Prometheus!

But with what I paid for it I didn't want to have to sink MORE money into it to get it to do what it should have in the first place.

[watch_art]

How much does it add to the cost of the pen to include tuning? When Richard Binder sells a Corona is it a little more expensive than buying it from ebay or some other vendor? Or does he donate his time tuning each pen? Or does tuning each pen really not amount to much extra time and therefore no charge?

[mhosea]

Or does he donate his time tuning each pen? Or does tuning each pen really not amount to much extra time and therefore no charge?

 

Donation is perhaps the wrong word. He's adding value to make his business more competitive without charging higher prices. I suspect it usually does take only several minutes per nib, however.

Edited September 10, 2012 by mhosea

[georges zaslavsky]

I have a bexley sanibel blue that I bought in second hand at mora's stylos and bexley repaired it for free. That is what I call quality after sales service.