Loclen Orbita

[allebannep]

I thought I had the pleasure to be the first one to review about this pen on FPN but then after a quick research I found that someone else (Leehu Zysberg) did an excellent job. Even though the model is the same, my finishing is different so here I hope to give the reader a different perspective.

 

I ordered this pen online directly from the official LOCLEN web site because this is the only way you can have it since their policy is to go straight to the final customer. I am not used to buy online a lot when it is about pens, I would rather have the classic shop experience where you can touch and try the pen you want to buy. But in this case I have to say I felt very comfortable since I started enquiring about this model that I saw advertised on Pen World Magazine. They took very good care of any question and concern I had and I was very happy about their excellent customer service. I think that human relations still count a lot in this kind of business.

 

Finally came the day I received the package, it took a little bit more than a week to get here, but it is very understandable since the shipment came directly from Italy. It came by registered mail and I was told this is the easiest way if you dont want to go through custom control. The cost of the freight was included in the original price, I was also offered the option to pay some extra money for a three or four days delivery, but I decided to stay with my first choice because I was very happy about the all deal (I will be more precise later when I talk about the price).

So I was very anxious to see my new pen, I couldnt wait to open the package. The first thing I noticed was the simplicity of the box, I was expecting to find something fancier, bigger, instead just a regular 7x2.5 inch leather box, nice, but nothing special. You just have to read some of their web site content in order to realized that this is part of the company philosophy (which is also very much my philosophy). They are not in business to make boxes, but to make pens, and since one of their main goal is to make their customers to save money it makes perfect sense not to offer expensive boxes.

 

 

What caught my interest in the first place when I saw the pen in the magazine was the original design of the clip and the crown, which resemble a planet orbiting around its star, a half moon and a telescope exploring the universe. What a cool pen, I thought. So, as soon as I opened the box my eyes went right there. The pen was beautiful and immediately I also noticed the Swarovski crystal at the end of the barrel that I couldnt notice very much before. It is a real Swarovski, if you look inside the barrel you can notice some kind of lights effects. I like it.

 

 

 

The model I have is the one with the light blue resin cap ( initially I wasnt sure because I was going for the blue, but at the end I went for this one), bright chrome barrel and gold plated clip. My first impression of the pen was excellent.

 

 

As soon as I started holding the pen in my hands I realized the impeccable quality of this object. I am extremely picky in terms of finishing and mechanical quality. When I go in a pen store or in a Montblanc boutique I usually take with me a stronger pair of glasses because I need to check any particular details. Here everything looks perfect, the chrome is bright with no signs or imperfections, the clip is straight, the gold plating is flawless, all edges are simply perfect. I can tell that this is a handmade pen where every single details is very well taken care of.

If you read some of my previous reviews you noticed that I like heavy pens and with this one I have to say that I am particularly happy. The weight is around 2.1 oz. which for me is very good.

The cap can be posted or not, this model has a very interesting soft plastic ring inside the cap so it can be easily posted without ruining or marking the chrome barrel. I appreciate a lot this devise which I think it should be also used by other pen manufacturers. For example I have a few Montblanc that I dont post because after a few times the barrel is all marked.

 

 

The nib is a 750K gold made by Bock in Germany, it is a medium size. Nothing to say about the quality of the nib, I know Bock nibs for many years and I am very happy with them. I was told that Bock makes nibs for Visconti, Delta, and many other Italian pen manufactures.

This pen came with a converter filling system.

 

 

In my opinion one of the best part of this review is the price. For this pen I paid $350,00 including delivery from Italy. Now, for a handmade fountain pen of this outstanding quality with a 750K gold nib, I think this is a very good deal. And it all makes sense when you read the company web site where they say that all the savings obtained by eliminating all the distribution passages are passed to the final customer. I wonder I much money I could have saved if I could have bought also all my other pens this way. If the retail price of a pen equals four times the price the manufacturer sells to the distributor, I guess this pens if sold through the normal distribution channels would have cost at least around $900-1,000

 

 

 

My conclusion is that I give this pen a 10 plus, I was not aware of this new Italian pen maker, now I am definitely a big fan and I cant wait to see their new models coming.

[Sblakers]

Congrats on a beautiful pen. Your review has sparked my interest in this company. I will have to check out their site now.

[ele]

Beautiful and unique pen! Enjoy it for many years to come!

[ravantra]

Interesting design. Never heard of this company. Will need to check it out. Thanks for posting.

[lovemy51]

unique, yes... pretty? hmmmmmmm... very interesting pen, no doubt. thx for the review!

[humsin]

Fascinating! I'm worried for the finish though...

[converter59]

Beautiful pen, I particularly like the design of the top ( clip and crown).

Thank you for posting and letting us know.

[toltotoll61]

^{Beautiful pen! I have the rollerball model with the red resin top. I agree with you, quality and functionality are impeccable.}

^{I am happy to know your positive impressions about the fountain pen which I will probably buy soon. I believe that this fairly new Italian pen company would deserve some more attention, they make wonderful pens with a different and innovative design.}

^{I also have their Spica BP, which I really love it.}

 

 

 

[dot]

Merciful heavens, that is one stunning design.

[cambookpro]

Wow, that is one beautiful design! Hope you enjoy it, it looks great.