Gold Townsends

[adamselene]

For years, Cross touted how the rolled gold pens were totally superior to gold plate.

 

Now, the top-of-the-line Townsend's are 23 ^ gold plated, heavily. Has anybody had one of these new gold Townsends in their hands, and how do they compare to the Old 18 ^?

 

(My iPhone iPhone writes karet as ^ while dictating)

Edited January 23, 2015 by adamselene

[MrThoth]

I have both a #AT0046B-32 20th Anniversary 23K Heavy Gold Plate Townsend and a #776 18K Gold Filled Townsend. You can definitely feel that the 23K is heavier (I can provide specific weights if you'd like), but I haven't noticed any marked difference in how they write -- they both work fine for me. The 18K feels a bit smoother as it glides across the paper, but it's also been written with more so that may simply be a factor of having been "broken in" better.

 

I can provide writing samples using each, if that would help.

[max dog]

I think a thin sheet of gold mechanically bonded to the underlying metal (gold filed/rolled gold) is far superior to any electroplated gold no matter how heavy they claim it to be. The former is an actual sheet of gold you have on the pen, whereas the latter is a film of gold deposited artificially like paint that could probably flake off one day.

[MrThoth]

According to Writing History: 150 Years of the A.T. Cross Company, by Barbara Lambert: the rolled-gold plate or gold-filled technique (originally known as sweat plating) creates a better quality plate than the softer "solder gold" plating originally used by most jewelrymakers. It results in a thicker layer of gold, thus increasing the beauty, durability, and worth of a pen (or piece of jewelry) relative to a solder gold plated one. Both of those methods were developed before electroplating, which is the plating method most commonly used today.

 

Per Wikipedia, "[g]old-filled items are 50 to 100,000 times thicker than regular gold plating, and 17 to 25,000 times thicker than heavy gold electroplate[.]" (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold-filled_jewelry for more information.)

Edited January 24, 2015 by MrThoth

[adamselene]

Thanks everyone, FPN comes through again!

 

 

 

Lots of new direction for Cross, and I think it is a good thing, although change has its disappointing aspects.

 

Why is the Peerless priced under Townsend (except LE)?

 

Wish the brought back the two tone and unusual Townsend nibs though.

[MrThoth]

I would definitely like to see them produce more Townsends. I doubt it's going to happen, but dare to dream.

 

As for pricing -- I dunno. Who can fathom the inner workings of the collective corporate mind?

[RMN]

I don't know where you are looking at the prices for the Peerless and the Townsend.

Cheapest Peerless is 350 EUR retail in a B&M shop here, cheapest Townsend is 139 EUR (Lustrous Chrome, steel nib, Cheapest Gold nib Townsend is 215 EUR)

 

 

D.ick

[adamselene]

I don't know where you are looking at the prices for the Peerless and the Townsend.

Cheapest Peerless is 350 EUR retail in a B&M shop here, cheapest Townsend is 139 EUR (Lustrous Chrome, steel nib, Cheapest Gold nib Townsend is 215 EUR)

 

 

D.ick

 

D.,

 

Was referring to the high priced gold Peerless versus gold Townsend,

 

Of course, the LE Peerless with a gem is way more expensive. It is priced as if it were a solid gold Peerless, IMHO.

 

Cheers!