Looking for info on Scrikss Turkish fountain pens

[MIHCK]

Next year my wife and I plan to visit Istanbul to mark our 30th anniversary. She's interested in jewelry and rugs as souvenirs, but I'm interested in fountain pens. To that end, I'd be grateful to hear about any experiences FPNers may have had with Turkish-made Scrikss fountain pens.

 

I've attempted to include a couple of links that describe the pens in more detail (my apologies if the links don't work and you have to cut and paste). The first is the company's website in Turkish, and the second appears to be the English-language website of a wholesaler.

 

Scrikss company website in Turkish

 

Wholesaler's website in English

 

You don't have to read Turkish (I don't) to find the websites interesting. In particular, pages 6-10 of the Scrikss site's Online Katalog include good pictures of the fountain pen lines. The 35 series is reminiscent of some Cross pens, the 419 series reminds me of some Pelikans I own, and other lines are distinctive in their own right. I like that some models are available in burgundy or Prussian blue as well as black, and the 38 series in the smoky metallic finish strikes me as quite handsome and unlike any other pen I currently own.

 

Judging by the extensive choice of desk sets in the Scrikss product line, Turkey appears to be a society in which traditional writing materials still enjoy some prestige. Scrikss certainly offers an interesting range of fountain pens, and I imagine they'd be priced to undercut (at least by a little) competing Western European brands, which if comparable in quality would make them a good value (that's nothing but a guess on my part, of course). My plan would be to buy a Scrikss fountain pen early in my trip and, depending on how well I liked it, get others before I left. Indeed, while I'm picking FPN's collective brain, if anyone over the course of this year (we won't be traveling until spring 2012) could point me toward an Istanbul stationery store with a good selection of Scrikss pens, I'd be grateful for that information as well.

 

Thank you in advance for anything anyone can tell me about an unfamiliar but intriguing brand of fountain pens!

[foxtail1]

I'd be interested as well. I'm heading to Istanbul in June.

[kaissa]

Scrikss is a well known company in Turkey that is trying to increase their number of pen lines. Leather and office products are in abundance as can be seen on the catalog.

 

The place to buy a fountain pen is Ankara street in Sirkeci (pretty close to Sirkeci train station):

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Ankara+Cd&daddr=Ankara+Cd&hl=tr&geocode=FYrUcQId2CC6AQ%3BFYrUcQId2CC6AQ&mra=dme&mrsp=0&sz=14&sll=41.014361,28.986311&sspn=0.032446,0.064287&ie=UTF8&ll=41.014397,28.975486&spn=0.002028,0.004018&t=h&z=18

 

You will see about 5-6 small shops that sell pens only. I have even seen a burgundy Meisterstück highlighter on the shop window. One of them is Ikbal which has a nice web site:

 

http://www.kalemkutusu.com/urun.aspx?kt=2&m=9&sr=0

 

I'll gladly help if you need it.

 

Regards,

[welch]

Scrikss is a well known company in Turkey that is trying to increase their number of pen lines. Leather and office products are in abundance as can be seen on the catalog.

 

The place to buy a fountain pen is Ankara street in Sirkeci (pretty close to Sirkeci train station):

 

http://maps.google.c...004018&t=h&z=18

 

You will see about 5-6 small shops that sell pens only. I have even seen a burgundy Meisterstück highlighter on the shop window. One of them is Ikbal which has a nice web site:

 

http://www.kalemkutu...x?kt=2&m=9&sr=0

 

I'll gladly help if you need it.

 

Regards,

 

An example of why FPN is a great place to find great people

[basterma]

Updated link for their English Website: http://www.scrikss.com.tr/Home

 

I have an entry level piston filler that writes well enough but is a real pain to get started.

[Erasmus]

I'm seeing some nice products (leather!) but there's not a word of English on that site.

[tanistlin]

Hello there, I'm from Turkey and I'm using Scrikss products since I was a child.

 

For non-Turkish readers, I can provide any info you need about Scrikss and its products. Is a well-known and high quality manufacturer.

[maus930]

A friend brought back several Scrkiss pens from Istanbul last year --- one was a hooded Parker 51 lookalike the other with a conventional nib

 

they are both very good performers

[write to me often]

I guess the problem with their pens, there is not distinctiveness in their appearance. For instance, since I have been collecting fountain pens, my father keeps bringing me the pens he found and unwillingly I have owned a lot of Scrikss pens so far. However, every one of them looks like each other and there is no way to spot which model it is. I am planning to contact with them and hope they could help. I may even make a review here if I could get some info.

[aliikizkaya]

Hi Folks,

Here is the Turkish Pen Mfg. Scrikss famous fountain pen Scrikss 419 Piston Filler. Probably designed in late 80's at Germany. Except its nib, all parts produced and assembled in Turkey. GPT and GP steel nib %100 compatible with Pelikan M150 nibs.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6DwkBPqd6UQ/UkM-_H_bx8I/AAAAAAAAGj0/FdlLyW-gPwo/s800/P1140738_aa.jpg

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x6gq19bvVHY/UkM--stK-zI/AAAAAAAAGjw/H8_utuerOEM/s800/P1140739_aa.jpg

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZpYsOUZyxZU/UkM-_ugHTbI/AAAAAAAAGj8/nmZwxy5WbsE/s800/P1140740_aa.jpg

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1RUombN5G_0/UltXWpSQLKI/AAAAAAAAGqU/WE5rWxHpU0I/s800/P1140948_aa.jpg

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qfaXvP_bGFY/UlteEO1EZtI/AAAAAAAAGqs/KuF8MJBQFUI/s800/P1140948_cc.jpg

[Oruc Gazi Kutluer]

The manufacturer is great.. the quality is excellence, on the other hand they do not offer a special identitiy of their pens.

Unfortunately these pens are like immitations of other big brands..

 

On the other hand, you will never been ignored when you contact with them. YOu can use all their products for generations..

[rtruslow]

I bought a model 17 with a fine nib that writes quite well, but am not sure this model is still in production. I agree with other commenters that there is nothing outstanding about the pen, but it is a good workhorse.

 

Rob

[Munshi]

Just an update:

 

I think the company is trying to distinguish itself through original designs! One last example is their fiftieth anniversary pen, Scrikss Heritage. It was designed by Kunter Şekercioğlu of the Kilit Taşı Design Bureau in Istanbul. It is a relatively expensive pen.

 

Link to the pen on the company's website:

 

http://www.scrikss.com.tr/Product/heritage-siyah-dk

 

Link to the design bureau:

 

http://www.kilittasi.com/?part=industrial-design-kunter-sekercioglu&product_id=133_scrikss--stationary-scrikss-heritage#index1