Edison Mina

[marvinreader]

My first pen like so many others was a Lamy Safari. From there I moved onto some Noodler's pens. And now, 2 years after starting to use fountain pens, I got my first Edison as an early birthday gift. The Mina. For reference, I have fairly small hands, wear a size five in women's rings.

 

Like so many others on this forum, I have nothing but positive things to say about Brian. Such excellent customer service, even letting me change my mind about the material a week after I ordered. I ended up with the standard Mina in Black Rose acrylic, actually the one on his site. Upon opening this pen I literally saw the most beautiful pen I've ever seen. The lines on this pen are gorgeous. Holding it, it is light but you know you have a pen in your hands. It was love at first sight without ever having written with it.

 

Appearance/Design : 10 - Like I already said, this pen is so beautiful. The gentle taper in to the middle is just right and the black rose swirl is fantastic as well...If I had wanted to change anything I could have since it is custom made.

 

Construction & Quality : 10 - The pen is sturdy and yet light...the perfect balance. The only qualm I had was slightly hesitant threads which fixed right up with a little bit of silicone grease.

 

Weight & Dimensions : 10 - The numbers are on Brian's site and elsewhere in better reviews of this pen...but it feels excellent to hold, not unbalanced at all.

 

Nib/Performance : 10 - I ordered a stock steel medium and it is excellent. I love writing with it already...just right for flow and smooth....

 

Filling system/Maintenance : 9 - I chose the converter for this pen and it works like a charm. They are more time consuming to clean, but it shouldn't be that big of a deal. I would love the option for a piston filler, but that is a minor inconvenience.

 

Cost/Value : 10 - This is an expensive pen, but you can have a custom made pen and it is definitely a quality piece. I look forward to using it extensively to write my thesis and take notes in medical school.

 

In short, this is an excellent pen , I am so pleased with it!!!

[jde]

Congratulations on your Mina! I hope you love writing with it. Very good choice for thesis writing. I've an extended Mina myself.

 

Great material choice in the Black Rose acrylic, too.

 

Best,

Julie

 

 

PS If you have issues, don't hesitate to let Brian know.

Edited June 1, 2011 by jde

[marvinreader]

Thanks Julie!

 

I'd thought I'd up-date after using this pen quite a bit for the last month. I still love it!! I got an extra 0.9 mm cursive italic nib that is divine. I really like the pen a lot and am actually enjoying writing my thesis....in fact I keep thinking of excuses to write with it. I ended up converting to eyedroppper and found this actually improved the flow of the pen... I seem to prefer wetter pens.

 

The only thing I might change is the grip. I tend to hold my pens right where the threads are to put the cap on. However, my Mina has softer (if this is possible?) threads then some of my other fountain pens. On my next pen I may try to get one with a slip on cap just to avoid this problem..

 

I finally got a camera and can take some pictures. You'll have to pardon my atrocious photography skills....

[marvinreader]

I think this worked this time..

[nightwing]

That's a great picture - the pen has taken on an urushi-like appearance! Love the stationery as well - where's it from?

 

I keep changing my mind about how to hold my Mina. Sometimes I don't mind holding it at the grip, but other times I find it too narrow and hold it further up. It really depends on my mood.

[marvinreader]

I actually got the stationary at Target. It was packaged to make your own wedding invitations but I just broke the set up and have 50 big sheets and 50 small sheets. It actually holds up pretty well for fountain pens although if they are wet will bleed and feather a little, particularly with my flex pen from Noodler's.

 

Nightwing...what kind of Mina do you have? The grip changes for me, based on how tired I am I think...But I do really like my pen :clap1:

[fabrimedeiros]

I do not want to hurt anyone's feelings, but I guess it's nice for newbies to know different opinions. WelI, I have a Mina, that I purchased on 2nd hand, and it writes quite dry, like a bone. It's also a terrible skipper. I have tried another Edison pen from a friend and it was also dry. I really don't like Edison pens, and we can buy 2 wonderful pens, at least, with the same price, or a top pen from Pelikan (M1000), which is incomparable to an Edison. It's absolutely overprice for a pen with stainless steel pen. Just my opinion.

[nightwing]

Nightwing...what kind of Mina do you have? The grip changes for me, based on how tired I am I think...But I do really like my pen :clap1:

Ah, too bad there are no Target locations where I live!

 

I've got the Extended version in grey/black swirl ebonite. I wrote a review of it here, in case you're interested.

 

 

I do not want to hurt anyone's feelings, but I guess it's nice for newbies to know different opinions. WelI, I have a Mina, that I purchased on 2nd hand, and it writes quite dry, like a bone. It's also a terrible skipper. I have tried another Edison pen from a friend and it was also dry. I really don't like Edison pens, and we can buy 2 wonderful pens, at least, with the same price, or a top pen from Pelikan (M1000), which is incomparable to an Edison. It's absolutely overprice for a pen with stainless steel pen. Just my opinion.

No offense taken! We all have our own likes and dislikes. Have you considered contacting Brian Gray directly about the flow of the pen? I've seen elsewhere on FPN that he's willing to adjust Edison pens - even if the pen was purchased secondhand. Or you could just sell it!

[Signum1]

I do not want to hurt anyone's feelings, but I guess it's nice for newbies to know different opinions. WelI, I have a Mina, that I purchased on 2nd hand, and it writes quite dry, like a bone. It's also a terrible skipper. I have tried another Edison pen from a friend and it was also dry. I really don't like Edison pens, and we can buy 2 wonderful pens, at least, with the same price, or a top pen from Pelikan (M1000), which is incomparable to an Edison. It's absolutely overprice for a pen with stainless steel pen. Just my opinion.

 

A perfect nib for one writer can be an absolute nightmare nib to another writer. Since you are the second owner of the Mina, I would speculate the first owner prefers a dry nib or the first owner tinkered with the nib and the tines of the nibs are no longer aligned, which causes your nib to skip. To enhance the wetness of the nib, separate the tines by pulling the shoulders of the nib a part or run a box cutter through the tines. If you are concern of breaking the nib, send the pen back to Edison for an adjustment and a sample of your writing indicating the desire wetness you want from your Mina. For further enlightenment, read this link:Nibster in motion.

Edited July 1, 2011 by Signum1

[bgray]

I do not want to hurt anyone's feelings, but I guess it's nice for newbies to know different opinions. WelI, I have a Mina, that I purchased on 2nd hand, and it writes quite dry, like a bone. It's also a terrible skipper. I have tried another Edison pen from a friend and it was also dry. I really don't like Edison pens, and we can buy 2 wonderful pens, at least, with the same price, or a top pen from Pelikan (M1000), which is incomparable to an Edison. It's absolutely overprice for a pen with stainless steel pen. Just my opinion.

 

Did you ever reach out to me to rectify this?

 

Did the person that you bought this pen from specifically request the pen to write dry when he/she bought the pen direct from me?

 

I'm more than happy to service the pens that I sell.