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Bexley Corona Piston Filler, Broad Nib, Summer Storm Review

JonB55198

By JonB55198
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JonB55198 Vintage

JonB55198

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Posted

Bexley Corona Piston Filler, Broad Nib, Summer Storm Review:

Well, when I heard that Bexley was going to make the first American-made piston filler since the 1930s, I was excited. I got right on board to reserve mine. The best part about this pen is it is practically bench made. You get to pick Resin Color, Trim Color, Nib Size, Nib Material and Filler type.

 

I ended up finding mine for the bargain price of $135 on www.isellpens.com (no affiliation, just a very happy customer). Todd, the owner, is very good to deal with. I had a few questions about the pen, and he answered them very quickly. You can tell that guy really loves pens! :)

 

Appearance & Design (9/10) – Out of all of the colors available, the summer storm was most striking to me. When I received it, I was amazed at the pearl glitter in the resin. The photos do not really do it justice. The box that it comes in is the usual blue with satin Bexley box. The black section and butt of the cap match really well with the dark blue of the barrel. The best part of the appearance is the very thin ink window for the piston filler. It isn't huge. It is very subtle and just big enough to do its job without interrupting the beauty of the pen.

 

Construction & Quality (8/10) – Like all other Bexley pens, this one is magnificent. I haven't had any trouble with the piston filler or the writing performance. The only thing I would have liked to see is the roller ball type clip. I tried retrofitting one from another bexley I have, but it wasn't the same size.

 

Weight & Dimensions (8/10) – This pen is a medium sized pen. No surprises there. BUT, what is great is the density of the pen. it has just the right weight for its size. Furthermore, the balance is magnificent!

 

Nib & Performance (9/10) – The steel nib writes as smooth as my pelikan steel nibs. I absolutely love it. The only thing I wish was that the 1.3mm stub nib was offered in the steel material and not just in the gold. This thing never skips or gives any problems. It puts down a nice BROAD wet line.

 

Filling System & Maintenance (9/10) - Piston fillers get high grades in my book. The only thing I would have improved with this design is a little bit of backlash before the piston engages (similar to how a Mont Blanc 149 works). To me, the MB has the ultimate piston filler and gets a 10 out of 10. But this thing is darn close.

 

Cost & Value (9/10) – for $135, this thing is a steal. It is probably my favorite bexley pen of all! It combines beautiful looks with an American made piston filler. What's more, the nib/feed are really reliable. Also, Todd's prices were great!

 

Conclusion (52/60 = 87%) - This is the highest mark of any pen I've reviewed yet. Don't think... just BUY! :)

 

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6210/6056433795_35ddc39620_b.jpg

 

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6204/6075004731_aac7e1e07d_b.jpg

 

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6088/6075005141_b57e02a26a_b.jpg

 

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6078/6075005629_bb18eea800_b.jpg

 

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6071/6075544708_7c7712b2a9_b.jpg

 

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6194/6075006227_702afb3e55_b.jpg

WTT: Conklin Nozac Cursive Italic & Edison Beaumont Broad for Pelikan M1000 or Something Cool (PM me to discuss. It's part of my One Red Fountain Pen trading post)

WTB: 1. Camlin SD

2. 1950s to early 1960s 1st Gen MB 149 with BB nib

3. Airmail 90T Teal Swirl

4. PenBBS 355-16SF Demonstrator

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Brian Vintage

Brian

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Thanks for this review. I like this pen, it has great looks and its piston filler makes it all the more interesting. The ink flow looks to be quite good, e.g., not a wet noodle but with enough flow to keep one's concentration on the writing and not the pen's performance.

 

Thanks and congratulations.

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nm4 Extremely Rare

nm4

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Thanks for the nice review. I have the same pen and simply adore it - may be my favorite pen of all. The body is just amazing in terms of appearance, feel, and even function (nice smooth piston-filler). Hope the other pens don't get jealous!

 

Cheers,

NM

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JefferyS Antique

JefferyS

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Nice review of a great pen. I don't know if Bexley will ever really catch on. They deserve to, but not having European roots seems to be a turn-off to some.

Jeffery

In the Irish Channel of

New Orleans, LA

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isellpens Extremely Rare

isellpens

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Jonathan, Great review and thanks for mentioning you bought it from us!

I personally ordered the exact same pen for my personal collection back to back with this pen. I love the pen. I think this pen is a great value and highly recommend it for anyone on the fence no matter who you purchase it from. :eureka:

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PAKMAN Ancient Artifact

PAKMAN

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Nice review and sweet pen! Congrats!

PAKMAN

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tonybelding Antique

tonybelding

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I already posted my review of this pen (I got mine in Summer Sunset orange), and I'm happy to see that your conclusions pretty closely mirror mine. Mine very quickly became a favorite.

 

Looking at that pearly, swirly, blue resin actually tempts me to get another one. It would be great to have one with black ink and the other full of Texas Blue Bonnet.

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The Scribbler Rare

The Scribbler

Posted
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Nice review of a great pen. I don't know if Bexley will ever really catch on. They deserve to, but not having European roots seems to be a turn-off to some.

 

I hope they catch on and are around for a long time. I've become a huge Bexley fan over the last six months.

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/5642/postcardde9.png
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jaymac Mint

jaymac

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I echo the thanks for the review. I purchased the same pen with a M steel nib reground to an x-fine. Even with the customization, it is a great price. Only small dislike is the small sliver of the ink window I see when the pen is capped. It would be nice to have it completely covered.

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fourseamer Vintage

fourseamer

Posted
Posted (edited)

I echo the thanks for the review. I purchased the same pen with a M steel nib reground to an x-fine. Even with the customization, it is a great price. Only small dislike is the small sliver of the ink window I see when the pen is capped. It would be nice to have it completely covered.

Great pen and an even greater value. I too noticed the ink window was slightly visible when capped. That and awkward posting (too tightly onto the piston knob making the pen too long) are my only nits. I have the Summer Sunset and Blueberry Cream models and both fill and write beautifully.

 

EDIT: added photo of visible ink window

post-69952-0-36914800-1314237820.jpg

Edited by fourseamer
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georges zaslavsky Museum Piece

georges zaslavsky

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outstanding quality pen, I like it a lot.

Pens are like watches , once you start a collection, you can hardly go back. And pens like all fine luxury items do improve with time

 

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lovemy51 Antique

lovemy51

Posted
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Nice review of a great pen. I don't know if Bexley will ever really catch on. They deserve to, but not having European roots seems to be a turn-off to some.

i thought Bexley was a neighborhood (village) in the outskirts of london... :P

 

i know what u mean. i just think they are fairly new to the pen world (1990's ??,), that's all. they do make great pens!!!

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JonB55198 Vintage

JonB55198

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I'm not sure why, but I'm addicted to Bexley pens. I think my favorite feature is the rolling ball clip that many of their models have. It's a great throw-back design and really adds utility! :)

WTT: Conklin Nozac Cursive Italic & Edison Beaumont Broad for Pelikan M1000 or Something Cool (PM me to discuss. It's part of my One Red Fountain Pen trading post)

WTB: 1. Camlin SD

2. 1950s to early 1960s 1st Gen MB 149 with BB nib

3. Airmail 90T Teal Swirl

4. PenBBS 355-16SF Demonstrator

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hari317 Museum Piece

hari317

Posted
Posted

Nice review Jonathan.

 

I am curious about the piston filling mechanism on this new pen, has anyone done a strip down yet?

 

Best

Hari

In case you wish to write to me, pls use ONLY email by clicking here. I do not check PMs. Thank you.

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japanwatch NOS (New Old Stock)

japanwatch

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Posted (edited)

I have one Bexley (CC filler). It is by far the most quality and beautiful pen I have. (BTW - hand turned on a lathe and polished also). The Nibs are Boch, and are easily changed (like Pelikan)

 

 

Everybody should try one! A piston filler is even better.

 

 

** "Juddperl" on e-bay has cheap (50-75) Bexleys. They are not blemishes, just one offs or prototypes. Pens that 5 were made of not 300, so it's not a production run piece. I received a 10th AN Lemon/Pearl/Blue stripe for 50 bucks, it's not engraved or numbered. It is beautiful.

 

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p45/tsarcasm/45.jpg

Edited by japanwatch
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JBat Mint

JBat

Posted
Posted

Nice review of a great pen. I don't know if Bexley will ever really catch on. They deserve to, but not having European roots seems to be a turn-off to some.

 

I hope they catch on and are around for a long time. I've become a huge Bexley fan over the last six months.

Ditto.

John

 

Fountain pen lover

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JBat Mint

JBat

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Posted

Great review. I have an America the Beautiful in Strawberry, with a Corona likely next. I really like the Bexley's.

John

 

Fountain pen lover

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pkoko Extremely Rare

pkoko

Posted
Posted

Is this pen a new design or discontinued? I can't find it on Bexley's website....

I think of my FPs as my children.

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watch_art Museum Piece

watch_art

Posted
Posted

Is this pen a new design or discontinued? I can't find it on Bexley's website....

 

new design just came out. for sale at richard binder's place, uhm... peyton street pens? uhm... isellpens? some other places. I dunno.

fpn_1432247667__cropped-20150427_0641231 http://www.penturners.org/forum/signaturepics/sigpic14481_1.gif http://mob984.photobucket.com/albums/ae327/VintagePen/vanness.jpg?t=1321916122

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