Nussbaum Pen Company "jon Ross Black Cherry"

[Trillium]

Introduction: The Nussbaum Pen Company Jon Ross Series in Black Cherry

 

I remember when Todd Nussbaum threw the floodgates of creativity and taste wide open with his poll request for ideas to name his coming new pen company. There were alot of great suggestions..and one of questionable taste but great amusement...I still sort of wish Todd had gone with the jokers suggestion of "Pen Is King"! Imagine how that would appear engraved on the pens band...too funny. Ok, I am not fourteen years old, I have grown old, but not "up"...I still think its funny. After what seems like months and months of periodically checking the poll, it took an actual call to Todd to discern the fate of the well laid plans to bring us masses a good pen under $100. Well folks, IMHO, he has done just that!

 

Appearance 9

 

When the pen arrived it was more than "securely packaged". Sans anything remotely "blue" it was in danger of nothing!

It took several minutes with a well honed knife to extract the box from the multiple plastic envelopes. Once I got into the interior of the package and had removed the bottles of ink...I spied something brown. A leather sheath for the pen. No box to throw away or attempot to store and keep up with in the unlikely event the pen would go up for sale. Nice touch! The acrylic seems a bit lackluster in the photographs online (sorry Todd), but then, when have you seen a photo that actually did a pen any real justice??? The acrylic has a depth of color and translucency one may not expect. The red and burgundys have an ethereal depth to them and the black component of the material doesnt come off as a filler, it adds to the visual appeal and impact. The only detracting remark I have to make is that the appearance of "IPG" on the nib was ..."meh".... but come on, the first wave of pens from a new company..probably a sole proprietorship...that was an "issue" I was willing to dismiss even before purchase. Besides, if the nib was really atrocious , I could always swap it out right? Hold that thought!

It has the essential mass of a Pelikan 200 and has some components that are reminiscent of an Edison Encore especially with the cap jewel.

 

Construction & Quality 10

 

The Jon Ross Black Cherry has a deceptive appearance. I expected the "in-hand presence" of something more akin to say a Noodlers Standard Flex. But in reality it has a more substantial feel like a Pelikan 200. This little guy feels "solid"! The cap takes less than one full turn to remove, the section takes almost four turns. It has a solid converter that fits quite securely, abetting few fears of deep ink bottles and images of fishing the nib/section from a full-ish bottle! It is weighty, balanced, well finished ...and sporting bands near the end of the body that will tempt one to try to unscrew a blind cap that is not there...what a joker Todd must be!

 

Weight & Dimensions 10

 

I sort of already covered this....gimme a break, I am new to this review stuff and tend to ramble off course a bit.

Just think a Pelikan 200 that may benefit from going on a diet just to tone up a few extra milligrams!

 

Conclusion: 29 /30 = 9.6 overall

"Mission accomplished" getting a quality pen to the masses under $100....heck under $50!

Remember the thought you were supposed to "hold"? I handed my wife my "new" Danitrio Hanryo Raw Ebonite with one of the sweetest 18kt gold Medium nibs I have ever used. She wrote her name and volunteered a "meh"..its OK for an old pen. (LOL) Then I handed her the Nussbaum Jon Ross....her eyes lit up and she said " Now I LIKE this pen, it writes really nice!" So..I suppose I was being just a little bit of a nib snob in dismissing that IPG after all!

In truth, I had to agree with her, it does write nicely, it lays down a nice consistent wet line.

Job well done Mr. Nussbaum. Thanks!

Edited April 4, 2013 by Trillium

[isellpens]

Hi Inkaholic,

 

Thanks so much for posting this awesome review. We are so glad you like the pen. I totally agree with you on the photos. I need to get my sister over here and bribe her with a pen and shoot some photos. I really like both of these colors on the Jon Ross and would have a hard time choosing if I had to pick one.

 

Best Regards,

Todd

Nussbaum Pen Co.

 

www.isellpens.com

[Tberry010]

Just returned from Trillim's studio where I had the pleasure of playing with both of his new pens, and wanted to point out a feature of the Nussbaum Penn Company Jon Ross model that I found to be notable.Please note that I understand this may not make any difference to many and apparently was not considered worthy of mention by Todd, but because of the way I hold pens-pretty far from the nib tip- I like it!

 

Look closely at the photos and you will see that the cap threads on the Jon Ross are what I call 'section forward', that is they are at the end of the section nearest to the nib. Except for those who practically grip the nib, these threads are out of the way of the grip. For those who do not like to feel the threads, this pen is for you.

 

Since Atlanta is just around the corner I will wait to order but I will have one of these one day soon.

[lovemy51]

i've been out of the loop for sometime here and missed this review and the fact that Todd had his own brand of pens out. way to go, Nussbaum!

 

i'd like to see a review on the Phoenix too.

 

thx for the review, trillium!

[TMac]

Trillium, great review. I've been thinking about this pen since Todd began talking about it. Your review has pushed me over the edge. The pen is now on my next to buy list, as soon as the budget or my wife will allow!

[Trillium]

TMac, I really think that you will like the Jon Ross! Tell your wife that they only come in pairs and get her one too! lol

[Brian C]

I just received my very own John Ross. I haven't inked it, but it feels really really nice. Very high quality.

[superfreeka]

Muy interesante.

[notimetoulouse]

I love the look of these beauties, and had set my heart on one, only to find that to ship to the UK doubles the price to me, and then I'd have to pay our tax @20%, then a further $12 for our Mail to process the tax.

Shoulders sag, mouth drops, eyes glaze.

Nussbaum pen goes on back burner.

Such a shame.

[GHigley]

A friend just showed me his and I really liked it. It's a lovely smooth writer and quite beautiful. I see a Nussbaum pen in my future.

[Scribblesoften]

I have had mine for about a year now. I have never had any problems with it. A smooth, firm nibbed CC pen with good quality and. Nice balance.

[polydeucesL5@gmail.com]

Just ordered the blue and white swirl. Great review.

[polydeucesL5@gmail.com]

I just received my blue and white swirl. Nice "medium" weight. I write with the pen posted and it has good balance. You can tell immediately that this pen is high quality. It has a solid feel in the hand. I filled the pen with iroshizu kon-peki. The ink in my opinion compliments the pen. The nib is buttery smooth and the ink flow generous. The leather sleeve was a very useful and tasteful touch.

 

I will definitely be purchasing more of these jewels!

Edited August 16, 2014 by polydeucesL5@gmail.com

[mrchan]

while a good review, it isn't saying very much without pics :/ U know what they say, pics or it didn't happen!

[Scribblesoften]

I am glad you are enjoying your pen.

[GHigley]

I borrowed the Nussbaum Jon Ross "Red Rings" and Kaweco Dia2 "Chrome Accents" in the photo below from a kind friend today. Both pens nibs are marked as mediums.

 

 

This comparison may not be as fair as it could be. The Dia2 has a nib from a Kaweco Sport Classic, but it's my understanding that the Dia2 and Sport pens share the same nib assemblies. The Sport Classic steel nib is gold plated and is said to be by Bock. The Nussbaum is marked as IPG. I find both steel nibs to be of good quality.

 

The pens contain different black inks. I apologize for the poor photo quality, but hopefully it gives you some idea of their appearance and how they write. This is a very casual comparison of two pens that seem to beg for it.

 

The brief samples are written in an inexpensive 5.5 X 8.5" notebook from "Dollar Tree" with paper made in India - surprisingly good for fountain pens and only a dollar for 100 sheets. Sadly it appears to be discontinued. Go ahead, call me cheap. I won't even blink.

 

The Jon Ross pen is a little wetter with a thicker line and a slightly smoother nib. The Dia2 is a bit drier with corresponding finer line and gives a touch more feedback on the paper. Both pens are very nice writers.

 

The Nussbaum which appears to be lacquered brass or acrylic over brass (with converter) is 27.6 grams posted, 17.4 unposted. The acrylic Kaweco (with Kaweco cartridge - no converter is included) is 27.3 posted, 18.1 unposted. Unposted I find both pens to be very well balanced in my smallish hands. Neither pens threads are obtrusive and both sections are quite comfortable. The red rings on the Jon Ross cap and barrel look like inlays except when viewed under magnification - very nice. Fit and finish of both are excellent and I find it hard to choose one based solely on appearance.

 

Both are quite pleasant to use and either would be an excellent choice at the smaller end of the range of regular sized pens. The Nussbaum Jon Ross Red Rings as of this writing is $38 shipped - 27% of the $101.50 shipped price of the Kaweco Dia2 Chrome Accents from JetPens.com. That alone makes the Jon Ross an absolute steal in my estimation. I'm a fan of Kaweco pens, but the Nussbaum Jon Ross is very stiff competition for the Dia2. If the rest of the Nussbaum line offers half the value of the Jon Ross, how is it that we're not hearing much more about them? Kudo's to Mr. Nussbaum. His son should be quite honored to have such a pen named after him.

Edited August 18, 2014 by GHigley

[Scribblesoften]

Funny, I have both pens, the Jon Ross with a blue ring and I had not thought to compare them. Very nice review and I agree with your conclusion.

[Helen350]

I have the Nussbaum Phoenix Series White Mountain. It is a very attractive fountain pen, and has (to me) an Art Deco look. Upon arrival I inked it with some Stipula Deep Blue (sample shipped with the pen), and it wrote smoothly right out of the box. Initially I remarked that the nib is a true medium, however, after using the pen over the past couple of weeks I realize it is more like a fine/medium. The White Mountain is a pen that many ladies will fine appealing. I would definitely encourage husbands to take a look at this pen for a beautiful gift. The White Mountain has an understated classy look about it, and will draw attention when others observe you using the pen. I had taken my pen to class, but now I realize it catches too many eyes (LOL). Though my hands are small, I still enjoy writing with it capped. This is a full sized pen, yet nicely weighted. Puts down a consistent line, with nice ink flow. I have not experienced any skipping, or blots of ink coming from the pen. I keep my pen in a leather 2-pen carry case in my purse so that it does not get banged around. When I pull it out, I have not experienced ink flowing from the cap. This pen was definitely worth the price, which was extremely reasonable. I am now awaiting the arrival of my 2nd Nussbaum Pen - Jon Ross Series - Ivory Blue. It is a smaller scale of a full sized pen, so writing while capped will be even better. Hoping that the company will one day offer a 1.1 italic stub. Excellent service with ISellPens.

[Helen350]

My 2nd Nussbaum Pen arrived today. I purchased a Jon Ross Blue Ivory. This pen comes with a medium nib. After flushing, I inked it with Chesterfield Teal. It laid a wet consistent line, and the nib is smooth, with just the right amount of "good" feedback. It is a steel nib. The cap is threaded, and will twist off with a 1/2 turn. Slight stepdown from barrel to section, but smooth. Attractive blue swirl pattern. There are chrome accents, with a Schmidt converter. Section is comfortable, with smooth threads. Posted the pen is 6"/uncapped 4 3/4". Nicely balanced. Even capped, it felt comfortable with my small hands. The finish is lovely. The clip is tight. I am anticipating swapping out with a 1.1 italic stub nib. This pen will make a very nice daily writer. Left it uncapped for 20 minutes, yet, did not have a hard start. This pen is a hidden treasure. It is worth the cost plus!

[Scribblesoften]

Very nice looking pen.