Jump to content

'El Toro' by WTM Pens


Phthalo

Recommended Posts

Several weeks ago, I read a review by Blackhill regarding the El Toro pen she purchased from pen creator Wayne Mason (aka 'samuel07'). The unusual shape of the El Toro immediately appealed to me, and as I quite like small, stout pens I decided I would order one.

 

Two and a half weeks after contacting WTM Pens and deciding on the wood type and trim finish for my El Toro, I received an email advising me that my pen was ready to ship. When I had first emailed Wayne, he responded to my message within a day, with all my questions clearly answered. Subsequent emails were handled the same way – such prompt and personal service was very nice.

 

http://www.ciar-roisin.net/photos/wtm/ElToro-01.jpg

 

For my pen, I chose for my pen Macassar Ebony with Platinum-plated trim. Macassar Ebony is an extremely hard, dense wood with attractive markings.

 

My El Toro arrived very well packed and presented. A handsome wooden presentation box protected the pen, and included were four cartridges (Private Reserve "Velvet Black" and "Black Magic Blue"), as well as a full-size converter for nib flushing / cleaning.

 

http://www.ciar-roisin.net/photos/wtm/ElToro-04.jpg

 

Appearance / Design / Finish

 

While the proportions and size of the large cap and short barrel make for a somewhat unusual visual combination, it works. I think my El Toro is a very striking pen, with its bold, shiny trim and chunky look.

 

http://www.ciar-roisin.net/photos/wtm/ElToro-02.jpg

 

The cap unscrews in two and a half turns, and then posts on the threaded barrel-end with one turn. I really like pens that do this, even though the pen is usable un-posted.

 

Wayne's attention to detail is excellent. The workmanship of my El Toro is perfect - all parts are flush-fitted, smoothly plated and cleanly finished. The finish of the Macassar Ebony wood is particularly nice, with the wood having a beautiful, extremely smooth and silky feel.

 

This is a heavy pen, at approximately ~48g capped. The cap is a few grams heavier than the body, and the body weighs approximately ~22g. The pen is 115mm / 4.5" capped, 105mm / 4.1" uncapped and 146mm / 5.75" when posted. Posted, the weight is a little more than I am used to, but the pen is well balanced and comfortable to hold, with the slightly-raised metal rings on the grip section providing a subtly-textured gripping area.

 

Design-wise, I have no complaints about this pen - except for the fact that the clip is very stiff. Due to the weight though, this isn't really a top-pocket pen. It's rather robust and solid - you could put it in your jeans pocket with your keys and not worry about it (except for scuffing), as it's a tough little thing.

 

Nib / Performance

 

The El Toro has a very large steel nib imprinted with "Iridium Point Germany" as standard, but a 14K gold nib is available for ~$50 or so extra.

 

http://www.ciar-roisin.net/photos/wtm/ElToro-05.jpg

 

I originally chose a Fine steel nib for El Toro, and was in luck when Wayne was able to manipulate it more toward XF for me. As soon as I was ready to use the pen, I popped a PR Velvet Black cartridge in and started writing on the second stroke! Writing is smooth with no skipping, and the nib is on the side of soft as opposed to a nail.

 

Filling System

 

The El Toro takes an international size 'short' cartridge, but the barrel is long enough to accept a squeeze-type or 'bantam' mini converter with a few millimeters to spare. I believe Wayne is trialling these small converters and including them with future pens.

 

Final Thoughts

 

The El Toro is a really neat little pen, and the ability to pick a wood and trim combination which appealed to me - plus the lovely workmanship - gives this pen a very personal feeling. (Thank you Wayne!)

 

Here's the El Toro with another of my stout pens, a JP Lepine "Attila". While these are not pens I can write with all day, I'm rather pleased with my little El Toro! :)

 

http://www.ciar-roisin.net/photos/wtm/ElToro-03.jpg

 

Enjoy! :)

Edited by Phthalo

Laura / Phthalo

Fountain Pens: My Collection

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 7
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • FrankB

    1

  • Phthalo

    1

  • jd50ae

    1

  • Keng

    1

Top Posters In This Topic

I have a pen in that "style" and agree 100% with your review. They are very nice pens and of course I use mine posted.

Please visit my wife's website.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_763_-2kMPOs/Sh8W3BRtwoI/AAAAAAAAARQ/WbGJ-Luhxb0/2009StoreLogoETSY.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for another excellent review, Phthalo.

 

I was completely unaware of WTM Pens. The pens look interesting and I am going to spend some time checking out the web site.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice review Phthalo. I have also acquired a pen from Wayne recently, customized to my choice of size and wood. He is highly recommended.

Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money.

- Cree Indian Proverb

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Excellent review, Laura!

 

I very much enjoy your attention to detail. I really feel that you've captured the essence of this pen and this has perked my interest to look into what Wayne is up to with his pen crafting.

 

~Gary

[MYU's Pen Review Corner] | "The Common Ground" -- Jeffrey Small

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is the nib an Iridium Point Germany or a Schmidt or something else entirely?

 

I think was sets this handsome pen apart from the typical kit pen is that all the hardware appears to be made just for this pen.

 

Very cute and nice choice of wood!

 

Dan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice pen. I have one really nice pen from a wood turner and it has the sweetest smoothest nib I've ever used.

PAKMAN

minibanner.gif                                    Vanness-world-final.png.c1b120b90855ce70a8fd70dd342ebc00.png

                         My Favorite Pen Restorer                                             My Favorite Pen Store

                                                                                                                                Vanness Pens - Selling Online!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

very pretty pen. ;) It remembers me somewhat the chateau lafitte rotschild made by omas.

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

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33474
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26573
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...