Jump to content

Majestic


Robert Hughes

Recommended Posts

1930's "Third Tier" US pen manufacturer, some of the Majestics are very good. I use the 14k nibbed pen as a daily writer, filled with Private Reserve Midnight Blues. Notice the difference in surface finish: the pencil sits on a shelf, and the pen is in constant use. As with any lower tier pen, take care when polishing as to not take off the very thin gold layer of any metal furniture.

 

 

First Impressions: 2/5. I purchased this set off the Dreaded, and was expecting them to be old and inoperable; in that way I wasn't severely disappointed. It did come with an original box, so it gets one point for that. The pencil mechanism works and has a lead in it, but I don't use it. The pen of course was in need of a new sac and general refurb.

 

Appearance and design: 4/5. After rework and cleanup, the pen and pencil are quite nice. The nitrocellulose-based celluloid is in good shape with depth and an irridescent quality, no evidence of discoloration is in evidence. The 14k nib is appropriately sized for this pen. The lever mechanism is still functional with no evidence of corrosion or damage.

 

Weight and Dimension: 4/5. It's a standard size pen, rather thin, and lightweight. I post the cap for balance when writing more than a quick note. When writing postcards I find that the thinness of the section sometimes gives me wrist strain.

 

Nib and Performance: 3/5. The nib is a Warranted 14k #2 with a hint of flex, not very much. The hard rubber feed looks pretty standard for a 1930's era pen, with 4-5 fins. As with all of these old-style pens, they are "tweaky" - depending on how you put the nib & feed in you'll get either a wonderful writing experience or a total bust, so a little patience and elbow grease is in order. And if a particular ink doesn't work so great, play with the nib until the ink flows the way you want, or switch inks. After awhile I've figured out that these old pens really are adjustable by using the standard tricks.

 

Filling System: 4/5. The lever fill mechanism works as it should. The pen doesn't hold a lot of ink, merely enough to do the job.

 

Cost and Value: 5/5. Considering that the set cost approximately $10, the major resources expended were in the refurbishment, which was a labor of love. And for that small investment I have a nice looking, functional, vintage pen/pencil set.

Conclusion: This pen/pencil set was not a high-profile consumer item when new; FP collectors looking for the ultimate writing implement should keep moving. But it works well, the nib has character, the writing experience is solid and dependable, and the pen is rather pretty; non-FP people have commented on how they like the looks of this.

post-10953-1235415559_thumb.jpg

Edited by Robert Hughes

The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it.

 

~ Bernard Shaw.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 5
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • philm

    1

  • Djehuty

    1

  • Robert Hughes

    1

  • Pepin

    1

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

Thanks for this first review of a pen from Majestic. :) I'm always attracted to that broken candy stripe celluloid pattern, and the coloration on this Majestic set is no exception. Really nice. If you can provide some close-up photos, Robert, please do!

 

Btw, is there any particular model number or name for this pen set?

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Robert,

 

Great looking set. Nice work restoring it as well. You will have to bring it to the next posse meeting.

 

Phil

 

 

I love these third tier pens. Hey, they need love too!

 

And for the money and appropriate attitude, they CAN be excellent writers with so much history. :bunny01:

 

I thoroughly enjoy the review. Thank you for your time.

A man's real possession is his memory. In nothing else is he rich, in nothing else is he poor.

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
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    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...