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Levenger Arborea Fountain Pen


sasaul

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LEVENGER FOUNTAIN PEN

Model: Arborea

Cost: $90

Reference: http://www.levenger.com/PAGETEMPLATES/PROD...2-3|pageid=6666

 

Ryan Roossinck asked me as a favor to review a fountain pen he had been given. I knew nothing of the pen until it arrived a few weeks back. Upon opening the box, it turned out to be a Levenger Arborea. I have never owned or used one, so I was happy to have the opportunity try it out and put it through its paces. Also, this is my first review and I hope to have covered all the important points.

 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The first thing that catches your eye is that the Arborea is rather large, about the same length as a DaniTrio Densho, but narrower. It is also a heavier pen, a little bit less than a Rotring Lissabon, which is only 5 inches in length and made of solid brass. I do not post my pens, but in my opinion, it would not be advisable with this pen because of its size.

 

APPEARANCE AND DESIGN

The pen color is a subdued dark blue with swirls of lighter blue, with some pearlescence. Furniture appears to be rhodium plated. This contrast works nicely. There is a nice appealing depth of color to it. The barrel unscrews very smoothly from the cap which shows good quality. I just hate it when it is rough or the threads don’t catch correctly. There is a brass threading in the barrel which also allows for very smooth opening and closing, making fill-ups a pleasure. Kudos for good construction and quality control.

 

WEIGHT AND DIMENSIONS

Length Capped .......... 14.8 cm

Length Uncapped ....... 13.3 cm

Length Posted ............ 17.1 cm

Barrel Diameter ........... 1.2 cm

Avg Section Diameter .. 1.0 cm

I am unable to provide weight information for this fountain pen as I do not have a proper scale. (Getting on and off the bathroom scale with and without this pen just doesn’t work)

 

BALANCE AND COMFORT

Despite its size and weight, this pen feels well-balanced. Most of the weight is localized in the section and the internal barrel threads. The centered weight works, since this is near where I place my fingers to hold the pen. I found this fountain pen to be very comfortable while writing. However, those users who have small hands might not be as comfortable.

 

NIB AND PERFORMANCE

The stainless steel nib is marked M GERMANY and it is a true medium. Ink flow is very nice. This fountain pen writes very smoothly, but after mentioning this to Ryan, I was told that he had tweaked it a bit. Nonetheless, a very smooth writing experience.

 

FILLING SYSTEM

This fountain pen fills using the pre-installed cartridge/convertor which appears to be standard. I would assume that it can also use standard ink cartridges.

 

COST AND VALUE

Interestingly, this review was done without prior knowledge of the price. I would venture to guess that the retail price is around $80 to $100 and the street price to be around $60. This guesstimate is based on what I believe should be the price. At that price range, this fountain pen is definitely worth it.

 

CONCLUSIONS

Having had the opportunity to review this pen, I would definitely recommend it. It is a well-balanced, comfortable pen that could easily be an everyday writer. The pen size and weight worked well for me.

 

POST NOTE

After completing the review, Ryan pointed me to the link on the Levenger website for this fountain pen. It appears I was correct regarding the retail pricing, but it is not discounted, so purchasing at the advertised price without discounting is like everything else, a judgment call. Also, the pen is darker than the picture shows, at least on my monitor.

 

 

Thanks for reading this far, and I hope it's been helpful.

 

Steve

 

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