This review is of a Geha School fountain pen. I don't remember the model, as I bought it in the early 1980's - maybe someone could enlighten me. I have only seen these pens in green, though I suspect they were available in other colours too. It is a cartridge pen, using the Geha special shaped cartridge. These cartridges are virtually unobtainable in the UK now, as Geha was bought out be Pelikan many years ago. Consequently I use a syringe to re-fill the cartridge.

These pens were widely available in Germany during the mid 1970's, where I bought my first one. I lost that pen, and eventually found this pen in WH Smiths in the UK in the 1980's. These pens have a unique selling feature, an orange 'reserve' lever on the underside of the feed. This is pushed up into the pen to get a little more writing from the cartridge. Quite how it works, I really don't know.The nib is a stainless steel nib with (I think) an Iridium tip.

The pen size is:-
135mm (5.31") capped.
125mm (4.92") uncapped.
146mm (5.75") posted.
11mm (0.43") barrel diameter.

Construction
Mostly injection moulded abs (from the feel) with a brushed stainless steel cap/ sheet metal clip. It's got a quality feel that exceeds that of the Parker Vector and a superb accuracy of fit. The mouldings have a good even colour and there are no flow lines visible - indicating that the mould parameters were correct at the time of injection.

Price N/A
No longer available, and cannot find any on E-bay.

Durability 4/5
The pen's 20 years old, and showing virtually no signs of wear. Admittedly I don't use it a great deal, but I've always had it in my desk ready for when another pen breaks. The barrel surface is dull, but there are no signs of cracks, UV degradation or oxidation.

Writing 3/5
The pen is fairly comfortable. It is a light pen, but I prefer to use it without posting the cap, as it balances better that way. The nib is a fine nib - the main reason I don't use it much, I much prefer medium nibs. The nib shape is a graceful shape, almost identical to the Pelikano. It is possible to flex the nib with normal writing pressure, leading to some dryness in the writing as the feed fails to cope or the tines spread too wide.

Value for money 5/5
It's reliable. Nothing has gone wrong with it in 20 years of sporadic use. Well done Geha in producing such a fine pen.

Overall 4/5
It's a good pen, durable, useful and reliable. However, there is no spark that makes it special, and it doesn't slowly grow on you either. So, a good pen, not a great pen. Competent without being flashy. A fine school pen where you're not too bothered if it gets lost or broken. It's a pity that they are not still available.

Regards

Richard.

Thank you for taking the time of doing a review of a simple FP that many of us in Europe saw or used back in our student days. And a good one indeed.

So many times I come to the forum and read -everyday- excellent reviews on luxurious FP we all lust for but that most of us will never be able to afford, that is refreshing to read a review on an common, student piece of good writting quality. That was what made me love FP in first place. It brings the nicest memories. Those humble instruments were performers, we carried them for years in backpacks, jean's pockets, rolled over tables, pointed at the chalk boards, made it throught final exams and were respected and cared after much more, probably, that our present and much more expensive models today.

I never had this particular model, but many of my then friends did. It brought memories of my study table, books under a blue light, cold mornings at the Faculty, the old Book Shop, inky fingers and a lot of emotions. Thank you again.

Nice review. Wakes nostalgic feelings. Geha used to be a household name in Germany between second half of the 70s and the first half of the 80s.

In our school-class there was only one kid who used it. This was not exactly representing their actual market share, but Pelikano sold much better, anyway. There was like 80 percent Pelikanos in my class, a few MB Carreras and even less Parkers. Later in the mid 80s the advent of the Lamy Safari came, immediately changing market shares. Geha fell into oblivion after that.

Good to hear that this "writing-machine" stands the test of time. Hope it will serve you for many more years to come.

Hello,

I bought a lot of GEHA cartridges (blue) last year. If you want some, please PM.

Anna