I wonder, are there any fellow Tombow users on FPN? I searched for Tombow, and only turned up a few hits, and they don't appear in the list of Japanese manufacturers. I own three Tombow pens, a chrome and gold Zoom 909fp, a matching Zoom 909bw, and a black Zoom 505 Havanna RB. I used to work for a Tombow dealer back in the early 1990's. The Zoom 909fp went for about $90-100 back then. I acquired the 909bw (rollerball) at a gift shop in Narita Airport in 1999 on my way to the Philippines, but the 909fp and 505 through the store where I worked. They were more modest in price, though the 909bw is of the exact same chromium and gold plated brass construction as the 909fp.

Here's a picture I scavenged:


The 909bw rollerball looks the same. The Zoom 505 is still available, though sadly, the fountain pen version seems only to be available in Europe and Japan, at least American Tombow doesn't list them on their web site. One cool thing is that with the Zoom 505, there are (or were) matching fountain pens, rollerballs, ballpoints, and mechanical pencils, all the same size with caps, though only the silver color is available in all four variants. That's not something you see very often. I wouldn't mind picking up a set of those if I ever make another trip to or through Japan.

I really like my 909's. The heft of the metal barrel is pleasing without being too cumbersome. The only thing I would change is I wish I had not gotten an EF nib. It's much to fine for my hand.

Good point about the list... we definitely don't see much about Tombow though.

You've piqued my curiousity, now. I use Tombow mechanical pencils every day (they're my favorite) and my very first technical pen was a Tombow model with a capillary filler that I can't find any mention of today. I don't know thing one about their fountain pens though.

If you worked for a Tombow dealer in the early nineties, you might remember those capillary fillers. I bought mine in probably 1986; I don't know if they had disappeared by 1990.

I've written with J-san's Tombow Zoom 101, which he reviewed here. It's an outstanding pen (I dig carbon fibre).

I have to confess to wanting a Tombow EGG even though it's a rollerball...

I have a Tombow "Object" Fountain Pen from the late 1990s. Steel nib in Medium but it is a smooth and reliable writer. We actually have two (mine is Red, the spouse's is Purple).

--Roy

The Egg did come in a fountain pen version, as well. I believe the full name was the Tombow Zoom 828fp. Here's another picture I scavenged off a Japanese collector's website:


Here's the full URL for the page:
Tombow Zoom

I'm surprised by this as well.

While I don't have any of their fountain pens, I do have a 550 roller in the gunmetal finish, as well as 3 of their limited edition Spanish designer pens. I tried to sell the 550 and one of the two Mano Limited Edition gel/bp's that I have (I have one in red and one in gray) on FPN, and although I've sold a ton of pens here, there was next to no interest.

I'm guessing that it was due to my poor photography, since most people that have seen these pens flip over them. Also the 550 uses the propietary Tombow refill, but the Mano uses a Parker gel/bp so that probably wasnt the issue.

Go figure. They are neat pens.

Here are pics of the two Manos, and another pen that was from a Spanish Designer, the Titan:

Tombow definitely had some interesting designs. The Zoom had a very cool shape--fit nicely in the hand, despite the strange "squeezed" look. I found their nibs to run a little large, but usually quite smooth. It is a shame they faded away.

So -do Tombows still exist and where can we find them? My interest has also been piqued...

Erick

They do still exist, but generally the less expensive models. The photos I attached were from a more expensive line from about 10 years ago (and by expensive, I seem to remember in the $30 to $100 range back then). They all came with metal cases.

Right now, I believe they still make the smaller Zooms (that designation is for a lot of their pens-the ones in the photo all say Zoom, but the two on the ends are the Mano's, and the one in the middle is the Titan-they also made one that looked a little like a fish). I have a 550 that I think that they still make in a gun metal finish, and the current retail is about $40. They have others that start at around $15. They are not as spectacular looking as the line in the photos, but nice pens, especially for the money.

Shame on You!!!

Nice CF pen as in the review linked above.... Might have to keep an eye out for that one...

I went to see that FP version of the Egg!

and yes shame on me for still wanting one of the roller ball Eggs if there's no FP Eggs to be found!

I have a Zoom 980, which I picked up about 9 years ago and am just starting to use it again. I just picked up a converter and am waiting for some ink to come in the mail. When it does I will let everyone know how it works. The pen seems to write dry and the cartridges I have been using do not flow well enough, so I experience quite a lot of skipping. But I love the look of the pen enough to give it another chance.

I have a black Tombow Zoom with a needle-fine nib that I love, which is one of the pens I have inked-up now (a custom-mixed green).

Hi:

This is my first participation in a thread so I don't know if I am following protocol.

Aside from internet stores dedicated to Japanese pens and pencils and pencil cases, etc. (such as jpens.com), Tombow is available from www.cultpens.com in the UK. As to fp, they offer the Havanna and the Object. Prices are of course in pounds and, British taxes being what they are, rather steep. Several type of rollers are available. Service from cultpens is excellent. I have placed a few small orders and have always had excellent results.

I think I will buy some Tombow Object -fountain pens some day; They provide many good matches for many colors of ink. Somebody have reviewed that model, already.

I been told that Tombow FP are not distributed in Canada anymore. Nota Bene and Boutique du Stylo cannot get them anymore

I adore Tombow stuff. I don't have one of their FPs but I have Zoom 707 pencils in each color, Zoom 858 "egg" rollers in grey and black, "Oceanic" pencils (unbelievably beautiful) and I even have a Zoom 606sh pencil, if you know what one of those is. Tombow rules. And I have a tortoiseshell Havana roller coming in the mail. I wish they would put the fountain pen inside the tortoiseshell.

I have a Tombow Object c/c pen in green I bought in 2001. I still have the pen but I dropped it on a hard surface and mangled the nib, which I then compounded by attempting a DIY repair. It still has a dent from the accident but I would like to get a replacement nib unit. A local stationers has other Object pens (not green though) and the thought crossed my mind to get one and use the green barrel and cap on it. That would be a bit expensive though so if anyone has an idea of where to get a replacement nib I'd be interested.

To me Tombow is a pencil company, I grew up using their pencils, color pencils, MONO erasers, etc. I hope they make more pens avaiable overseas.

Here is their website (WARNING: a lot of Flash ):

http://www.tombow.com

They have their entire catalog online. I haven't found fountain pens yet/..there are 228 pages in their main catalog(the first one from the left) and it's slow (more Flash ). There is a link to download it, but my browser's popup bloker bloks it

http://www.tombow.com/products/catalogue/index.html

A product search turned up an high-end Zoom FP...it made of carbon fiber and Duralmin, and weighs only 14 g (less than 1/2 oz.). It doesn't show up on their catalog, though.



EDIT: I just went through their main catalog, and no fountain pens. I think you should get it if you want one and still can get one.

I like the sleek design of the Zoom 101 (Carbon-fibre/Duralumin) very much - feels like a Rotring 600 for the Ninja

When I first came across the Egg rollerball I just thought "there *has* to be an FP version"... thanks for the pic! (Now I just need to figure out how to lay hands on one... )

I have an older Tombow Zoom FP, and it looks like the Egg. I love it---it's inked up now, in a custom green mix. Something about the juxtaposition of the needle-fine point and the fat barrel just tickles me.

Hi,

To me, Tombow was also a pencil and eraser company. They make nice products, but I'm not sure now if I've ever really used their stuff very much.

Dillon

I have got my old Tombow Object out and I really wish I could get the nib fixed or replaced because it does feel very comfortable in my hand. I bought it for doing my final exams in Management Accountancy. I used this to do all my papers (12 hours of writing).

It still writes but nowhere near as well as it used to. Ho hum.

I sent an e-mail to Tombow, and they said the only fountain pens they sell now is the Zoom 101. It is sold with F nib in Japan and M nib overseas, they said.

Yep. Took me a good long while to get a Zoom 101, but it was worth the wait. A very cool pen indeed.

An egg FP was in the marketplace recently. I wasn't fast enough to get it. They aren't easy to find.

Which Tombow did you ask? Tombow in the US, Europe, or Japan? They seem to list different products for the different markets.

And what exactly is a Tombow "AirPress"??? I can't read Japanese!

This shop has the roller-ball variant of the Egg for sale in a variety of finishes, alas no FPs though:


Andy's Pens UK

Thanks for the link. I used to own a black/gold one but sold it after my "full conversion" to FPs (I write at a lower angle than the rollerball would permit...).

I sent an e-mail to Tombow Japan.

AirPress are BPs with pressurized ink refill so that it writes point up. I guess their version of Fisher Space pen

I have just bought another Tombow Object pen, this time in a nice shade of blue. I have just put in a Diamine cartridge - Claret is the colour. Should be nice!

I almost had a Tombow pen disaster yesterday!

I had taken apart my beloved Zoom Egg to clean it, when the little gold ring flew out of my hands. I heard it go 'tink' on the wood trim on the edge of the stairs, and spent the next 20 minutes searching the halls up and down, the stairs, the heating thingie, in and out every room, until I called on St. Anthony for help. Within five minutes, I had the gold ring safely in hand. Whew.

Thank you, St. Anthony!

I have about 10 Tombow pens including roller balls and fountain pens. I have several Tombow Objects in the translucent colours and the metal barrelled roller balls and fountain pens and an Egg roller ball which I occasionally take to work to wreck people's heads (I love the reactions I get from my colleagues when I use yet another unusual pen....)

By the way Cultpens (UK) seem to stock the Object fountain pen (unusual disclaimer no affiliation but have had very pleasant dealings with them)

Best wishes
hk

p.s. you can't beat St Anthony ....

My Tombows.

I guess I'm too late here . There is a distributer in the UK from where you can get replacement Object nibs. Here is the link for future reference....sorry I didn't see you messages before. I think they can also perform repairs - you can give them a call and enquire.
http://www.stonemarketing.com/

I had a blue/purple coloured Tombow Object fountain and the nib unit has come loose from the black plastic part. If I recall correctly, the nib was smooth, but not very wet, and would easily dry if left uncapped for a while. But it was my first fountain pen since I was a kid. I think you can get replacement nib units for about £10 if you surf the web and Ebay, but I haven't looked for a while.

cheers,
Milo

Hi,

The other day when I was cleaning my desk, I found I had an adorable Tombow (トンボ) Snoopy branded wooden pencil (the kind you sharpen) in light blue. I must have picked it up when I went on vacation or someone gave it to me, but I've been around their wooden pencils and erasers long enough that I don't really notice them anymore (either that or I never paid attention to what brand I was using. Probably because I used them when I was little, I thought it was the most normal thing). After that, I went to Tombow's Japan site to see what kind of erasers to buy since I'm out of good erasers. They have plenty of nice erasers, but I only used the normal モノ (Mono). They have one with no PVC, one that gathers the erasings, one that has more chalk (I think), and a few others. Plenty of nice stuff.

I never paid much attention to the fountain pens, but I've seen them in person. I suppose though, I'll be using トンボ for wooden pencils and erasers and using Pilot, Sailor, and Platinum for fountain pens. Tombow makes very high quality wood pencils and erasers.

That Tombow pencil brought back a lot of memories though! I had plenty of their stuff, but I never really paid attention to the brand. I just used it and thought it was nice. Then I used Staedtler wooden pencils after that since I ran out of Tombow.

Dillon

My wife picked me up a Zoom 505fp (brushed stainless steel body) for my birthday a few weeks ago while she was in Paris. It's a wonderful pen.

Serpentum (on this board) has one identical to mine for sale here: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...st&p=566539

Hi there,

I am the happy owner of three Tombow fountain pens: Zoom 828fp "egg", Zoom 980 an a Zoom 101. The egg --F nib-- and the 980 --M nib-- are excellent writers; very smooth and very reliable. The "egg" is very comfortable on the hand, and mines are not small. I think its girth is responsible for that comfort together with being not too short. In my opinion, its biggest inconvenience is that given its shape, it does not fit comfortably in any pocket.

It is interesting to note that the Zoom 980 seems not to be for sale in Japan, according to the Tombow catalog for that market. I remember that I bought it in Glasgow, at the Pen Shop in Princess Square.

The Zoom 101 is a bit of a disappointment re how it writes. Its nib --F-- is always a bit scratchy, but nothing you cannot cope with. I must also add that I have not used it as much as I would have liked and that it might need some "break-in".

In any event, I think Tombow deserves a close attention from anyone interested in Japanese fountain pens--good and interesting designs and good writers at affordable prices.

Iosepus

My wife has one of these, that I got her several years ago...she's never really used it and it's still in mint condition. I just liked the shape. Wonder if she'd notice if I dug it out and inked it up.

I have one of those as well. Doesn't write terribly well though... I think the tines are a bit misaligned. It looks cool though but the barrel is just wasted space. It could take a cartridge 4x the width of a standard international short. If only they made those!

I like it because for me it reduces hand fatigue with its weird shape. Mine's a good writer, too.

Absolutely. Which is why I have three of them (though one is out of action right now).