Reform 1745

[hcsk8ter]

Here is the Review of the Pen:

 

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/7954/img0884g.jpg

 

To add:

 

From what I've been told this pen is about th size of a Pelikan M120. I myself have a M200, M600 and can tell you, quality-wise, this pen closely parallels them and at only $5 !!

 

But, I must give J.J. Blanche his due:

 

He sells these at $5 US in the For sale section. I have not seen anyone on the Internet selling these at this price. I have bought Reforms at more than 3X his price!!

 

Also J.J. offers tweaking services for these pens, which I would recommend so they can reach their full potential.

 

I did not elect to have him "tweak" mine, but I do alot of restoration work, so I wanted to do it myself. If J.J's "tuning" is anything like his service I'm sure it's top-notch!

 

J.J. even gives you a brief history of the Reform Compnay and tips for minor adjustment with your order. Impeccable work, J.J.

 

Also, I own many high end pens, but I will tell you, like we know in this hobby, "cheap doesn't mean poor quality". These pens are great.

 

Reform made great pens and should not be forgotten among fountain pen users. I have several and they are great writers!

 

Frankly, if you don't invest in one (or six, gifts anyone?), you are truly missing out.

 

I am not affiliated with J.J. but he is AWESOME to deal with!

Edited April 11, 2009 by hcsk8ter

[morleron]

I've gotten two of these pens from J.J. and I had him tune both before sending them out. He does a great job of tuning them and his tune-up price of $9, IIRC, can't be beat. I like mine a lot and write with it frequently. I gave the second one to a niece for Christmas as a first fountain pen. She's enjoying it a lot, also. If I wasn't hooked on Esterbrooks I'd probably buy more of these jewels. I may do so anyway simply because they are a superb value and J.J. is great to deal with.

[bentnib]

I've been using one of these for a few weeks now (un-tuned, from another source) - it just keeps getting better! I find it's the one I pick up first most of the time now, though my Advocate and Pelikan M200 are also very nice writers. Running Waterman Havana brown through the 1745 and getting a nice wet line with some width variation; very smooth now after a few weeks of writing. My only fear is that this little pen (and it is very small) will fall down a crack somewhere, or get busted by some heavy-handed passer by! Stunning value for $5-15; great value for almost any price below $100 (don't let looks deceive - though the 2-tone nib is pretty, the pen in general isn't).

[Idiopathos]

This is going to be a boring thread, because I doubt anyone is going to say anything seriously negative about these pens.

 

I have two, one of which is always on my desk in my office. Each day, I arrive at work with a $n (large n) pen in my pocket and, two or three days a week, it's the Reform that's doing the job at the end of the day.

[pmsalty]

I bought two from JJ last year. One I gave as a gift with a bottle of ink the other is my correction pen I sue daily at work. It is filled with Noodler's Widow maker. JJ tuned them up and they both write like a dream. Great value! They are a bit small and light but one of the best values around! A great starter pen for a youth.

PMS

[bentnib]

Strangely enough the un-tuned Reform 1745 I bought last year writes beautifully & I still can barely use it often enough - whereas two tuned ones that I bought from JJ a bit later are both horrible! The tuned ones are scratchy, and one skips - much as I try using them to break the nibs and feeds in, they are recalcitrant little so-and-so mongrels. This is a source of some disappointment, as I bought 2 more in case I lost/broke/etc the first one, but it isn't going to work that way. I'm guarding the first one with my life

[lovemy51]

my R1745 is the toothiest monster i've ever seen. i'm pulling it out right now and try to smooth it with some fine grit paper and millard sheets i have. i'll report back, but i tell you... i'not happy with mine!!!

[lovemy51]

i wouldn't comapare it to the M150, but for $5 it's not bad i guess!!

[excarnate]

Strangely enough the un-tuned Reform 1745 I bought last year writes beautifully & I still can barely use it often enough - whereas two tuned ones that I bought from JJ a bit later are both horrible! The tuned ones are scratchy, and one skips - much as I try using them to break the nibs and feeds in, they are recalcitrant little so-and-so mongrels. This is a source of some disappointment, as I bought 2 more in case I lost/broke/etc the first one, but it isn't going to work that way. I'm guarding the first one with my life

I've gotten the tuneup kit from Mr. Binder and I've had some successes but not complete. In particular I have a Pilot Scholar that I just can't get just so. It certain directions, or if rotated just a smidge, it has a bit of scratchines.

 

Of the 5 Reforms I got from JJ, 2 are about as smooth as you could want, the other 3 are better than what I typically do but have a bit of scratchiness in 1 direction or another. I figure to use a microscope at my wife's work to figure out what is going on.

 

For you, just a bit of smoothing might fix the one, and the one that skips might need to be taken apart and cleaned if nothing else.

 

My only regret was in not getting 5-10 more, but I don't *need* more!

[J English Smith]

They are very enjoyable pens. My two tuned ones from JJ have nice nibs, pistons work well, the build quality is very decent, they post well. My only negative on this pen is the skinny width - very comparable to an Esterbrook SJ in girth. My hand has adjusted to them, though, and the more I've used them, the more normal sized they feel. If they were about the width of an old Aurora 88, they would be amazing! But for the money, you really can't beat them.

 

Nibs are true mediums and the ink does matter - drier inks definitely tighten up the line.

[ismellarat]

I hate using this pen. The semiflex I experience drags me to the pen but it cuts into paper and cannot keep a continuous flow for the life of it. The only time I get good flow is when it is dipped. I bought a fountain pen, not a dip pen

Edited August 11, 2009 by ismellarat

[Penman222]

Just got one a couple of days ago and I love it. Filled it up with PR Ebony Green and it writes with a little flex, not unlike my Snorkel Special. I think that it will become one of my favorite pens. Now I need a Pelikan to compare it with.