Graf von Faber Castell Classic Anello Wood

[pmrogers]

So I ended up with this pen because my other half wouldn't share the Pen of the Year 2006, and while I would dearly love to add an 09 PotY to our collection it wasn't in budget right now. I was hoping the Anello Wood would have a similarly amazing build quality and nib, and it didn't disappoint on either front.

 

First Impression

Wow. For 1/5th the price, the Anello Wood matched every aspect of the PotY except the size. The presentation case is very nicely finished, and has room for two siblings!

http://www.paulandtres.com/albums/pens/2009_08_02_at_15_27_55.jpg

http://www.paulandtres.com/albums/pens/2009_08_02_at_15_24_30.jpg

 

 

 

Appearance

9/10

I can't believe this is a <$1,000 pen. The tactile richness of the ebony wood plus the flawless finish of the sterling and nib add up to a much more impressive presence that I've seen in other similar-cost pens.

http://www.paulandtres.com/albums/pens/2009_08_02_at_12_16_34.sized.jpg

 

http://www.paulandtres.com/albums/pens/2009_08_02_at_12_28_57.sized.jpg

 

http://www.paulandtres.com/albums/pens/2009_08_02_at_12_32_24.sized.jpg

 

http://www.paulandtres.com/albums/pens/2009_08_02_at_12_17_56.sized.jpg

 

Nib

10/10. Double wow. My photography skills aren't up to the challenge, but let me say that this is smoother than any F nib in our collection, which includes David Oscarson, several Vistonti LE. a vintage MB 146, and many other stupendous writers. This nib is the equal to, or superior to any pen in our collection. It is glass-smooth under light pressure, and retains its composure under medium and high pressure (unlike the Parker, MB, Jinhao, Duke, Sailor, or Namik pens in our collection).

 

http://www.paulandtres.com/albums/pens/2009_07_29_at_18_54_54.sized.jpg

 

 

Filling System

7/10. Yawn. A completely generic converter. It works flawlessly, but most definitely is not a distinctive part of this pen.

 

Cost and Value

9/10. Yes, it is an expensive pen, but compared to other <$500 pens it is a standout value.

 

http://www.paulandtres.com/albums/pens/200...17_56.sized.jpg

 

 

Size comparison. Next to MB 146, capped:

http://www.paulandtres.com/albums/pens/2009_08_02_at_12_43_59.sized.jpg

 

Next to MB 146, posted:

http://www.paulandtres.com/albums/pens/2009_08_02_at_12_39_15.sized.jpg

 

MB 146 end cap comparison:

http://www.paulandtres.com/albums/pens/2009_08_02_at_12_45_45.sized.jpg

Edited August 3, 2009 by pmrogers

[MidnightBlue]

I'm sure these have Pelikan nibs. Graf are one of my favourites. I find them classy, and their packaging leaves a lot of others cold.

Thanks

[Peter from Sherwood Park]

Thank you for this review -- a great-looking pen!

[ssmui]

Filling System

7/10. Yawn. A completely generic piston filler. It works flawlessly, but most definitely is not a distinctive part of this pen.

 

 

 

 

Is this a piston filler , I thought it has a cartridge converter !? No ??? :hmm1: :hmm1:

[trent]

One thing that I dislike a bit, though, about these otherwise beautiful pens from Graf von Faber Castell is that plastic black ring at the end of the section. It seems somehow cheap for such expensive pens. What is it for? Could a finer material have been used?

 

And yes, I think that these are all cartridge/ converter fillers.

[Jason Oliver]

Filling System

7/10. Yawn. A completely generic piston filler. It works flawlessly, but most definitely is not a distinctive part of this pen.

 

 

 

 

Is this a piston filler , I thought it has a cartridge converter !? No ??? :hmm1: :hmm1:

 

 

Yeah, unfortunately it's a cartridge / convertor. If this pen were a true piston filler....it would be un-believable

 

It's kinda like buying a quartz Patek Phillipe. Sure it's the finest quartz watch in the world, but what's the point? The weird thing about Graf is that their PoTY do have integral pistons....go figure

Edited August 3, 2009 by Jason Oliver

[Pepin]

Filling System

7/10. Yawn. A completely generic piston filler. It works flawlessly, but most definitely is not a distinctive part of this pen.

 

 

 

 

Is this a piston filler , I thought it has a cartridge converter !? No ??? :hmm1: :hmm1:

 

 

Yeah, unfortunately it's a cartridge / convertor. If this pen were a true piston filler....it would be un-believable

 

It's kinda like buying a quartz Patek Phillipe. Sure it's the finest quartz watch in the world, but what's the point? The weird thing about Graf is that their PoTY do have integral pistons....go figure

 

The only worthy filling system for this pen is the snorkel system. Piston barely scores any points over the cartridge.

[pmrogers]

Is this a piston filler , I thought it has a cartridge converter !? No ??? :hmm1: :hmm1:

 

Yeah, unfortunately it's a cartridge / convertor. If this pen were a true piston filler....it would be un-believable

 

Oops, complete brain spasm/typo. You guys are right, of course; it is a converter not a piston. I wasn't fair in saying it's entirely generic, though, as it does at least have Faber Castell stamped on the converter, but it is far from impressive quality. Not as nice as any of the Visconti converters, for example.

http://www.paulandtres.com/albums/pens/2009_08_02_at_22_57_38.jpg

 

[oberon]

An outstanding pen , thanx for the review. I have always wanted a FC POY but has been out of my budget. This one could perchance make it on my list.

Oberon

[Pfhorrest]

Five hundred dollars? Five hundred dollars? Five hundred dollars?

 

When my budget allows, I'm definitely going to consider buying this pen.

[tres]

Five hundred dollars? Five hundred dollars? Five hundred dollars?

 

When my budget allows, I'm definitely going to consider buying this pen.

 

Since this pen was a Birthday gift for Paul, I don't want to post the price but if anyone is interested pm me and I'll let you know what I paid and where. I got a much better deal than he thinks (or thought until this post )

[meiers]

I have had my eyes on that pen for a while... even tried it out at Paradise Pen... I will be in Minneapolis in three weeks. Maybe I will have to stop by the Mall of America and pick one up.

 

Matt

[pashafendy]

Thanks for the review that just i look for.. and the fp in my dreams

Could you please show some of writing samples in here?

[pmrogers]

A few follow ups:

 

Regarding the nib, I don't think this is a Pelikan nib, or if it is, it is tweaked to a much better performance level than any of our Pelikans (800, 400, 200, Ductus). Graf touts in their marketing literature that all nibs are "run in" by hand in a 100 step process. Whether in-house or a tweaked 3rd party, whatever they do, it results in a nib that is the equal of any in our collection excepting possibly the David Oscarson. The Oscarson doesn't write any better but it does "sing" when writing which is a extremely cool effect.

 

trent, good point regarding the plastic bit between the section and nib. This is one respect in which the finish quality of the Anello Wood doesn't match up to the PotY series. I will say that this is something that I didn't notice until taking the macro shots.

 

Writing characteristics: I should have mentioned in the initial review that this pen lays down an extremely broad line relative to its label. This "fine" nib is the widest of all our fine nibs and at least as wide as any of the European or American medium nibs in our collection.

 

 

 

Thanks for the review that just i look for.. and the fp in my dreams

Could you please show some of writing samples in here?

 

My handwriting is so embarrassingly bad that I almost decided to pretend I hadn't seen your request, but since you request, here is a comparison shot on Staples bagasse paper compared with the medium nibs of our MB 146 and Namiki Custom Impressions.

http://www.paulandtres.com/albums/pens/gvfc_writing_sample.jpg

 

-Paul

[MidnightBlue]

Your pen is similar to my Guilloche, and I'm back to using it as my everydayer. It's a much neglected brand I think. There is one thing that I might add though. It's not fair to compare these with the P o t year. That would be like comparing my Montegrappa Miya with my Extra. The pen is bigger, the nibs are bigger. They're a different beast. If you mean overall that you get a great pen without having to go P o the year then I agree.

Thanks

[pashafendy]

Thanks for the review that just i look for.. and the fp in my dreams

Could you please show some of writing samples in here?

 

My handwriting is so embarrassingly bad that I almost decided to pretend I hadn't seen your request, but since you request, here is a comparison shot on Staples bagasse paper compared with the medium nibs of our MB 146 and Namiki Custom Impressions.

http://www.paulandtres.com/albums/pens/gvfc_writing_sample.jpg

 

-Paul

Thanks, i was really in curious about how writes gvfc nibs because i didnt see any sample on net.

By the way if you see my hand writing be sure that you'll proud for your handwriting

In my opinion, graf looks better than 146 on this paper and tough being a "f" nib! Now i like this pen too much.

In the other hand i dont beleive in gvfc nibs are pelikan's nibs. Such a rubbish idea!

To say that like bmw is mercedes

[Tsujigiri]

I'm sure these have Pelikan nibs. Graf are one of my favourites. I find them classy, and their packaging leaves a lot of others cold.

Thanks

 

You mean a Bock nib? They make the nibs for most fountain pen companies out there, including Pelikan. Faber Castell is also probably on that list. Bock makes their nibs to manufacturer's specs, so a Bock nib for one company is often different than the kind they make for another.

 

Great review, pmrogers, those are some beautiful pictures of a pen we don't see very many photographs of!

Edited August 19, 2009 by Tsujigiri

[Mrsal]

is the converter screw in style or just a snap in?

[pmrogers]

is the converter screw in style or just a snap in?

 

Just a snap-in. If I could still edit my original post I would change the filling system score to a 4/10. I was letting a halo effect from the rest of the pen's goodness skew my scoring.

 

The converter snaps in, the body is plastic, and the plunger end isn't threaded either so you can't easily disassemble the converter for thorough cleaning. Even our $8 Jinhao at least has a glass body for the converter. Fortunately, the Graf converter performs its function perfectly and as long as it's out of sight the pens looks and performs like a much more expensive piece. If they had to cut corners somewhere I suppose this was the best place.

 

-Paul

Edited August 21, 2009 by pmrogers

[usacowboybiker]

Hello All,

 

I do not usually participate in these, but thought I would throw in my part on this one...

 

I also have the GvFC Anello Wood - I have been using it every day, carrying it in my pocket every day, for the last 9 months. It is a beautiful pen (I would not have kept it in my pocket so long if it was not). Here are my specific thoughts:

 

The F nib was way too broad and I had to have it "benderized" to bring it to something reasonably close to a real "F" - even with that done, it is, frankly, still too broad for my personal likes, but it is at least close.

 

The pen is wood and platinum - not silver. And I am a fan of sterling and not platinum, so I special-ordered the sterling cap and grip to replace the platinum that came with the pen.

 

The converter has long gone to converter heaven - I am on my third or fourth cheap generic plastic replacement. Yes, the converter was nothing to brag about, but a converter is a converter and any will do - it holds the ink and does nothing more (I know - such a shameful way to refer to the heart of the pen, but really, my cheap converter replacements have always done the job and have never given me any problem or concern).

 

With these changes the pen is a fine writer and has a soft warm touch and feel. It has good weight (not so heavy as a solid metal pen and not so light as a "plastic") and with fine balance (not posted - I am not a "poster").

 

OK - ready to hear about the problems? This is small and huge, all at the same time. The wood rings began to slip and rotate around the center platinum axle after some time. Who cares, except that, because the cap is a screw-on, I had to find a non-slipping wooden ring to grip to make the twisting of the screw-on cap successful. After a while, all of the rings were spinning like windmills and I had to start gripping the metal end of the pen. It is easy to do and not a big deal, really, but it is an annoyance to endure on an otherwise stand-out star. And it bugs me. I have thought about using some soaking glue or other trick to secure the rings to the inner axle, and I am sure that there must be an adequately simple answer to solve the problem, but I have found it easier recently to just retire the pen and use my heavier GvFC all sterling instead. I think that decision betrays some inner feeling about my sick Annelo. Anyway, it is the reason that, after 9 months of a happy daily relationship, I am ending it in favor of another who attracts me less.

 

One of these days I must fix those rings...

 

Richard