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Bexley BX802


anaximander

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So here's my first pen review. I tend to buy "classic" pens that have already been reviewed ad nauseum, but the index only lists one previous review of this pen, so I thougth I'd give it a go. It's also my first time playing with the "macro" feature on my camera, so please bear with the photos.

 

I've been curious about Bexley pens for some time and recently decided that it was time to satisfy my curiosity. I was initially drawn to the Imperial series on aesthetic grounds, but decided that I wanted a Bexley that looks like a Bexley, not a Nakaya. So when Dennis of Parkville Pen announced special pricing on the BX802, I jumped at it.

 

First Impression (5/5)

Not a lot to say here. The pen comes packaged in a simple but attractive black box with a royal blue lining. Classy, and not overdone.

 

Appearance (4/5)

This is a very attractive pen. Almost distractingly so. It's not one that I'd take to work. Photos really can't do justice to the depth and complexity of the acrylic pen body. The color is called "cappuccino," but I'm reminded more of caramel over vanilla ice cream. If I'd been on the naming committee, I'd have suggested "dulce de leche." The pen is certainly no demonstrator, but the caramel areas are somewhat transparent so that depending on the angle and the lighting, you can see a bit of the cartridge or converter through the barrel. The threads on the inside of the cap are also visible (you can see this in the photo below). This probably varies quite a bit from pen to pen. The pen on the Bexley brochure, for instance, has a higher proportion of the opaque vanilla relative to the translucent caramel. This isn't a big deal, but I wanted to emphasize the transparency since it is something you might not expect if you just looked at photos.

 

http://rongilmour.info/images/bexley/bexleyUncapped.jpg

 

The cappuccino pen is the only one of the three BX802 colors with gold-colored furniture. There is a broad cap band with a very attractive pattern of a chain of rhomboids; I really like this, so I took a close-up.

 

http://rongilmour.info/images/bexley/bexleyBand.jpg

 

The clip is Bexley's faceted design, which is also featured on the Americana and Poseidon lines. It's an attractive clip, but to my eye it looks a bit small in relation to the rest of the pen.

 

http://rongilmour.info/images/bexley/bexleyClip.jpg

 

Design / Size / Weight (4/5)

I use a lot of small, light pens, so this one seems a bit large to me, although it is actually one of Bexley's smaller offerings. It measures about 5-1/4" (13.3 cm) capped and about 6-1/8" (15.6 cm) posted. It's large in circumference, giving it a slightly chunky appearance. For its size, though, it's quite light. A lot of the weight seems to be in the cap, so it can feel a tiny bit top-heavy when posted, but not a major issue. Below is a picture with a Pelikan 400 for size comparison.

 

http://rongilmour.info/images/bexley/bexleySize.jpg

 

Nib (5/5)

The pen has a big, beautiful, 18K, bi-colored stub nib. This is my first 18K nib and I can feel a difference--definitely softer. It has some flex and the tines spread visibly on a firm downstroke. It's a little crisper than I expected for a stub nib, and seems to shade toward a cursive italic.

 

http://rongilmour.info/images/bexley/bexleyNib.jpg

 

http://rongilmour.info/images/bexley/bexleyWritingSample.jpg

 

Filling System (3/5)

Cartridge/converter. Converter is included. Seems a shame for all that space in the wide barrel to go to waste, but I guess not everything can be a piston filler.

 

Cost and Value (4/5)

By taking advantage of a weekend special, I got this pen for a scandalously low $195. The MSRP is $299, which seems a bit steep, but not outrageously so. (These prices are for the 18K nib. The pens are available much cheaper with steel nibs, but the steel is not available in a factory stub.)

 

Conclusion

Overall, an excellent pen and a good value. Highly recommended.

Edited by anaximander
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Good review, Anaximander. I find that my Bexley BX802 does not post very securely and that teh pen feels quite small without posting. I do like the longer section and the many turns to the threading of the cap, which make for secure closing (my Sheaffer Connaisseur, for example, unscrews itself through the day...). I have the steel nib version and it is wonderful.

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  • 2 years later...

Thanks for a Great review ... Nice clear pics as well ...

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Your review spurred me to look up this pen, and I found a deal that was too good to pass up -- $85 for Cracked Ice, Fine steel nib at Fountain Pen Hospital. It's now on its way. This will be my 2nd Bexley, to join my Corona. :happyberet:

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Nib (5/5)

The pen has a big, beautiful, 18K, bi-colored stub nib. This is my first 18K nib and I can feel a difference--definitely softer. It has some flex and the tines spread visibly on a firm downstroke. It's a little crisper than I expected for a stub nib, and seems to shade toward a cursive italic.

 

So... You admit the nib is "softer" and that it's "crisper" than you expected for a stub... and yet you still rated it 5/5? :headsmack:

 

Clearly you and I will never see eye-to-eye on nibs. I have a FIRM steel stub on my Corona that's smooth-edged and easy to write with, and I wouldn't trade it. But I guess that's why they make different flavors of ice cream, too.

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  • 2 years later...

Recently misplaced my Bexley Cappuccino. Thought it was lost forever. Tried to locate another one, however, it was not to be found. I love my F-nib, which writes beautifully. After three months of "feeling bad" about the pen, it miraculously showed up again. Cleaned it up & loaded it with my Blue/Black Waterman ink, and I am writing again. Though I have a relatively small hand, I love the weight of the pen capped. The appearance is beautiful, and when I pull it out of my purse to sign something, someone always wants to handle the pen, noting how eye-catching it is. Though I do not own the one with the gold stub nib, the two tone steel nib is very attractive and easy to write with. I, personally, do not find the pen chunky, for I do not like thin fountain pens. My Jinhao Mother of Pearl Pen is much chunkier, and even with my hand size, I am able to write a letter without it becoming burdensome.

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