Does Anybody Else Like Carbon Fiber?

[indyshaq]

Hi all,

 

I just wanted to share my collection of carbon fiber fountain pens.

 

I enjoy carbon fiber pens for 3 reasons:

 

A) It is a very strong material which will last virtually forever. While I take good care of my pens, I have had two pens that developed cracks; A Pelikan M800 barrel and a Viscont Van Gogh cap.

 

B ) I like the contrast between a century+ old writing implement and a space age, modern material.

 

C) Most importantly I like the way it looks. The way the weave pattern reflects light giving an almost irridescent quality to the pen. The way that in some light conditions it appears almost solid black, and in others it shows as a lighter grey. Manufacturers also tend to pair CF with more exotic metals further adding to the overall look of the pen.

 

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/indyshaq/IMG_7309.jpg

 

http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq132/indyshaq/IMG_7331.jpg

 

I apologize for the poor pictures but here is a short description of each (from left to right):

 

1) Marlen Ghiaccio - Carbon fiber cap and sterling silver barrel with nice cube pattern and 18kt gold M nib

2) Monteverde Invincia - Chrome trim with steel M nib, tied with the Mont Blanc for perfectly crafted CF weave pattern

3) Jorg Hysek - Long CF barrel with 18kt gold F nib, a bit of an odd duck as there is no clip or section to grip

4) Delta Extrema - Solid titanium trim with 18kt gold F nib, one of the lightest regular size FPs ever made

5) Caran d'Ache Hexagonal - Rhodium trim with 18kt gold F (reground to a rough XF) nib, very precisely manufactured as edges are razor sharp

6) Duke Carbon Fiber - Chrome trim with M steel nib, carbon fiber is in a cube pattern

7) Mont Blanc Carbon Steel - Steel barrel and platinum trim with 18kt gold XF nib, very well balanced

8) Alfred Dunhill AD2000 - Palladium trim with 18kt gold F nib, my favorite in terms of reliability, smoothness, balance, and overall look.

 

Thanks for reading

[ralphawilson]

Very cool and interesting collection!

[irbyls]

Those pens are fantastic! You're making me wish I had a carbon fiber pen in my own collection. Hmmm....

[TWRDO]

I like CF but for me it's on a pen to pen basis. I like some but not others. The Invincia is one I especially like. A Black Tie is on my wish list.

[riff raff]

8) Alfred Dunhill AD2000 - Palladium trim with 18kt gold F nib, my favorite in terms of reliability, smoothness, balance, and overall look.

I guess it would be! Geez!

 

Too rich for my blood.

[jniforat]

I'm digging the MB!

[bugmd]

Lovely pens. While I do not have the carbon fiber Dunhill I do have the silver plated one and must say it is one of my favorites.

 

The one carbon fiber pen that I would love to have is this one.

 

http://www.airlineintl.com/mclaren/img/mclaren_900.jpg

[Koyote]

I like carbon fiber, but only in a bike frame.

[figosmum]

If you'd like to add another one: I have the Oberthur Cosmos Carbon Fibre and can recommend it, it's a pretty cool-looking pen, costs 39.- Euros at the Oberthur online shop (but only has an iridium point nib). It comes in black and silver.

 

http://www.google.ch/imgres?imgurl=http://stylosenligne.com/img/p/170-645-home.jpg&imgrefurl=http://stylosenligne.com/92-oberthur-gamme-cosmos%3Fn%3D50%26id_category%3D92&usg=__IvcpDjrq-HCvFAI71Qg8-8eJv0w=&h=129&w=129&sz=4&hl=en&start=15&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=VUX_fLj_jHyfuM:&tbnh=91&tbnw=91&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%252Boberthur%2B%252Bcosmos%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:de-ch:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7SNYK_en-GB%26tbs%3Disch:1

Edited June 30, 2010 by figosmum

[reprieve]

You have a beautiful collection!

Edited June 30, 2010 by reprieve

[GraceThroughFaith]

These are beautiful. I can only think of what Top Gear would say about these...

[dogpoet]

There's a Zoom (which looks great) and an Arburtus that are mostly carbon fibre as well.

Very nice collection, though.

[Blade Runner]

Cool focus for a collection. Love that MB Solitaire.

[rwilsonedn]

That's really a beautiful set. I am curious: how does the Duke stack up, as a writer and in build quality, against those much more expensive pens?

ron

[Garageboy]

I like them, but no one uses true carbon fiber. They all use it was an overlay over metal (if i remember correctly)

I want someone to make a pen out of carbon fiber rod stock.

[Fuddlestack]

Sorry, but carbon fibre does nothing for me. It has its place as a structural material, but otherwise I find it ugly.

[777]

Very nice collection

 

I always fancied a blue carbon VP myself.

[bdngrd]

Cool collection. Carbon fiber is great stuff!

[jameswatts]

Love the Jorg Hysek. I have one -- hasn't been in the rotation in some time, but it is a great pen.

[indyshaq]

Hi, thanks for the comments!

 

Bugmd: which model is that one, I can't quite make it out in the picture.

 

Rwilsonedn: in terms of writing out of the box, the Duke is in last place. The nib is rough and the converter needs to be primed every so often. In terms of build quality I would say it is also in last place. The fit and finish is slightly off, not as tight as it should be. They use a cube pattern carbon fiber which in my opinion looks cheaper and more generic than the weave pattern used by most of the other manufacturers. Don't get me wrong, it's still a nice pen but compared to the others it is my least favorite.

 

Garageboy: while you are correct in that no one makes a pen out of CF rod stock, not all of these are true overlays either. the Dunhill for example is mainly CF and has some metal parts at the base, where the cap screws on, and to hold the clip. If you take a peek inside the cap, most of it is raw unpolished CF other than the very top where the clip attaches.

 

Fuddlestack: no need to be sorry, you like different things than I do. Diversity is one of the things that makes this board interesting.

 

777: I actually had a blue carbonesque vp and sold it. It wrote wonderfully but the pseudo fake carbon looked nothing like a real carbon fiber finish and just didn't fit in with my collection. That being said, I would highly recommend it if you are happy with the way it looks.