New Postal Jr.

[tonybelding]

My New Postal Junior arrived yesterday! Woohoo! Early impressions follow. . .

 

I got the ruby version. IMHO this is the way to go. It's transparent enough to to see what's going on in the ink reservoir, but I think much better looking than the amber one. It really is a very pretty color that's hard to fully appreciate in the photos.

 

I've argued for smaller, more practical sized pens for a while. I'm tired of pens that I can't fit into most carrying cases! (My OMAS Emotica, Taccia Merit and Edison Glenmont all fall into that category, and even the TWSBI is a snug fit in my Mignon case.) So, when the New Postal Junior came along, I knew it was the one I'd been waiting for.

 

It's similar in size and shape to a Pelikan M200. It's just a wee bit shorter but thicker than the M200, so it doesn't look or feel dainty at all. It fits great in my Mignon pen case. It's a bit short for the case, but it's long enough to use un-posted anyhow. It's a good thing I'm not in the habit of posting the cap, because there doesn't really seem to be any way of doing it with this pen. You can try to push the cap onto the blind cap, and you can get it to sort of hang there precariously, but it's really not practical.

 

The BEXLEY name is prominent on the display box. This is the first Bexley (or Bexley-made) pen that I've owned, and the fit-and-finish are top notch. The cap is laser-engraved: NEW POSTAL, RESERVOIR PEN, MADE IN U.S.A. The laser engraving comes across as a bit fuzzy and sloppy in comparison with traditional markings, but I can put up with that.

 

Filling is a bit trickier than my Glenmont (the only other bulb-filler I own). The Jr is a bit balky and I have to really squeeze the bulb sharply to expel air, otherwise the ink level just bobs down-and-up but doesn't increase.

 

My only complaint is the "Binderized" M nib that it came with, which is quite wet for my taste, and sometimes feels smooth but sometimes feels like it has a hangnail. It's quite nice for writing on high-quality paper when I have plenty of time to let it dry. I can't see using a pen this wet for ordinary everyday writing. I'm going to see if I can get it adjusted further.

 

Sorry, no photos just now, I'm a bit rushed. . . But there will be more info to come.

[Robert Alan]

Thanks so much for the review. I've been wondering about these pens.

Regards, Robert

 

 

[penspouse]

Thanks for the review. When you do get a chance to do photos, would it be possible to do a photo comparisson with the M200, both posted and unposted? I've been wondering about the size, and I do love the size of the M200/400.

[tonybelding]

Thanks for the review. When you do get a chance to do photos, would it be possible to do a photo comparisson with the M200, both posted and unposted?

 

http://zobeid.zapto.org/image/pens/new_postal_jr_01.jpg

 

http://zobeid.zapto.org/image/pens/new_postal_jr_02.jpg

 

http://zobeid.zapto.org/image/pens/new_postal_jr_03.jpg

 

No photo of the NPJr with the cap posted because, as I noted before, it doesn't really do that.

 

Incidentally, I got a message back from Richard Binder. He says he can adjust the flow for $25 plus return shipping.

 

Frankly, I'm a little miffed. Peering at the nib through a loupe, it already looks as though somebody widened the slit from the tip back to just where the feed begins. I don't mean mean widened in the normal way, by bending the tines apart; it looks more like the slit was ground or re-cut on one side to make it wider. I would presume it didn't come from the manufacturer (in Germany) that way. And now. . . Now after paying $180 for the pen, I'm out another $25+ for the vendor to correct a problem that he appears to have inflicted on it himself.

[Lloyd]

I thought Richard guaranteed his nibs "wrote right". I'm surprised by his response.

[Mickey]

I thought Richard guaranteed his nibs "wrote right". I'm surprised by his response.

 

I am too. Richard just this last week did a gratis regrind on a nib he'd sold me in June which had gradually gone wonky (previously unrelieved manufacturing stress?). The turnaround time was a little over a week, including x-country transit both ways, and he threw in an envelope of Field Notes books for good measure.

[Martius]

"Right" is subjective, no? His stock nibs write perfectly for the majority of people, but others want something different - a lighter flow in Tony's case, a lower writing angle in mine. He has always charged for these adjustments. (Though your nib might be truly defective - I of course have no way of judging that from here.)

 

Summer

[tonybelding]

I had to give it one more test with a known reliable ink, just to make sure, but it didn't do any better. I'm going to send it back for adjustment, and then we'll see how things go from there.

 

I know some people like wet pens. It's not so wet as to be outside the realm of what some people might actually prefer. It is, however, wetter than most pens I've ever gotten. I more often have to adjust nibs to increase their flow -- I had to do that with the Pelikan M200 and the TWSBI, just to name a couple.

Edited September 15, 2010 by tonybelding

[penspouse]

Thanks for the review. When you do get a chance to do photos, would it be possible to do a photo comparisson with the M200, both posted and unposted?

 

http://zobeid.zapto.org/image/pens/new_postal_jr_01.jpg

 

http://zobeid.zapto.org/image/pens/new_postal_jr_02.jpg

 

http://zobeid.zapto.org/image/pens/new_postal_jr_03.jpg

 

No photo of the NPJr with the cap posted because, as I noted before, it doesn't really do that.

 

Incidentally, I got a message back from Richard Binder. He says he can adjust the flow for $25 plus return shipping.

 

Frankly, I'm a little miffed. Peering at the nib through a loupe, it already looks as though somebody widened the slit from the tip back to just where the feed begins. I don't mean mean widened in the normal way, by bending the tines apart; it looks more like the slit was ground or re-cut on one side to make it wider. I would presume it didn't come from the manufacturer (in Germany) that way. And now. . . Now after paying $180 for the pen, I'm out another $25+ for the vendor to correct a problem that he appears to have inflicted on it himself.

 

Thank you! This tells me exactly what I need to know. I am such a visual learner, it's pathetic.

[Richard]

No photo of the NPJr with the cap posted because, as I noted before, it doesn't really do that.

I'm sorry, but it does post, and quite nicely. This is NOT a faked picture, it's my personal Junior, configured the way I often use it:

 

http://www.richardspens.com/images/coll/zoomed/NPJNRRK_proto_au_nib.jpg

 

Incidentally, I got a message back from Richard Binder. He says he can adjust the flow for $25 plus return shipping.

 

Frankly, I'm a little miffed. Peering at the nib through a loupe, it already looks as though somebody widened the slit from the tip back to just where the feed begins. I don't mean mean widened in the normal way, by bending the tines apart; it looks more like the slit was ground or re-cut on one side to make it wider.

As Lloyd points out, we do guarantee that our pens write right. As our site states clearly, we adjust and smooth as necessary to bring a nib up to our standards. If you'd specified when purchasing the pen that you wanted a nonstandard flow (by our standards), we could have dealt with it as part of the purchase (at a reduced rate).

 

We didn't grind or re-cut the slit, but it's not impossible that we accidentally left marks on the nib. If you'd like to send the pen back for us to see what you're seeing, we'll be more than happy to look at it. If we find damage that we caused, we'll take care of it at no charge to you. If we find that the nib isn't adjusted correctly, we'll certainly fix that at no charge! We're not interested in sending people away unhappy.

Edited September 16, 2010 by Richard

[tonybelding]

It's back! The pen came back in today's mail. So. . . What's the verdict?

 

I inked it up with Noodler's Dark Matter and gave it a quick test. It's smooth now! The "hangnail" feeling is gone and it's a pleasure to write with. The flow is also good -- still nicely wet, but it's no longer gushing like before.

 

Richard Binder wrote to me: "I've no excuse for the nib damage, but it was real, it was our fault, and it's been corrected."

 

Fair enough!

 

I expect to get a lot of use out of this pen.

 

Regarding posting the cap. . . Richard Binder insists it can be posted, and technically he's right. It's possible to jam the cap onto the end of the blind cap and get it to sort of hang on there, precariously. I don't find that satisfactory, though. It feels like any bump or jostle will cause it to pop off, and it's just not the normal way that caps post on most pens.

[Jimmy James]

I am glad to hear this worked out happily. It is of some concern to me such an expensive pen (to me) would be sent with a defect, but I am even more impressed that the problem was acknowledged and promptly corrected.

[tonybelding]

I wanted to add something that I forgot to mention before. . . .

 

I wrote at the beginning that the bulb-filler mechanism was more balky than the one on my Edison Glenmont, and I had to squeeze the bulb sharply to get it to work. That turned out to be a very temporary problem. The second time I filled the pen it was much better, and the third time there was no difficulty at all. It now works just as easily and positively as the Edison, which is very nice indeed.

 

I'm guessing there may have been just a bit of oil or something in the feed, something left from the manufacturing, that needed to work out.

[JonB55198]

This is a great review Tony. I've been thinking of putting one of these pens on my wish list...

[lovemy51]

As Lloyd points out, we do guarantee that our pens write right. As our site states clearly, we adjust and smooth as necessary to bring a nib up to our standards. If you'd specified when purchasing the pen that you wanted a nonstandard flow (by our standards), we could have dealt with it as part of the purchase (at a reduced rate).

 

how does one know someone else's (the vendor) standards? :hmm1:

maybe the vendor should ask the customer for his/hers... just thinking aloud. :blink:

 

anyways, looks like a nice pen. congrats, tony!

[StephY]

As Lloyd points out, we do guarantee that our pens write right. As our site states clearly, we adjust and smooth as necessary to bring a nib up to our standards. If you'd specified when purchasing the pen that you wanted a nonstandard flow (by our standards), we could have dealt with it as part of the purchase (at a reduced rate).

 

how does one know someone else's (the vendor) standards? :hmm1:

maybe the vendor should ask the customer for his/hers... just thinking aloud. :blink:

 

anyways, looks like a nice pen. congrats, tony!

 

I thought Richard did have a section on his website where the customer chooses the characteristics of the nib, including wetness, but that might be only when one orders a custom nib.

 

Nice pen!

Edited September 9, 2011 by StephY

[kareth]

hi,

congrats on the purchase of NPJ. Nice pen.

 

one doubt, can it be used as an eyedropper.

 

thanks

[Uncle Red]

Kareth

No, the New Postal Pens are bulb fillers only.

[kareth]

thanks..

Kareth

No, the New Postal Pens are bulb fillers only.

[pelicanachic]

I got this pen from f.pen members and it arrived 2days ago

 

It's a superb pen. though it's a bit slimmmer than my preferences, its grip section is really comfortalbe to hold. and the binderized nib is so perfect!

 

the only complaint I have is the same as yours.

 

if this pen posted cap on the barrel more securely, it would be a perfect writer for me.