A Grifos Nyloe Line Pen.

[jar]

We began our Italian fountain pen trip in Bassano del Grappa where we looked at Montegrappa's 80^th Anniversary pen and their Privilege Deco.

 

Next we wandered south and west and back north to Varese where we looked at the Ferrari da Varese Botticelli, Yesterday and compared the Ferrari da Varese Savant to the Yard-o-Led Corinthian.

 

The day is beautiful and young, I've had two Lavazza espressos, the Alfa has a full tank of gas so let's head on another road trip. We could take the toll roads and get to our destination in a little over an hour, but instead, let's stay off the highways and turn this trip into an adventure. The greatest threat will be all the traffic circles on our route but by now we know the Alfa is quick and nimble and that with adequate arm waving, bravado and panasch we can master even them.

 

We bid Varese adieu and head off for the Aosta Valley and the Mont Blanco tunnel.

 

Way back in 1979, Maurizi (FPN member stubnib) was a student when restoration work a the Abbey Fruttuaria uncovered a mosaic dating back almost a millennium. His teacher was wise enough to pull the kids out of conjugation class ...

 

Julius Cæsar was therefore compelled to invade Britain again the following year (54 B.C., not 56, owing to the peculiar Roman method of counting), and having defeated the Ancient Britons by unfair means, such as battering-rams, tortoises, hippocausts, centipedes, axes and bundles, set the memorable Latin sentence, "Veni, Vidi, Vici," which the Romans, who were all very well educated, construed correctly.

 

The Britons, however, who of course still used the old pronunciation, understanding him to have called them "Weeny, Weedy and Weaky," lost heart and gave up the struggle, thinking that he had already divided them All into Three Parts.

 

(extra points to the first reply that explains the source of the quote above)

 

... and took the class to see the newly uncovered mosaic.

 

 

http://www.fototime.com/44DE1EC47DFF3A3/standard.jpg

I bought this pen several years ago. It's Sterling Silver, standard international cartridge/converter and has two nibs made by Bock, one stainless steel the other 18K White Gold with the Griffins from the Mosaic engraved surrounding a stylized nib. Both nibs are smooth with good feedback, very controllable and moderately wet.

 

 

http://www.fototime.com/E321D4546AF319C/standard.jpg

 

The guillochè engraving is a pattern called "mille righe" (a thousand lines).

 

 

 

http://www.fototime.com/6E9514DC90928C4/standard.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/053945C81276218/standard.jpg

 

It is fairly light for a Sterling Silver pen weighing in at 35.4gms as opposed to the Ferrari da Varese Yesterday that weighed 36.7gms.or the Savant at 42.9gms.

 

The Grifos is a snap cap and also securely snaps in place when posted. Balance is perfect. When capped its size is almost identical to the Savant, slightly longer than the Yesterday.

 

 

http://www.fototime.com/E7317DE9BA812D0/standard.jpg

 

 

When posted the length is right between those two.

 

 

http://www.fototime.com/F3D024E7CE9A644/standard.jpg

 

 

The nib though is very large, larger than either of those two pens...

 

 

http://www.fototime.com/40D58D454E532CD/standard.jpg

... and the section is the widest of the three as well.

 

 

What sets Grifos apart and in a class of its own in the value. Among Sterling Silver pens, Grifos has to be the best kept secret out there, with prices far below those of Yard-o-Led, Ferrari da Varese or Montegrappa.

 

 

If you are in the market for a Sterling Silver pen, I strongly recommend taking a serious look at the pens from Grifos..

Edited August 16, 2011 by jar

[Fountainpenlover]

Really enjoyed reading this review, as I have 4 different Grifos, all sterling silver, but all with different guilloche' patterns, one of which is in vermeil, 2 closing with spring caps, the other two screw-in caps. They also vary slightly as regards the band at the cap opening. All are hallmarked as sterling silver. They all write reasonably well and I am very happy with all of them. As you say in your review they are very well priced and the owner is very friendly and co-operative. They sell also directly on eBay. As you state they are slightly light in weight, but they are well constructed. They obviously do not weigh as much as my YOL Grand Viceroy which is my heaviest sterling silver pen, but they are comparable in weight to YOL's Viceroy slimmer and smaller sterling silver model, in fact the Grifos are very slightly heavier. The Grifos are not as thin as the slim smaller Viceroy though.

[hari317]

Interesting to note the larger nib on the Grifos. but how large is it, as compared to say, the nib on a M800 or a 146?

 

Thanks!

Hari

[chrevbel]

What sets Grifos apart and in a class of its own in the value. Among Sterling Silver pens, Grifos has to be the best kept secret out there...

My first Grifos was already on the way before you posted this review, but I remember thinking as I bought it "Wow, that looks like a very nice pen for that price. Wonder why I haven't heard of these before?" I can't wait to try it out. Thanks for the review.

[jar]

Interesting to note the larger nib on the Grifos. but how large is it, as compared to say, the nib on a M800 or a 146?

 

Thanks!

Hari

 

I'll try to get a picture of those three together for you.

 

Stay tuned.

 

AbE:

 

Okay, here is a comparison picture:

 

http://www.fototime.com/0390C2073E6D749/standard.jpg

From left to right: Pelikan M800, Grifos, Montblanc 146.

 

Nudder picture 146, Grifos, M800

 

http://www.fototime.com/DBE7A9FC2216C7D/standard.jpg

Sorry about the shadows there.

Edited August 15, 2011 by jar

[hari317]

Excellent comparison pictures, Thank you! So this Grifos sports a #6 nib, typically 35mm from tip to heel.

 

Regards,

Hari

[lovemy51]

ooh, my wife would love that espresso cup!!!

 

the pen is nice too!

[georges zaslavsky]

very nice and well made pen congrats and thanks for sharing

[ralfstc]

1066 and all that.

 

Doesn't get much better :-)

 

Ralf

[jar]

1066 and all that.

 

Doesn't get much better :-)

 

Ralf

 

Yay Ralf! Right on.