Italix pens from UK?

[Lexaf]

:meow:

Hi all,

 

Searching for pens to update the 'Pen Brands World Wide List' I stumbled on this site: http://www.mrpen.co.uk

The pens they sell look very interesting. Mid price, nice specifications and a enthousiastic review, see: http://oliverkamm.typepad.com/blog/2006/11/on_pens.html

My question: Is there anyone here on FPN who has experience with these pens and this firm,

and: are these pens really 'made in UK' or elsewhere (far east....? :ph34r: )

 

See data as I entered in the 'grand list' (under construction) below and a picture from their site.

 

Regards, Lex

 

 

Quote from the database

TRADE MARK Italix

SUB BRAND OF  P. J. Ford & Associates Ltd

MODEL  Pocketo

COUNTRY  UK

PROD. YEAR  Current

FILL. SYST.  CO?

CONTRIB  LE

MUTECODE  NEW

MUTEDAT  2007-02-03

OWNER  

REF  http://www.mrpen.co.uk/index.html?lang=en-uk&target=d40.html

FINISH  

DESCRIPT  

REMARK  P. J. Ford & Associates Ltd was established in 1989 as a marketing consultancy to the international office products industry.

Over the years the business has evolved into a mail order business and now trades from five main websites:

www.mrpen.co.uk is their largest site and sells quality writing instruments.

Model names:

Pocketo

Original

Teachers Long Pen (one nib on each side!)

PA

Doctor's

 

Edited to correct wrong HTML codes

Edited February 3, 2007 by Lexaf

[KCat]

I'm of no help unfortunately.

 

The Pocketo looks interesting. The "original" looks cheap and painful to use. (textured section)

[Col]

Interesting site, which I hadn't come across before - thanks. I know nothing about these pens, but from reading the descriptions it appears that they are made in the UK, from UK, German and Far Eastern components.

 

They seem to do a good range of nib sizes, including a 'quad broad'. That'll be if you want to do a spot of decorating, I expect.

 

---

Col

[goodyear]

I actually bought one of them for my mother's birthday a couple of years ago - it was a gamble that they'd be better than the italics she was using for lettering her greetings cards. At that point the Original was the only option.

 

The barrel is heavy (brass I think), fit and finish respectable but not flawless. The nibs are okay - with looking after flow is even and consistent, and the big attraction is the easy and cheap availability of a wide range. It was definitely a better option than what she was using.

 

To be honest I was a little bit disappointed with it for the money, but in practical terms (for my mother's cards) they were the best option I could find at the time. Even now with what I have discovered and learned of since, to build the same range for her would be either a much more complicated and/or mor expensive proposition. Maybe some day I'll buy her a Pel and a full range of various italics ground by Richard

 

Now, the other side is that the service from Mr Pen has been impeccable in my experience. The proprietor (Peter, iirc) is a gentleman who is always willing to spend considerable time on the phone discussing options, and was finding me various Cross nib sections long before he listed them on his website.

[pjford]

I originated Italix to sell from my website mrpen.co.uk when Sheaffer stopped making italic pens. Up until then the Sheaffer Prelude italic was by far the best writer in the low price ranges. The Italix original is lathed from acrylic rods and has a full brass liner with brass threads on its screw cap. Its a good weighty pen and is hand made for us in Crewe England. The nibs come from Leonardt. The Italix Pocketo is a machine made conventional pen that also takes the Italix nibs sections.

 

We also have produced some specific pens such as the double ended 'Italix Teachers Pen' and the 'Italix PA' which is a fountain pen that can hand around the neck. We will be adding to the range from time to time.

 

It is still my concern that italic nib options are increasingly rare. We now rely on Parker and Waterman to supply quality italic options.

 

The MrPen website

[pjford]

Since writing the above response we have invested heavily in producing italic pens. Mainly we have achived this by regrinding nibs. We are determined to offer an italic option wherever it is possible to do so.

[Lexaf]

Thank you so much for this very useful information.

Regards, Lexaf

Since writing the above response we have invested heavily in producing italic pens. Mainly we have achived this by regrinding nibs. We are determined to offer an italic option wherever it is possible to do so.

 

[deckle]

I recently purchased a Parson's Essential (medium italic nib) from Italix and am very pleased. The nib writes very smoothly and is quite responsive - a real step up from some of the rather scratchy calligraphy pens (e.g. Rotring Art Pen) that I have tried in my pursuit for a moderately priced Italic nib pen. Ink flow is excellent and does not need to be coaxed into action as with some other pens in this price range that I've owned. The pen has a good weight to it and a substantial feel in the hand. It's been deliciously flamboyant to test drive it with a bottle of Diamine imperial purple ink! Both pen (with free engraving) and ink arrived within a day of ordering, as promised, and were well packed.

[Tumbleweedtoo]

Recently I ordered the Red Italix, and received it within 7 days from England to the USA. Very pleased. Yesterday, I ordered the Parsons Italix following a review here on FPN. I did order 3 initials to be engraved on the pen, and I look forward to receiving it! I can certainly recommend the customer service and the quality of the pen I received.

 

All the Best,

T

[Lorna Reed]

I recently posted a review of the Italix Parsons Essential Pen, with photos. You can find it either in 'pen reviews', or by googling Italix Parsons Essential Pen. I posted the review simply because I think it is an outstanding pen for the money, with excellant service from Mr.Pen and I thought more people should know about it.

[robofkent]

I recently posted a review of the Italix Parsons Essential Pen, with photos. You can find it either in 'pen reviews', or by googling Italix Parsons Essential Pen. I posted the review simply because I think it is an outstanding pen for the money, with excellant service from Mr.Pen and I thought more people should know about it.

 

Agreed. Own one with another on the way!

[georges zaslavsky]

looks like a nice pen

[jonwat]

I bought an "Italix Red" from Mr Pen a couple of years ago. Delivery time and customer service were good, and the pen was a great writer. I had a regular medium nib on mine, so I can't comment on their italic nib options. My only gripe was that the "Red" barrel turned out to me more of a "Barbie Pink". I eventually gave the pen to my niece who loves it.

 

Sometimes I regret giving the pen away. I got it on sale and paid only £20 for a £50 pen (actually with VAT and postage it was a £69 pen for £23). It felt more like a "quality" pen than the other pens in my collection.

[Mr Ink]

I recently purchased an Italix Parson's Essential fountain pen via internet from "Mr Pen" and everything about this experience was superb.

 

First of all, I emailed Mr Ford at the company to ask a few technical questions about the choice of nibs. I sent my message on a Sunday afternoon, expecting to receive a reply when they reopened for business the following day. I was greatly surprised when I received a reply about 1 hour later (yes, on a Sunday!). The pen arrived here in Malta within 3 days of my order (parcels usually take between 5 - 7 days from UK to Malta). The pen must have been dispatched in record time - I couldn't believe it!

 

I ordered two nibs for my pen: a medium nib and a broad italic. Both nibs were excellent, smooth and wrote perfectly well from the get-go. I did not have to play around flushing the pen with soapy water, etc. The medium nib was perfectly suited for my hand, but the broad italic was a little too wide for my personal needs. I immediately realized I had made a mistake in this choice and sheepishly emailed Mr Ford to ask whether I could exchange it for a medium italic. Again, I got an immediate reply: he very kindly accepted. That's not all: I received the new nib within 7 days of my sending him the first one. He also insisted not to charge me for the postage and packing costs he incurred on my behalf (even though I was the one to make the mistake in choosing the broad italic nib).

 

The pen is exceedingly well made. Although it is not expensive, its quality and elegance really shine through. You'd have to hold it in your hands to believe me. The ink flow is spot on and the writing experience is really wonderful. One last thing: the converter. I have come across many converters that suffer from surface tension problems that leave the ink "hanging" at the top while the feed becomes starved of ink. Not so with the converter in this pen. Its as if the inside of the converter has been coated with something that prevents the surface tension problem. I'm not sure whether this is actually what has been done, but that's the impression I got.

 

So in summary: I got a fabulous pen with a choice of two really excellent nibs at a fraction of the cost of so many other pens of similarly high quality. Most of all, it was really a pleasure dealing with Mr Ford: he is a very kind gentleman of the old school. The impression he gave me is that he is not merely selling pens, he is ready to provide wonderful service to a fountain pen enthusiast like myself.

 

Well done, Sir, and many, many thanks.

Edited April 16, 2012 by Mr Ink

[somnath1077]

I recently posted a review of the Italix Parsons Essential Pen, with photos. You can find it either in 'pen reviews', or by googling Italix Parsons Essential Pen. I posted the review simply because I think it is an outstanding pen for the money, with excellant service from Mr.Pen and I thought more people should know about it.

 

Here's the link.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/197729-italix-parsons-essential-fountain-pen/

 

I purchased an Italix myself and I find it an excellent pen under EUR 50.

[RoriRants]

Since writing the above response we have invested heavily in producing italic pens. Mainly we have achived this by regrinding nibs. We are determined to offer an italic option wherever it is possible to do so.

 

 

Thank you!

[bbbiswas]

Since writing the above response we have invested heavily in producing italic pens. Mainly we have achived this by regrinding nibs. We are determined to offer an italic option wherever it is possible to do so.

 

I have one of your italic nib pens that has a steel nib, originally M nib before you made it to IB.

 

I would like you to also make and market italic pens with gold nibs having iridium tips

[jkingrph]

I ordered one of the Parsons Essential pens with the med italic nib last spring from Mr. Ford. It took 8-10 days to arrive here in Texas.

 

It has a nice heft, good finish, the "running key patter" band one the cap looks rather elegant. Best thing is the way it writes, very smooth.

 

I think for the price you cannot go wrong.

[82Greg]

I ordered one of the Parsons Essential pens with the med italic nib last spring from Mr. Ford. It took 8-10 days to arrive here in Texas.

 

It has a nice heft, good finish, the "running key patter" band one the cap looks rather elegant. Best thing is the way it writes, very smooth.

 

I think for the price you cannot go wrong.

 

+1, only difference was that mine was delivered to WA and the credit card was rejected because the card company is paranoid. That is a good thing, unless you try to order pens from overseas vendors.

 

SBRE Brown posted a review on YouTube

. The Parson's Essential is 39GBP and the new Churchman's Prescriptor is 49GBP.

[KrazyIvan]

My review of the Italix Parson's Essential, hand written -> http://inktronics.posterous.com/158617409

Edited October 29, 2012 by KrazyIvan