Review: Nussbaum Jon Ross

[TheGreatRoe]

Nussbaum Jon Ross - Overall: 6.2/10
Pictures at the end of the review (sorry for the bad quality. I'm moving this week, and my camera--and lamps--are in boxes).

 

I purchased this new from isellpens.com--$45 plus shipping. My reasons were: 1) It’s the first white-based pen I’ve seen that I liked, 2) I’ve not tried anything from the Nussbaum line.

 

Appearance: 7/10
The pen looks nice, although nothing remarkable. The lines are pleasant enough, except for the clip and cap top, which just look plain and out of place. The company’s name engraved on the cap band is particularly nice. This version is billed as ivory/blue. To my eyes the ivory looks more like the white-green color of glow-in-the-dark plastic. But the blue ribbon is beautiful.

 

Extras: The page for this pen talks about not wanting to waste materials on a box, that you’ll just throw away, so it comes with a leather single-pen sleeve, and a generic brown box that has been used before. I don’t consider this reduction and reuse of materials a negative—rather, the reverse. However, I would have preferred if the box used had been 0.5-1.0” longer, as the pen sleeve had to have its ends crimped to fit. The pen sleeve is now resting under the edge of my bookcase so it will lie flat.

 

Construction: 7/10
The pen body, and “two resins” used to make this pen are solid, but unremarkable. It feels good in the hand, and the size is well described as a small-full-sized pen, or a large small-sized pen. But the clip doesn’t do it for me. When I first got my pen the cap was bent to one side. I was able to move it back to the center and realized that the clip is riveted to the metal bridge that goes into the cap. And this bridge is flimsy enough, that you can warp it from one side to the other. While I don’t think this is damaging the clip or the bridge, I get the feeling that this clip could get broken off more easily than most.

Filling: 6/10
It’s a cartridge converter, so nothing spectacular, but the converter has a nice capacity. The threads are right down to the end of the section so it’s easy to get ink into the threads, and hard to get it out with just a paper towel..

Nib: 5/10
The nib is of average quality. It’s stamped Iridium Point Germany M. Mine is smooth-ish, most of the time, but level strokes from left to right are scratchy to very scratchy (a quick L to R line will even dig fibers out of the paper). I’d be upset with the nib, except that, since it only comes in M, I had already decided that I’d be buying an aftermarket #5 nib and replacing it.

 

Test Drive: 6/10
The pen feels nice, but the nib brings this way down. Some skips, not smooth enough.

Overall: 6.2/10
This pens biggest flaw can be remedied by purchasing a better nib, but then there are hundreds of other pens you can say that about. I’m happy, with it, in that I didn’t have unrealistic expectations for a pen under $50.

 

Writing Sample:

http://www.dcroe.com/images/pens/rev_nuss_01.jpg

 

Size Comparison

L -> R: Pelikan M215, Nussbaum Jon Ross, Visconti Van Gogh, Delta Scrigno

http://www.dcroe.com/images/pens/sizes_01.jpg

 

Same Pens, different perspective

http://www.dcroe.com/images/pens/sizes_022.jpg

Edited July 24, 2013 by dcroe05

[mhosea]

I'd have to see the nib to be sure there isn't some other problem, but from your description it is likely that the tines of this nib are unbalanced. That's the first one here https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/187706-five-bad-things-that-happen-with-new-pens/ ). This is not usually a quality-of-parts issue unless there is a disparity in size between the two sides. More likely it indicates a missing manufacturing step of (expert) hand-tuning of the nib. It's possible that replacing the nib will just solve the problem, but when setting a new nib, the tines are not always perfectly balanced automatically. Often enough a minor adjustment is needed, anyway, at least by my reckoning (I'm very picky). I normally don't even try an IPG-type nib without first tuning it, they're so frequently in need of some adjustment. If you've never adjusted a nib before, I should think this nib here, one you're planning to replace anyway, would be a good opportunity to try your hand. Just don't whip out the hardware store sandpaper on it.

[da vinci]

Great review thanks - i had not heard of this pen make before now.

[TheGreatRoe]

I'd have to see the nib to be sure there isn't some other problem, but from your description it is likely that the tines of this nib are unbalanced. That's the first one here https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/187706-five-bad-things-that-happen-with-new-pens/ ). This is not usually a quality-of-parts issue unless there is a disparity in size between the two sides. More likely it indicates a missing manufacturing step of (expert) hand-tuning of the nib. It's possible that replacing the nib will just solve the problem, but when setting a new nib, the tines are not always perfectly balanced automatically. Often enough a minor adjustment is needed, anyway, at least by my reckoning (I'm very picky). I normally don't even try an IPG-type nib without first tuning it, they're so frequently in need of some adjustment. If you've never adjusted a nib before, I should think this nib here, one you're planning to replace anyway, would be a good opportunity to try your hand. Just don't whip out the hardware store sandpaper on it.

 

1. I looked at the nib through a loupe and I didn't see any misalignment. Now, since I'm just learning how to diagnose, and have only tried tuning twice (and both were a simple burr/rough spot), I easily could have missed something.

 

2. And I agree that this nib will be a learning nib, since I always assumed I'd have to replace it. Once I move, have unpacked, can find my pen stuff, and have cleared a workspace I'll likely do just that.

Edited July 23, 2013 by dcroe05

[rwilsonedn]

Really attractive and unusual design for a modern pen. Thanks for the great review.

ron

[TheGreatRoe]

Amendment to Original Review

 

Overall: Original Score 6.2/10 – New Score 7.0/10

When I first got the pen, the clip was crooked. I thought I had been able to bend it back, but every time I tried it would slowly resume its original position. So I sent the pen back for an exchange. When the pen came back it included 4 ink samples (while I won’t include that in the review, it’s still nice, and worth noting).

 

However, the pen I got back was better than the original. So, while I’m going to leave that review as written, I will slightly amend my review to reflect the new pen.

 

Appearance: Original Score 7/10 – New Score 7/10
No change

 

Construction: Original Score 7/10 – New Score 7.5/10
This reflects the new pen’s clip. It seems a bit sturdier than the first one. Maybe that one was just a bad clip?

 

Filling: Original Score 6/10 – New Score 6/10
No change

Nib: Original Score 5/10 – New Score 7/10
This nib is significantly better than the first one. No scratchiness to speak of and able to keep flowing even with quick stokes. I have no way of knowing which is more representative of what normally comes with the pen. No matter how good it is, it’s still an M (no other options with this pen), which is a little bold for my everyday use. I’ve purchased a Newton F nib to use in this pen, and might get around to swapping them out this weekend.

Test Drive: Original Score 6/10 – New Score 7.5/10
The bad nib in the original really hurt the test drive. So the better nib helped quite a bit.

Overall: Original Score 6.2/10 – New Score 7.0/10
I’ll still say that this is a good, not a great pen. But for under $50, that's not a bad thing. And with this replacement I’m left much happier with my purchase.

Edited August 2, 2013 by dcroe05

[penrivers]

I am perfectly blindly sure that Todd in Isell will inmediatly change the nib of your first test if you ask him.

[penrivers]

I am perfectly blindly sure that Todd in Isell will inmediatly change the nib of your first test if you ask him.

Sorry, I read it again, you already did it, any way Mr Nussbaum is a remarkable fine gentleman. A satisfied customer. Greetings from Mexico.

[TheGreatRoe]

Today I swapped out the IPG nib for a F from Newton Pens. It's quite a difference. Part of that, I'm sure, is just preference for either F or a stub--generally M just isn't my thing. But part of it is just that the Newton is a better nib than the generic German nib that comes with the pen.

 

And a bit of serendipity: With the Newton nibs engraved with "NP" and the pen being a Nussbaum...it blends nicely.