Thinking About Buying An Edison Pen

[trhall]

I also enjoy my Pelikan M205/M405 sized pens, as well as Pilot VPs, and several other pens too numerous to list. I also own/owned 10 Edison pens, all Signature Line / Custom, including: Huron, Pearl, Pearlette, Beaumont, Beaumont Pneumatic, Menlo Pump Filler, and my recent Double Ended Pearl.

 

Based on the size pens you like, I would suggest either the Edison Beaumont, Pearlette, or Menlo sizes. The diameter and length both are about right. Also, both can be used posted or un posted, depending on your preference. Brian has videos on his blog from the launch of each that show the size in his hand. I recommend watching those videos. The Beaumont and Menlo use #6 nibs; the Pearlette the #5. Do you like wetter/drier/bigger/smaller nibs? I suggest contacting Brian about your preferences and he can help you find the right model for you.

 

For all of my Signature Line / Custom pens, I only had one that had an issue with hard starts, and then only after two days of no use. Emailed Brian, he looked at it and fixed it, and no issues since. I love Edison pens just as much as my Pelikans (some of my Pelikans had to be sent to a nibmeiester to be worked on).

 

What I like, which you mention in your original post, is that you know you have a true custom piece. With Edison pens, you are not just buying the pen, but the service and skills of Brian Gray. And his service, pre and post-sale are top notch in my opinion. Any concerns I have had, as well as fixing issues that were caused by me, have been fixed by Brian. I couldn't be more satisfied, personally.

 

So while I have no experience with Brian's Production Line pens (my Beaumonts and Pearlettes were custom), I can vouch for his signature line work. I suggest contacting him to see if he thinks a particular pen would be a good fit for you. Brian won't pressure you into buying anything. My first interactions with him were anything but a sales pitch. He wanted to be sure it was making an informed /educated choice.

 

Just one person's very satisfied experience.

[cadfael_tex]

I'm leaning towards the Hudson but the gold nib recommendation puts it out of my price range right now.

 

Tim, just a note, your pen pictures are good; they show off the pens better than Richard's site. The ruby looks really spectacular.

 

Funny how this discussion has effected me; I hadn't been thinking of a Sailor seriously right now but after this thread it's moved up on the list. Chase the nib right

Edited September 28, 2013 by cadfael_tex

[risingsun]

It's easy to add a gold nib later if you really want it (another advantage of the Edison - the replacement nib units just screw in and out like an Esterbrook or a Pelikan)... Get a properly tuned Edison with a steel nib and be happy. Unless you want some sort of flex modification, there is really very little need to have a gold JoWo nib in your Edison. And if you still are interested in supporting the artisan, Sailor is a long way from that... Heck, Sailor even pulled all their inks from the Goulet Pen Co. when the Goulets wouldn't carry their whole line of pens/inks.

[PatientType]

Pakmanpony I am covetous of your pen show find. I wanted one of those Edison limited edition pens. I read Brian Bray's reports and saw the photos as the pens were being created. Several times I mentally calculated the cost & tried to justify the expense but, each time, I came to my senses before sending in the order. Should I ever see one for sale for a used price I expect my resistance would crumble. Congratulations on your acquisition!

Edited September 28, 2013 by PatientType

[cadfael_tex]

What sailor did to Brian Goulet was one of the Easton's they were down on the list. Good to know about the nib units; I suspected but wasn't sure.

[trhall]

I'm leaning towards the Hudson but the gold nib recommendation puts it out of my price range right now.

 

Funny how this discussion has effected me; I hadn't been thinking of a Sailor seriously right now but after this thread it's moved up on the list. Chase the nib right

 

Realize that not all Sailors write perfectly out of the box. There are numerous posts here about quality control issues with Sailor. Seem to be the worst out of the "Big Three" Japanese pen companies. Something to keep in mind; may make sense to buy from a reputable vendor who is known to adjust nibs before they go out the door.

 

As @risingsun states, you can always upgrade to a gold nib later with your Edison. Check out the article Brian Gray wrote entitled In Praise of Steel Nibs. Just a thought.

[KrazyIvan]

KrazyIvan, those are exquisite!

 

Thank you very much.

 

Brian did a video with FPGeeks a while back. I remember him saying that the production line pens are visually inspected for tine alignment but not write tested. The signature line is write tested. I am not sure if he write tests the LE pens but no issues with either of them.

[Anne S. Gray]

I had about settled down to a comfortable selection of a couple of pens for everyday use - Pelikan 2XX and maybe 4XX and Pilot VP's. They are comfortable to me and I like the fact they have interchangeable nibs.

 

Now a tiny bit of background if you'll bear with me. I've been influenced by a woodworking book I have - Christopher Schwarz' The Anarchist Tool Chest. A very simplified takeaway is supporting an Artisan economy.* When I thought about applying that to fountain pens, Brian Gray (along with a handful of others) seems to come the closest to that ideal.

 

So when it comes time to get my next pen, I'm really thinking about getting an Edison. Not sure which model.

 

So what's the point of this post? One to spread the reasoning behind my crazy aesthetic anarchist idea. Two, to get a little nudge to do it

 

 

 

 

* I know who makes my chisels (Dave Jeske of Blue Spruce), my back saws (Mike Harrell of Bad Axe), and so on.

 

I have two Edison pens. I love them!

[cadfael_tex]

Just ordered a Copper Flake Herald with a fine steel nib.

[risingsun]

Congratulations! As you can imagine, we are all looking forward to hearing about how you like it.