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Bexley Submariner


jonro

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http://www.s162256685.onlinehome.us/FPN/Submariner_Closed.jpg

 

First Impression

Ever since I bought my first Bexley a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been hooked. When I saw this Submariner show up in the Marketplace at a good price, I had to have it.

 

Appearance

Lustrous acrylic with some transparency in spots. It’s very nice pattern, which has some depth to it. The furniture is gold plated. There is a wide ring at the base of the cap and the angular clip has Bexley’s signature clip ball. There is also a black band above the clip. The finish is almost perfect, but the clip is not perfectly flush with the cap.

 

Design

Traditional, medium-sized pen, tapered at both ends. That’s probably where it got its name. It’s very close in size to a Levenger True Writer, but more tapered. I find Bexley pens very comfortable to write with. It may be because they have long nibs that are in excellent proportion compared to the length of the pen. Whatever it is, I find them particularly easy to control.

 

Nib

It has a two-tone, 18K gold nib, with nice details. It’s a fine nib, but runs to the medium side of fine. Oh, Bexley, you taunt me with your creamy smooth wide fine nibs. Please start offering extra fine nibs. One thing that I particularly like about Bexley nibs is that they give a little feedback when you write, sort of like "road feel" in a sports car.

 

Filling System

Cartridge/Converter and not a particularly big one, compared to the bigger Bexleys, but comparable to other pens its size. I’m filling my converters with a syringe now. Less mess and more precise.

 

Cost and Value

The MSRP of the Submariner is $269 and I feel that is a bit pricey for this pen. Then again, the performance is outstanding. I bought it slightly used from a fellow FPNer for considerably less than that and I’m very pleased with this purchase.

 

http://www.s162256685.onlinehome.us/FPN/Submariner_Crossed.jpg

 

http://www.s162256685.onlinehome.us/FPN/Submariner_Nib.jpg

 

http://www.s162256685.onlinehome.us/FPN/Submariner_Open.jpg

Edited by jonro
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When you say the converter is not particularly big, can you give a comparison? Like a VP, not very big?

 

Enjoy!

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Great photographs, great review. Thanks for taking the time. This is one of those pens whose design makes me want to eat it. drool.gif mmmMMMmmm delicious orange creamy dream pop pen... drool.gif

happiness isn't caused

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Thanks for the great review and pics, jonro. I bought a Bexley "Celebration" (my first 18K nibbed-Bexley) in January and I am having a lot of fun writing with it, too. I bought it from Richard Binder so I don't know how it worked OOTB (out of the box) as Richard tests and adjusts (if needed) the new pens he sells (unless requested otherwise). The nib on mine was *very* smooth and the flow was perfect.

Congrats on your acquisition! smile.gif

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Just picked this one up off eBay:

 

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j95/glenn-sc/BexleySubmarinerBlueDemoPrototype-S.jpg

 

18kt Fine nib.

 

This pen is THE BEST writing Bexley I own, and one of the best writers of all the pens I have.

 

- writes as soon as it touches paper

- smooth nib with just enough tooth to feel the paper

- perfect ink flow, wet and consistant with no variation on the flow rate and no gushing

- on the Medium side of Fine

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QUOTE (Freeloader @ Mar 15 2007, 02:03 PM)
When you say the converter is not particularly big, can you give a comparison? Like a VP, not very big?

Enjoy!

I could have been more descriptive there. It's definitely bigger than a VP converter. More than anything, I was comparing it to the bigger Bexleys. The converter is probably equivalent to other pens of its size, like the Levenger True Writers.

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Quite a nice pen reminding me pens of the 30's

Edited by georges zaslavsky

Pens are like watches , once you start a collection, you can hardly go back. And pens like all fine luxury items do improve with time

 

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QUOTE (jonro @ Mar 14 2007, 09:03 PM)
...I find Bexley pens very comfortable to write with. It may be because they have long nibs that are in excellent proportion compared to the length of the pen. Whatever it is, I find them particularly easy to control.

I'm starting to wonder if Bexley's longer sections (with very gradual taper), combined with the long nibs, give the user more positioning options. As a result, they are more comfortable to use by a wide variety of hand sizes and writing styles.

 

Bill

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Bill, that's a good point. My Sheherazade is very comfortable to hold and write with. I had hesitated to buy it because of the flare in that particular design, but it's a dream to write with. This pen was bought from Richard Binder and, like Maja's, it was perfect from the beginning.

 

Another thing is that I've noticed that the comfort of a section of any given pen is more important to me than its length or girth, or weight (with some exceptions).

 

(I qualified the weight issue only because my hand will tire more quickly if the pen is heavy.)

 

jonro, I remember seeing that pen and coming sooo close to sending a pm on it. It's gorgeous and looks to be very comfortable. I hesitated because I really prefer M nibs. Congrats on a great pen!

 

 

"He was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad." - Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini

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QUOTE (Tricia @ Mar 15 2007, 02:32 PM)
...My Sheherazade...I had hesitated to buy it because of the flare in that particular design...

I liked the idea of a piston filler but held off the Sheherazade because of the flared barrel. A few months ago I found a new gray one cheaper than used prices and couldn't pass it up.

 

It turns out that the flare has absolutely no impact on my grip. Tricia, "comfortable" is a good word for how it feels. I commented recently in another thread that I was increasingly reaching for Bexleys when I actually wanted to write a bit.

 

Most of my favorite writers, from Bexleys to "51s" don't force your fingers to be in one place.

 

Then, I noticed that one of my favorite Bexleys is never used enough to bother keeping it inked. That is the 2006 Owners Club. Guess what? It has a short section!

 

BTW, the ability to see the ink level is an added bonus on the Sheherazade.

 

Bill

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Hmmm. I just looked through the pen cabinet and found another Bexley I rarely use. A Celebration. Short section, too.

 

Maybe we're on to something.

 

Bill

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QUOTE (Bill @ Mar 16 2007, 10:52 AM)
Hmmm. I just looked through the pen cabinet and found another Bexley I rarely use. A Celebration. Short section, too.

Maybe we're on to something.

Bill

My other Bexley is a Celebration (in Snowflake) and it's very comfortable for me to hold. I like it so much, I wouldn't mind adding another one to my collection. Personally, I feel it has more to do with the long nib than the size of the section. However, I'm a lefty overwriter and what is comfortable for me may not be the best pen for you, and vice-versa.

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I have a Bexley Submariner which is apparently identical to the one reviewed by Jonro. I also purchased it because of being able to get it for a good price.

 

I didn't think I would like an orange-y colored pen however it has become one of my favorites. Well made, superb writer.

 

I hadn't thought of the writing characteristics in the way Jonro described them: "road feel" but after thinking about it, that's a good description.

 

Thanks for an interesting, well written, and informative review.

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