Italix English Curate - A Review

[Lorna Reed]

This pen was kindly supplied to me by Mr. Peter Ford of mr.pen.co.uk to try out, and is the latest in the excellent range of Italix fountain pens.

 

First Impressions

The pen comes in the usual Italix black box with gold accents, a white lining and "Mr. Pen" printed inside the lid.

I received the Candy version which certainly has the wow factor when you open the box. It is a really vibrant shiny red with swirls of white.

It is also available in a more subtle blue or sable marbled effect, with more colours due out later.

According to Mr. Ford's video, this pen was brought out by a different maker a few years ago, but when manufacture was moved to Taiwan the quality changed and the pen wasn't a success. Now it is being produced again in the UK.

 

Appearance and Design.

This pen is attractive looking and of a modern design. The flat cap has a chrome top which is plain, with no writing or logo. the clip is a fairly standard tapering shape with a ball end. It is VERY stiff. I couldn't even clip it to a cotton shirt pocket. It is good to have a fairly tight clip, but not so tight that you can't actually use it. I have eased mine, using jewellery pliers but it's something you do at your own risk!

The words 'Italix English Curate' are engraved very subtly on the side of the barrel, and do not detract from its appearance. There is a silver removable sticker with the Italix logo on the barrel.

The pen is made of an acrylic material which is opaque. It has a wide chrome cap band which screws onto the metal section. The screw action is very smooth. It is designed to be posted as the barrel has a stepped shape provided for this. The cap posts very smoothly and securely. It feels nicely balanced in the hand.

 

This is the first pen I have used with a metal section, which is smooth and shiny, and I find my fingers slip on it. I know that some very expensive pens have metal sections, so they must be well liked, perhaps they are just not for me.

The pen seems to be very well engineered throughout and I applaud the fact that it is entirely made in the UK.

 

The nib and writing experience.

The nib is two-tone with the usual scroll pattern but no makers' name. I would have liked to see the Italix logo engraved on the nib.

For my taste I would have preferred not to have the gold plating as there is no gold on the pen, and it clashes somewhat with the chrome fittings.

I received a 1.1 nib, which is my normal choice. After flushing, I inked it with Diamine Classic Red. The pen wrote immediately the nib touched the paper and has continued to do so without any skipping or hard starting. As a test I left it uncapped for several minutes and it restarted straight away.

At first I felt the nib didn't have quite the super-smooth feel straight out of the box that I have come to expect from Italix pens, and I think this is because I am used to, and prefer the nibs that Mr. Ford grinds himself from a medium nib.

 

I have used it on a number of different papers including ink jet copier paper, and Tomoe River paper, and it performs very well on all. The ink flow is good but not too wet. There is an impressive choice of seventeen different nibs available, including an 18K at extra cost.

 

Filling system

The pen comes with the usual Schmidt converter and one euro cartridge and if you like c/c pens you'll be perfectly happy with this.

 

Price and value.

The pen is £66.66 ex vat £79.99 incl. vat.

Although this is one of the more expensive Italix pens I think it is a fair price for a very sturdy, well-engineered British made pen.

 

Conclusion.

For the most part I really like this pen. I love the Candy version I was given. It's not a particularly heavy pen but has a nice substantial feel in the hand.

For me there are a few small niggles - the metal section that slips between my fingers, the gold tone nib, and the extremely tight clip.

I have been using the pen on a daily basis at work and at home and although I think the Parsons Essential will always be my favourite Italix pen as it suits my hand perfectly, I would have no hesitation in recommending the English Curate, as a worthy successor.

I was lucky enough to be given the pen to try out, but had I paid the full retail price, I would be very happy with the purchase, and would give it an overall score of 8/10.

If anyone else has this pen I would be very interested in their views and opinions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 9, 2015 by Lorna Reed

[sannidh]

Thank you Lorna for this great & detailed review I was really looking forward to someone reviewing the same (which you did with unbiased comments about the section & clip), having watched Mr. Ford's video. Honestly for me, the price of $ 100 + is a big dampener, else I would have loved to try its 'engineering' design. At this range I would rather buy another pilot CH92 or something else.

Edited October 10, 2015 by soniknitr

[brunico]

The Mr Pen website claims that the recommended retail price is £149 (about $230) which is, frankly, baffling.

[Lorna Reed]

The Mr Pen website claims that the recommended retail price is £149 (about $230) which is, frankly, baffling.

I'm not sure why Mr. Ford puts a recommended retail price of £149 either, but the actual price is £79.99 with VAT.

Perhaps Mr. Ford can explain about the RRP.

[Jamerelbe]

Hi Lorna, a very thorough review! I take your point re the gold-plated nib - it looks a bit out of place with all the chrome 'furniture'! Other than that, it's an attractive pen. Do you know if Peter Ford sells it with other nibs, including his custom ground nibs?

[Lorna Reed]

Hi Lorna, a very thorough review! I take your point re the gold-plated nib - it looks a bit out of place with all the chrome 'furniture'! Other than that, it's an attractive pen. Do you know if Peter Ford sells it with other nibs, including his custom ground nibs?

Hi Jamerelbe. According to Peter Fords website and youtube video, unlike the other Italix pens,the nib comes with tipping as standard, but you can request his custom ground nibs for it. I prefer the nibs which he grinds from medium nibs - they just seem to be extra smooth.

[bobje]

Very helpful photographs of the interior of the barrel and cap, Lorna, and the way the metal threads are integrated with the resin. Also, the nib performance on multiple paper types. Nice review.

[rwilsonedn]

To my eye, this is a really striking pen, on the border of flashy. And so I don't understand the name. Knowing almost nothing about English clergy, I think of a curate as busy, self-effacing, and living in a small country parish on very little income. I just can't make this pen fit the image. In comparison, the Parson's Essential looked just as I would have imagined a parson's pen would look: understated, but of obvious quality.

ron

[bobje]

In the case of this pen, doesn't "Curate" first refer to the fact that the instrument is curated from various manufacturers throughout England, and then have a double meaning as a church title?

[Lorna Reed]

To my eye, this is a really striking pen, on the border of flashy. And so I don't understand the name. Knowing almost nothing about English clergy, I think of a curate as busy, self-effacing, and living in a small country parish on very little income. I just can't make this pen fit the image. In comparison, the Parson's Essential looked just as I would have imagined a parson's pen would look: understated, but of obvious quality.

ron

The definition of a curate is 'one who has the cure of souls'. In practical terms curates usually assist the priest or vicar of a parish for a period of time, whilst continuing their training, and then go on to be ordained priests themselves. I know several working in inner city parishes. There are very few small country parishes lucky enough to have a curate these days.

I have no idea why Peter Ford names his pens after clergy. Perhaps he would explain it to us sometime.

I agree with you that the 'Candy' version of this pen is somewhat flashy, but the other two colours at present available are much more subtle.

[pjford]

Let me try and answer a few of the questions. The use of the RRP price is purley for businesses who wish to buy for reselling. We sell on Amazon and Massdrop in the USA is about to sell it. Mostly these companies sell at the same price as we sell on the MrPen website, but as we cannot offer much in the way of trade discounts, it allows them a margin. However we do not encourage reselling, our pens were created to sell direct with the cost benefits going to the individual buyer.

 

The use of the word 'Curate' is purely expedient as we already have the ecclesiastical theme well established. It is in the word 'English' where the importance lies. This is an English made fountain pen, not a kit pen but the real thing and fills the gap left by Conway Stewart, but a lot less expensive.

 

The bright barrel pattern has caught us by surprise too. We thought we would have one which was bright and cheerful. It has outsold all the other colours combined. We will introduce several more designs on the same theme early in the new year or before if we can get the production space.

 

Hope this helps

[mehandiratta]

Wonderful review of eye candy pen... However slippery metal grip section doesn't go down well with me...

[Forsooth]

Thanks for the nice review. Although not shown, the barrel of the pen has some very pronounced steps, which always seem to give me problems when writing.

[Scribble Monboddo]

Three of us at United Inkdom have put the English Curate to the test, and it comes out well. You can see our meta-review for a good introduction, and there are links to all the individual reviews there of course - but more importantly, there's also a give-away of the pen we reviewed!

[pjford]

We have added two more colours to the English Curate, Red Twirl and Blue Twirl.

[irondome]

I love italix pen. I have a churchman prescriptor and 3 parsons essential. Mr. Ford really does a wonderful job on those nibs. Its one of the smoothest writer in my collection. However its not my daily writer because of the weight. Had it been lighter, it would be my perfect pen.