Levenger Aero-D Carbon Fountain Pen Review

[dragon666]

Hi Everyone, I just received this pen and thought I might post a review due to the paucity of reviews for this lovely pen, in the wide world.

 

Subject: Levenger Aero-D Carbon Fountain Pen

 

Manufacturer: Levenger, Florida USA (since 1990)

 

Price: $75.99 USD (shipped to Australia) from Massdrop

 

Build: (specifications from Levenger)

Precision-crafted of solid brass

Carbon fiber barrel encased in clear resin lacquer

Strategically placed titanium accents help prevent shattering if dropped

Tapered spring clip in gunmetal

Threaded cap posts securely on the barrel

Black matte, iridium-tipped stainless steel nib handcrafted in Germany

Includes a cartridge and converter

Nib is interchangeable with all Levenger and True Writer fountain pens

5 3/8L (13.64 mm) x 1/2 diameter (12.7 mm); 1.66 oz (48 g capped, 28 g uncapped)

My Review:

Box: Simple cardboard box, thrown away - I'm not an unboxing fanatic, and do not hoard boxes.

Appearance: Fantastic stealth look, oozes quality, fit and finish impeccable, carbon resin inlays are deep and lustrous and feel like they are part of the pen, not just a gimmick. The carbon fibre in this presentation is purely cosmetic and does the job well. The pen is polished to a high lustre. The titanium trims are very smooth. The clip is beautifully minimalistic and has a tight spring.

 

 

Fit and finish: Quality control with this pen is high. All parts screw in with smooth precision.

 

 

 

Comfort & feel: Carbon fibre is thought to be strong and light in weight. This is a heavy brass pen which feels very balanced when un-posted. It is not as heavy as the Visconti Homo Sapiens. The tapered barrel fits nicely in my thumb crease. Can still be used when posted but the majority of people would not prefer this. The nib section is very comfortable and is not slippery like the back of an iPhone. The cap screw threads near the section are not felt at all during writing.

 

 

 

Nib (M): The nib is a very basic black PVD German steel nib that is very smooth (no tuning required out of the box). Squeaked like a mouse for the first 10 mins which turned into a chalky sound with significant feedback. The nib is screwed into the section and so makes cleaning very easy. For this reason, the nib can be readily interchanged.

 

 

Writing experience: What a lovely writing experience. The nib is not the smoothest I have used, but it is smooth enough. After initial squeaking, followed by chalkiness, the pen glides nicely over paper with minimal noise and feedback. After several hours of writing, the pen has broken in and feels great. It is in my top 5 pens in my collection.

 

Negatives:

1. The converter is nice and smooth and holds a good volume of ink. However, it does not fit into the nib feeder very well - it is a bit loose and feels like it will disconnect spontaneously. The connection feels too shallow. The cartridge that comes with the pen fits snugly.

2. It takes 5 full turns to cap and uncap the pen. This is too many. I would prefer that the cap only require 3 full turns. But I can live with this for such a lovely pen.

 

 

Conclusion: Appearance 9/10, Comfort & feel 9/10, Value 9/10

Edited July 7, 2017 by dragon666

[Misfit]

Thank you for the review. I've been looking at carbon fiber pens lately.

[sub_bluesy]

Thanks for posting the review and pics of the pen. I have one coming in through massdrop. I’ve been kicking the idea of picking one up through at least 3 drops now and finally pulled the trigger. Your review helped a lot! Cheers!

[writerstephen]

I have several Levenger pens in my collection, including 2 True Writer Classics, a True Writer Select, an L-Tech 3.0, and a Splendor Encore. My first TW Classic was my first "real" fountain pen, and I still reach for it often. With a broad steel nib, it's smooth, reliable, perfectly balanced, and looks fantastic--and not to mention, they're easy to clean and maintain. I like Levenger pens a lot. Thanks for this review.

[dragon666]

Just an update: The nib has been painted black. It is not PVD. Not long after I used this pen, the paint began to peel off. The nib is now completely stainless steel. I don't mind. The nib still writes well with a lot of feedback.