Franklin Christoph - New Resin

[whichwatch]

At the recent Washington DC pen show I saw a tray of Franklin Christoph Model 31's that really attracted my attention. These were done in a new resin created for them by Jonathan Brooks and apparently first released at the show. A couple of quick shots appear below.

 

Unlike the glossy resin on most FC pens, this one is done in a lovely swirling pattern matte finish that feels absolutely wonderful in my hand. Some that I saw were more gray, some more green, and some more blue. I'm really not sure if this represented variations in one resin or if there were really three different colors intended. Many of the pens also had small but distinct splotches or threads of bright white. I looked through every pen trying to find one without the white, which the sales people found amusing. Apparently the white was met with great favor and most people preferred it. Not this guy!

 

I didn't intend to do a full review so thought I'd just post a couple of quick pics. I liked the look and smooth matte feel of this pen so much I did something highly unusual for me and chose one without a clip. Also unusual for me, I haven't been able to put it down since arriving home from the show.

 

The only feature I don't like about this pen is that the #6 nib is recessed quite far into the section, so to me it looks unusually small. The recess also creates a rather deep area that may collect excess ink when the pen is filled. I'm sure there is a technical reason for this design, though I don't know exactly what it is.

 

Here are the quick shots:

 

 

http://www.fototime.com/%7BBF147E62-88B3-4398-88B3-5B46FD0B18E0%7D/origpict/IMG_1447.JPG

 

http://www.fototime.com/%7B6C96930A-DDC6-4D50-99BA-5461A8FE5883%7D/origpict/IMG_1448.JPG

 

http://www.fototime.com/%7B24F22230-DC55-4DDC-A88F-CCC3B7846A73%7D/origpict/IMG_1465.JPG

 

http://www.fototime.com/%7BD28CA1B0-6EBE-49FB-A1F2-5E701FC3F0C0%7D/origpict/IMG_1464.JPG

[FPRebel]

The pen is stunning!!! Congratulations on your fantastic find!
Not seeing the white splashed version of the material for comparison, I expect that I, too, would prefer exactly this pen.

[Susan3141]

Oh, now, that is gorgeous! I don't much like the recessed nib either, but that resin is amazing.

[Gloucesterman]

I too like the coloring and would like to see the other "colors" which might be available. Als, from what I can see, I don't care for the recessed nib. I might think differently if I held it or, at least, saw it in person.

 

My new budget will be available after the Commonwealth Pen Show in "Boston" in September. That's when I can start looking at new pens.

 

Thanks for the quick show of the new FC offerings.

[Driften]

It's very nice! The black finish on my Model 31 sure collects finger prints and I like the new look. The recessed nib is for a couple of reasons. It keeps the cap from being too long and helps provide a stop to keep the threads from locking up and creating an area with inside the cap to help keep the nib from drying out. F-C talked about in another review here on the site for the model 31.

[bobje]

As much as I enjoy design and materials by Jonathan Brooks and Franklin-Christoph, this color and texture do not seem in keeping with the Franklin-Christoph aesthetic.

[Uncial]

As much as I enjoy design and materials by Jonathan Brooks and Franklin-Christoph, this color and texture do not seem in keeping with the Franklin-Christoph aesthetic.

 

 

Really? I actually thought it was very much in keeping. I would like to see the ones with white blobbies in.

[SoulSamurai]

Interesting. That recessed nib looks pretty good to me; I like to grip pens near the tip, so my main #6 nibbed-pen - a Nemosine Singularity - isn't very comfortable for me because I can't grip it the way I want.

[Chrissy]

That is a really interesting pen, and I like the colour. I'm less keen on matt than glossy, but I was always that way inclined, even with photography paper.

 

I'm the type of person (female - I use a bag/purse ) who never uses a clip, other than to prevent a cap/pen from rolling off a desk/table. So I could live with that. However, I'm sorry but I just can't work out why the nib is so recessed. What on earth were FC thinking of there? That kills it for me.

[Driften]

As per F-C

Hi TM - there are a couple reasons for the inset nib. One is purely aesthetic of course. But there are two functional reasons. One is that it allows for a longer section without lengthening the cap. The second is that the pen actually seats at the end of the section, instead of on a barrel shelf. What I mean by this is that you will see a shelf inside the cap and the end of the section seats against it. (if you don't seat the pen to the cap, you will constantly wedge the threads making it hard to unscrew). Most designs will seat the bottom of the cap against a shelf in the barrel, or at the start of the barrel just above the section. See our Model 03 for an example of this. In the 31, we can have the interior of the threads at the normal place, and the shelf just above them, without having a cap that's too long because we recess the nib inside the fluted section.

So by seating at the end of the section, we can use our block threads at the traditional spot where the barrel meats the section, without having to build up a shelf there, which can also cause discomfort depending on how someone holds the pen. We first did this on the latest version of the 40 Panther and applied it to the 31.

Seating at the end of the section also allows for a smaller air chamber, just as when we place the threads at the end of the section. So this pen will be less prone to dry out just as those are.

Hope this helps explain the design feature.

Edited August 9, 2017 by Driften

[whichwatch]

As much as I enjoy design and materials by Jonathan Brooks and Franklin-Christoph, this color and texture do not seem in keeping with the Franklin-Christoph aesthetic.

 

 

Actually, the difference from their "normal" aesthetic is what I really like.

 

I've had two FC pens and sold both relatively quickly because, well, I found them kind of..... boring. Please don't take this wrong. I love FC. I love their paper and leather goods and use them all the time. Jim is a wiz with tuning nibs and is always so patient. All of the FC people I have met are terrific. The pens are enormously popular and perhaps rightly so, but they just never really moved me. For those who love them, don't let me influence you. After all, it's all just personal taste and I'm not claiming that only mine is right.

 

I love this new resin. The swirly colors are mesmerizing. The smooth matte finish feels so much better in my hand than the highly polished FC pens I have had. It just hits me right. Viva la difference!

[whichwatch]

 

 

I'm the type of person (female - I use a bag/purse ) who never uses a clip, other than to prevent a cap/pen from rolling off a desk/table. So I could live with that.

 

The pen is available either with or without clip

[bobje]

This is a beautiful material, and it just seems a bit of a departure from Franklin-Christoph's usual palette. One of the ways I can identify a Sheaffer Balance, for example, is that there are only about six or eight colors, all kind of in the gem tone range. For Franklin-Christoph, I was used to seeing black, deep red, deep green, antique glass, deep blues -- all of them shiny. It's just more difficult for me to identify this material as a F-C product.

[inotrym]

As much as I like this color, I think it's too much to make the entire pen out of that material. Same goes for their newish purple acrylic.

Maybe if they kept the grip section and/or finial in that acrylic and paired it with a more reserved body and cap....

 

Their latest pen designs are also kind of meh... (eg. 29, 31, 45)

I am still mad at them for discontinuing the pocket 40...

Edited August 9, 2017 by inotrym

[LanceSaintPaul]

Just goes to show you...I really like the recessed nib - a lot!

 

The barrel seems all Van Gogh to me.

 

 

Eye Of The Beholder