Inks Provided With Pineider Key Of Heaven

[jmccarty3]

I recently purchased the Pineider limited edition Key of Heaven pen from Bryant at Chatterley. It comes with two small bottles of ink: one appears to be a brown and the other a yellow/gold. Does anyone know any details about the manufacturer or name of these inks. They are not labeled.

 

Also included is a stack of small gold colored cards that do not look like they would take fountain pen ink at all, but I haven't tried them yet (I have a lot of new pens and nibs to try over the holidays).

 

The pen itself is most impressive--larger than I expected. It's only available with a medium nib.

 

[gerigo]

Please do a quick review? I love the look of the pen but unfortunately it so closely resembles the Visconti Van Gogh pens that I have a hard time committing to the pen.

[jmccarty3]

I don't own one of the van Goghs, so I can't say for sure, but I think this pen is larger. It is 14 cm long closed and 16 cm long posted. The nib is 18K gold and beautifully decorated. The finish of the pen is a combination of white and gold that doesn't look like any van Gogh finish I've ever seen. There is a magnetic closure in the cap that works for both closing and posting. I will try to ink it up this weekend to see how it writes. I don't think the pen resembles a van Gogh so much that you should avoid it for that reason.

 

See https://chatterleyluxuries.com/product/pineider-dante-delvecchio-grande-bellezza-great-beauty-limited-edition-key-of-heaven-fountain-pen/ for larger photos of the pen I purchased.

[whichwatch]

Since Dante Delvecchio left Visconti and is now at Pineider, it should not be a surprise that there may be some design features that seem familiar.

 

I love the looks of the Key of Heaven, but I really havent found a way to make peace with metal sections, so that stopped me from trying my first Pineider.

Edited December 23, 2017 by whichwatch

[ArchiMark]

Looks like a beautiful pen.

 

Would love to see a few more pics and more info about it and writing experience, etc...

[jmccarty3]

Just inked up the pen with the red ink supplied with it. The pen writes beautifully right out of the box. It's a medium, but not too wide. The flow is excellent.

 

The ink is a striking red--they also supply a "sepia." These come in inkwells that look like miniature J. Herbins. On the Pineider web site are inks that are pictured in bottles that resemble Diamine's. I've sent an inquiry about the inks to them--we'll see if they're willing to divulge the source.

[jmccarty3]

Any other comments regarding the pen?

 

Is it worth it even though it is a cartridge converter?

 

List price is in the $700s US. Most dealers are selling it in the $600s, but if you hunt around, you can find it in the $500s, which I think is reasonable. The metal section didn't bother me because of the shape, and I'm not particular about filling systems.

[gerigo]

I finally caved and bought the pen. It's such a beautiful pen, and presenting the pen is an equally amazing box. So much so that when I was trying and choosing the pen at the local shop, another customer walked by, was so enamored with the pen that he wanted it, and bought it immediately.

 

There is no doubt it's a VERY pretty pen. The proportions, and nib and the details are just first rate. I was trying to look for manufacturing flaws, and currently can't spot any. Although there is only a difference of $1 in price between the Key of Heaven and the Le Grande, there is sufficient difference to wonder why you'd choose the Le Grande unless you hate the specific color. The one thing that really drew me in was the translucent material and also the carefully chosen materlal and finish.

 

There are a couple things that I worry. One is the magnet closure. I somehow always feel that the magnet would either wear out, break or detach from the cap. Although I have 3 Viscontis with magnet closure has never given me a problem. Which is another problem. Magnets for closure seem to peg this pen in the $150 - $250 price range which is the price of Visconti Rembrandts and Van Goghs. I feel that for a pen in this price range, maybe a different closure system that feels more high end should have been considered?

 

Nib performance. It's the old Visconti problem again. I tried 2 pens at the store, and both wrote terribly. While the current NEW Visconti's write like a dream. Am I spreading rumors??? I don't know. The nib is quite soft, very beautiful but it's struggling to write well. I bought a Visconti Northern Light during the same purchase. This Visconti writes like a DREAM! No hesitating, with a slight feedback. Almost Aurora like, and quite unlike the Viscontis of old.

[jmccarty3]

Nib performance. It's the old Visconti problem again. I tried 2 pens at the store, and both wrote terribly. While the current NEW Visconti's write like a dream. Am I spreading rumors??? I don't know. The nib is quite soft, very beautiful but it's struggling to write well. I bought a Visconti Northern Light during the same purchase. This Visconti writes like a DREAM! No hesitating, with a slight feedback. Almost Aurora like, and quite unlike the Viscontis of old.

 

I find that almost any new pen can benefit from some alignment of the nib. Learning how to do this from Richard Binder's course at the DC Pen Show was the smartest thing I ever did.

[jmccarty3]

Update: Decided to put this pen back into rotation, and inked it with Monteverde Horizon Blue. Flushed at length with pen flush and flossed the nib before filling, because it had a red ink in it before. This is either the worst case of baby's bottom on record, or there is some kind of blockage in the feed. Alignment seems perfect--the nib is smooth as glass. I'll give it a try in the ultrasonic. If that doesn't help, I'll take it to DC.