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To Conway Stewart Or Not To Conway Stewart?

Ink_571

By Ink_571
in Great Britain & Ireland - Europe

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dapprman Vintage

dapprman

Posted
Posted

I believe that BBS are now the only company making 'Conway Stewart' pens - I think they did spring out of the previous incarnation. Manu (also Wahl Eversharp and ASC) did try starting a CS brand up in the US - I don't know the legal status as I think BBS do own the rights to the name, but he only produced one model - the M100 and then seemed to stop again - there were some 'interesting' reviews about them so maybe he was having QC issues with who ever was actually making the pens for him.

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MBDostoevsky Vintage

MBDostoevsky

Posted
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I have 2 CS including a Winston, which has a fabulous IM nib, but where the blind cap has stopped operating the captive converter. Otherwise both pens are of excellent quality and great nibs. Both were bought from CS. I think this maybe the point - CS doesn't exist as a British company any more. BPP are making pens using CS designs and materials and I am sure doing it very well.

 

If you want a CS (made in UK as opposed to current USA owned company who I don't think make Churchills but I am sure make other pens well) then I think I am right in navigating the complex corporate history correctly to say you need to go used.

 

Got it... Thanks

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bbs Vintage

bbs

Posted
Posted

Also, if you're looking to 'invest', you probably won't ever make a profit. Buy a pen you're going to enjoy owning and using.

 

If you buy used, old company CS, you have very little comeback, though you may get a superb pen.

 

I believe the peopke behind BBP have connections with the old Conway Stewart. They certainly seemed to take great care with the manufacture of my recent 58, and there is a point of contact should anything go wrong. You won't get a CS nib on the Churchill, but there seem to be a good number of favourable reviews of the nibs they are producing. But I have never used one.

I chose my user name years ago - I have no links to BBS pens (other than owning one!)

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MBDostoevsky Vintage

MBDostoevsky

Posted
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I don't have many old CS... in fact only 3..... a 336 (BHR), a 28 (Cracked Ice Pattern) and a 12 (Black).... all write smoothly and have been bought from good pen restorers so no issue with the pens... the writing experience is very good... my only question was that am i missing out on something by not looking at the new CS... I assume not much.

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StrawberryJam Extremely Rare

StrawberryJam

Posted
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I was told that the "new" Conway Stewart pens made by BBS, which have the "flag" on the nib, are supposed to be made in house by BBS. But they feel somewhat like a jowo 14k nib, so I don't know for sure.

 

I tried one at the Baltimore pen show, but found the nib to be very firm as compared with the modern Conway stewart (2nd generation) that have the diamond logo on them.

Current Wishlist:

Visconti, Visconti, and...more Visconti! (And some ST Duponts too). (Ok fine, getting on the Omas and Montblanc trains now too. Toot toot.) (And maybe on the Montegrappa one too, but only for the Miyas.)

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Ghost Plane Ancient Artifact

Ghost Plane

Posted
Posted

I was told that the "new" Conway Stewart pens made by BBS, which have the "flag" on the nib, are supposed to be made in house by BBS. But they feel somewhat like a jowo 14k nib, so I don't know for sure.

 

I tried one at the Baltimore pen show, but found the nib to be very firm as compared with the modern Conway stewart (2nd generation) that have the diamond logo on them.

 

Thanks for that. I loved the 2nd gen IB for their soft feel, so this is good to know.

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wspohn Antique

wspohn

Posted
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For me the experience has been 100% bad.

 

Out of two pens, one a fairly expensive sterling Francis Drake, 100% were defective.

 

On one pen, I got it home and went to fill it and the nib unit fell out on the desk so it had to go back to the factory. How much quality control doe it take to ensure that this doesn't happen? Obviously it was never even tested at the factory.

 

On the Drake, they had managed to machine the screw threads on the section incorrectly so that every time you went to unscrew the barrel to refill it, the nib came out instead.

 

I figured that the pen Gods were telling me to stick to more reliable pens in the future and have done so ever since.

Bill Spohn

Vancouver BC

"Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence"

 

Robert Fripp

https://www.rhodoworld.com/fountain-pens.html

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GaryUK NOS (New Old Stock)

GaryUK

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The Nebula material must be one of the best finishes of any modern pen. I regret not buying a new pen in Nebula before CS sadly went out of business. I have the (CS 58) blue Websters pen shop 30th anniversary limited edition (of 72 pens) which is beautiful but I've never inked it. I know pens are for using but this one is in my "just for looking at" or thinking about cupboard!

 

Gary

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