Need Help Identifying: German Pen Brand

[shawnee]

Hi all,

 

Im going to make a bold assumption that this is a German brand based on it being a German nib, but does anyone recognize this nib?

 

Shawnee

[Tweel]

That's a Xezo logo. The brand is American; the pens are made by Asian suppliers (generally Taiwanese, I think).

[Brandywine]

The imprint on the nib surely wants to give the impression that at least the nib is made in Germany;

unfortunately some people tend to have a somewhat "relaxed" attitude towards truth and facts
and they will claim just anything if it helps to sell their stuff ....

 

And then there are these (quite well made) nibs with the imprint "Iridium point Germany":

These are made in China with tools bought from a German manufacturer who went out of business.

The imprint is integrated in the production process and can't be changed anymore.

And probably the new makers are quite happy with that ....

[shawnee]

I learn something new every day here! Thank you. Im always grateful for the breadth of knowledge in these forums. And also sort of speechless that you can have a Tawainese nib (or Chinese for that matter) marked as German. LOL.

[Tweel]

Since the nib simply states "Germany", not "Made in Germany", it could mean anything, or nothing -- but the manufacturer might well have bought the point assembly from a German manufacturer such as Bock. And since Xezo outsources their manufacturing, this particular pen could have been made by a German factory. Who knows? Xezo seems like a mostly one-man operation, and not a very transparent one either. (They do use some really pretty black abalone as an overlay on some of their metal pens, though .)

 

"Iridium Point Germany" also doesn't necessarily mean anything, but theoretically it's supposed to indicate that the "iridium" (platinum-group metals) use for the tipping came from a German source. I don't think I've ever encountered the "old German machinery" fable, Brandywine. Dies wear out and have to be regularly replaced, so a Chinese manufacturer would have had any number of opportunities to update the imprint.

Edited February 9, 2019 by Tweel

[Jerome Tarshis]

 

"Iridium Point Germany" also doesn't necessarily mean anything, but theoretically it's supposed to indicate that the "iridium" (platinum-group metals) use for the tipping came from a German source. I don't think I've ever encountered the "old German machinery" fable, Brandywine. Dies wear out and have to be regularly replaced, so a Chinese manufacturer would have had any number of opportunities to update the imprint.

 

Not a fable. I didn't always know about this myself, but I live and learn:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/28721-reform/

 

Among other mentions elsewhere. And it wasn't only Mutschler.

 

Kaweco (Thomas Neureither) lives in Heidelberg and maintains a small museum of pen history there.

 

A point of agreement is that Chinese or Taiwanese manufacturers aren't forced to manufacture nibs that say IRIDIUM POINT GERMANY merely because they've bought German machinery. But they can choose to.

[shawnee]

Not a fable. I didn't always know about this myself, but I live and learn:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/28721-reform/

 

Among other mentions elsewhere. And it wasn't only Mutschler.

 

Kaweco (Thomas Neureither) lives in Heidelberg and maintains a small museum of pen history there.

 

A point of agreement is that Chinese or Taiwanese manufacturers aren't forced to manufacture nibs that say IRIDIUM POINT GERMANY merely because they've bought German machinery. But they can choose to.

Wow. That was an excellent read, thank you! It’s amazing what is in the FPN if you can unearth it.

[Tweel]

Reform may have sold its machinery off when it folded, but IPG nibs on Asian pens certainly predate 2003. I have one bought in the 80's. Also, those nibs (including mine) often have a chrysanthemum blossom figure as an intrinsic part of the nib imprint's design, which is not on Reform or other German nibs.

Edited February 14, 2019 by Tweel