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Think Sahara


Apollo

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Hi folks. I'm not sure if many of you read Stylus magazine, but for the past several issues there have been amusing ads for Think Couture pens that have caught my attention.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/THINKad.jpg

Pic courtesy of Stylus Magazine

 

At first, I thought they were nothing more that another "fashion" pen brand like Monteverde or Retro 51 and the thought of purchasing one never entered my mind. That all changed when I received my 2006 Fountain Pen Hospital Catalogue and saw several samples of Think pens. Their sleek appearance and colourful options really caught my eye and I got a chance to see them first hand at a local pen shop. Naturally, I had to take one home with me and after using through out the weekend; I decided it was about time to report on how this little pen performs.

 

The pens are available in an array of fun colourful patterns with some quirky and sometimes fitting names such as Bee Bop, Bayou, Cubist, Iceland, Huckleberry and Mojito among others. The version I chose is called the “Sahara” that features earthy tones of tan, olive and grey bands which do fit in with the North African landscape. The whole colour scheme of the pen is very much typical of Krone (who happens to be the mother company) and is a fun, refreshing departure from the conservative colours found in most fountain pens.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/Pens2012.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/Pens3003.jpg

 

The pen comes packaged in an oversized green wooden box with a lid that slides open revealing the pen. It comes supplied with a small converter, but no cartridges. When capped, the pen measures approximately 5.5 inches in length and is fairly lightweight for its size. Despite the lack of heft, the pen doesn’t feel cheap. The acrylic resin material used to fashion the pen is well formed as are the threads and the pen feels very secure in the hand. The pocket clip is pretty basic looking, but it does a more than adequate job in securing the pen to a shirt or jacket pocket.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/Pens3030.jpg

 

Unscrewing the cap reveals a large steel IPG (Iridium Point Germany) nib in medium. As far as I know, these pens are only available with a medium nib. My sample lays down a surprisingly smooth line. In fact, it writes smoother than some higher priced “brand named” pens in my collection. The ink flows freely through the nib with no skipping and after using the pen throughout Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning, the pen starts every time and seems to be quite a reliable writer thus far.

 

What I don’t like about this pen is its converter. It’s one of those small cheap converters similar to what is found on small fountain pens like the Monteverde Sonata.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/Pens3023.jpg

 

The converter it comes with does the job, but I would have preferred one of a little higher quality. Another option for those who don’t like converters of this type is to keep an empty cartridge and fill it up with your favourite ink.

 

Here’s a closer look at the nib:

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/Pens3005.jpg

 

Here’s a size comparison of the Sahara. (left to right: Bexley Submariner Grande, Waterman Expert II, Think Sahara, Sailor M1911, Sailor 1911)

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/Pens3009.jpg

 

As I mentioned above, the pen writes very well. It writes just as good if not better than some higher priced pen. I’ve used mine quite a bit in the last 3 days and there has been no skipping and no drying out. It starts every time and is indeed a pleasure to use.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/WritingSample.jpg

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/Pens3004.jpg

 

Overall, I'm extremely satisfied with my Think Sahara. It has an MSRP of $100 US, but can be found for much less online and at specialty pen shops. There are of course, higher quality and more refined pens on the market, but I think Krone has done a great job in releasing an affordable, reliable fountain pen series that are colourful, fun and suitable for everyday use. With all the other colour options available, you can be sure this one won't be my last Think pen.

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p202/Apollo3000/es-canary-islands-flag1s.gif Bendita mi tierra guanche.
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Apollo, thanks for the review. I especially appreciate the comparison photo to get a very good idea of the size of the pen.

 

I'm very confused as to the color of this pen. I have the FPH catalog, and it looks to be much more rust/orange/silver in color, yet your pics seem to be beige, pearl, and light blue. I did notice that the pic with the writing sample looked closer to the FPH pics, but still not anywhere near the color intensity. Is it just a photography/lighting thing? Attached is a pic from FPH for comparison.

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:8, NKJV)
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thanks for the nice review, apollo. i have yet the see a think couture pen. it's a great name, except for the couture part, which is probably why it sounds like a fashion pen...

 

at first glance, it does seem to be in the same price and style niche as monteverde or retro 51, and also sorta w/libelle and taccia. how does it relate c/w those brands (if you have experience w/them)?

 

how's it c/w the submariner? i know, it's kinda unfair to compare... :)

"i love the smell of celluloid nitrate in the morning...you know, the smell, that camphor smell, it smells like...victory."

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Hi Southpaw, at times the colours do appear to change slightly depending on the light source, but even the other samples I saw at the pen shop looked nothing like the FPH photos. Each pen has a slight variation than the other, but none are as intense in colour as the one pictured on FPH's site. Joon has a more accurate representation of the pen's colour.

 

http://joon.com/db_image/KR_think_sahara_fp.jpg

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p202/Apollo3000/es-canary-islands-flag1s.gif Bendita mi tierra guanche.
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thanks for the nice review, apollo.  i have yet the see a think couture pen.  it's a great name, except for the couture part, which is probably why it sounds like a fashion pen...

 

at first glance, it does seem to be in the same price and style niche as monteverde or retro 51, and also sorta w/libelle and taccia.  how does it relate c/w those brands (if you have experience w/them)?

 

how's it c/w the submariner?  i know, it's kinda unfair to compare... :)

Hi Davyr, comparing a Think pen with a Bexley just isn't fair. ;) Totally different animal, but the Think is no slouch. I would definitely place Think pens in the same category/class as Taccia, Libelle, Monteverde. They're all good affordable pens, but I can tell you that I personally like my Think pen over my Monteverde Invincia and I would choose it over any Retro 51 pen. (I had bad experiences with my Retro 51 Double Eight but that's another thread). Only time will tell if Krone comes out with more styles and nib choices in the Think series, but they're good pens nonetheless.

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p202/Apollo3000/es-canary-islands-flag1s.gif Bendita mi tierra guanche.
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Great review (as usual!), Apollo. As Southpaw commented, showing the size of the Think pen in relation to some other fountain pens is very helpful to people who may be contemplating a purchase.

 

I too noticed the Think ads in Stylus and thought they were quite clever. The "couture" part turned me off a bit as I immediately thought the pen might be some poorly-performing eye candy :rolleyes:... Glad to hear that it is not! I like the colour combinations on the pens; they're definitely going for originality there. :)

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Great review (as usual!), Apollo. As Southpaw commented, showing the size of the Think pen in relation to some other fountain pens is very helpful to people who may be contemplating a purchase.

 

I too noticed the Think ads in Stylus and thought they were quite clever. The "couture" part turned me off a bit as I immediately thought the pen might be some poorly-performing eye candy :rolleyes:... Glad to hear that it is not! I like the colour combinations on the pens; they're definitely going for originality there. :)

Thanks Maja. I do agree that the "couture" label makes it hard to take the pen seriously, but it a surprisingly good performer. I took it to work today and the pen received lots of nice comments about it's looks. Thankfully, it writes as good as it looks. Now I've got my eye on the Bee Bop.

 

http://www.fountainpenhospital.com/images/think_images/KT1080FP-BBP.jpg

Pic courtesy of FPH

Edited by Apollo
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p202/Apollo3000/es-canary-islands-flag1s.gif Bendita mi tierra guanche.
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Hi,

 

Nice pen! :)

 

Dillon

Stolen: Aurora Optima Demonstrator Red ends Medium nib. Serial number 1216 and Aurora 98 Cartridge/Converter Black bark finish (Archivi Storici) with gold cap. Reward if found. Please contact me if you have seen these pens.

Please send vial orders and other messages to fpninkvials funny-round-mark-thing gmail strange-mark-thing com. My shop is open once again if you need help with your pen.

Will someone with the name of "Jay" who emailed me through the email system provide me an email address? There was no email address provided, so I can't write back.

Dillon

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Hi,

 

Nice pen! :)

 

Dillon

Thanks Dillon. Picked up another THINK. This one is the "Iceland."

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/CosmicSuperchunk/Think3001.jpg

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p202/Apollo3000/es-canary-islands-flag1s.gif Bendita mi tierra guanche.
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I like the Iceland and the Tigre. Think doesn't seem to be available in Europe, yet :unsure:

 

Where is their homepage?

Edited by saintsimon
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I like the Iceland and the Tigre. Think doesn't seem to be available in Europe, yet  :unsure:

 

Where is their homepage?

Hi saintsimon,

 

There doesn't seem to be a separate homepage for THINK (at least none I could find), but they're part of the Krone family. Their contact info is Krone LLC 1275 Busch Parkway Buffalo Grove, IL 60089 tel# 1-847-215-0011, email: info@kronepen.com

 

Curiously, their address and phone number is the same as a sports headwear company called American Needle. Go figure. :huh:

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p202/Apollo3000/es-canary-islands-flag1s.gif Bendita mi tierra guanche.
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  • 9 months later...

I bought a THINK pen for my daughter and wish I could squirrel it away! the pen writes very well

even with cartridge ink. I have a Libelle Spanish eyes and a Monteverde Sonata (i love this pen

with aurora black ink) but the THINK writes better than both. The box the pen comes in is a keeper.

The pen is quite long compared to my other pens but if you have a larger hand or like longer pens

this one is for you.

 

I like the "fashion" pens..they are fun. I have enough of plain ol black gel,rollerball and fountain.

Hope the company come out with a mini that takes a good converter.

 

(The Sonata converter is terrible, my first one broke after one week of usage!)

 

Treeverte

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  • 1 year later...

My Think Huckleberry should arrive today (thank you for the recommendation James P. :thumbup: )

 

I ordered the Think Violino Stradivarius FP and RB this morning. See what your review has done to me, Apollo? :P

 

Spooky P.

 

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  • 9 months later...
I'd really like to know where they are made. Thanks.

So far, the existing information seems to indicate China.

deirdre.net

"Heck we fed a thousand dollar pen to a chicken because we could." -- FarmBoy, about Pen Posse

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