Levenger "True Writer" fountain pen

[Maja]

Well, I finally caved in and bought a Levenger "True Writer" fountain pen in a lovely yellow colour a few weeks ago. I don't have a picture of my pen, but it looks like the one here

It turned out to be a great buy for $20 USD (including box and papers), especially since I believe it was uninked. Thank you Ron

It's a beautiful yellow, almost a citrine colour, with silvery trim. The pen is just the right weight for my hand. Its smooth steel nib has a bit of "tooth" and a hint of flex, and it lays down a nice wet line.

 

 

I almost passed on this great buy because of all the horrible things I had read online about the True Writer......Things like postings problems, flow "issues", convertors that threatened to fall off, loose nibs,etc. so needless to say I was extremely prejudiced against the poor thing before I even had a chance to try one out!

 

Now, I don't know if these problems will develop in the future with my particular pen; if they do, I will certainly post about them here In the meantime, I am truly enjoying using my True Writer.

Edited December 29, 2004 by Maja

[chibimie]

I came across your review after searching for information on the Truewriter; I see it's dated several years back. Can you tell me if it has held up as well as it seemed to start out? I've been looking at the Kyoto and the cobalt blue pens they have been advertising, but I wanted to see how these pens write. (I most often use Pelikan's, like the M425, Sailors, VPs, and I have one vintage pen, a vacumatic that I love, too.)

 

Thanks for your many thoughtful posts, too.

 

Chibimie

[vermillionpart4]

I've been using pretty much only a true writer for 5 months with no problems that couldn't be solved by flushing out the pen.

[rroossinck]

I enjoy both of mine quite a lot. They're a great value pen. Nibs like buttah, and they look great!

[LegalLefty]

I've got a handful of the True Writers and I really like them. No problems yet, and they handle the Noodler's better than any of my other pens.

 

[jonro]

I own a Kyoto and a Periwinkle True Writer and also like them a lot. They aren't in rotation at the moment, but that's only because I purchased a bunch of pens recently, but they will make their way back in. As soon Levenger releases some of their new nibs (i.e., extra fine and italic stubs), I will buy a couple more. I know that some people have reported issues with their True Writers, but I haven't had any problems with mine.

[john.reiss]

The True-Writer is a very smooth (not quite sure about the buttah though :ltcapd: ) writer but I will offer one caveat. If you buy it from anyone else except Levenger, they will not honor any type of warranty on it. I called for a simple issue, the silver band on the cap came off and the customer service rep was less than stellar. Needless to say, I pulled out the Crazy Glue and went to town. So, the pen is definitely worth it, just make sure you buy it from a reputable dealer with a return policy.

 

Cheers,

John

[chibimie]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences with True Writer fountain pens. I just can't decide, but the Kyotos are no longer listed on Levenger's website, so maybe that makes my decision for me.

 

 

[Maja]

I came across your review after searching for information on the Truewriter; I see it's dated several years back. Can you tell me if it has held up as well as it seemed to start out? I've been looking at the Kyoto and the cobalt blue pens they have been advertising, but I wanted to see how these pens write. (I most often use Pelikan's, like the M425, Sailors, VPs, and I have one vintage pen, a vacumatic that I love, too.)

 

Thanks for your many thoughtful posts, too.

 

Chibimie

:embarrassed_smile: :embarrassed_smile:

Thanks...and thank you for being the first to comment on my review (it only took someone, what?, almost 3 years? )

 

To be honest with you, I haven't used any *one* of the 4 True Writers I own a lot; I tend to use one for a little while, then hop on to the next one, then the next one, etc. because the nibs on them are different (one F nib, two M nibs, one B nib), so I like to vary my usage. Having said that, I haven't had any problems with them...and I did buy them second hand (the previous owners did not have any problems with them, as far as I can see) so I think that I wound up with a good bunch. I think this is one pen where buying a secondhand TW without QC (quality control) problems might be something to consider...

 

They are attractive pens and I think you'll like the way they write, it you like springy nibs with a bit of "tooth" to them. The TWs on eBay seem to be going up in price (the older colours, at least), so if you're going to get one, don't wait too long!

 

Thanks again for the kind words

Edited May 31, 2007 by Maja

[rroossinck]

Responding to John about the "buttah" nib...

 

Currently, one of my TWs is on loan to a friend, with the fine and medium nibs that I have for it. I've got another "Mink" colored model that I've posted some quick snapshots of out here somewhere, and it's currently fitted with a broad nib. That broad nib is the smoothest steel nib that I own, period end. It's the pen that I typically do all of my letter-writing with. It's astoundingly smooth! I couldn't believe it when I got it. I'm not typically a broad nib type of guy, but this one definitely works for me.

 

Re: new nib sizes/grinds...

 

When are those hitting the market, Jon?

[louie24]

hi there . . !

 

Just got my first true writer, a blue resin one. So far I really like it a lot, but the screw-on threads make a bit worried about posting the cap. Have you (or anybody else with a resin body tw) noticed scratches or scarring on the back end of the pen after long use? Am I being paranoid?

 

Any info would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[roger3]

hi there . . !

 

Just got my first true writer, a blue resin one. So far I really like it a lot, but the screw-on threads make a bit worried about posting the cap. Have you (or anybody else with a resin body tw) noticed scratches or scarring on the back end of the pen after long use? Am I being paranoid?

 

Any info would be appreciated, thanks!

You might be paranoid, but I don't know you well enough to make that diagnosis Posting the cap will over time scar the pen, so don't do that and your pen will remain unscarred...unlike your mind o.k.. o.k. just funning with ya

Enjoy the true writer it's a great value and the available variety of colors is super

[louie24]

yeah, I think it's too late for my mind!

 

thanks for the tip on the pin, tho. Like it so much I already ordered a 2nd - ivory with a broad nib!

[lovemy51]

yeah, I think it's too late for my mind!

 

thanks for the tip on the pin, tho. Like it so much I already ordered a 2nd - ivory with a broad nib!

the ivory catches my attention.

[gigipurple]

I own a few True Writer pens and there have been no problems with any of them. A Kyoto with a fine nib used to be my favorite pen until I tried a Lamy. But I still have at least one True Writer inked all the time. I have a special love for them, since my reintroduction to fountain pens came through a Tortoise True Writer. Gigi

[louie24]

yeah, I think it's too late for my mind!

 

thanks for the tip on the pin, tho. Like it so much I already ordered a 2nd - ivory with a broad nib!

the ivory catches my attention.

 

 

Yes, I thought the ivory was striking too. Can't wait to see it in person. Did you know it's on sale now?

 

BTW, I cannot believe I typed "pin" instead of "pen". I must have been well and truly out of my head last night.

 

edit: ps, the Golden Tortoise is pretty, too. I see how this could get somewhat out of hand!

Edited December 30, 2008 by louie24

[writewright]

Your comments about the Levenger True Writer just convinced me to purchase one. Wish me luck with it!

[Gloucesterman]

Good luck - Hey, you asked me to wish you good luck :-)))

 

May all your purchases work out well!

[EricaTX]

I have three. They're nice pens for daily use.

[BillZ]

The Levenger outlet store on Ebay sells TWs that have been returned for some reason. They clean them and sell them very reasonably. I bought 5 of them over

a period of time and they all were good pens.