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Graf von Faber-Castell Pen of the Year 2009


encremental

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I can think of several adjectives to describe that pen and none of them are flattering.

 

Since I am not their "target market" I bet they won't care what I think.

 

And "someone" with more cash than sense will buy them.

 

Agree completely.

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I like the girth of the FC Pens of the Year. Most of their other pens are too slender for my taste.

 

And I like the storied themes their craftsmen use - amber turned by the craftsmen reassembling the fabled Amber Room in the Tsarskoye Selo outside of St Petersburg, lemonwood parquet from the Count's Aunt's sitting room, and so on. Great stories.

 

Is it possible that the horsehair is sealed in acrylic or enamel?

 

I would think the raw horsehair fibers would break and extrude over time with use.

 

On the other hand, the raw horsehair would give the pen a tactile texture like no other.

 

You know, equestrian is kind of a big deal here in the South. We have an equestrian center (covered arena, 4 uncovered arenas, and hundreds of stables) in our neigh-borhood. And the weekend shows are always packed.

 

Maybe Graf von Faber-Castell is trying to appeal to that market. Their Porsche Design series certainly appealed to the car-guy in me. Whenever I am doing car stuff, I carry their Porsche Design P3110 fountain pen with woven gold and steel bands from the brake hosing of a Porsche 911 Turbo.

 

How cool would it be to show up at the Atlanta Steeplechase, or the Carolina Cup with a pen made from the mane (not the tail, please) from last year's winner?

Edited by yachtsilverswan

Ray

Atlanta, Georgia

 

Pilot Namiki Vanishing Point with Richard Binder ItaliFine 0.9mm/F Nib

Faber Castell's Porsche Design with Gold & Stainless Mesh in Binderized CI Broad nib

Visconti LE Divina Proporzione in Gold with Binderized CI nib

David Oscarson Valhalla in gray (Thor) with Broad Binderized CI nib

Michel Perchin LE Blue Serpent (reviewed) with Binderized CI nib

Montblanc 149 in Medium Binderized CI nib

Montblanc Pope Julius II 888 Edition (reviewed) in Bold Binderized CI nib

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You have to give GvF-C an "A" for creativity. I can imagine a couple of guys who had one too many beers in a garage: "Hey, I'll bet if we make it of horse hair, they'll still buy it! (Snort.)"

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You have to give GvF-C an "A" for creativity. I can imagine a couple of guys who had one too many beers in a garage: "Hey, I'll bet if we make it of horse hair, they'll still buy it! (Snort.)"

 

(chuckles) Just a hunch, but I'm betting it's been a while since the Count had one too many beers in a garage.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing the pen up close at a Pen Show this season.

 

Ray

Atlanta, Georgia

 

Pilot Namiki Vanishing Point with Richard Binder ItaliFine 0.9mm/F Nib

Faber Castell's Porsche Design with Gold & Stainless Mesh in Binderized CI Broad nib

Visconti LE Divina Proporzione in Gold with Binderized CI nib

David Oscarson Valhalla in gray (Thor) with Broad Binderized CI nib

Michel Perchin LE Blue Serpent (reviewed) with Binderized CI nib

Montblanc 149 in Medium Binderized CI nib

Montblanc Pope Julius II 888 Edition (reviewed) in Bold Binderized CI nib

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Didn't expect that! I just love the creativity of their Pens of the Year collection.

 

Nooooobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

Namiki Kasuri VP, Pilot Murex

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You would have to have a cedar case made for that pen. Otherwise, the moths would have a banquet.

 

Paddler

 

Can a calculator understand a cash register?

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You would have to have a cedar case made for that pen. Otherwise, the moths would have a banquet.

 

Paddler

 

I wonder if Graf has thought about that already? I know these pens come with nice boxes, so maybe they're one step ahead of you... (I would be optimistic though...)

 

PRAG

Montblanc 145, F nib
Faber Castell E-Motion in Pearwood, F nib
Montblanc 149, F nib
Visconti Divina Proporzione 1618, S nib
Montblanc Cool Blue Starwalker, EF nib
Montblanc Solitaire Silver Barley BP
Montblanc Rouge et Noir Coral, M nib

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2009 horse hair

2010 horse s--t.

 

That was my thought exactly...it's been done with paper, after all (but with elephants).

 

2011 - Made from bones of Nobel Laureates

2012 - Accented with toenail clippings of Olympic gold medalists

:D

cfclark

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I don't know -- horsehair is pretty strong. No one (outside of PETA) seems to think using it on a violin bow is especially weird.

deirdre.net

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

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I don't know -- horsehair is pretty strong. No one (outside of PETA) seems to think using it on a violin bow is especially weird.

 

Break a horse hair "string" on your bow and its no big deal.

Break a horse hair "inlay" on your pen barrel and you get an expensive fuzzy pen, that's a big deal.

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Good luck with this one F-C. (Hope pen lovers don't give you the brush-off.)

<i>"Most people go through life using up half their energy trying to protect a dignity they never had."</i><br>-Marlowe, in <i>The Long Goodbye</i>

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Not very appealing to me, this horse haired pen. There are so many beautiful celluloids and resins and woods out there... Why horse hair? Not into these Kronesque relic pens.

 

I am frankly a bit disappointed at their Pen of the Year collection. It is basically nothing but a big kit pen that they give a new dress every year. I wished they designed a new pen body every year.

 

They care so much about functionality and sensible design on their lower-end user pens, why not care about this in their luxury line?

Edited by omasfan
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Well it's most unusual, isn't it... reminds be of their crazy-expensive wooden pencils.

The Mondoro on the other hand... I like faceted pends like that. I might have a look around for it,

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Well, I'm going to try to see this one in a store. I'm not really a GvFC kinda gal, and I haven't seriously been interested in their LEs, but I think this one would be interesting to at least see.

deirdre.net

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

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  • 2 months later...

...and it was!

 

Visited Bittner on Saturday and got a chance to see this pen.

 

The horsehair has a neat texture to it, and has alternating dark and light horsehair, so it's got some color variation that reinforces the geometric pattern.

 

I also heard that one can order it as a bespoke using one's own horse's hair.

 

It's not something I'd get, but personally I wouldn't worry about it based on the materials.

deirdre.net

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

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