Jump to content

Conway Stewart Appellation LE


Immoteus

Recommended Posts

First Impressions (9/10) – When I first saw pictures of the pen online, I was immediately drawn to its vibrant and beautiful refined design. A few months later I had the opportunity to hold the pen at the Los Angeles Pen Show and I realized the section was on the thinner side of my comfort range.

 

 

Appearance & Design (10/10) –The Appellation is based on the Conway Stewart Wellington with a black resin cap, (I believe to be) claret (resin or acrylic) body with a wide silver band polished to a high gloss finish. The design and colour is unique seeing how this is my first pen with subtle curves and dramatic hues. Inscribed on the silver cap band is “In Vino Veritas,” Latin for “In wine there is truth.” Ironically, there was a fully stocked bar at the pen show only a few steps away... ;)

 

 

Weight & Dimensions (9/10) – The pen is similar to the Pelikan M8XX series in terms of length and diameter. But the Appellation is 11.6 grams heavier possibly due to the brass weight located at the rear of the body and the cap. Posting is possible, but not recommended because it would make for a cumbersome writing experience. The dimensions for the pen are as follows:

Length Capped: 5
17
/
32
inches

Length Uncapped : 4
15
/
16
inches

Barrel Diameter: 0.49 inches

Weight: 1.43 oz (40.4g)*

Source: Richard’s Pens

*Weight is approximate since this pen is based on the Wellington model.

 

 

Nib & Performance (8/10) – For the nib, I chose an 18 karat gold two-tone fine italic nib which writes more like a stub than a cursive italic. The nib is soft with a hint of feedback. No problems so far with Moleskine, Rhodia or Clairefontaine.

 

 

Filling System (7/10) – The Appellation is fitted with a cartridge/converter filling system. Fortunately, the converter screws into the section of the pen to prevent any leaks should the pen be dropped, tossed around or subjected to other forms of unspeakable horrors. While I would have preferred a piston or lever filler, the converter holds a sufficient amount of ink.

 

 

Cost & Value (10/10) – The suggested retail price is 525 USD and can be purchased from the Marketplace for 425 USD. While I prefer not to disclose the amount of the transaction; I do not have any regrets buying this pen. It is well-balanced and the nib performs beautifully.

 

 

Conclusion (Final score, 53/60)

I would like to thank winedoc for designing such a unique fountain pen. Despite the shortcoming with the filling system I have no doubt that this pen will be a daily writer. Perhaps for next year there will be a sister pen to the Appellation; a Danitrio maki-e pen paying tribute to the wonders of water carrying the inscription "In Aqua Sanitas."

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/winedoc/Conway%20Stewart/de9a_3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/winedoc/Conway%20Stewart/def3_3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/winedoc/Conway%20Stewart/df57_3.jpg

Pictures borrowed from winedoc until I'm able to produce better pictures.

Edited by MYU

Virtute enim ipsa non tam multi praediti esse quam videri volunt.

 

Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.

 

 

Contact Information for Japanese Manufacturers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 6
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Rufus

    2

  • Immoteus

    2

  • FrankB

    1

  • diplomat

    1

Thank you for a good review of one of my personal favorites. Your assessment mostly reflects my own. I am impressed with the pen.

 

Even in these economic times, I sprang for an Appellation and I have been so glad I did. Last year it served as my birthday and Christmas gift(s). I have few words to describe the superb fit and finish on this pen model. Along with high quality materials, my pen just reeks of quality. I like the extra weight this pen has contrasted to most of my resin/celluloid pens. Of course, Kevin's choice of design elements give this pen a subtle elegance that is unique, as an LE should be.

 

I also have a F italic nib, and I agree it is stub like. I expected that from a F italic as it just does not have sufficient surface area to create extreme line variation. Nevertheless, my nib does produce some (variation) and it seems to have a living, organic bond with the paper as I write. Mine has yet to hesitate to start, even after sitting for a week unattended. I would give the nib performance a good 9 or 9.5/10. I think that is the only place my assessment might differ from yours.

 

This is only my second C-S pen. My first is an older C-S 58 I got right after the C-S name was revived, and it is a great pen, too. Of course, the 58 is all celluloid and smaller than the Appelation. I am going to have to look into another C-S pen later this year.

 

I hope you enjoy your Appellation as much as I am enjoying mine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You're welcome! I'm glad to see other owners feel (almost) the same way about the pen. But I'll most likely swap nibs because it's too wide for my writing style.

Edited by Immoteus

Virtute enim ipsa non tam multi praediti esse quam videri volunt.

 

Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.

 

 

Contact Information for Japanese Manufacturers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am not familiar with the pen or the brand, but I'd like to congratulate (with winedoc, I guess!) for the beautiful pics and the whole setup.

I was born in 1971 so it's a personal pleasure to see that French bottle of Medoc is my age!

 

Cheers,

<font face="Verdana"><b><font color="#2f4f4f">d</font></b><font color="#4b0082">iplo</font></font><br /><br /><a href='http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showuser=6228' class='bbc_url' title=''><font face="Trebuchet MS"><br /><font size="4"><b><font color="#8b0000"><font color="#696969">Go</font> <font color="#006400">To</font> <font color="#a0522d">My</font> <font color="#4b0082">FPN</font> Profile!</font></b></font></font><br /></a>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry to rain on your parade, but when this pen first came out I looked and looked at it and finally realised what bother me about it: it looks like a Frankenpen; I just don't get the cap and barrel combination. The price seems a bit over the top as well.

Bryan

 

"The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes." Winston S. Churchill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I too have one of these and am very happy with it. I understand the Frankenpen thoughts but if you imagine it as a bottle of wine and the cap as the black foil which once removed leaves the wine in all its glory, it makes sense. The engraving on the lid of the pen shows it to be clearly a single set.

I agree that given the choice, a lever or piston would have been even nicer but I am very happy with it. Similar in colour to my Aurora Optima Burgundy but a bit more substantial.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I too have one of these and am very happy with it. I understand the Frankenpen thoughts but if you imagine it as a bottle of wine and the cap as the black foil which once removed leaves the wine in all its glory, it makes sense. The engraving on the lid of the pen shows it to be clearly a single set.

I agree that given the choice, a lever or piston would have been even nicer but I am very happy with it. Similar in colour to my Aurora Optima Burgundy but a bit more substantial.

 

It doesn't work for me, as most red wine bottles are dark-coloured so you can't see the colour of the wine in the bottle. I think the end piece of the barrel should be black to tie it in with the cap. There's nothing wrong with the colour of the barrel, it's just the combination with the cap without a tie in that makes it visually discordant for me.

 

Bryan

 

"The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes." Winston S. Churchill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...