Conway Stewart 37

[ERR]

Two weeks ago I spotted the new Conway Stewart 37 on the website of Andy’s pens (andys-pens.co.uk; no affiliation, …). http://www.andys-pens.co.uk/37.shtml

The pen is only available through Andy, as it was specially commissioned by him. I received the pen a week ago, a slight delay was incurred because I had ordered it with an italic bold nib (what are eyedroppers for, right?). So these are my impressions after using it for a week as my daily writer.

Please bear in my relative newbieness with regards to the technical aspects of fountain pens.

 

Appearance & Design (1-10) : 9

The pen is a beautiful, understated, elegant, retro design. It is simultaneously devoid of all ornamentation, whilst being very ornamental in itself. It is an utterly simple shiny black rod of resin, with a very subtle but beautiful engraving. To quote fellow FPN’er dreg “I'm a sucker for throw-backs, and that's about as much so as one can get.”

Only practical drawback is the absence of a clip, but of course a clip would be horrid sacrilege on this pen so it’s a non-issue (except if you were thinking about buying one of those snake clip replicas from Maxpens).

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4804857299_a618d7393f_b.jpg

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4804857289_e5e30891a2_b.jpg

 

Construction & Quality (1-10) : 9

Utterly simple, so very little can/could go wrong. On the other hand, as any good cook will tel you, simple recipes only shine with perfect execution and fail miserably when poorly executed. This pen feel and looks well made, well executed.

Only (minor) drawback, it doesn’t post well. The cap inner threads is the thing that groips the ens of the barrel and it gives the feeling of either not posting securely or of forcing 2 units made of the same material over each other. This being said, I guess very, very few people would feel the need to post this pen?

 

Weight & Dimensions (1-10) : 9

This is a big pen, not a reconstruction of a small old safety pen. In the pic below you can see it besides its CS brethren (the Winston, Wellington, Dandy Heritage, and besides a Montblanc 149, all BIG pens (except the Dandy Heritage). As you can see it is actually longer than the 149, and barely a little less fat (although the nib is of course substantially smaller than the 149).

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/4805125921_ca29e218e6_b.jpg

 

Nib & Performance (1-10) : 9

I specifically ordered this pen with a bod iltalic TWO-TONE CS nib (not the single tone gold nib). It is a classic 18ct CS nib, smooth and with nice line variation, maybe more stubbish than sharp italic. Ink flow is reasonable (I like wet pens) and I’d use a well lubricating, well flowing ink.

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/4804857275_75309eb267_b.jpg

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4093/4804857277_7caee97182_b.jpg

 

Filling System & Maintenance (1-10) : 9

It’s an eyedropper, and I’m sure it’ll hold a massive amount of ink (though I didn’t formally test this).

 

Cost & Value (1-10) : 9

Pretty cheap for a CS pen, but I’m sure some would say expensive for a black eyedropper. I paid the MSRP (299 UKP) and I’m happy I got value for money. I really like this pen and it holds its own on the beauty front even when compared to more expensive rivals. Dealing with Andy (as most of you will know, but I didn’t, it was my first purchase from him) is a real pleasure.

 

Conclusion (Final score, 54/60)

Thoroughly recommended.

Note I don’t give 10’s so 9 is a good as it gets for me. But Andy, if your listening, please order a batch in ebonite / black chased hard rubber and you’ll have improved the only thing that can be improved on this pen.

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4119/4804857251_95258e4fd4_b.jpg

[InkyWinky]

Nice review, stunning pen... would love to have one.

 

But, why don't you give 10's?

 

If a particular item is indeed the essence of perfect execution within it's particular realm, why hold back? It seems to me that you are making a rather arbitrary decision to work on a 9 point individual category or 54 point total scale, so once we know that then what is the point?

 

It's rather like the amps in Spinal Tap that go to 11...

[ERR]

Nice review, stunning pen... would love to have one.

 

But, why don't you give 10's?

 

If a particular item is indeed the essence of perfect execution within it's particular realm, why hold back? It seems to me that you are making a rather arbitrary decision to work on a 9 point individual category or 54 point total scale, so once we know that then what is the point?

 

It's rather like the amps in Spinal Tap that go to 11...

 

Dear Powerbroker,

 

Your point is well taken. For me any review is inherently biased, as the reviewer is also almost always the buyer and thus someone who liked the pen in the first place.

9 for me is excellent, as good as it pragmatically gets. 10 is never given, things can always improve, there is always hope that the human race evolves, strives to achieve higher goals,... makes it out of ebonite. Maybe its a misconception held in academia, we just don't give 10's, sorry.

[InkyWinky]

I might be tempted to delve into a long discourse on judging theory but the more I read the review and went to the site at Andy's Pen the more I was impressed by this pen.

 

I also think that your two-tone nib looks better than the stock one-tone gold.

 

So now there's another on my list (actually quite short) of pens I need to find a way to finance.

Edited July 18, 2010 by Powerbroker

[stevlight]

This is a great review and I LOVE this pen--gotta get one.

[karmakoda]

This review rates a 10 out of 10 and Congratulations to Andy's Pens for developing this product.

Comparison photos are rarely included in reviews but it is so helpful to see the 37 alongside familiar pens.

Well done, really a model for future reviews.

Must add, what an awesome nib choice! Conway Stewart should pay promotional fees for this exposure.

Edited July 18, 2010 by karmakoda

[Preetham]

Thanks for sharing the simplicity of this pen through an excellent review. Though this pen is out of my range, I thoroughly enjoyed viewing the photographs.

[ERR]

This review rates a 10 out of 10 and Congratulations to Andy's Pens for developing this product.

Comparison photos are rarely included in reviews but it is so helpful to see the 37 alongside familiar pens.

Well done, really a model for future reviews.

Must add, what an awesome nib choice! Conway Stewart should pay promotional fees for this exposure.

 

 

Many thanks for the praise. I agree with you on the size comparisons. My small brain is unable to translate dimensions on a page to a visual/tactile concept of what the pen size would be.

With regards to the last point you raise: although i wouldn't say no to a free plumage, the review would then of course also become biased (and useless)

Edited July 20, 2010 by ERR

[777]

Very nice pen. Thanks for the review.

[nvbrennan]

It really is a wonderful retro piece. Kudos to Andy for the tastefulness and simplicity.

[eslemexe]

is a interesting pen, be clip less gives the pen a fresh air of authenticity. And well the CS nibs are always delightful

[sotto2]

I'm only giving you an 8 on your review (I don't give 10's either) for failing to include some writing samples with that nice nib. ;-)

[Bisquitlips]

I love the CS pens and that one is stunning! Thanks for the review!