Faber Castell Ambition Pearwood With F Nib

[xuan87]

Hey guys this is my 1st review and there should be more to come, all to be available on my blog, which is still a work in progress. i just thought i'll post my reviews here and look at the comments.

 

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss324/xuan87/Fountain%20pens/DSCF0440.jpg?t=1294009585

 

INTRODUCTION: I bought the Ambition Pearwood firstly for the pen body material ( Pearwood) and the design and secondly, out of curiosity of the Faber Castell brand.

 

1. Appearance & Design (10/10) – I bought the pen for its design, so it HAD to look good, and when I hold the pen in my hand, it doesn't disappoint; The feel of wood makes a nice change to boring resin. There's only 2 colors you can see, the brown color of the Pearwood body, and the chrome pen cap and tailend. The Faber Castell logo and words are etched on the side of the barrel. It's a simple, elegant design. The pen cap even post with a nice click.

 

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss324/xuan87/Fountain%20pens/DSCF0441.jpg?t=1294009585

 

2. Construction & Quality (10/10) – The pen looks flawless and the body isn't actually made out of wood; It's a layer of wood over a brass tube. This means that the pen body has the strength of a metal pen, and the feel of a wooden pen.

 

3. Weight & Dimensions (8/10) – The bass tube underneath the wood means that there is heft to the pen. The pen isn't too light or too heavy, and the balance is just perfect unposted. When posted, I find it to be abit top heavy, probably due to the chrome cap. The only peeve that I have is that the barrel is very short and almost non-existent. So that's something you'll have to get used to.

 

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss324/xuan87/Fountain%20pens/DSCF0442.jpg?t=1294009585

4. Nib & Performance (18/20) – I'm pleasantly surprised that the pen doesn't come with a generic nib but with a nicely designed ventless stainless steel nib with the nib size prominently displayed and the Faber Cartell logo at the bottom. This nib is a F, and I feel that the nib size is accurate. The nib is like a nail and if you're looking for any kind of flex, you'll be disappointed. Although there is no toothiness, there is quite a lot of feedback so the nib isn't buttery smooth. I took 2 points off because I would have preferred less feedback. Again, if you're looking for a buttery smooth nib, this isn't for you. Finally, I will rate the nib as slightly wet

 

http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss324/xuan87/Fountain%20pens/DSCF0443.jpg?t=1294009585

5. Filling System & Maintenance (9/10) – The pen uses a piston converter that looks like a generic converter except for the “Faber Cartell” words labelled on the metal cap. Besides that, the converter looks exactly like the generic converter used in Franklin Christoph pens. I like this converter because it has the largest ink capacity out of all the converters that I have ( besides the CON-70). I'm taking a point off because the back of the converter isn't easily removable.

 

6. Cost & Value (10/10) – I bought this pen from Pengallery for $87 and I think it's a great value for a classy pen, with wooden body, and writes well. However, if you're looking for a butter smooth and flexible pen, you might want to give this a miss.

 

7. Conclusion (Final score, 65/70) – I was glad that I took a leap of faith and bought this pen; I definitely don't regret it and will recommend this to anyone who wants to try the Faber Castell brand or looking for a fountain pen gift under $100. Futhermore, this pen is available in a variety of pen bodies; if you don't like wood, there are normal resin, stainless steel etc. Perhaps in the future when I'm a millionaire, I'll be able to buy some pens from the Graf von Faber Castell range.

[canucklehaed]

Great review!! I agree with all your points. I received the ambition in black for Christmas. I agree that the balance is "off" when posted and I find it a bit short when unposted. It was my first Faber-Castell and I liked the nib so much that I just bought the Mondoro with a medium nib. This one has a much better feel when posted and the barrel has much more girth to it. I would recommend taking a look at one if you continue to enjoy your ambition. Thanks for the review!

[brumxi]

Thanks for your great review. A Faber-Castell is on my shortlist for its great design. Your photos made it jump a couple of place.

Edited January 6, 2011 by brumxi

[hsianloon]

it's a great pen..my first fountain pen in years...

[beluga]

The Faber-Castell Ambition series are very nice pens indeed and show how good steel nibs can be.

 

The one criticism I have with the pen is the step where the barrel attaches to the nib assembly.

This is exactly where the fingertips hold the pen when writing and can become slightly annoying when writing for extended periods of time.

 

 

 

B.

[MidnightBlue]

Sorry, but I'm a bit confused. That would mean the best pen in the world would only get 3 more points........That can't be right??????????Thanks

[akrishna59]

well written review, i like such concise and to the point reviews. in fact i have always wanted to read a review of this pen.

 

tks.

 

krishna.

[xuan87]

Sorry, but I'm a bit confused. That would mean the best pen in the world would only get 3 more points........That can't be right??????????Thanks

 

5 more points

 

I might be getting a Graf Von Faber Castell Guilloche in the near future, will be interested to see how it compares to this pen.

[Mech_Pencil]

The Faber Castell Amibtion F.P. was my first fountain pen!

I'm planning on getting the Pelikan 600 now

What do you guys think, big change or what?

[xuan87]

I have a Pelikan M600. It's a big change. For one, the nib is much smoother and wetter and the nib is slightly springy instead of it like a nail.

[joelchan]

I have this Faber too ! it's really a good pen that can last a lifetime !!

 

Good Review ! thank you !

[xuan87]

Sorry, but I'm a bit confused. That would mean the best pen in the world would only get 3 more points........That can't be right??????????Thanks

 

Perhaps i should clarify this point: The best pen in the world IN THIS PRICE RANGE will only get 3 more points. As a stereotypical asian, i look for value-for-money in my pens.

[barica]

Thanks for the review, I just ordered that pen yesterday. It will be my first Faber Castell and, according to your review, I'll be perfectly happy with it

[nicholasyeo]

Pearwood is a beautiful material. I would love to get a GvFC one day....

[Phormula]

The one criticism I have with the pen is the step where the barrel attaches to the nib assembly.

This is exactly where the fingertips hold the pen when writing and can become slightly annoying when writing for extended periods of time.

 

+1

 

I have been using a black resin Ambition for years and this is the only drawback I can find to that pen. Now I am on my second one, the first developed a small crack in the feeding that made it impossible to travel by plane. I agree with Xuan87 on the score. Any judgment on a pen must take into account its selling price. I paid my Ambition about 45 Euro and I believe it is one of the best FPs in that price range. Maybe if it was a 450 Euro pen, I'd be more picky in giving scores.

[cchangg]

Totally agree. This pen is really beautiful. If you like wood you can't resist it.

However, I don't like the nib as much as the body design.

 

I have an EF nib and I found the strokes rather roller-ball-like. Consider it uses Bock nibs just like Visconti Rembrandt and TWSBI 540, I think it's fair to compare to them (and price is right in between, too). Visconti Rembrandt is a bit more smooth, in fact a little bit too smooth. If you play around with light color ink, you will notice the ink flows like crazy. Try it with ink like Private Reserve Shoreline Gold and you just can't put it down. It's just BEAUTIFUL.

 

TWSBI is very firm and a bit more scratchy, but if you press it hard, you get your stroke variation quite nicely. If you write in Chinese, you will find it even more rewarding.

 

This Faber-Castell is just in between, but I would say that's where it lack character. Doesn't matter how hard I push it down, the nib just wont let go. After a few pages of writing, I can barely tell it apart from my roller-ball writing, which is a bit disappointing for me. For a pen this beautiful, I really wish it to have a nib that shows more character and temper.

[max dog]

I have the black Ambition with medium nib. I find the medium nib to be quite smooth and fairly wet. It's a solid well made pen with it's spring loaded clip, and cap that posts with a solid click.

 

Only drawback with it for me is the nib doesn't have much dry out resistence. After about 10 mins uncapped the nib dries out and skips before the ink continues again. In comparison some of my other pens like Cross Century II, Montblanc 145, Parker 51, Aurora Style, I can leave the nib exposed uncapped for 45 minutes or more and it will start up like I just put it down.

[beluga]

Great review!! I agree with all your points. I received the ambition in black for Christmas. I agree that the balance is "off" when posted and I find it a bit short when unposted. It was my first Faber-Castell and I liked the nib so much that I just bought the Mondoro with a medium nib. This one has a much better feel when posted and the barrel has much more girth to it. I would recommend taking a look at one if you continue to enjoy your ambition. Thanks for the review!

 

 

 

I agree, the Ondoro (now officially renamed from Mondoro) is a great little pen, posted or unposted.

It may look short, but fits perfectly in my large hands and the (medium and broad) steel nibs are exceptionally satisfying to write with.

 

 

The Ambition is a neat pen too, but I find the step between barrel and grip section, which one of he pictures clearly shows, hard to get used to. If it wasn't for that, I'd use the pen more often.

Edited January 16, 2012 by beluga

[Toolattack]

My son got this pen for Christmas last year and really likes it.

In its price range it is a really good performer.

[max dog]

I bought the black Ambition with medium nib last summer. It was an impulse buy because I was so impressed with the nib. Although the reviewer described the nib as a nail, my experience was totally different. The medium nib is smooth, and responsive to slight pressure variations when writing giving nice line variation and character. It might not feel as springy as a Sonnet or M200, but the nib is responsive. One of the better steel nibs out there. The pen is very solid, feels high quality throughout and I love the cap with the spring loaded clip, Faber Castell etching, and it posts nicely with a solid click. Other pen companies with their minimalistic designs (ex Lamy)dont do anything for me in terms of looks, but the Faber Castell's modern/clean minimalistic designs are very elegant and timeless. Really well done.

Edited January 22, 2012 by max dog