A.w. Faber Castell "hologram" Pen (1980S)

[terminal]

1980 A.W. Faber Castell "hologram"

(I'm not actually sure what this pen was called or exactly when it came out)

 

This fantastic specimen of pendome was nestled among a bunch of random pens I ordered as a lot. Upon seeing its rare and lovely visage I decided it needed to be flushed and inked. It's just such a gorgeous pen... beautiful chrome-dipped plastic appointments with futuristic green 'holographic' foil over black plastic for the body. Interestingly, it does have a german nib... I mentioned elsewhere that this is currently my least favorite pen *ever*, so I knew it needed a review.

 

Now on to the chrome dipped tacks:

 

• Fit and Finish: 4/10 The pen actually fits together pretty well. All the threads are snug and firm. The green "hi-tec hologram' foil is failing however... and it appears that it was never all that carefully applied.
  
• Style: 3/10 I'm trying to decide if I've ever seen an uglier pen. The chrome dipped caps are awful. The clip is not just pure black plastic, but it's even poorly shaped. The worst worst part, however, is the grip! It's like a checkerboard pattern and it's not only hideous but uncomfortable. Why not 3/10? Oh, because the nib is just classic!
  
• C/C Design / filling: 9/10 I don't know how to rate this. It's a pure cartridge pen. International cartridges fit in it fine and don't leak. That was a shocker -- no leaking! Seems firm enough, not like the cartridge will just fall out. It *does* leak around the nib though... so, were I going to daily carry it *cough* I'd worry about it leaking in to the cap.
  
• Nib: 2/10 Huge huge huge disappointment. The real reason I inked it up was to see how the nib would be. SCCRAAAATTCCHHHY. I was pretty surprised. No flex, of course, but it really didn't rival ANY modern pen, disposable or otherwise. Says "Rhodium Point W. Germany" (the basis for my date guess).
  
• Price: N/A I don't know how much it cost when it came out and it was essentially free for me.
  

 

Glamor shots:

 

Here's the nib:

 

Here are some comparable nibs:

 

This is something I wrote with it... managed to keep the paper from ripping this time. It is really such a battle to write with:

 

And here are some comparables:

(this is a frankenSheaffer I talked about before, which actually has quite a delightful feather-touch 5 nib for a $12 pen!)

 

After searching and searching I finally found a place to keep this pen:

[watch_art]

Great review!!

Ugly pen.

[terminal]

Great review!!

Ugly pen.

 

Thank you for indulging me!

[Uncle Red]

:roflmho: That's great. Looks like a school pen.

[guilhermejf]

Laughed a lot. :ltcapd:

[watch_art]

You know, looking at it again, it does look just like a pen my kid got at the ARkansas Pen Show from the Pens for Kids table. His was scratchy too, but with a bit of adjustment actually wrote really well. It was just like this, but silver hologram, but alas, he lost it.

 

 

[ethernautrix]

Hilarious! I mean, sorry for your aggravation, but what a great way to channel it! I love the comparable nibs. (Laughs.) Bravo!

[sadiemagic]

Oh I needed a good chuckle and I just got it by reading your review.

 

Comparable nibs indeed! LOL!

[wastelanded]

Good lord, that is one fugly pen. But an entertaining review, thanks!

[cklaus]

hilarious

i think the nib furthest on the right may be a bit smoother...

[79spitfire]

Thanks for posting the comparable nibs picture, as I tend to have a hard time making comparisons. Also your storage display seems well padded an thought out, very nice you should be proud

 

:ltcapd:

[terminal]

You know, looking at it again, it does look just like a pen my kid got at the ARkansas Pen Show from the Pens for Kids table. His was scratchy too, but with a bit of adjustment actually wrote really well. It was just like this, but silver hologram, but alas, he lost it.

 

 

 

 

If you're serious, it's yours. Absolutely. Better tell me before I put the trash out...

[terminal]

Thanks for posting the comparable nibs picture, as I tend to have a hard time making comparisons. Also your storage display seems well padded an thought out, very nice you should be proud

 

:ltcapd:

 

Yeah, I swear that pen won't take on any damage until the *second* it hits the compactor...

[Giordana]

Does this mean I can use actual nails to dip in ink samples? :roflmho: On a serious note, that pen reminds me of elementary school. Sometimes we were given a ballpoint pen or pencil (along with stuff like sunglasses or stickers) for certain events, like Drug Free week. Even something as tacky as this fountain pen would've been awesome to get as a little kid.

[terminal]

10 Penny Nail

(a ten penny nail used as a writing implement)

 

After the comparables part of my review was commented on a few times, I decided to see if a ten penny nail is a better writing implement than the A.W. Faber Castell "hologram" Pen I reviewed above. I got a ten penny nail out of the garage. Then I went ahead and I flushed it. That's about it.

 

Now down to brass nails:

 

• Fit and Finish: 1/10 Pretty rough. Even by ten penny nail standards this isn't the greatest specimen. It's a bit mal-formed and it doesn't have a very sharp nib. It's kinda scratchy on the shaft too.
  
• Style: 3/10 It has a certain appeal. Classic. Understated. Industrial. The problem is, it pretty much just reads "nail" aesthetically. Sure doesn't sit in the hand well. I'm not going to lie, it was a struggle to write with.
  
• C/C Design / filling: N/A I'd call this a "dip pen".
  
• Nib: 2/10 Uhm... ok, honestly, it completely surprised me how this nail writes. It actually holds a lot of ink in those mal-formed ripples and splines along the shaft. It makes a fine line, it's almost like using a glass pen actually. The main problem is it always makes a big wet line (and drip) at the beginning of writing, and then as it runs out the line gets finer and finer. This is what makes it unusable as a pen.
  
• Price: 5/10 I don't know how much I paid for it but nails are like... really cheap. Like 13 dollars for FIVE POUNDS.
  

 

So, other than the whole "feed" issue and "blob on startup" issue and "no shaft or way to hold it" issue... this actually writes better than the A.W. Faber Castell "hologram".

 

Glamor shots pleez:

 

Unposted:

 

Here's a shot of the nib:

 

Something I... "wrote":

[terminal]

Does this mean I can use actual nails to dip in ink samples? :roflmho:

 

Funny I was actually posting my 10 penny review as you were writing this! Great minds.... and ours too...

[Giordana]

Does this mean I can use actual nails to dip in ink samples? :roflmho:

 

Funny I was actually posting my 10 penny review as you were writing this! Great minds.... and ours too...

 

Haha too funny! Who needs a glass dip pen anyways...

[hari317]

Hilarious! thanks!

[rahulg]

Love your comparable nibs. Great stuff!

[SheilaM]

Currently I am under treatment for bronchitis and a major asthma attack. I made the mistake of reading this. I now must go in to have a lung reset after coughing it out onto the table.

 

OMG, you guys are just too funny! :roflmho: :ltcapd: