Edison Pen Custom

[chumpowie]

Edison Pens Pearl, custom with red/black ebonite and amber ink window.

 

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff326/chumpowie/edisonpen.jpg

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2587/3929392684_094da49f22.jpg

 

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3418/3929392880_505b665be3.jpg

 

This is a custom make from Brian at Edison that resulted from his charity auction benefiting Cherished Creations in October.

 

Overall feel:

The pen is very nicely balanced and has, for me, the perfect heft. I don’t post pens so the balance is right on the money. You can’t tell from the photo but it is a larger pen; perfect for my hand but by no means clumsy. The shape is a slight modification of Brian’s ‘Pearl’ line of pens. Being a bulb filler, repairs will be a snap and it holds a TON of ink, all under perfect control.

 

Materials:

The combination of the woodgrain ebonite with the amber ink window is elegant and a little quirky at the same time. The concept of the pen is an updated Postal pen with a vintage feel. Maybe I should correct that… it has a classic feel. To my taste, the combination of materials holds more interest than ebonite or transparency alone and is suitable for business or social contexts… fascinating and attention getting without going over the top.

 

Craftsmanship:

Flawless. Brian described the steps in melding the ebonite with the amber material. It is a mechanical connection made one with adhesives. The bulb filler is fun and functions perfectly.

 

Nib/ Filling/ Writing

My only disappointment is that the pen holds so much ink it will be a long time before I get to use the bulb filler again. It really is fun and I can’t quite figure out how it works even though I am an architect. Yes, I know, vacuum pulling on ink but the particulars elude me.

 

I like Fine nibs and this did not disappoint. Smooth and adjusted to a medium rich flow, the pen glides over the paper as it should. There is even a hint of line variation. Edison offers custom grinding using someone I’ve worked with before so I can vouch for the care and quality should you want a custom stub, XF or other to go with your custom pen.

 

Conclusion:

I’ve been looking at Brian’s pens for a couple of years now. This particular combination caught my eye in a big way and though his standard line is handsome, his custom work can reach a plateau occupied by boutique pens costing much more and delivering less.

The level of service and rapidity of response is another layer to this transaction that I am also happy with. I won’t commit or speak for turnaround time but a full custom pen took less time than a simple re-grind of a nib elsewhere. He is clear about after-sale service… Edison stands behind the product but I suspect I’ll not get any unpleasant surprises with this pen.

 

This pen is sitting with some high-quality company in my rack… it carries itself beautifully and certainly belongs and outshines in value hands down.

Edited December 9, 2009 by MYU

[dizzypen]

Looks great! I can't wait to have mine in hand.

[alvarez57]

Thanks for the review!

That is a gorgeous pen in its simplicity. I've already seen couple of people talking and showing pens from Brian. Do you mind posting his website? Thanks!

[chumpowie]

Here's the Edison Pen website.

If I get more ambitious, I'll photograph the pen FULL.... wow! it's such an elegant pen.

 

 

 

http://www.edisonpen.com/copyright.cfm

[jde]

This is a cool looking pen. I use my Huron as an eyedropper. I thought I wanted a piston version but the bulb filler is so neat. *sounding like 12 years old...sigh*

 

Congratulations on your Edison!

[Lloyd]

Do you mind if I covet your pen?

[Atlanta]

I really love the looks of Edison pens. I'm glad you are enjoying yours, and hope to get my own someday.

[dannyboy]

I,too,am a fan of Brian's work--I have one from the standard line, but I have a custom bulb filler on order and am eagerly looking forward to it. His work is truly fine in all details.

[Patrick L]

Thank you for this great review ! Your disappointment (Too much ink inside the pen) , makes me smile.I'll be a very happy man if all my disappointments are like yours'. Do you know if Edison pens manufacture their own nibs ?

Edited December 9, 2009 by MYU
removed full quote of original post

[chumpowie]

Thanks for your comments....

 

I don't think Brian makes his own nibs... but the one in my pen is of high quality and really smooth. I do wish it came in an XF though. I've gravitated to that width lately.

 

Regards and Happy Holidays,

 

David

[drunken spider]

That is gorgeous

 

I think I might have to keep my eyes on the exchange rate to find a suitable time for ordering

[georges zaslavsky]

brian does great work congrats on the pen and happy writing.

[chumpowie]

That is gorgeous

 

I think I might have to keep my eyes on the exchange rate to find a suitable time for ordering

 

Let's hope the exchange rates don't get too off balance... 'cause if that happened, you might be tempted with pen after pen after pen and never be able to write with them all... that would be a tragedy... and we'd be living in cardboard boxes under our crumbling bridges. Sans pens.

 

 

I've had the Edison for a little longer now and I still really like picking it up, using it and looking at it. Can't claim the same for some of my boutique pens.

 

 

Buying: There's no time like the present! I'm all about keeping good companies alive and, ideally, thriving. Edison is a good company and I'd like to see Brian prosper.

 

D

[encre]

Wow, looks stunning, I love the contrasts of materials.

 

 

I wonder if I should add it onto my 2010 "to buy" list. ._.

[dannzeman]

How long does it take to fill? What about changing colors if you haven't run it dry? Is it as bad as a Vacumatic or worse?

[chumpowie]

It takes a while to fill and if frequently switching colors is important to you, this filling method probably isn't going to satisfy. I know Edison offers a number of filling options. I suppose that if you wanted the ink window as shown, Brian could make an eyedropper.

 

 

I don't know what you mean by bad as a Vac... or worse? I don't get the reference.

 

D

[dannzeman]

Thanks for the info. My reference to the Vacumatic was that it looked like this pen operates on the same basic principal as the Vac, creating a vacuum which draws the ink through the tube and into the reservoir that is the barrel. On most Vacs the ink changing process is slow and tedious and I didn't know if the bulb filler was faster or not. It looks like if it was in a similar sized body as a Vac it might be faster, but seeing as how this pen holds a lot of ink it may be a little offset by that.

[chumpowie]

Ah, now I get it....

 

This pen is noticably larger than even a Vac Senior (I've got one and it takes a lot less time to fill)...a little larger than a Pelikan 910... as I mentioned, the pen holds a TON of ink. It really does and it took a while to fill it. A little like a science experiment with the amber window.

 

 

Happy holidays,

 

David

[greencobra]

Oh no, I'm thinking there's another pen I need. Beautiful!

[bgray]

I find that most of my bulb fillers will fill completely with about 10-12 compressions.

 

If the pen is a broad, or the customer prefers a really wet writer, then I need to make some alterations that cause the pen to fill with 12-15 compressions.

 

I won't get into the fluid dynamics as to why this happens....just know that the pens will generally fill with 12 compressions max, sometimes up to 15.

 

But most people don't mind this, as watching the ink level rise is just pretty cool!

 

The pen below filled in 10 compressions....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXqhzs0QaqM