Pilot Grance Marbled Red and Marbled Blue

[Lehnsherr]

Once again Pardon my poor language and grammatical skills!

 

Recently I have been on a pen buying spree and acquired these 2 Grances. Here goes....

 

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/6028/04022009039ov1.jpg

Somewhat my camera produced incorrect colors! The blue marbled is a tad darker blue and the red a darker red to the naked eye. All of the trims are gold too! it looked somewhat silver in the picture

 

Built and Construction

Lacquered on Brass. The section however is made out of plastic. Most of my pens are plastic and indeed the pair are one of the 1st brass made pens I bought. I was worrying about the weight initially, however after taking them for a spin on paper, my view changed. The pen though made out of brass, does not pose real significant heft and stress to my hands, although it still weights more than the larger in size Custom 74.

 

Paintwork

The paintwork done on the pen was perfect, I have no complains on that. It has won much praises from my friends as a handsome pair

 

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/5989/04022009036yy0.jpg

Here's the nib and how it looks like when posted.

 

 

Nib

14k Pilot Size 3. Red's a M nib and Blue's a F nib. Comparing it with my Custom 74, which is a Size 5 14k, Custom 74 seemed to write a wetter line, perhaps due to the bigger sized nib. For the blue Grance, the 14k F nib does write smoother when compared to my Prera F nib.

 

Clip

I don't keep pens clipped with me but the clip was nicely done, it has no spring but rather quite stiff that will make the pen stay in place even if the fabric on your shirt is thin.

 

Capping

The Pen caps on with a click, although there is no smooth transition like the Prera has, just a plain click

 

Posting

What I like about the pen, is that when posted, the cap somewhat clicks onto the pen, a sound indication that its securely posted.

 

Filling System

Takes Pilot CON-20, CON-50 or Pilot ink cartridges

 

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/6802/04022009038lf1.jpg

Some size comparison here for members.... The other 2 pens are my Prera and Custom 74

 

Hold and Feel

Personally I prefer thicker pens, I would say that the Grance is somewhere in between, and its acceptable to me. As spoken earlier the pen caused no fatigue when used, however when posting, it will be slightly top heavy. This is something that some users will dislike, particularly when writing for long periods of time.

 

Conclusion

I bought them with a risk taken, that is brass might be too heavy for me. I am glad that it's not the case, thus they are both to stay with me, besides these classy pens look really good together. :roflmho:

Edited February 4, 2009 by Lehnsherr

[HDoug]

Thanks for the review and pics. I have only seen descriptions of the pen before and was interested in the feeling of "density" that the brass might contribute. That's one reason I like my brass bodied VPs. I'd like to hear if anyone else here has some experience with them -- they're very attractive.

 

Doug

[MYU]

The Grance (pronounced grahn-seh), is a very nice and solidly made pen. You generally see these sell new on auction between $30-$70, depending on the bidding pool. I'd say they're a very nice deal at the midpoint ($50). The CON-20 converter is a little lacking for a pen of this size, but you can also use cartridges.

Edited February 4, 2009 by MYU

[Lehnsherr]

MYU is right. I got them really cheap in auctions.

[hoyateach]

MYU is right. I got them really cheap in auctions. <img src="https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />

 

A very nice review. I have the green and black marbled Grance FG-1MR fountain pens and will try to write a review sometime soon. Both pens were acquired at full retail price in Japan so I'd love to know at what auctions you've found Grance fountain pens.

[acolythe]

MYU is right. I got them really cheap in auctions. <img src="https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />

 

A very nice review. I have the green and black marbled Grance FG-1MR fountain pens and will try to write a review sometime soon. Both pens were acquired at full retail price in Japan so I'd love to know at what auctions you've found Grance fountain pens.

 

 

I bought mine form Taizo

I have a black marbled, blue marbled and green marbled. One fine and two mediums. I love these pens. They look good and feel good int he hand unless you have large hands.

The balance is good and becasue the pens are small the brass is not exceptionally heavy. II find all three of mine wet writers, more so that my custom 74's of equivalent nib size. They are all very smooth and with a little pressure in writing allow great shading. The clip is indeed very secire on shirts. i curled with one in my pocket and did nto lose it

b

[hoyateach]

MYU is right. I got them really cheap in auctions. <img src="https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />

 

A very nice review. I have the green and black marbled Grance FG-1MR fountain pens and will try to write a review sometime soon. Both pens were acquired at full retail price in Japan so I'd love to know at what auctions you've found Grance fountain pens.

 

 

I bought mine form Taizo

I have a black marbled, blue marbled and green marbled. One fine and two mediums. I love these pens. They look good and feel good int he hand unless you have large hands.

The balance is good and becasue the pens are small the brass is not exceptionally heavy. II find all three of mine wet writers, more so that my custom 74's of equivalent nib size. They are all very smooth and with a little pressure in writing allow great shading. The clip is indeed very secire on shirts. i curled with one in my pocket and did nto lose it

b

 

My very belated thanks for your response. Do you have a website for Taizo? I'd love to round out my Grance collection.

[vans4444]

I have a Grance and used it a great deal at one stage, but not so much now. It is a very good pen. I would not describe it as heavy but it is heavier than many plastic/resin pens. The gold nib is excellent.

 

Thanks for the review