Zenith Vacumatic

[rroossinck]

FYI - I haven't had the time to photograph this one yet, so for the time being, the pictures that are displayed here are from other sources.

 

http://gallery.me.com/deirdre/100008/IMG_1367/web.jpg

 

First Impressions

Having done a little bit of research on the Zenith name, I believe that these pens were a boutique-branded/sub-branded Montegrappa pen, and as such, they’re of fairly high quality. Furthermore, since I’m always on the lookout for interesting vintage Italian pens, as well as pens done in the ‘Manhattan’ celluloid, I was really excited to have the opportunity to get this one.

 

Appearance

This pen was made in silver pearl ‘Manhattan’ celluloid, and while not identical to the Parker Vacumatic version of this celluloid, it’s pretty close. The barrel is imprinted “Zenith Vacumatic” and the British patent number (this is vintage Italian, and I’m not sure why it the patent is what it is), and that’s the only marking on the pen. The blind cap is capped with a black jewel (as is the cap), and the trim on this pen is nickel-plated steel. As with other pens of similar vintage and origin, the trim on this one is less-than-perfect, but it’s still much better than it could have been.

 

Design/Size/Weight

Although I haven’t taken exact measurements, I can tell you that this pen is nearly identical in size and shape to the first-gen Parker Vacumatic Standard at about 5” long and 1/2” wide. It’s a little bit lighter when filled, but not by much. The size and weight of this pen is nearly perfect for me, and I can write with it for extended periods of time without feeling any discomfort. I prefer to write with it posted as with most pens in my collection.

 

Nib

Here’s where this pen has a story or two to tell. My first exposure to this particular example of this pen was when the previous owner sent me a note asking, “Hey, can you recommend anyone who’ll do a good job of straightening a nib?” After looking at the “before” pictures, I’m somewhat astounded that this one writes today at all!

 

Here's what it looked like when the question was initially asked.

 

http://gregminuskin.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/dscn3782.jpg

 

The nib on this one is a semi-flexible medium-ish cursive italic/stub that was straightened and touched up by Greg Minuskin in 2008, and he’s done a phenomenal job of it, too. The pen writes like a dream, and despite being a lefty, I don’t have ANY problems whatsoever with this semi-flexible nib. No skips, catches, scratches...nothing. This isn’t normal for me when using flex nibs. It’s rare to find one that’s such a gem.

 

Here's what it looks like now.

 

http://gregminuskin.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/dscn3786.jpg

 

Filling System

The filling system on this one is, as the name suggests, a Vacumatic-based filling system. It’s not the traditional Parker-style mechanism that you might expect, but it’s a fairly large button that extends the diaphragm. I’ve never seen one of these copies before, and a part of me thought it felt a little fragile, but it seems to work just fine. It fills a little slower than one of its Parker counterparts, but at the end of the day the barrel holds a whole bunch of ink, and it works out great. The blind cap threads on nice and tight, too, and because the filling unit’s body is a type of plastic, it feels as if the blind cap and filling unit are really threading together tightly. Inspires confidence.

 

Cost and Value

Overall, I have NO idea what this is worth; not even a rough guess. I know that it’s quite a high-quality homage to the Parker Vacumatic, and it’s made in a fairly high-cachet celluloid as far as desireability is concerned. It definitely has a nice nib and a great overall presence in the hand without feeling like a fragile piece of jewelry, too. I’d consider it a workhorse-type pen that’s worth far more than I paid for it.

 

Conclusion

This is an awesome pen, and although it’s not likely that you’ll find another one, if you should happen to run across one, don’t hesitate in buying it. Vintage Italian pens are becoming quite a challenge to find, and you shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to own something as unique as this one is.

 

 

[RevAaron]

Wow! Very cool! Is the celluloid transparent like a Vac?

 

Great pen!

[diplomat]

Ehi! I know that octopus, it's living in California

 

Congratulations Ryan, the Zenith looks gorgeous. I can see why you are fond of that Manhattan celluloid.

I'd like to see a comparison pictures of those patterns then!

 

Vintage Italian pens are becoming quite a challenge to find, and you shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to own something as unique as this one is.

 

We discussed this earlier, but I have one more thing to say about this topic:

• the number of Italian vintage pens is small. The pre war Italian market was on a different category than the American. Take in mind that the first model (and possibly the only one) to reach the one million mark was the Aurora 88 on 1952;
• collecting vintage fountain pens is an established hobby in Italy and the speciemen are already in the hands of the collectors. You will not be able to go out in a flea market and discover hidden jewels (of course exceptions exists);
• those collectors are not used to internet, at least this is my understanding.

 

Thus the rarity you mention.

 

Thanks for the review, I enjoyed it!

 

Andre

[rroossinck]

Hey, thanks guys! Yes, Aaron, the celluloid is transparent like a Vac's. I've got a silver pearl Vac Standard that is comparable.

 

I've got sort of a niche-y collection working right now, as I've got four different pens done in this celluloid. There's one that's not here yet, Andrea's Royal, but I'm confident it'll be here soon. Once it is, I'll do some comparo shots of all four of them together. This has always been one of my favorite patterns, especially with the nickel trim, so it's been fun to dig these up. The interesting thing about it is that this niche collection seems to intersect silver pearl Manhattan celluloid and vintage Italian pens, as the only one of those four pens that ISN'T Italian is the Vacumatic itself!

 

[I am not a number]

Oh Hell! I was just getting to grips with my want list...

 

Very good review Ryan and an incredible recovery job on the nib!

[philm]

Excellent stuff Ryan. Good idea getting Greg to restore the nib on such a unique pen. I enjoyed hearing about this vac replica.

 

Phil

[Ondina]

Incredible stuff, beautiful pen, Ryan.

[RevAaron]

Color me jealous- very nice!

[Peter from Sherwood Park]

Very classic looking -- I am jealous!

[MYU]

Ryan, how close is the pearl striped celluloid to the Parker Vacumatic? They look very similar... I'm curious as to whether they might be identical.

[rroossinck]

Here's a few more pictures, including one comparison between a first-gen Vac Standard and the Zenith.

 

http://www.roossinck.com/fpn/images/comparo.jpg

 

As far as whether they're identical or not, I can't tell. The earlier Vacumatic celluloids were markedly different than the later versions where the "ribbing" pattern wasn't as unbroken. Either way, they're both beautiful pens!

 

http://www.roossinck.com/fpn/images/zenithvac.jpg

 

http://www.roossinck.com/fpn/images/zenithvacnib.jpg

 

http://www.roossinck.com/fpn/images/zenithvacfilling.jpg

[FrankB]

Great review and pics.

 

Congrats! This pen looks like a real treasure.

[rroossinck]

Frank, this one is one of my all-time favorites. It's not a minty-fresh piece; it's evident that it's already told a few stories, but I think it's still got a few more left to tell in it. It's an incredible writer, and Greg did a marvelous job fixing the nib.