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  1. annettefhorn

    New Faber-Castell Colors

    Has anyone tried the new (new to me, anyway) Faber-Castell inks? They're available from Goulet's: Midnight Blue Deep Sea Green I like both colors based on their swatches. Deep Sea Green looks a lot like Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku (one of my favorite inks), but with different sheen. [Actually now I see they've already sold out of Deep Sea Green.]
  2. Edgemcmuffins

    $30-50 Pens

    Recently, my parents have said that If I get straight a's, I will get $100 to spend on pens. Right now, my pre-prepared cart on goulet has a rhodia dotpad, a jinhao 159+ goulet nib, a faber-castell basic, and a twsbi eco. I was thinking of replacing one of the pens to buy some more ink, as all I have now is noodler's black and a set of black-cap winsor and newton inks that I don't trust. If I had to get rid of a pen, which should I get rid of?
  3. Old_Inkyhand

    Faber Castell Ambition Nibs

    Hello everyone, I would like to buy a Faber Castell Ambition and I need your help. Could anyone post a sample note written with a fine nib and, for comparison, with a medium nib? I would be also grateful if someone shared some thoughts on the wetness, smoothness and general performance of the nib. I have read a few, but they all vary so much that I don't know what to expect. I have to choose between two nibs - F and M. I'd prefer a thin line and a smooth nib, but I'm not sure if a combination of the two exists in this case. Thank you very much!
  4. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-22/anton-wolfgang-von-faber-castell-german-pencil-heir-dies-at-74
  5. jmccarty3

    New Graf Von Faber-Castell Inks

    The new Graf von Faber-Castell inks can be seen on the web site of La Couronne du Comte: http://www.lacouronneducomte.nl/webstore/main/graf-faber-castell-c-161_259.html The new inks are Deep Sea Green, Midnight Blue, and Royal Blue. Hope to see some reviews of these soon.
  6. One of my initial reviews@fpn was of the FCD Ambition. I took this pen out today to give it a deeper look, after gaining relatively more experience with Faber Castell line of pens. Here is a link to my review on blogger: The Faber-Castell Design Ambition Review So here goes a detailed review. Long ago during school days, I had used some of the not so expensive Faber-Castell ballpoints, pencils, highlighters, rulers, mechanical pencils and geometry sets. They used to be a bit scarce in India then, as they came with a ‘Made in Germany’ tag. Though there was little or no price difference with other Indian brands like Camlin or Omega, these were not widely available as such. Years later one fine day, while randomly searching for pens made by Faber-Castell, I bumped across the Ambition/Ondoro/e-motion fountain pens which were placed in a premium segment with Graf-Von Faber Castell Anello/Intuition in luxury segment. In India, a few models were available in Shoppers Stop Online and some of the other known e-com sites, back then. I finally ordered an Ambition (then an Ondoro) from Pensavenue, as they were running a discount sale on all Faber-Castell products. I added a converter since it was clearly mentioned that a Faber-Castell Design (FCD) converter was not included with the gift package. A BIT OF FABER-CASTELL HISTORY Around 1660s Kaspar Faber was one of the pencil makers in Stein, Bavaria, Germany. Later Kaspar’s son Anton Wilhelm Faber took over the business and the initials A.W were added from his name in 1839. Later on in 1898, when Ottile Von Faber (sixth generation of Faber family) married Count Alexander zu Castell-Rüdenhausen, A.W Faber-Castell was born. Count Alexander modernised the company and introduced the jousting knights logo. Faber-Castell started manufacturing fountain pens in 1951, after acquiring the Osmia Company and produced fountain pens till 1975. They had carried the Osmia logo [diamond-within-a-circle] till the 1960s, given Osmia’s high brand recognition in the fountain pen industry. Later under Anton Wolfgang von Faber-Castell, Faber-Castell started expanding their factories & offices across the globe and also started manufacturing fountain pens under two banners of Design and Graf von Faber-Castell (introduced in 1993) from the 90s. These Ambition range comes with a fountain pen (with 4 different nib widths), a roller ball, a propelling pencil (0.7mm) and a ballpoint pen with various barrel designs constituting of resin, wood or brushed steel. PRESENTATION Within 3 days, the pen and a converter were delivered in a moss-green cardboard box. The colour reminds me of lush green cricket outfields and the Australian Baggy Green Caps. The box has a slider and the pen is secured with an elastic band on a felted bed, along with a warranty card. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-msdcMLZM5x8/VcX15lwx8aI/AAAAAAAAFCI/azlre_iK5vU/s1600/DSC_4963.jpg DESIGN - THE CYLINDRICAL MOTLEY OF RESIN & METAL (4/6) Held in hand, the pen will feel somewhat heavier towards the cap end, with a relatively lighter brushed barrel made of up black coloured resin (Like MB, Faber-Castell also calls it ‘precious resin’, I feel it has comparatively lower density). http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hih-SaIwMKU/VcX2CwS4I1I/AAAAAAAAFCQ/DXWLWXZ25Hw/s1600/DSC_4973.jpg http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SxktYdYHRiQ/VcX2Xh2uVkI/AAAAAAAAFCo/sz_dpqB7bMw/s1600/DSC_5010.jpg A convergence in its minimalistic design of the chrome plated accents is achieved with another piece of metallic finial at the end of the barrel, which also serves as the click-lock for posting the cap. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n4O_LTCsd-8/VcX2HuQbODI/AAAAAAAAFCg/iPvdisa5D18/s1600/DSC_5000.jpg And yes, the chrome accents are prone to fingerprints. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P96DZiiL9xI/VcX2EdtvRaI/AAAAAAAAFCY/8T7Awrn-FRk/s1600/DSC_4983.jpg The cap is substantially heavy with a snap-on locking mechanism. Once you pull it, it comes off with an audible click, and you can see a chromed metallic section attached to the non-differentiated grip, at the end of which rests the shiny nib. Absence of any taper in the singular cylindrical section, introduces a steep step for holding the pen. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4UFE2LGgsjE/VcX2mbCswxI/AAAAAAAAFDA/LKc5NSRPrUQ/s1600/DSC_5019.jpg A mirror finish on the chromed cap etched with the Faber-Castell logo of two jousting knights will immediately gleam with the slightest amount of light and it is also embossed with the traditional statement preserving antiquity of A.W Faber-Castell - Since 1761. The clip is spring loaded and is shaped like an arc with a concave end. To generate friction with fabric, there are multiple grooves on the insides of the clip’s concavity, where it touches the cap. There is also a plastic insert inside the cap which gives the snap-on friction. However, it seems to lose grip with time. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UQI4QeeQLeA/VcbJiYDaMgI/AAAAAAAAFD0/gT_mkgHU35c/s1600/Cap.jpg FILLING SYSTEM (5/6) The small metallic section at the end of the barrel unscrews from the resin barrel with less than three turns and it disengages the section containing the nib and CC filling system. The nib has a screw fit, and inserts into a metallic sleeve like most of the Faber-Castell fountain pens which I have seen. The nib sleeve has threads which synchronize with threads on the insides of the resin barrel. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RK7DWlaZ-AU/VcX2asJWGLI/AAAAAAAAFCw/E6G25MRITCo/s1600/DSC_5048.jpg The converter says SCHMIDT on its piston along with a brand imprint of FABER-CASTELL Germany on the metallic sleeve. It has a reasonably high capacity of 0.8 – 0.9 mL, and the ink does last for quite a while! I am usually biased towards piston fillers, but I like the capacity offered by Faber-Castell or Schmidt converters. In case of GvFC Converters there is no mention of Schmidt on the converters themselves. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dha1qS8xnX0/VcX20pkwu2I/AAAAAAAAFDQ/kMbn4yPpB0Q/s1600/DSC_5072.jpg NIB - ALL THAT MATTERS (6/6) The nib is made of stainless steel alloy with an iridium tip. The initially available nib sizes featured F, M and B nibs, though an EF was made available later. I went with an M sized nib. Right out of the box, this was a butter-smooth nib. The nib has a perforated imprint of dots which cover a third of its surface area. Had these been real perforations there would have been an opulence of breather holes. And in fact there is not even a single breather hole. The nib-size is embossed above the traditional Faber-Castell Design logo of two jousting knights near the tail. Nib section is screw-fit and thus easily removable from the steel sleeve for cleaning or replacement. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-56jH49qkE40/VcX2mZWV-lI/AAAAAAAAFC8/AkLF0kvG-Ec/s1600/DSC_5083.jpg The feed is standard grey plastic, with a big filler hole for ink suction, which is incidentally also used across the GvFC Intuition Series. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wJHOQThFG3Q/VcX200DcZCI/AAAAAAAAFDY/yqDYXJWC2QI/s1600/DSC_5103.jpg Faber-Castell Design (steel) nibs are sourced from JoWo whereas the GvFC nibs are known to be sourced from Bock. PHYSICS OF IT (3/6) – RELATIVELY SPEAKING Without the cap, the pen measures around 12 cm, which might not be comfortable for people with medium or large hands. Posting the cap is easy and it seems to be secured with a click-lock at the finial section. Although the posted pen exceeds a 15 cm scale, the steel cap makes it pretty top-heavy. In addition to weight, the cap freely rotates once it’s click-posted. While writing posted, the beautifully arched clip later becomes the pen’s arch-nemesis for top weight imbalance, with free rotation around the metal section. A girth less than 1 cm might be inadequate for the shorter uncapped length. Uncapped Length ~ 12.2 cm Capped Length ~ 14 cm Posted Length ~ 15.8 cm Nib Leverage ~ 1.9 cm Overall Weight ~ 28 g (Cap Weight ~ 15 g) Capped and uncapped and posted with a GvFC Intuition, Pelikan m400/2XX and a bigger MB146 run below for your reference. The Intuition has a wider grip than the Ambition. (Reusing some older pics here) http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-raOQ2a8hfmg/VaneoU3hiRI/AAAAAAAAE04/MbwYl1DQCNw/s1600/GvFC%2B017.jpghttp://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3IfUp77HFXU/VaneucQwuSI/AAAAAAAAE1Q/ywtzuSmqxKQ/s1600/GvFC%2B018.jpghttp://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lEIIXA9iDXQ/VaneqEEmoVI/AAAAAAAAE1A/_cJ3dzaaoo0/s1600/GvFC%2B019.jpg ECONOMIC VALUE (5/6) It retails at around USD 70 and I got a converter included at the same price because of the aforementioned discount. I believe it’s a good value for money pen given you too end up with such a nib, which defeats many of the gold ones. OVERALL (4.6/6) This nib is wet, runs wide and smooth like butter, without giving even a hint of feedback. I purposely used a less wet ink, but the pen did quite well against a drier pelikan 4001 ink. There is a bit of line variation with relatively thicker verticals. The nib has some spring and a touch of softness. In fact it lays a wetter and wider line with a little pressure. If you hold it from the metal section, the pen might feel slippery after some time and it might even rotate a little between your fingers. I instinctively hold the pen just above the metal section. Being a wet writer out of the box, the Medium nib puts a line which takes more than 20 seconds to dry on MD Paper with a relatively dry Pelikan 4001 Brilliant Black ink. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w-SffYYQWEk/VcX3A22t3SI/AAAAAAAAFDg/aai7dhvEl5Y/s1600/DSC_5185.jpg REFERENCES Faber Castell History Bock Clientele Thank you for going through the review. You can find some more pen and paraphernalia reviews here.
  7. Good morning from Ottawa! I have lurked on the site for quite awhile now and have even posted a couple of times, I decided it was high time I introduced myself in a more formal manner. I am a researcher in photonics/optics and originally was draw to fountain pens for the access to bottled ink as I was using preloaded ballpoints/gel pens at an alarming rate. I picked up a Lamy Safari demonstrator as a test and a bottle of blue waterman ink and then I suppose like most of us on here the bug bit and I have not really stopped. While I started with Lamy I quickly branched out and have not really settled on one brand, my only real trend is towards fine nibs as I use them extensively for equations and derivations. While I "collect" pens I do not see myself as a collector per say as all of my pens are in the regular inking rotation and I try to make a point of using everything I have and only buying something I want to use. With this being said in addition to one of my Safaris my Faber-Castell Mondoro, Mont Blanc UNICEF Le Grand, Kaweco Sport and Esterbrook do seem to be inked more often than others. In the interest of completeness below you will find my current collection of pens/inks. I look forward to being part of the community and seeing what everyone has to say. Pens Cerruti 1881 - Unidentified Esterbrook: - Black J Double Jewels (9460 Nib (Rigid Medium / Manifold Medium), 9555 Nib (Gregg Shorthand - F), 2314 B Nib (Relief Broad Stub))Faber-Castell - Mondoro (Orange) -EFFaber-Castell - e-motion (Black Parquet) - MKaweco - Sport (Black) - EFKaweco - Sport (Maroon) - FLamy Nibs including M, F, 1.1 ItalicLamy - Accent MatteLamy - Al-star (Blue)Lamy - Al-star (Copper/Orange)Lamy - Nexx (grey/Green)Lamy - Safari (Demonstrator)Lamy - Safari (Black)Noodler Ahab (Green)Rotring - Core (Grey/Orange - Awaiting arrival)Schaeffer - Taranis - FSchaeffer - 300 (Red Iridescent) - MScaheffer - Unidentified - MWaterman - Kultur (Blue Demonstrator) - MWaterman - Phileas (Purple/Blue Marble) - FWaterman - Hemisphere (All metal) - MInk J. Herbin - Eclat de SaphirJ. Herbin - Orange IndienJ. Herbin - Perle NoireJ. Herbin - Rouge OperaLamy - Copper OrangeMont Blanc - Oyster GreyMont Blanc - Lavender /PurpleNoodlers - Bulletproof BlackPilot Iroshizuku - Kiri-samePrivate Reserve - AvacadoPrivate Reserve - Black CherrySailor - Blue/BLackWaterman - Intense Black
  8. Hello all, I'm thinking of getting a new fountain pen, but I've recently run in to some trouble. I thought I knew what I wanted, but I'm not so sure now. I thought I would post on here and try to get some opinions of those that are in the fountain pen community. The pen I thought I wanted was the TWSBI 580AL http://www.gouletpens.com/tw-580al-silver/p/TW-580AL-Silver I really like the look of this and I enjoy the idea of having a demonstrator style pen as I do not have one. The new-comer to this is the Faber-Castell Ambition http://www.gouletpens.com/faber-castell-ambition-black-resin-fountain-pen/p/FB-Ambition-Black I feel like this style is more of a classy and adult look and seems to be a bit sturdier. I haven't used either of these pens and would love to hear what people have to say about these two. Thanks in advance! Alex
  9. A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a NOS Faber Castell 554D Progress fountain pen, when searching for inks. It was placed inside a cellophane wrap, printed with green A.W Faber-Castell and was finally packaged inside a small cardboard box. A small pen which kind of resembled a rather compressed modern MB146, with its striped ink-windows. Since, I have an excellent experience with most of the Faber-Castell fountain pens including the reviewed ones here – Ambition, Intuition and Elemento, I went ahead and purchased the pen. Later, Faber-Castell Co. confirmed that the 554D featured in their brochure till 1960. Faber-Castell started manufacturing fountain pens in 1951, after acquiring the Osmia Company and produced fountain pens till 1975. It carried the Osmia logo [diamond-in-a-circle] till the 1960s, given Osmia’s high brand recognition in the fountain pen industry and the same logo is also present in this one. PS: I have also replicated the content in my blog, since the images are/will be reduced to a smaller thumbnail after a short-period. Below is a link to the same: A.W Faber Castell 554D Progress Review Here goes the review. PRESENTATION I like the vintage bit of packaging in the traditional way - a thick cardboard box, which has actually become thin these days. As you can see, the cellophane wrap carries the green A.W Faber-Castell name. There is a classical user-guide in German, with instructions on how to fill the pen. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/554D/1-box_zpsrpdq2z7y.jpg DESIGN The pen is made of up plastic parts with gold plated trims. This gloss of black and dazzle of gold is still being followed in modern times. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/554D/FC554D%20005_zpsjzk60khf.jpg The nib size and the model number are etched in golden on the barrel, just below the piston-knob. The golden cap band mentions PROGRESS on one side and FABER-CASTELL on the other. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/554D/1-cap1_zps6bgtjvdb.jpg The striped transparency of ink windows renders a rather elegant angle to the overall design of the pen. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/554D/FC554D%20007_zpsgnanrim2.jpg FILLING SYSTEM The piston filling system was initially clogged, as the lubricants had dried out over all these years. After the first stop of the piston knob, by rotating the piston-knob further in a counter-clockwise direction, the entire piston unit can be pulled out. I applied some silicone grease (metroark211) on the piston seal, which is made of transparent plastic, and the piston mechanism was as good as new. If you can notice a white plastic thing through the ink windows below, that’s the piston seal. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/554D/FC554D%20012_zps1bo8gpmn.jpg It takes in a good amount of ink with the piston fill mechanism, which lasts as long as the 0.8-0.9 mL capacity Faber-Castell converters. NIB – ALL THAT MATTERS The 14k gold nib is inserted into a screw-fit sleeve unit and the unit can be easily unscrewed from the barrel. It is a vintage EF nib and has got a hint of feedback, which is duly compensated by a rather wet flow of ink. You will notice an old Osmia diamond-in-a-circle logo embossed at the centre of the nib with Faber and Castell at top and bottom respectively. The nib specifications of 14K and 58.5% follow these impressions towards the tail end. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/554D/FC554D%20010_zpslszwp0mf.jpg PHYSICS OF IT The cigar structure of this pen makes it a somewhat comfortable companion. The only disadvantage is that the cap cannot be posted securely. Uncapped Length ~ 12 cm Nib Leverage ~ 1.85 cm Capped Length ~ 13.3 cm http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/554D/FC554D%20015_zpslarlryny.jpg Though the length is comparable to a M400, a wider grip section and post-ability of cap are the duly missed elements. Now a days, most of the fountain pens can be posted. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/554D/FC554D%20016_zpsmqyu5iqn.jpg OVERALL This vintage 14k nib has a wet flow, with a hint of feedback like most EF nibs. The nib is quite stiff with no hint of flex. There is also a bit of line variation among the horizontal and vertical lines. It takes almost the same time (15 secs) to dry as a modern GvFC Intuition Fine nib. http://i1302.photobucket.com/albums/ag127/soniknitr/554D/FC554D%20017_zpscgkbqxfj.jpg It was fun reviewing the 554D. Hope you enjoyed it.
  10. I've now had this pen for long enough, and used it enough, to feel like I can at least give it a decent review. With a quick search, I pulled up a review that included a lot of photos of packaging and things, so I won't include those. I don't pay much attention to them anyway. Suffice it to say, the pen was safe and secure in the plastic pen case. Brand: Faber Castell Pen Name: Ambition Model: Pearwood Nib: Fine Intro: A friend purchased the pen for me as a gift to start my new job. I had ogled the pen previously, as I thought it was gorgeous. Simply holding it in the store, no ink, it felt very natural in my hand. I love the feel of the wood on my fingers. It's a silly, non-empirical sentiment, but it feels very New England to me, so seemed appropriate with my origins in MA. Appearance/Design: 10/10 Clean, gorgeous, "mission" styling. I'm biased. This pen plays to all of my stylistic preferences. Clean lines, warm (untreated) natural wood, unadorned metal, and what I think of as Shaker or Mission styling with the straight, square, simple but sturdy look. I look at this pen and I WANT to write with it. Construction/Quality: 8/10 Very little flimsy here. There's very little here that seems like it could break. The threads on the metal-core body are appear brass. The pocket clip is Faber-Castell's lovely levered clip which is easy to use and doesn't get over-stressed. Everything fits very tightly, there are no visible cracks, weak points, glue joins, etc. The only worries here are the plastic lining in the cap, which seems like it could eventually wear out as it's a very tight cap (something I value). Also, a core feature of the pen is the untreated wood. If you write with it regularly you'll probably be fine. If you care for it like you would untreated wood, you'll likely be fine. But as it's thin, I could see it drying out and cracking if left alone in a box for too long, like a guitar or such. Here's the clip Weight/Dimensions: 10/10 or 5/10 Perfect for me, Heavy cap for posting Posted, the pen is 6.2 inches long and 1.1 ounces - long and hefty Unposted, the pen is only 4.8 inches long and... much lighter. I don't post. This is lucky for me, as the cap is mostly metal, while the body is light wood and light metal so posted it feels top-heavy. I also have small hands and a slightly "off" grip. I love the light, thin, straight body, and the "short" barrel is just large enough that I actually alternate gripping the pen there, and on the wood, depending what kind of writing I'm doing. However, if you have larger hands/fingers, be aware that you will have to hold it by the wood or get used to your finger tips overlapping the seam between metal and wood. If you like the hefty, broad bodied, "power pens" then the slim line of this "skinnypen" likely won't make your heart sing. Nib/Performance: 9/10 mid-flow, smooth, a bit broad I tend to prefer super-fine, dryer writers, as I write a lot of really tiny stuff. This pen doesn't do that, which at first really disappointed me. Then I got some other pens, actually used this one at work, and came to appreciate it more. I'm now on refill 3 and I've only been using it for a month, that's how much I use it. It's so far played nice with Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin, De Atramentis Black Edition Brown, and Platinum Carbon Black. I have a Fine nib. They come in EF/F/M/B. The Fine is not as fine as I'd like. That's really not the fault of the nib, it's the fault of my being used to Japanese Fine and my friend not being a FP person. Objectively, it does fall into the "fine" category. That said, the nib is a beautiful steel with iridium tip, and I've yet to have a hard-start. While I don't always prefer broader/wetter writers, I've taken to carrying this with me to meetings if I might need to write on unknown paper. It doesn't flex, at least not much with the pressure I'm willing to put on it. That's fine, it's not what I use it for. The writing is very smooth, with just a bit of feedback, even on cruddy paper, even after it has sat for a few days unused, and that feature I love. I consider it a "wetter" writer, but that's in comparison with my other pens, which are mostly Pilots currently, none of which are wet at all. It's certainly not sloshy like my Creaper. And that wetness is what facilitates the crappy paper writing. (of note, I have Noodler's Bad Black Moccasin in it at the moment). Filling System and Maintenance: 8/10 It came with a Faber-Castell converter already installed, but that's easily taken in and out and replaced. The nib and grip are easily separable, and both screw into position. The converter is simple to operate. I don't know how you would clean the wood if it became ink stained. I haven't smudged enough yet to stain. I probably will, because I am not a neat person. I worry about this, and hope my finger oils will protect it some. Otherwise, the pen doesn't seem very high-maintenance. It filled easily and wrote flawlessly straight out of the box, and re-filled equally easily. Certainly caused me less issues than my newly acquired Platinum Plaisir *looks at bright orange hands* Taken apart. You can easily unscrew the nib from the metal grip as well. Cost/Value: 7/10 A bit pricey, but worth it for me I'll admit I have little idea about this one. It feels worth it to me. I ADORE the styling on this pen, I really like the way it writes, and use it regularly. It cost $150 with the converter, which is the high range of what this pen can cost, but having bought it from a physical store I could go back and have them mess with it if something goes wrong. I write with it on a daily basis, and it's my go-to pen when I need to write on unknown paper, or when I'm practicing my penmanship with quotes on Rhodia or sugar cane paper because, like I said, it makes me WANT to write. So, for me, totally worth it. For others? If you want a thin, low maintenance pen, that you probably won't post, that's really reliable and writes like butter... it's probably worth it. It came from Paradise Pens in Reston, VA. They only had Medium nibs in stock, and I pretty much only use Fine and Extra-Fine. The shop was happy to send out for a Fine tip, and it came within a week. He didn't realize they made an Extra-Fine. Conclusion: 8.7 or 7.8 I love this pen with all my little heart. I'm not broadly experienced yet, but for me it's one of my go-to pens. With this and my Pilot Cavalier, I feel like I can write on just about any paper I need to and am not going to have problems. I love the feel of it in my hand and it makes me want to write better. It definitely has it's flaws, especially if you're a poster, or have big hands, but I'm neither. I worry about the wood, but the wood is also the reason I love it so much (mm tactile). Hopefully this is helpful! If you're new to FPs and have small hands like me, it's definitely worth the monetary leap.
  11. Hi all, During my teenage years, I've used my mother's TK-Matic. I didn't know it was an iconic pencil at that time, I just loved to write and draw with it. However, one day it either fell out of my hands, or some other thing happened, but the result was, that the pencil didn't work anymore. I've grown up, more than a decade passed. Right now I draw a lot as a part of my job - I'm doing technical designs. I use a Faber Castell TK-Fine Vario mostly, but it just doesn't feel as good. So, I've decided, I'd like to fix that old pencil. I still have it. What's the symptom? Upon pressure, the lead just slides back, like there was nothing to hold it. What did I try so far? I opened and reassembled it multiple times. Sometimes I even tried to reassemble it in different ways. I tried to lead a lead across when its inner workings were outside. It works. Outside, the mechanics hold the lead just fine (pushing it with my thumb), but once put back in, it has the same issue. Nothing seems to be broken, or - according to my best knowledge - missing. I guess it has something to do with the TK-Matic's ability to "automatically" push the lead out as you write, that fails somehow and instead of using the force of pressuring against paper to bring out the lead micron by micron, it just lets the lead pass back a little. I've made sure the lead size is correct (0.5, it was always 0.5 and it's written on it). Are there any ideas on how could it be fixed? Is there any kind of guide how does it look "correctly" from the inside? I really loved that pencil. Thank you very much in advance.
  12. I kind of felt like writing a review of a pen which many adore for its immaculate design. I do adore it , one of my finest steel nibs Below is a link to the same on my blog. If there is some problem with the shared pictures below, I would request you to please go to the below link: http://iwonder-thecartographer.blogspot.in/2014/10/faber-castell-design-ambition-review.html Long ago , back in school days, I had used inexpensive Faber-Castell ball point pens, pencils, highlighters, rulers, mechanical pencils and geometry sets. They used to be elitist then, as they came with the ‘Made in Germany’ tag. Though there was little or no price difference with Indian brands such as Camlin or Omega , they were not widely available. One fine day, while randomly searching on fountain pens made by Faber-Castell, I came across the Ambition/Ondoro/e-motion fountain pens in premium segment with Graf-Von Faber Castell Anello/Intuition placed in luxury segment. In India, a few models were available in Shoppers Stop and some of the e-com sites such as flipkart, pensavenue and makoba. I finally ordered an Ambition from Pensavenue, as they were running a discount sale on all Faber-Castell products then. I added a converter since it was clearly stated that FCD converter is not included. The available nib sizes featured an F, M and B though an EF was made available later. I went for an M sized nib. Within 3 days, the pen along with a converter arrived in a grassy-green packaging. The colour reminds me of cricket fields and Australian Baggy Green Caps. http://s25.postimg.org/jxm71iey7/DSC_0944.jpg http://s25.postimg.org/5zzfigrhr/DSC_0946.jpg Once held in hand, the pen feels somewhat heavy with a relatively lighter brushed barrel body made of black coloured resin (Faber Castell calls it ‘precious resin’) . And a high polish chrome steel cap etched with Faber-Castell logo (two jousting knights) with the statement (actually, the entire thing that is on the green box), along with the barrel end-cap made with the same finish, bestows the pen with a rather minimalist yet efficient look. The Pen http://s25.postimg.org/khwmqgisv/DSC_0950.jpg Once you open the pen, you would notice a rather tiny chrome metal grip and a steel nib with a perforated pattern of dots running over it. http://s25.postimg.org/pn2fltl4f/DSC_0954.jpg The pen and it’s parts.. Converter is additional and does come with a Faber Castell Germany imprint. http://s25.postimg.org/8vh432kvj/DSC_0959.jpg The nib has a perforated pattern of dots imprinted across, covering more than a third of its surface area. Had these been real perforations there would have been plenty of breather holes . As you can see, there is no breather hole in the nib. It mentions the nib-size just above the two jousting knights logo embossed near its tail end. Nib section is screw-fit and thus easily removable from the steel grip for cleaning or replacement. http://s25.postimg.org/j6tgvqckv/DSC_0998.jpg Without the cap, the pen measures around 12 cm, which might not be comfortable for people with medium to large hands. A perspective would be a Pelikan m400/Pilot Custom 74 when posted feels very comfortable to me. Posting the cap is easy and can be secured with a click-lock at the barrel end-cap. Although the posted pen exceeds a total length of 15 cm, the steel cap makes it pretty heavy at the top. In addition to weight, the cap freely rotates once it’s click-posted. It has a beautifully arched spring-loaded clip (it’s heavy too) which later becomes the pen’s arch-nemesis for top weight imbalance, as the clip (with the cap) can freely rotate towards the direction of incline while writing. http://s25.postimg.org/dmgzl3dpr/DSC_1014.jpg The design is pretty alluring but functionality is a little inhibited when weight is not evenly distributed for a pen. http://s25.postimg.org/y7vrczvan/DSC_1019.jpg The nib performance can be termed superlative. A wet and even flow with an ultra-smooth performance, which could make even the 14k/18k s’ shy. http://s25.postimg.org/56rf3laun/DSC_1022.jpg Ratings FCD Ambition - Feature Length Capped ~ 14 cm Posted ~ 15.8 cm Unposted ~ 12.2 cm Nib Leverage ~ 1.9 cm Rating - 8 Comments - Posted length is preferable but not too comfortable for a top heavy structure Weight Posted ~ 28 g Cap wt ~ 16 g Rating - 6 Comments - Balancing is a problem for large hands - The cap when posted rotates freely along with heavy clip affecting the direction of weight of a top-heavy structure Design/Look - Silver Accents - Black ‘precious’ resin barrel - Chromed clip, barrel end-cap and grip Rating - 10 Comments - Chrome plated furniture with black resin (called precious resin) encompasses the minimalistic design - Spring loaded arched clip Filling System Faber Castell Design Converter Rating - 10 Comments - Does hold a lot of ink ~ 1 mL Nib Steel Nib Balancing Length ~ 1.9 cm Rating - 10 Comments - Wet Flow - Butter Smooth - Screw Fit - Removable Grip Ideally fingers would rest somewhere between the metallic grip and the barrel-end resin as support - Length (steel end) ~ 0.8 cm Rating - 8 Comments - Grip is kind of ‘okay’ - Short ~ 0.8 cm - Steel will be slippery with sweat Economic Value - Retails around USD 70 - Good Value for money Rating - 9.5 Comments - Given the pen’s performance the steel nib outperforms many gold ones Accessories - None other than the green cardboard gift box - You have to buy the converter separately for around USD 6 Rating - 7 Comments - Can use standard international cartridges - Other standard international converters (waterman, rotring) may not fit properly Overall Rating 8.56
  13. Hi everyone! Since there isn't a Faber-Castell forum in the Brand Focus section and quite some people like the brand, I've started this topic to discuss all things Faber-Castell. Enjoy! Dingan
  14. ink-syringe

    I Heart Faber-Castell

    I have had a lot of frustrations in my pen buy experience. I am shocked at how inconsistent the pen buying experience is even in 2014. I mean, we have lasers now! heh. Recently: I bought a Kaweco that was defective right out of the box and had to be replaced (admittedly the replacement is very good). A Caran d'Ache that was disastrous and messy. The nib is smooth but while it is marked F is only slightly finer than a whiteboard marker. Bonkers. The feed must be cracked. It leaks ink even just sitting on the table. Caran d'Ache has not responded. I hate this pen. A TWSBI Diamond 840 AL that has the single worst nib I have ever used in my life. It literally takes up paper fibers in the nib. (but otherwise an awesome pen, hope to get this nib and or feed replaced). 4 Lamy pens. All of which worked great right out of the box but had variable nib quality. One was scratchy and dry (since replaced with a nice one, no biggie), 2 were good if not outstanding and one (Vista) has one of the best nibs I own. Stunning pen. (2 were purchased to give as gifts, one was a store display with a personalized cap that I got nearly for the price of a ball pen, I like a pen with a story and it was orange. I love orange). A Pilot Knight. Amazing pen. Would still be amazing at 3x the price. Not my favorite aesthetics (though I love that hefty clip!) but what a writer. I regret not getting another since you can't get standard Pilot pen models here and some places have the Knight on close out for crazy prices. Faber-Castell LOOM. Also amazing. Very robust pen. Outstanding nib. So mixed. I sort of feel like if I order a pen w/o trying it there is a 50% chance it will be crummy to write with or downright defective. When I was at the Fountain Pen Hospital in NY I tried a lot of pens and they were also quite variable within even the same pen model. Except one brand stood out as consistently high quality. So over the last few days I went to a bunch of pen shops and book shops and tried every pen of this brand that I could find (5 stores (all the pen stores in Seoul are in walking distance so it isn't as much work as it sounds)) and I am want to say that Faber-Castell not only make some great pens, they make a very consistent product. I would say that they also make the bests bang for buck pen in the world right now: The Basic. The Basic is a beast of a pen for low dollars. Bravo. In each store I tried the LOOM, the Basic, Ambition, and E-motion pens and in some cases a more than one of each (man they have a lot of finishes for the e-motion pens!) and also tried a few models I did not keep track of. Small sample size (a couple dozen pens) totally unscientific and subjective. But I am impressed. Good pens at every price point. The cheaper pens have stunningly good nibs and represent an outstanding value. I did not get a genuinely bad nib EVEN ONCE of all the pens I tried, all were smooth, all were wet but not messy, all were good writers right out of the case. Not a single dog among them and some were fantastic. Consistency is an issue with fountain pens. Consistency is also an under-appreciated quality in fountain pen manufacturing and retail. I wish I liked the looks of their pens more but I am now a Faber-Castell fan none the less. I am pretty much done buying pens for a while, but if do buy one more it will be a Faber-Castell pen. I think they make a heck of a product.
  15. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Faber-Castell-Basic-Metal-Fountain-Shiny/dp/B00439VD1O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403110766&sr=8-1&keywords=faber+castell+basic+fountain+pen http://www.amazon.co.uk/Faber-Castell-Basic-Metal-Fountain-Matt/dp/B00439QEYA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1403110766&sr=8-2&keywords=faber+castell+basic+fountain+pen The latter was available for £11.35 + 99p shipping via a third party seller but they only had one left, until I bought it. Been after one of these for a while and at less than half RRP, it seems a pretty good deal. I normally avoid Amazon like the plague, but it'll chuck up a good deal from time to time.
  16. I'm thinking about buying a Faber-Castell Ambition (black), but I'm a bit skeptical. Please help if you own one. There seem to be some unclear issues: 1. Does the resin body crack when screwed too tight? This seems to only be a problem with the black version, as the others have metal threads. 2. Does the the cap stop clicking in place? I read a review that said after 2 months the cap wouldn't click to the body 3. Is the grip section uncomfortable? It looks like it is. Also, how would it compare to a TWSBI 580/ Classic? Help is much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
  17. i've always loved faber-castell pens and their impressive crowns--classic simplicity itself, with a very regal bearing. i have the pernambuco and the black guilloche, among other F-Cs, and i thought that was the end of my F-C lust until.... this one came along, in the form of a "second-chance" offer from an ebay seller (this means that the low-ish bid i left on the pen some time ago turned out to be good enough, when the high bidder couldn't pay). i'm all tapped out from too many recent high-end pen purchases (MB 100th anniversary, a CS LE, vac-band vac, etc.), ha ha, but i would've gone to the bank to hock the house to get this one, just because it was being offered to me at practically half the original retail price (always a good excuse!). i know some people dislike metal pens, but i really dig them (maybe it's a guy/geek thing?): solid, heavy, kind of refined brutish. this one has the added advantage of a non-metal section, to those who don't like slippery sections. the barrel itself is "platinized" metal, not pure platinum, of course. http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll296/penmanila/PlatinumFC_zps49231fa8.jpg http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll296/penmanila/PlatinumFC2_zpsf1a49eed.jpg i feel like my collection doubled in size and cost this month, despite all my feeble attempts at selling off stuff, but what the heck--i'm turning 60 soon and i've been a good boy but no more second-chance offers, please!
  18. I bought a Faber-Castell Loom today because I like FC`s pens for their excellent steel nibs from Bock in Heidelberg. The Loom is very nice for a cheap pen, just the weight is something I don`t like for I`m used to writing with mainly lightweight pens. So what to do? Find a lighter barrel for the pen. So I rummaged in my box of cheapo fountain pens and found an older Schneider ink spiller with a plastic barrel that not only fit to the Loom`s section but also matched colourwise. The Faberschneider Frankenloom was born: http://i39.tinypic.com/2i8gio7.jpg The barrel`s threadings fit 100 percent to the threadings of the section, and the outer diameter is the same, as you can see here: http://i41.tinypic.com/aadv1v.jpg Here`s a pic of the really excellent Bock nib the Loom has: http://i39.tinypic.com/rkzts6.jpg The result of this Doctor Frankenstein operation with pen body parts is a finally light-weight fountain pen with that you can write countless hours without getting tired by a heavy barrel that`s constantly pulling your hand down. I got the Schneider pen from Aldi. It came in a set of two pens and a pack of cartridges and was sold for 1,99 there.They sell these there twice a year so good luck in finding some. Greetings, Moxoftritonytes
  19. I bought a 2 oz. bottle of Faber-Castell Royal Blue ink a month or so ago (for a touch under $5.50) and quite like it. There's nothing either remarkable or dislikable about it. The saturation is just right and flows very well; not sure whether it has any lubricating property. The bottle curiously is a replica of the Pelikan 4001 and I wonder if the two source the ink off the same manufacturer? I hope not, because the Pelikan has (as I gathered from the posts here) notoriety for fading away completely... Experiences of others who may have been using F-C RB for a longer duration would be welcome, thanks.
  20. http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af174/fabienne301/basic1_zpsb43b1904.jpg http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af174/fabienne301/basic2_zps99b84d6c.jpg http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af174/fabienne301/basic3_zpseb5f0794.jpg Oh, you say you want to see it, too? OK! http://i1005.photobucket.com/albums/af174/fabienne301/photo_zps536adaa3.jpg





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