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INK REVIEWED: Franklin-Christoph Midnight Emerald PAPER: Tomoe River, cream color, journal Staples brand copy paper PEN #1: Franklin-Christoph Panther 40 with Masuyama medium stub nib PEN #2: Delta Horsepower with 1.1 Fusion Nib WRITING SAMPLE: See Attached Images: Attached Image 1: Sample on Tomoe River cream paper with F-C Panther 40 and Delta Horsepower pens Attached Image 2: Sample on Staples brand copy paper with Delta Horsepower pen CHARACTERISTICS: Flow: 4/5 excellent flow in each of the pens I have used it in. Lubrication: 4/5 Shading: 3.5/5 - nice shading in wet nibs and stub nibs Spread: 4/5 minimal spread even on copy paper Feathering: 4/5 minimal feathering even on copy paper Saturation: 4.5/5 - well saturated Showthrough: 4/5 minimal showthrough even on copy paper Bleedthrough: 4.5/5 minimal bleedthrough only on very inexpensive paper Smear: 4/5 no smearing after ink if fully dry Dry Time: Dries in moderate amount of time (10 seconds with medium nib) Waterfast: Very soluble with little ink remaining after water exposure Lightfast: Not tested Comparison with other inks: Similar to Waterman Mysterious Blue, Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku, and darker than DeAtramentis Mint Turquoise. OTHER OBSERVATIONS: I was pleasantly surprised when my bottle of Midnight Emerald arrived and I inked up F-C Panther with it. This is a nicely wet ink with great flow and lubrication. My pen glides across each type of paper I have written on with little to no feathering, bleeding or showthrough. The ink has a wonderfully professional demeanor to it in a fine/medium nib, but shows its wonderful color and shading in a thicker stub or broad nib. CONCLUSIONS: 4.5 out of 5; Franklin-Christoph Midnight Emerald has earned a permanent place in my ink depository.

Franklin-Christoph is a pen maker in North Carolina, USA and they also have a line of inks. It's not a big line, but every now and then they add a color or two in their "special colors". One of these is called Spanish Blue. It's a light blue that's not quite green enough to be turquoise, but some may call it that anyway, and they may well be correct in their judgement. It's very similar in hue to a number of other inks including MB Honoré de Balzac LE, though with not as much green and not as saturated; KWZI Turquoise, but not as saturated; Sailor KN Porpita porpita, but not as straight blue as that. It's a single dye ink, and fairly bright. I'm not sure where I stand with this ink. It's a very smooth flowing, well lubricated ink, but the line I got from this ink was more narrow than other inks such as KWZI Azures #4 and #5, so I probably should have used a wider nib to test this ink as that may have shown its character more. Anyway the inks are reasonably priced ($12.50 for a 2 oz bottle), but seem only available from F-C itself. They also offer a unique squeeze-bottle for filling eyedropper pens directly from the bottle. I haven't tried that, but fans of eyedropper pens may find something useful in this brand because of that. So it's worth your consideration if you fancy this kind of color. I didn't find any sheen and minimal shading, but again, I probably needed a wider nib. The usual papers: Mohawk via Linen=MvL, Tomoe River=TR, Hammermill 28 lb inkjet=Hij. Special Note: I had a small issue writing on the next day. The color changed! What actually happened I think was the ink picked up leftover ink in the feed from the prior KWZI fills. After emptying the pen and cleaning, I then used a pen flush product and got a pick more blue out. Since the converter was clean, it much have been the feed, right? I think the camera/software is exaggerating the brightness here. Not waterfast, but there seems to be some water resistance. The ink droplet shows a single dye.

Franklin-Christoph is a pen maker in North Carolina, USA that also has some inks. I'm not sure who makes those inks for them, but they are usually quite good. This one is a dusky, dark purple that I find very nice. The papers used were MvL=Mohawk via Linen, Hij=Hammermill 28 lb inkjet, TR=Tomoe River. On the Tomoe River paper I just couldn't get a good photo. The ink definitely appears as a dusky purple but multiple tries only captured a dark grey. Not much special in this ink blot. This is the other review that has the corresponding Republican candidates over the same time frame as that listed in my Noodler's The Violet Vote review. The ink is not terribly water-resistant. The red washes away leaving some of the blue behind.

Hello! About a week or two ago, I purchased two Franklin-Christoph Model 02 "Intrinsic" fountain pens off eBay, both from the same seller. They were listed as never inked, and I have no reason to doubt the seller, who appeared to have plenty of previous eBay sales experience and 100% feedback. I bought both, one in Smoke & Ice with a broad nib, the other in Amber & Cinnamaroon with a fine nib, with the intent of doing a nib swap between them to give my wife (a lefty) the Smoke & Ice with the fine nib. I did the nib swap, applying silicone grease to the section to barrel and the nib unit to section threads, and loaded both as eyedroppers. Mine, the amber pen with the broad nib, is wonderful. No problems. However, my wife's smoke pen with the fine nib has a VERY VERY wet feed. Ink gets into the cap, and occasionally drips onto the page. You can regularly see a blob of ink on the end of the feed nearest the tip of the nib. Any suggestions? I plan to disassemble the pen, clean it thoroughly, and reassemble, this time double-checking to be sure the nib unit is fully secured in the section, and that the nib and feed are well mated. However, any tips on what I should look for would be most welcome. These are beautiful pens, and the nibs are quite nice. My broad is super smooth and my wife's fine offers just the right amount of feedback. I understand F-C offers a lifetime warranty, but if I can resolve this issue myself and save the shipping charge (and time away from the pen), I'd prefer it. Thanks!

I have a cool mix of vintage and new pens. I have a Waterman's 52, a Chicago made Conklin Glider, and a vintage Pelikan. I have been eyeballing this particular Parker Vacumatic. Looking in the $150 range should I go for another vintage pen or for something new and exciting like a Franklin-Christoph Model 20? What would you do?

Looking for some sympathy, fellow FPNers. I've been debating about a Franklin-Christoph Pocket 66 in Antique Glass for several months. I finally made up my mind to get one (and finally have the funds to pay for it), and they aren't making any more. The site is taunting me with the promise of making another model in that material, but they don't say which one. I *love* my 03 and my 29, but I have a thing for pocket pens and demonstrators and the ice finishes simply don't do it for me. Anyway, if anyone from Franklin-Christoph reads this: pretty please bring it back? Or have the next pen you do in Antique Glass be the new 45? Please? -- Sarah, a disappointed displacermoose

I'm thinking of selling Franklin-Christoph ink samples. Would anyone be interested in buying? If you're interested, what color would you buy?

Please forgive my pictures... this is my first review and I shot it with my wife's IPhone .. So here we go ... My heart almost burst out of my chest as I stood there signing for my international package ..The mailman looked at me and saw the gleam in my eye and he knew that he had brought me something very special indeed..... As I tore into the package I could see of one of my Grail pen's finally becoming a reality.. The packaging was subtle and yet sophisticated .. I didn't expect it to include two in cartridges and a converter.. When I first picked it up the weight felt good my in my hand. The balance was well tuned but posted...is when it really sang ... When the cap Popped off the highly tuned medium fine nib had Excalibur sharpness to it ..My Mike Masuyama Franklin Cristoph # 6 cursive Italic ...or the softness of my 14k med falcon nib had had a run for their money.. Inking it up with One of my favorite inks Pilot itoshizuku Kon-peki was the perfect match for the soft blue of the barrel ... Now the magic happened. Placing the nib down on my Rohdia dot Pad, The pen seemed to write it by itself the flow was wet but definitely not a gusher.... There was a little feedback That let your paper absorb the ink gladly ... The nib stacks up well in comparison to a few of my other inferior models... At $395 with free shipping I feel some one should lock me up because this was a real steal .... O wait that was $3.95 I hope this helps someone and that you found it helpful Thanks for your time ...Enjoy the photos ..check out my blog aredfalconand I make puppets

Full review with pictures here: http://thefrugalfountainpen.blogspot.com/2016/03/franklin-christoph-02-intrinsic-pen.html I have been checking out Franklin-Christoph fountain pens lately and decided it was time to own one. I am impressed that they are made in the USA, are CNC machined out of resin, and are very attractive with a somewhat understated appearance. I contacted my friends at Pen Chalet and they were kind enough to assist with providing a pen for this review. As a result, I now am the owner of the Franklin-Christoph Model 02 Intrinsic Pen Chalet Special edition fountain pen. That certainly is a mouthful! The pen has a smoke brown translucent demonstrator finish with an inside that appears to be covered by a thin sheet of ice. The body of the pen tapers towards the end, allowing for the cap to post very deeply. So deeply, in fact, that the posted length is almost identical to the capped length (5.75" capped vs. 5.85" posted including the nib). The body width varies from .55" to .445" as it tapers. The cap diameter is .61" and the section is .44" at its narrowest point. And, speaking of the section, there are no sharp threads to deal with. The wide section thread has been moved to the bottom of the section near the nib so that it is completely out of the way when you are writing. A brilliant design! The cap is easy and quick to remove and requires less than two turns. The pen is surprisingly light, weighing in at less than an ounce, and I found it very comfortable to hold either capped or uncapped (I have large hands). The clip is somewhat light but very springy. As for filling options, the pen ships with a typical Schmidt-type international converter, but you can also use cartridges or add some silicone grease to the threads and use it as an eyedropper if you need plenty of ink. As it is translucent, you will be able to see the ink sloshing around and that always adds to the "fun factor" of owning such a pen. I specified an extra-fine steel nib and the nib wrote perfectly out of the box without any tuning or smoothing. A very nice writing experience. Kudos to Franklin-Christoph! One nice thing about the pen is that it uses a #6 Jowo nib unit that can be changed out easily with other Franklin Christoph nibs, including their custom music nib, gold nibs and Mike Matsuyama custom ground nibs. The pen also comes with a lifetime mechanical warranty. All and all, I am very pleased with the pen and it is nice and comfortable enough to be an everyday writer. The attention to detail is clearly evident and its design and versatility makes it worth the price. Thanks to Pen Chalet for their remarkably quick service in getting the pen into my hand!

Please,allow me to start by saying thank you mmg112 for sending me samples of all new Franklin-Christoph's writing fluids (and much more!). I appreciate it a lot and I hope the reviews I've prepared are enough to repay you http://imageshack.com/a/img537/3941/5Lb5cU.jpg Franklin-Christoph is one of fairly new pen makers. I had three of their pens and they were all good writers. The company is headed by Scott Franklin and operates from North Carolina. I like company's approach to clients (sales directly to us) and they're designs. Franklin-Christoph offers not only pens but also notebooks, pen cases, wallets and inks. I was huge fan of Olde Emerald from first generation of their inks. It used to be my favourite ink for a while. At the moment however the bottle's long gone and I keep fond memories of this exceptional writing fluid. I was surprised to hear they've stopped producing first generation of their inks, especially after I took a look at new colors. First generation colors were rather unique, second generation colors are rather generic. And that's not an advantage to my eyes. Being boring in ink market may be safe when you're Pelikan or Sheaffer, but for smaller player it's risky. Just my opinion. If you happen to know who makes they're ink, I'm eager to know. The second generation of FC inks counts eight inks with uninteresting names (Black Magic, Dark Denim, Olde Emerald - those were cool names; Blue 72, Emerald 357 are NOT cool names) But then there are four new colors with cool names. Woo-hoo! Tenebris Purpuratum is well behaved ink with reasonable dry times and good properties. It's not waterproof. Ink Splash http://imageshack.com/a/img633/6570/5Soy7S.jpg Drops of ink on kitchen towel http://imageshack.com/a/img633/1436/STVkPZ.jpg Software ID http://imageshack.com/a/img907/2681/so12Ao.jpg Color Range http://imageshack.com/a/img905/8414/iurM1S.jpg Tomoe River, Kaweco Classic Sport, B http://imageshack.com/a/img633/1456/HD9UeK.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img910/834/62YvZF.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img905/1796/IP3eIO.jpg Leuchtturm1917, Kaweco Classic Sport, B http://imageshack.com/a/img907/5163/p5595z.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img905/9886/39Ty12.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img911/4325/tU51vp.jpg Oxford, Kaweco Classic Sport, B http://imageshack.com/a/img633/2851/9xXEXI.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img903/9360/FtcWxJ.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img911/6421/lJEhIo.jpg Pigna, Kaweco Classic Sport, B http://imageshack.com/a/img907/6024/2i7TYB.jpg Water resistance http://imageshack.com/a/img911/3998/HtHXFm.jpg

Please,allow me to start by saying thank you mmg112 for sending me samples of all new Franklin-Christoph's writing fluids (and much more!). I appreciate it a lot and I hope the reviews I've prepared are enough to repay you http://imageshack.com/a/img537/3941/5Lb5cU.jpg Franklin-Christoph is one of fairly new pen makers. I had three of their pens and they were all good writers. The company is headed by Scott Franklin and operates from North Carolina. I like company's approach to clients (sales directly to us) and they're designs. Franklin-Christoph offers not only pens but also notebooks, pen cases, wallets and inks. I was huge fan of Olde Emerald from first generation of their inks. It used to be my favourite ink for a while. At the moment however the bottle's long gone and I keep fond memories of this exceptional writing fluid. I was surprised to hear they've stopped producing first generation of their inks, especially after I took a look at new colors. First generation colors were rather unique, second generation colors are rather generic. And that's not an advantage to my eyes. Being boring in ink market may be safe when you're Pelikan or Sheaffer, but for smaller player it's risky. Just my opinion. If you happen to know who makes they're ink, I'm eager to know. The second generation of FC inks counts eight inks with uninteresting names (Black Magic, Dark Denim, Olde Emerald - those were cool names; Blue 72, Emerald 357 are NOT cool names) But then there are four new colors with cool names. Woo-hoo! Loden ins't bad but it's nowhere near Olde Emerald. Ink Splash http://imageshack.com/a/img907/9805/bg0kOZ.jpg Drops of ink on kitchen towel http://imageshack.com/a/img908/4944/c0Th9b.jpg Software ID http://imageshack.com/a/img633/5745/C8CQBS.jpg Color Range http://imageshack.com/a/img633/6205/bTACRO.jpg Tomoe River, Kaweco Classic Sport, B http://imageshack.com/a/img911/6506/oxjO5i.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img903/9581/AZlNe1.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img905/8075/6Y9mWR.jpg Leuchtturm1917, Kaweco Classic Sport, B http://imageshack.com/a/img633/7289/fpVYfM.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img908/3315/BGgJfA.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img633/1213/3Iddu7.jpg Oxford, Kaweco Classic Sport, B http://imageshack.com/a/img910/4550/ZSKMsW.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img911/7504/gJDJ4U.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img633/7506/RfMqQw.jpg Water resistance http://imageshack.com/a/img911/9886/4QadZ4.jpg

Hi Folks, I'm pleased to be joining this forum, having spent some time reading posts and learning about pens I have then gone onto purchase. I'm not new to fountain pens, having used them since I was a child. I only started acquiring more pens earlier this year when I realised that Caran d'Ache had discontinued their Caribbean Sea ink. *shakes fist* I'll admit, I panicked and seriously considered dropping over 200€ on the last six bottles I could find online. Then I took a moment and thought about what else I could do with that money... Highlights of my collection are Pelikan M200, M400; Edison Pearlette; Franklin-Christoph P66 'Coke Bottle Pen'; Visconti Salvadore Dali, a couple of Conway Stewart from 1950's; Parker 51; TWSBI 580AL (no cracking yet). Suffice it to say, I'm enjoying myself. I'm also enjoying different inks and thanks to Diamine, I have not only found a reasonable replacement for Caribbean Sea, but broken my addiction to turqoise inks. I also like some of the Pelikan Edelstein inks, Noodler's, J Herbin, Graf von Faber-Castell... I have reached the point, however, that my friends are beginning ask questions: "You paid how much for a pen?" and "How many pens do you own? Seriously?" So I decided it was time to join up and talk to some people who understand. I'm pleased to meet you all.

Hello, everyone. I'm Marcus. I am new to FPN. I have enjoyed fine writing instruments since I was in college - I'm not in my mid-thirties. I'm not an expert by any means. I'm not even a collector. I just enjoy handwriting. I have a little bit of graphomania. I really enjoy writing with fountain pens. My current inventory include Waterman Carene, Parker Sonnet, Pilot Kakuno and Hero 007. My ink of choice right now is Pilot. I am not particular about paper as long as it doesn't bleed. I don't mind writing on regular printer paper, as long as I have something behind it for the bleeding. I prefer Asian fine nibs or Western extra fine nibs. I look forward to meeting you all in the forums and learning from everyone.

Folks, here’s a quick review of my recently-acquired Franklin-Christoph Marietta 20. In a nutshell, I love this pen. I have two Stabilis 65s from F-C, which are in ice (i.e. see-through), which I turned into eye-droppers for red and blue ink. I wanted a basic black pen for everyday writing in black. Of the three F-C pens I have, this is my favorite. Here is the F-C site for those interested: http://www.franklin-christoph.com/view-all-fountain-pens.html I should admit from the outset that I dislike pens that have metal barrels, are heavy, gaudy or jewel-encrusted. This pen is the opposite of all that. It’s available in Tiger Red, but I chose black because of the timelessness of black. The body of the pen is from acrylic. It is beautifully smooth but doesn’t feel cold, which is another reason I prefer this material to a metal pen. The glossy body is like watching liquorice before it sets. The nib is #6 medium. It floats along with no effort. I wrote on some F-C note paper and the nib is perfect for me; not too fine, not too broad for ordinary note-taking. The cap is slip-on so it’s super easy to open. The cap remains securely posted. I have small hands and this pen does not feel at all bulky to handle. There are no threads on the barrel and this makes for a comfortable grip. F-C customer service is fantastic. For those who don’t know, F-C make their pens in North Carolina. (The nibs are German, but the bodies are crafted in NC.) Lovely, lovely pen and I’m really satisfied with the purchase. I'm not paid for this review but just wanted people to know about F-C!

My new Franklin-Christoph Pocket 40 has been leaving little droplets of ink in the transparent cap (in spite of the pen being stored nib up)--was an inconvenience, but last night, this is what I found, after laying it on its side for a moment while I answered the phone (before uncapping, thank goodness). The smaller streaks are from ongoing "normal" drops in the cap; the big honkin' blob is the new pool. Had to uncap it over the sink, there was so much ink rolling around in there. :::yikes!::: The nib section appears to be seated securely. Any idea what the heck is going on? Is this a known issue?

Please,allow me to start by saying thank you mmg112 for sending me samples of all new Franklin-Christoph's writing fluids (and much more!). I appreciate it a lot and I hope the reviews I've prepared are enough to repay you http://imageshack.com/a/img537/3941/5Lb5cU.jpg Franklin-Christoph is one of fairly new pen makers. I had three of their pens and they were all good writers. The company is headed by Scott Franklin and operates from North Carolina. I like company's approach to clients (sales directly to us) and they're designs. Franklin-Christoph offers not only pens but also notebooks, pen cases, wallets and inks. I was huge fan of Olde Emerald from first generation of their inks. It used to be my favourite ink for a while. At the moment however the bottle's long gone and I keep fond memories of this exceptional writing fluid. I was surprised to hear they've stopped producing first generation of their inks, especially after I took a look at new colors. First generation colors were rather unique, second generation colors are rather generic. And that's not an advantage to my eyes. Being boring in ink market may be safe when you're Pelikan or Sheaffer, but for smaller player it's risky. Just my opinion. If you happen to know who makes they're ink, I'm eager to know. The second generation of FC inks counts eight inks with uninteresting names (Black Magic, Dark Denim, Olde Emerald - those were cool names; Blue 72, Emerald 357 are NOT cool names) Blue 72 Brown 732 Classic Black Dark Chocolate Emerald 357 Midnight Emerald Noir et Bleu Red 187 All together http://imageshack.com/a/img673/833/8LVFLM.jpg Ink Splashes http://imageshack.com/a/img537/523/SmXQ5Q.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img673/2214/fw6Drs.jpg Calendar, Hero 5028, stub 1,9 http://imageshack.com/a/img911/5901/N07smz.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img540/1872/rBwQ75.jpg Midori, Hero 5028, stub 1,9 http://imageshack.com/a/img537/4056/EILv0Z.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img540/293/ONikwR.jpg Copy paper, Kaweco Sport Classic, B http://imageshack.com/a/img673/3867/SLibls.jpg TeNeues, Kawedo Sport Classic, B http://imageshack.com/a/img673/9568/DDlWJw.jpg Calendar, Kaweco Sport Classic, B http://imageshack.com/a/img910/9311/Aei5YH.jpg Waterproofness http://imageshack.com/a/img538/170/NIYvRt.jpg Summary In my opinion Franklin-Christoph made strange move with introducing this inks. Their other products are quite unique and offer some classic, yet fresh designs. They are as well targeted on fountain pen enthusiasts who are eager to learn about companies other than Pelikan, Sheaffer and Waterman. Basically to people who are educated and start to define their taste in pens and seek something elegant and unique in the same time. Why then offer boring, generic color every ink maker has in offer? This I can't understand. Would I consider buying any of these inks? No. Two colors I find nice are Red and Dark Chocolate. Brown looks quite nice in broad nib. But then I have plenty of browns and reds and FC inks don't stand out in any way. I hope third generation will be unique because I really enjoy the company's other doings and I enjoy their products. Except for these inks. PS: Please remember the inks are well behaved and they have good writing proprieties. Don't mix my cold feelings toward the colors with bad quality Quality is good.

Franklin-Christoph is a fairly new American purveyor of fountain pens and their accessories based in North Carolina. visvamitra as reviewed some of their inks. From what I understand, they manufacture their own pens at their facility, and bottle the inks there as well. It's not known who actually makes the inks for them. The pens have some very interesting designs. The inks seem to be pretty interesting as well. The is a very reddish-brown to slightly reddish-brown depending on the paper. I;m not sure my images capture this. It's quite a shady ink. It was very wet in my Pelikan M400 on the Mohawk via Linen, but it acted much drier on the inkjet paper. I haven't had that kind of issue often, so this ink's behavior may be somewhat paper dependent, and whether you like a wetter or drier ink may determine which you employ. The usual paper suspects were used here. The ink washes quite reddish, an earth red. It is not waterfast at all. Blotting lifts nearly all the color up off the paper. The ink is definitely not as dark as it appears in this pic. Again, not as dark as it really is. But on this paper is appeared more brown than red-brown like it did on the MvL. Quite interesting chromatography. Too bad it doesn't wash with those colors.

As part of my expansion of the ink collection in the brown range beyond its already vast range, and from visvamitra's reviews of some of their other inks, I picked up this ink, as well as the Brown which I've already reviewed. Color-wise, it's not quite the match for PPM that I had hoped, being an authentic brown instead of a brown-black, but a very good ink. Tested on Mohawk via Linen, Hammermill 28 lb Inkjet, and Clairefontaine papers. The iPhotos came out darker than I wanted. The wash is closer of an Indian Red instead of the brown shown here. Not terribly waterfast in the blotting test. Even after just a minute, nearly all the ink lifts off the paper. The ink washes with an Indian Red earth color (for those familiar with the traditional watercolor earth pigments). Fairly interesting chromatography.

Hello folks. I am new to this site and wanted to post a review of a couple of Franklin-Christoph pens that I purchased just because I think F-C is so blooming fantastic. To avoid boring everyone to death, I’ll do separate posts for the different pens. This post is going to be about the Pocket 40. First off, I had to use fountain pens in high school, so I knew the very basics, but not much more. I purchased my first post-high school fountain pen, a Sheaffer Prelude in shimmery pink for around $60. I rarely used it because it was very heavy (IMHO), the cap kept falling off and it felt too short and unbalanced if unposted. Ridiculously, I waited ten years before looking for a replacement. I purchased two Lamy Al-Stars on Amazon. Although the nibs were good, I got cramp from squeezing the triangulated grip section. So I researched online about pens made in the U.S. Many thanks to this site, Gourmet Pens, Penaddict, The Pen Habit and Gentleman Stationer for putting F-C on my radar (links at bottom). I drooled (rather obsessively) over the F-C site before ordering two Pocket 40s, one with a Masuyama medium cursive italic nib and the other with a 1.1 cursive nib. I have no photographs because I eventually swapped them out for Stabilis 65s. Here is the link to see what they look like: http://www.franklin-christoph.com/pocket-40.html The P40 colours were Emerald and Cinamaroon. I purchased the ice versions because I knew I wanted to convert them to eyedroppers (much easier than one imagines and really the whole point of buying any of the ice pens). Even with ordinary Parker Red swirling about inside, the Cinamaroon was simply lovely to look at. The pens are light, which I like, and I never had a problem with ink leaking after using the silicone grease. The nibs were both lovely, although I realize that my handwriting is probably too small to suit a cursive italic for writing at speed. The P40 is, obviously, very easy to carry in the pocket, so if you are looking for a genuine pocket pen, it completely meets expectations. I have nothing bad to say about the P40s from F-C. So why did I swap them for the F-C Stabilis 65? Purely because I realized that I rarely needed to be able to carry a pen in my pocket for my work and so I probably should have chosen a larger pen in the first place. (I have petite hands and initially thought the non-pocket F-C pens might be too large.) The Stabilis 65, which I will review separately, was simply better suited for writing done other than on the hop. Another reason I love F-C, even after only a short period of engaging with them, is that they do not carry too many designs as to be overwhelmed by where to start. Also, their designs are timeless and gender-neutral. Sounds silly perhaps, but the vast majority of the “classic” pens in the >$120 - < $600 range that I saw online are either very masculine or the other extreme. Maybe I'm just not good at searching and no offense intended to anyone, just my personal perception and experience. Lastly on this topic, the service at F-C is nothing short of outstanding. That alone is a reason to choose F-C over another brand, all other things being equal. I wish every company had this level of service. Scott and Jim bent over backwards to help me when I wanted to swap out pens. They answered the ‘phone and emails themselves and you genuinely feel like they value your custom. Jim sent me a tub of silicone grease with the second order without me even asking for it. Unless there is some major service (bleep)-up in the future with F-C in, which I cannot imagine would ever happen, they have a customer for life in me. FYI, I did not receive any compensation from F-C for this review, just saying my piece! Sorry for the long and winding road and hope this has helped someone! http://www.gourmetpens.com/2014/07/review-franklin-christoph-model-40p.html#.VjYI_-gqPGD http://www.penaddict.com/blog/2015/5/29/franklin-christoph-model-65-stabilis-review?rq=franklin http://penhabit.com/2014/08/14/pen-review-franklin-christoph-02-intrinsic/ http://www.gentlemanstationer.com/blog/2015/5/30/franklin-christoph-eydropper-mania

I've been following this for a while, and see Massdrop just added a second color option for the Franklin-Christoph Pocket 40: https://www.massdrop.com/r/8DRCZ3 Having never owned an F-C, is this a good pen? Good track record? I'm tempted by the Ice with violet, but having just ordered an Edison (yippee!), it's tough to justify yet another pen unless it's a really great opportunity. (Mods: If posting the link violates any rules, please feel free to remove it.)

Please,allow me to start by saying thank you mmg112 for sending me samples of all new and two first generation Franklin-Christoph's writing fluids . I appreciate it a lot and I hope the reviews I've prepared are enough to repay you http://imageshack.com/a/img537/3941/5Lb5cU.jpg Franklin-Christoph is one of fairly new pen makers. I had three of their pens and they were all good writers. The company is headed by Scott Franklin and operates from North Carolina. I like company's approach to clients (sales directly to us) and they're designs. Franklin-Christoph offers not only pens but also notebooks, pen cases, wallets and inks. I was huge fan of Olde Emerald from first generation of their inks. It used to be my favourite ink for a while. At the moment however the bottle's long gone and I keep fond memories of this exceptional writing fluid. I was surprised to hear they've stopped producing first generation of their inks, especially after I took a look at new colors. First generation colors were rather unique, second generation colors are rather generic. And that's not an advantage to my eyes. Being boring in ink market may be safe when you're Pelikan or Sheaffer, but for smaller player it's risky. Just my opinion. If you happen to know who makes they're ink, I'm eager to know. Dark Denim was FC first generation inks blue/black. The name is cool and the color quite nice. I don't really like blue/blacks so I wouldn't pick up the bottle, yet it's much, much better than new Noir et Bleu. Ink splash http://imageshack.com/a/img538/1452/mDVsyZ.jpg Drops of ink on kitchen towel http://imageshack.com/a/img538/9376/R2FWJh.jpg Waterproofness http://imageshack.com/a/img538/2293/qleDws.jpg Software ID http://imageshack.com/a/img537/2558/G5SHiJ.jpg Oxford, Kaweco Sport Classic, B http://imageshack.com/a/img673/5685/lSzouh.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img905/6998/EfOdwe.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img673/870/3CktZz.jpg Semikolon, Kaweco Sport Classic, B http://imageshack.com/a/img538/4130/XW2jw5.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img673/8483/3TwoGg.jpg Midori, Hero 5028, stub 1,9 http://imageshack.com/a/img908/8186/s75bYn.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img910/5176/4AerJ8.jpg

Please,allow me to start by saying thank you mmg112 for sending me samples of all new Franklin-Christoph's writing fluids (and much more!). I appreciate it a lot and I hope the reviews I've prepared are enough to repay you http://imageshack.com/a/img537/3941/5Lb5cU.jpg Franklin-Christoph is one of fairly new pen makers. I had three of their pens and they were all good writers. The company is headed by Scott Franklin and operates from North Carolina. I like company's approach to clients (sales directly to us) and they're designs. Franklin-Christoph offers not only pens but also notebooks, pen cases, wallets and inks. I was huge fan of Olde Emerald from first generation of their inks. It used to be my favourite ink for a while. At the moment however the bottle's long gone and I keep fond memories of this exceptional writing fluid. I was surprised to hear they've stopped producing first generation of their inks, especially after I took a look at new colors. First generation colors were rather unique, second generation colors are rather generic. And that's not an advantage to my eyes. Being boring in ink market may be safe when you're Pelikan or Sheaffer, but for smaller player it's risky. Just my opinion. If you happen to know who makes they're ink, I'm eager to know. The second generation of FC inks counts eight inks with uninteresting names (Black Magic, Dark Denim, Olde Emerald - those were cool names; Blue 72, Emerald 357 are NOT cool names) Blue 72 Brown 732 Classic Black Dark Chocolate Emerald 357 Midnight Emerald Noir et Bleu Red 187Emerald 357 is called after pantone color it's supposed to match. I dislike the color. Verdict: No, no, no. It's ugly. But if you enjoy such colors this one shouldn't disappoint you. Ink splash http://imageshack.com/a/img540/9708/ERzGcR.jpg Drops of ink on kitchen towel http://imageshack.com/a/img909/2435/z22qN2.jpg Waterproofness http://imageshack.com/a/img633/1959/Q6pfpL.jpg Software ID http://imageshack.com/a/img538/6336/OBeZL5.jpg Semikolon, Kaweco Sport Classic, B http://imageshack.com/a/img661/1728/BpSS4r.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img912/9222/5wCRqV.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img673/9495/mwGJBj.jpg Midori, Hero 5028, stub 1,9 http://imageshack.com/a/img673/7942/u4tINz.jpg

Please,allow me to start by saying thank you mmg112 for sending me samples of all new Franklin-Christoph's writing fluids (and much more!). I appreciate it a lot and I hope the reviews I've prepared are enough to repay you http://imageshack.com/a/img537/3941/5Lb5cU.jpg Franklin-Christoph is one of fairly new pen makers. I had three of their pens and they were all good writers. The company is headed by Scott Franklin and operates from North Carolina. I like company's approach to clients (sales directly to us) and they're designs. Franklin-Christoph offers not only pens but also notebooks, pen cases, wallets and inks. I was huge fan of Olde Emerald from first generation of their inks. It used to be my favourite ink for a while. At the moment however the bottle's long gone and I keep fond memories of this exceptional writing fluid. I was surprised to hear they've stopped producing first generation of their inks, especially after I took a look at new colors. First generation colors were rather unique, second generation colors are rather generic. And that's not an advantage to my eyes. Being boring in ink market may be safe when you're Pelikan or Sheaffer, but for smaller player it's risky. Just my opinion. If you happen to know who makes they're ink, I'm eager to know. The second generation of FC inks counts eight inks with uninteresting names (Black Magic, Dark Denim, Olde Emerald - those were cool names; Blue 72, Emerald 357 are NOT cool names) Blue 72 Brown 732 Classic Black Dark Chocolate Emerald 357 Midnight Emerald Noir et Bleu Red 187Red 187 is called after pantone color it's supposed to match. I like the color. It's good red, without too much pink accents. I'm sorry to say I'm not happy with the result. My scanner serves me well with most colors. But when it comes to reds, nope. Ink splash http://imageshack.com/a/img540/4087/FzKMsD.jpg Drops of ink on kitchen towel http://imageshack.com/a/img537/3074/CCD1CB.jpg Waterproofness http://imageshack.com/a/img540/520/3aLGFx.jpg Software ID http://imageshack.com/a/img908/696/RaZdgE.jpg Oxford, Kaweco Sport Classic, B http://imageshack.com/a/img538/4640/clsJTA.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img661/7626/GMONRG.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img912/8695/fyqi93.jpg Semikolon, Kaweco Sport Classic, B http://imageshack.com/a/img661/8390/PqnAle.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img633/9506/dvKNYV.jpg Midori, Hero 5028, stub 1,9 http://imageshack.com/a/img901/2688/KJuyWr.jpg

Please,allow me to start by saying thank you mmg112 for sending me samples of all new Franklin-Christoph's writing fluids (and much more!). I appreciate it a lot and I hope the reviews I've prepared are enough to repay you http://imageshack.com/a/img537/3941/5Lb5cU.jpg Franklin-Christoph is one of fairly new pen makers. I had three of their pens and they were all good writers. The company is headed by Scott Franklin and operates from North Carolina. I like company's approach to clients (sales directly to us) and they're designs. Franklin-Christoph offers not only pens but also notebooks, pen cases, wallets and inks. I was huge fan of Olde Emerald from first generation of their inks. It used to be my favourite ink for a while. At the moment however the bottle's long gone and I keep fond memories of this exceptional writing fluid. I was surprised to hear they've stopped producing first generation of their inks, especially after I took a look at new colors. First generation colors were rather unique, second generation colors are rather generic. And that's not an advantage to my eyes. Being boring in ink market may be safe when you're Pelikan or Sheaffer, but for smaller player it's risky. Just my opinion. If you happen to know who makes they're ink, I'm eager to know. The second generation of FC inks counts eight inks with uninteresting names (Black Magic, Dark Denim, Olde Emerald - those were cool names; Blue 72, Emerald 357 are NOT cool names) Blue 72 Brown 732 Classic Black Dark Chocolate Emerald 357 Midnight Emerald Noir et Bleu Red 187Blue 72 is named after the pantone number it's supposed to match. For me, it's just another boring blue in the sea of other blue inks. Nothing makes it stand out from the crowd. Safe and boring. Please check mmg112's review to see it can look more saturated in some pens. Verdict: no, thank you. I'll choose something more interesting. Ink splash http://imageshack.com/a/img909/5457/jXXHkT.jpg Drops of ink on kitchen towel http://imageshack.com/a/img673/4268/VGTuGq.jpg Waterproofness http://imageshack.com/a/img910/1134/XenEBU.jpg Software ID http://imageshack.com/a/img540/9223/6H4qqT.jpg Oxford, Kaweco Sport Classic, B http://imageshack.com/a/img540/8537/478hhv.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img661/8464/u6S5rz.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img661/8515/yPiT63.jpg Semikolon, Kaweco Sport Classic, B http://imageshack.com/a/img537/7748/Ayr7Qm.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img538/9154/WgDk9o.jpg

Please,allow me to start by saying thank you mmg112 for sending me samples of all new Franklin-Christoph's writing fluids (and much more!). I appreciate it a lot and I hope the reviews I've prepared are enough to repay you http://imageshack.com/a/img537/3941/5Lb5cU.jpg Franklin-Christoph is one of fairly new pen makers. I had three of their pens and they were all good writers. The company is headed by Scott Franklin and operates from North Carolina. I like company's approach to clients (sales directly to us) and they're designs. Franklin-Christoph offers not only pens but also notebooks, pen cases, wallets and inks. I was huge fan of Olde Emerald from first generation of their inks. It used to be my favourite ink for a while. At the moment however the bottle's long gone and I keep fond memories of this exceptional writing fluid. I was surprised to hear they've stopped producing first generation of their inks, especially after I took a look at new colors. First generation colors were rather unique, second generation colors are rather generic. And that's not an advantage to my eyes. Being boring in ink market may be safe when you're Pelikan or Sheaffer, but for smaller player it's risky. Just my opinion. If you happen to know who makes they're ink, I'm eager to know. The second generation of FC inks counts eight inks with uninteresting names (Black Magic, Dark Denim, Olde Emerald - those were cool names; Blue 72, Emerald 357 are NOT cool names) Blue 72 Brown 732 Classic Black Dark Chocolate Emerald 357 Midnight Emerald Noir et Bleu Red 187 Dark Chocolate is nice, earthy brown. It's not super-saturated but I like this kind of muted dark browns. Verdict: I like the color and I believe the ink is well behaved. The price isn't insane and the quality seems rather high. It's not special in any way but I believe I could consider this one if I hadn't Standardgraph Feigenbraun or Rohrer & Klingner Sepia in my micro-cellar (ok, not cellar, old box, but let's not be too finical). They're not the same but they offer nice earthy feel I quite enjoy in dark browns. Ink splash http://imageshack.com/a/img661/3950/5ID74A.jpg Drops of ink on kitchen towel http://imageshack.com/a/img673/6203/Lq2Y27.jpg Software ID http://imageshack.com/a/img661/9994/ika9Ug.jpg Oxford, Kaweco Sport Classic, B http://imageshack.com/a/img910/1226/dtTUH1.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img540/2888/wTopup.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img908/89/wmKJlJ.jpg Semikolon, Kaweco Sport Classic, B http://imageshack.com/a/img538/338/ubStfS.jpg http://imageshack.com/a/img540/5708/zqSN54.jpg Midori, Hero 5028, stub 1,9 http://imageshack.com/a/img540/2788/w0IxGr.jpg