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  1. So today I got to my dusty now pen holder and took out 3 Twsbi ECOs which were sitting there unused for around 2 years half-inked. They did not dry! To my surprise they even wrote from first nib touch to the paper, amazing! The inks were quite decent quality as well, Iroshizuku Kon Peki, Sailor Yama-Dori and Souten, so that may have been a factor too, colours however did come out much darker than normally attributing for some H2O loss.
  2. Disclaimer: My reviews are about vintage pens I've been collecting for many years. So, please don't expect you can rush to the store or go online to find that particular pen I'm talking about immediately. Also, vintage pens will always be an adventure and in my opinion that's part of the fascination. Even if you find the same model, there's no guaranty that it will behave the same way as described here. Background: Kaweco as a brand name has made an amazing renaissance in the past several years since the original company went belly up some time in the 1980s presumably. Due to the efforts of H & M Gutberlet, several model names and the brand name have been resurrected but I believe that most FP users never got in touch with the original versions of a Kaweco Dia or Kaweco Sport to name only two of their most prominent model lines. So, here comes a short review of one of the ancestors, a Kaweco Dia 85. The model name "Dia" was introduced in 1934 to point to the clear ink window that became possible due to the new piston filling mechanism. Before the Dia, the Kaweco pens were safety, lever, or button fillers. Since then there have been numerous versions of the Dia and even models sharing the same model number can have different designs. The model I'm presenting here is a Dia 85 with FK ("fein/Kugel") nib. It also has a "101" imprinted on the barrel and I have no idea what that refers to. In fact, I have a second Dia 85 with M nib that is almost identical except for the position of the two narrow cap bands. This second Dia 85 has a "52" imprinted on the barrel. But now for the actual review. The outer values (design): This Kaweco Dia 85 was presumably produced roughly between 1946 and 1954 and is a typical representative of the German elegant black piston filler of the era. Anything colourful would have been considered extravagant or frivolous! It measures 125 mm capped, 117 mm uncapped, and 142 mm posted, quite a typical size for the period. The barrel is indeed slightly barrel-shaped with conical domes at both ends and with a short section, which is 9.2 mm at its thinnest (near the nib). The widest girth of the barrel is 11.8 mm right behind the ink window and the cap's girth is 13.2 mm. The piston knob is hidden by a blind cap and the piston mechanism is screwed into the barrel such that there is a 7 mm wide section of the barrel belonging to the piston housing. The imprints of the model number "85" and the nib type "FK" are on this visible ring, which is kind of a design element. To make it visible, the edges of the piston housing are very slightly knurled. There is another imprint on the barrel reading "Kaweco-Dia" which once had been gold but the paint is partially rubbed off. I probably should mention that this is a very well-used pen, a real daily worker. The ink window used to be green but has darkened almost completely, which is very common with these pens and presumably due to the use of iron gall inks over many years. The cap sports two narrow gold plated cap bands, a decorated clip with the "Kaweco" brand name, and an intricate inlaid gold plated finial in the cap screw. Both cap screw and blind cap are knurled and have a conical domed end. The cap also has two breather holes as typical for the era. The pen only weights 15.9 g and this light weight is due to the entire pen being made of celluloid with very few metal components. Finally, the pen is fitted with a 14k semi-flex gold nib with the imprint of the KAWECO logo together with "WARRANTED" and "14c-585". The inner values (technical stuff): The patented screw-in piston mechanism consists of the housing with a square inner boring, the piston rod with a square outer shape, a cork ring as seal held by a plug, which is fixed by a metal pin through the piston rod, the piston spiral inside the housing, and the knob attached to the spiral with another metal pin. The mechanism is rather simple but well-made and functional. It has been used with only minor modifications by Kaweco well into the 1960s. Expect that the cork seal has to be replaced after roughly 70 years! I did it for this one and recommend to be extremely careful or send it to an expert. Due to the construction, you can easily crack the barrel end when trying to unscrew the piston housing or crack the piston rod when knocking out the pin holding the plug of the cork seal. Anyway, with a good, working piston seal in place, the filling works flawlessly and probably will so for the next 50 or so years. If the old seal still works (sometimes after extensive soaking), I recommend to keep it wet all the time to prevent it from shrinking. By the way, the measured ink capacity is roughly 1.0 ml. Performance and balance: If you're not used to vintage pens of this kind, it might appear at first like you have nothing in your hand because it's so light-weight. It's also quite small compared to many modern pens. But once you get the knack of it, it's awesome. It's no different with this Kaweco Dia 85. In fact, it has the almost perfect balance for me, both unposted as well as posted. But I usually don't like to post my pens. When writing, my forefinger might rest on the threads but this doesn't irritate me. I don't feel the threads because I have a very light grip, maybe a result of writing with vintage pens all the time. So, the balance is nearly perfect, what about the writing performance? I'd say as close to perfect as it gets. Writing with this pen is completely effortless. The ink simply flows and even won't make a mess on crappy paper, though it is a medium wet nib (and feed) when compared to other pens of the era. There are no hard starts and no skipping and absolutely no pressure is required. This means that I can write for hours with this pen without the slightest sign of fatigue. I also can write very fast without any problems. And I won't need to worry when taking a thinking break because even without capping the pen for extended periods, it will start writing without any problems. The nib iteself I'd call semi-flex. It won't flex when used in normal or fast writing mode but you can flex it moderately if you want and it will give some line variation (maybe 2-3x). But it's quite clear that this nib was not meant for flex writing. However, the springiness of the nib results in a very nice writing feel together with the smooth tipping that gives just the right amount of feedback even on very slick paper like Clairefontaine or Rhodia. So, it is a little toothier than many modern pens with highly polished nibs (and all the problems that come with this). It's probably comparable to many Aurora nibs regarding feedback. On non-absorbent paper, the nib puts down a truely fine line when not flexed. The "Kugel", meaning sperical, tipping assures that the line has the same width in every direction. It was meant for people who cannot control the "rolling" of the pen and was a specialty nib in the era. The typical German nib till at least the 1960s was more chisel shaped what might be called a stub or cursive italic today. Anyway, the FK nib certainly would be a good choice for a beginner because it's very forgiving. Note: The top pen is the one I just restored and described here with the FK nib. The bottom pen is the mentioned second Dia 85 with M nib, which is not restored yet. I only repaired the badly bent nib so that it would write again. Conclusion: This is an absolute keeper, a very well balanced pen with an excellent nib and flawless filling mechanism. The design is rather understated but shows a lot of love for details if you are willing to look for them. Despite its age, it is an excellent EDC pen and I use this or similar pens all the time, these pens were meant to be used.
  3. Lamy is a well-known German writing utensils manufacturer, with products ranging from fountain pens and inks to mechanical pencils. Every year in the recent times Lamy has been releasing limited edition pens and inks themed after certain colors. Usually the limited edition inks are made to match a particular pen. For 2020, Lamy released a vivid, deep blue-green Al-Star fountain pen with a matching ink named Turmaline. Tourmaline is a mineral with a wide range of hues, ranging from pink to very green. Lamy's rendition is a blue-tinted green, or you might call it a very green teal. If I look at written text under diffuse daylight from my window, the color is decidedly green. Lamy Turmalin is significantly more green than J. Herbin Emerald of Chivor and Pilot Iroshizuku Ku-Jaku. It is not as green as Graf von Faber-Castell Moss Green, but it is more green than any of the teal inks I have personally tried to date. The ink sheens quite easily in a magenta-red color, especially around the edges of the letters. Saturation is very high. Depending on paper and how wet your pen writes, it will range from a more green-turquoise to a deeper teal. Flow and "feel" of the ink in writing is similar to other Lamy inks I've tried. That is moderate-to-dry, depending on pen used, and moderately lubricated. Water resistance is extremely low--almost all of the ink lifts off and smears away, not leaving a readable line. The blue component is the most transient, so if you use a water brush to draw with this ink, the wash will be more blue than the base color of this ink. If you like nuanced inks, like the more translucent low-number Sailor Ink Studio series or something like Pelikan Edelstein Aquamarine, this ink is the opposite -- punchy and saturated. Most of the nuance comes from the interesting variation from blue to green depending on illumination, and also from generous amount of sheen. As always, it's really difficult to show teal colors correctly, but hopefully showing this ink next to other well-known inks will be helpful for relative comparison. Photographs - the reason there are different tints on ivory paper is because I used a high quality multi-color-temperature lamp to enhance dull diffuse shade daylight from a nearby window to show off the colors better: Tomoe River 52g "white" : Scans: Fabriano Bioprima paper, comparing with Ku-Jaku. In person, Ku-Jaku is noticeably more blue and also more muted/grayed than Turmaline: Tomoe River 52g white: Nakabayashi Logical (/Swing) A-lined B5 size:
  4. volkswagenfox21

    Pilot Vanishing Point Review

    Pilot Vanishing Point, Broad Nib I wanted a pen for quick note taking, a gold nib, and not be too flashy in the visual department. I did some research and it looked like the Pilot Vanishing Point would meet my requirements. 18kt gold nib (broad, in my case), great for taking notes, because of it's retractable nib, and it looks nice and understated. http://i.imgur.com/mAl4zyG.jpg?1 The Pilot branding is not subtle. http://i.imgur.com/zac9ZGe.jpg?1 It's cool that you can put two more pens in the box. http://i.imgur.com/Mox3wj1.jpg?1 Lift up the "floor" to reveal the literature and that metal thing you need to put over the cartridge. Not in the picture are the converter and cartridge. Appearance & Design (9/10) http://i.imgur.com/d1N60da.jpg?1 I think the Vanishing Point, overall, is a very elegant, classy, and balanced looking pen. I chose the Gun Metal Gray version with rhodium accents. I don't think it's particularly flashy (not in this colour anyway) and that suits me just fine. The gray colour looks nice and deep, like the paint on a car, and narrow nib looks quite unique. It essentially looks like a retractable ballpoint pen with the clip on the wrong end. Some people might not like the positioning of the clip, but it makes sense, since this way the nib is pointed upwards rather than downwards when clipped into a shirt pocket. I like the clip's location, because it insures that I will never accidentally rotate the pen around while I am writing, which I do. Construction & Quality (10/10) Upon first fondle it's quite evident that this is a quality item. Nothing to complain about here. Weight & Dimensions (9/10) The pen for me is pretty heavy compared to some of the other ones I own. I don't write with a heavy hand, so the added weight pressing the pen down onto the paper makes it feel like the pen is doing all the work for me! It feels pretty balanced to hold, though people who like to post might find it not back-heavy enough. I never post the cap, so I'm fine with it. Nib & Performance (8.5/10) The nib 18kt gold and rhodium plated. I chose broad, since I figured it would be the closest to the Lamy medium nibs I'm used to. This nib is super smooth. Best feeling nib I've ever used, but it's also the only gold nibbed pen I've ever used, so I can't really say how well it performs compared to other gold nibs. Not only is it smooth, it also writes well holding the pen at a very vertical angle, which is how I prefer to write. There are a few issues, however. The pen starts out wet and gradually becomes a little drier the more I write, which is annoying sometimes. Occasionally there are hard starts and skips, but they aren't frequent enough to spoil the fun. I noticed that I'm getting the wetness and hard start/skipping problem mostly on Clairefontaine and Rhodia paper, but not with my Leuchturm notebooks. I tried Diamine Majestic Blue, Iroshizuku Ku-Jaki and Tsuki-yo, and Sailor Jentle Yama-dori with the pen. I had an issue with the pen drying out in less than 12 hours with Diamine Majestic Blue, but I've had similar problems with that ink in other pens. My experience with the other inks was great. Filling System & Maintenance (7/10) It is a cartridge/converter pen. The supplied converter doesn't hold much ink, which doesn't bother me since I switch inks before the pen is empty anyways. When using cartridges you have to use a weird metal thing and place it over the cartridge before reassembling your pen. http://i.imgur.com/U71RxCb.jpg?1 When filling from a bottle, the combined feed/nib unit is pretty convenient, because it's easy to wipe excess ink off of it. There is one thing that annoys me about this pen when cleaning it, though. There sometimes is a bit of ink that get's trapped by the door where the nib comes out of. What I do is take a syringe and blast water into the tip. Cost & Value (?/10) I paid $140US for it at Goulet Pens. Since I don't have experience with other pens at this price range, I'm not quite sure how the Vanishing Point would compare to them. Conclusion (Final score 8.5/10) I love this pen. It's my go to pen for most of what I do. It's elegant, feels great, and is just so smooth to write with. Sure there are a few issues with it, like the pen starting out wet and going a bit drier as I write, and the few skips and hard starts, but that's not enough to dampen my enthusiasm for this pen. I like it for what I do, I'm glad it is now part of my collection, and it sees frequent use.
  5. Disclaimer: I enjoy doing mini ink reviews for my personal reference, and I'd like to share them with others if they might be of help to gain an insight into the ink's appearance and performance. I generally don't have time to put together super comprehensive reviews, like some of our fantastic reviewers here do (thank you so much for your hard work!), but hopefully these mini reviews will still be useful as another point of reference. My photographs are color-corrected and generally more accurate for color reference than the scans. Colorverse ~ Joy in the Ordinary ~ Brunch Date Colorverse, a Korean ink brand, is a fairly recent venture into fountain pen inks--as of the last few years. In that time, the brand has managed to quickly become quite popular with the on-line fountain pen community worldwide. Their color themes and naming are fun, generally Astronomy and Physics-inspired, with interesting colors and meticulous attention to detail with packaging. Normally, Colorverse inks come in 65mm round bottles with accompaying 15ml bottles, either of the same color, or the same color + shimmer, or a companion color. More recently colorverse started making oval-shaped 30ml bottles of some of the glistening companion inks as well as this new mini-line named "Joy in the Ordinary". Joy in the Ordinary celebrates mundane every-day-life things, like walking your dog in a park or, in this case, a brunch date/meeting. The colors in this line are soft and pastel-inspired, probably to further emphasize finding joy in nuances. I elected to try Brunch Date, as it seemed like a curious combination of brown-taupe and pink, which I found appealing and unusual. Looking at on-line reviews of this ink, it wasn't too clear just how brown-leaning this ink would be and how dark and legible. Now I've had the opportunity to test the ink myself. Fun packaging with great attention to detail: even the inside of the outer cardboard box has printed symbols on it--even the top cover flap edge did not go unadorned! This kind of ink color is difficult to represent correctly, but I'd like you to imagine a very translucent peachy pink that has been contaminated with gray-brown watercolor, mixed, et voila! In person, it's on the general pink spectrum, but very fashionable adult-pink or vintage faded pink rather than baby pink. You notice I have included J. Herbin's Rouille d'Ancre in the comparison -- that's because I immediately thought of that ink seeing Brunch Date. But the two are not the same. Rouille d'Ancre is a more pure color, Brunch Date has more gray-brown to tone it down. The ink layers and shades very well, going from super pale to fairly dark. There is a very visible dark outline effect in wet areas which aids with legibility. Water resistance is almost nonexistent: a highly faded yellowish line remains, but not necessarily enough of it to read what was left behind. Scans - not as accurate as the photographs above, imagine the scans slightly less vibrant pink and slightly peachy-brownish: Fabriano Brioprima 85g 4mm dot grid, ivory toned: Tomoe River 52g "white": Nakabayashi Logical Swing "A" loose leaf paper: Kokuyo A5 loose leaf paper: Some purple and pink-leaning inks for general reference: Comparison with PenBBS #178 "Rose Quartz" on Rhodia Dot Pad paper. "Rose Quartz" is super difficult to get right--it's more pink in person than on this scan. The Colorverse ink looks about right here: Conclusion: Fun ink. Whether you find it beautiful and enjoyable will be highly subjective to each individual. Personally, I like it a lot, and especially see it as being a beautiful ink for embellishing margins for main writing and also for drawing. It makes me think of dried flowers an dyed fabrics. Its lack of water resistance is disappointing to me, but it does seem to be a very safe and neutral ink of low saturation and neutral pH (Colorverse lists this one at pH of 6.9).
  6. THE PINEIDER AVATAR- AMBER DEMONSTRATOR A review of the Pineider Avatar UltraResin (“UR”) amber demonstrator HISTORY In 2016, Dante del Vecchio ended 30 years of association with Visconti to join Pineider, a venerable Florentine stationery manufacturer whose history stretches back to 1774. In an interesting and candid interview, http://blog.giardino.it/2018/08/the-renaissance-of-pineider-with-dante-del-vecchio/ Del Vecchio explains that, at the time of his decision to leave Visconti, there were plans for Pineider to have pens produced for them by Visconti: when his decision to move became known, Pineider offered him an opportunity to join them and, as the saying goes, the rest is history. Four years on, Pineider pens designed by Dante del Vecchio have been a major international success comparable to the arrival of Leonardo Officina Italiana and their “Momento Zero” fountain pens. With his legendary flair for design, del Vecchio has produced a series of beautiful fountain pens including the “Avatar” line. I had the good fortune to be one a “city break” in Rome to escape the rain and gloom of London at the end of February and happened to spot the Pineider shop near the Spanish Steps at 68 Via dei due Marcelli while shopping with my wife. FPN readers will be familiar with the next sequence of events: a long look through the shop window, the spotting of the fine writing instruments section, the “negotiations” with the spouse with the assurance that this is “just to have a look” and finally the stepping into the emporium… Like a bee to a flower, I went straight to the display of the new Pineider Avatars where the gorgeous Amber demonstrator was on display. In the interest of complete disclosure, I had already marked it as a “target” on previous internet searches… I already own the earlier Avatar in the “lipstick red” colour, which I have used with great enjoyment this past year but the Amber demonstrator is different: I have a particular love for demonstrators which clearly indicate the remaining level of ink and the working mechanism of the pen. (For a fine review of the Avatar lipstick red, I would recommend https://rupertarzeian.com/2018/05/19/pineider-avatar-fountain-pen-review/) Sparing you readers the details, a few moments later I was the happy owner of the new Pineider Amber Avatar UR demonstrator with a medium nib… Overall, I am delighted with it and the pen will accompany my Leuchturm 1917 notebook, tucked in the pocket these wonderful notebooks provide at the back. In terms of writing experience and design it is a very good pen and excellent value at €160. Nevertheless, there are a couple of negative points which prevent me from awarding it “5 Stars”. I would recommend it as a daily writer and jotter but Pineider should address a number of issues in its presentation and design which I will discuss in this review. CONSTRUCTION Information on the construction of this new line of Pineider Avatars can be found on their website at: https://www.pineider.com/en/fountain-pens/1253-avatar-ur-fountain-pen-steel-nib.html Pineider have used a mother of pearl compound resin in a special formula they call “UltraResin” or “UR”. The compound is very strong and tough and Pineider claim on their website that it is “nearly like metal, incredibly resistant to hits, very close to call it unbreakable”. I have not tested this claim of indestructibility for obvious reasons… but it certainly feels sturdy in the hand. Goldspot Pens did do resistance/breakages tests of the Avatar which shows it can withstand drops onto hard floors and similar every day accidents without damage- they even ran one over with a car, which left markings from the gravel on which the pen was crushed by the wheels of a car, but otherwise it survived… However, it did not survive being shot at with a gun or snapped by a metallic bear trap (!). For the exciting if distressing experience of seeing a fountain pen really undergoing stress tests, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o90-FLWDwok Another interesting fact is that these pens are manufactured without glue but instead by “3D engineering and high precision manufacturing”…” Every component precisely fit each other by simple framed parts.” I have no technical expertise to assess these claims, but they seem plausible in terms of toughness of the pen. So I would award 10/10 for construction. DESIGN The Pineider Avatar Amber demonstrator is a very stylish pen, as one would expect of anything produced by the great writing instrument maestro Dante del Vecchio. It is sleek, light in terms of weight but still with some heft so as to give the feeling that something substantial is in the hand, and it has a seductive warm amber transparent body that catches sunlight beautifully. Other versions of the new Pineider Avatar line are red, blue and clear transparent demonstrator: for me the first two are slightly predictable and boring colours while the clear demonstrator lacks the allure of the Amber version. A demonstrator, in my view, should do more than simply demonstrate: it should subtly attract the eye . In this Amber Avatar, I also like the choice of silver trimmings, especially the signature Pineider clip in the form of quill feather. Another nice touch is the steel cap at the end of the pen which matches very well the silver coloured central band. Here are a picture of the pen. An attractive feature of the Pineider Avatars is that they all have clips showing the skyline of Florence’s historical centre: the silhouette of the Duomo, the Brunelleschi Tower and the belfry of Santa Croce are clearly visible, next to the Pineider logo. This clip is, like all Avatars, a magnetic clip which is secure and reliable in closing. When I studied Italian at Florence University back in the early 1970s, I was incredibly fortunate to find a flat with frescoed ceilings right in the centre where these wonderful buildings are located: the band on the pen therefore brought a smile to me as I remembered the magical experience of living and studying in Dante Alighieri’s great city… The new Pineider Avatars also have a plastic sleeve to give the writer a firmer grip. In the earlier Pineider series, there was a steel section where the pen is gripped tapering down to the nib: I found this very acceptable and never had a problem of handling the pen but this new idea of adding a plastic sleeve to help grip more firmly is an agreeable new feature. In this Amber version, this is a golden sleeve that matches very well with the pen’s colouring. This is an excellent idea but there is a problem cleaning it after filling the pen- this is a drawback I’ll come to later. I write with this pen capped and uncapped; both are comfortable writing experiences. This is a very attractive and practical pen, with very imaginative standards of design. So 10/10 for design. WRITING EXPERIENCE Pineider Avatars use steel nibs of high quality, (produced by Bock). Pineider only offer fine or medium grades of the nib, which is a pity as they surely could expand the range to include extra fine, broad and stub/italic. If TWSBI can offer this, so should Pineider. I chose a medium nib and am happy with this decision as it has good flexy qualities. It keeps up well with writing at speed and is generally an excellent steel nib. The nib’s flow is a little dry for my taste but perfectly adequate. After several days of use, I found the pen’s nib very reliable with no skipping or hard starts. A writing sample is provided below. The scroll work decoration is pleasant to look at but nothing remarkable. Perhaps Pineider could be a little more imaginative with the decoration next time. So 9/10 for the nib and general writing experience, as it is limited to only two grades and a little dry. INK FILLING AND CAPACITY The Avatar is a cartridge converter pen, which accepts international/standard size cartridges. I believe its converter capacity is 0.86 ml which is quite sufficient for a sustained writing session. The converter Pineider supplies is stylish and it is nice to see the Pineider logo easily visible through the amber demonstrator body. It is not a threaded converter which I would have preferred. However, I rather dislike the way it has a sign in English stating “Ink level”. Why not write this in Italian? Surely there is no need to pander to the English-speaking market like this and the fine language of Dante, Boccacio and Petrarch should surely be celebrated and not be hidden… Instead, they could just as satisfactorily have only used the “notches” on the converter to mark the remaining supply. I do find this irritating and a sign of trying too hard to appeal to an Anglo-Saxon market. PRACTICALITY, INCLUDING CLEANING The pen is easy to clean as the converter can be extracted and cleaned, and the nib flushed clean. However, there is a problem with the result of inking the pen when filling the converter out of a bottle: some ink tends to seep under the plastic sleeve next to the nib (provided to give a more secure grip while writing). Here are a few photos of this happening: You can try to squeeze out the ink under the plastic cap manually, but this does not really work. The only solution (which is not suggested by the short booklet included in the box) is to take off the plastic “sleeve” and clean out the ink. This is not much of a bother, but it is not an entirely satisfactory process. I would therefore rate the converter and filling experience as 5/10. PRESENTATION AND PACKAGING (1/10) Unfortunately Pineider have decided to go cheap on the presentation of the new Avatars: instead of the lovely box that housed the earlier version (looking a bit like a mini écritoire in stylish black and fake white leather interior, including a sample of Pineider stationery), the new Avatars come in a cheap and rather tawdry looking cardboard box. This is a real shame, as one of the attractions of the first Avatar line was the presentation box with its free samples of stationery. Below is a picture of the box for the original Avatars (mine is a gorgeous “lipstick red” version of the pen): Instead, the new Pineider Avatar have this really cheap, poor quality box. This is real shame and I cannot give more than a 1/10 for presentation. Pineider really should do better than this! CONCLUSION This is a fine pen and I would recommend it for those looking for a reliable, attractive every day writer. It writes reliably and very comfortably and is sturdily built. For €160 it is good value and would make a very nice gift – or an affordable addition to a pen collection. Obviously, as the English saying goes, “You get what you pay for”. It does not write as wonderfully smoothly as a gold nib pen would, but then steel nibs can be very good long-term writing companions. Overall, my ratings would be: Rating (with 10 the maximum) Design 10 Construction 10 Nib/Writing experience 9 Practicality, including cleaning 5 Presentation and packaging 1 Overall 45/55 % 81%
  7. It all started on a very warm summer's day in July of 2016. I was working out of Shanghai at that time, and was going to a mall close by to meet a friend for lunch. It so happened that there was a promotion by Montblanc of their heritage rouge et noir line right on the main atrium on the ground floor of the mall which I completely chanced into. While waiting for my friend, I was browsing around their exhibits and lo and behold, spotted the famous, or rather infamous Axel, Montblanc's resident nib guru. I recognized him by face because Tom K at that time shared his experience getting a bespoke nib. At that time, he was about to finish his one on one sessions which you had to sign up for, and was preparing to head to the airport. I started to just chat with him about various MB nibs and expressed my dream of one day owning their calligraphy nib. He proceeded to invite me to sit down and chat. I started to pull out my notebook and when I showed him some of my writings, he immediately started to show me some of the nibs he could make. Long story short, I ended up with not one, but 2 bespoke nibs that day. One calligraphy nib, and one italic nib. I have seen and tried both the signature nib and calligraphy nib before when Montblanc first rolled out this service. That was at my local boutique in NYC with no guidance from a nib expert about a couple year back. It was super fun to use these nibs, but the bar of entry was high. Not just with the price, but also the process. They had to test you!!! I have always entertained the idea of getting one of these mythical nibs, but the idea of putting a deposit of such a HUGE sum of money sight unseen was not very reassuring. However, this time, with the ability to work with Axel in person, and his guidance, I decided to bite the bullet and commit. I went for the calligraphy nib, and I have to say it was a very good choice. The wait however, was not fun. When I finally got said pens in hand, it's February 2017. The calligraphy nib is nothing short of amazing. There is nothing in my 150+ collection of pens that come even close to it's width and special abilities. The closest I have is the 2.4 Pilot Parallel. It's actually even wider than the 2.4 as Axel called it 3.0 width. Unlike a lot of other very wide fountain pen calligraphy nibs, this nib does not have starting or starvation issues. It writes immediately when you touch the nib to paper. The other very special thing about the nib is it can still work when you lift the nib and write with the corner for thinner flourishes. This unique ability is something other VERY wide fountain pen nibs can't do. That's because this nib has extra channels cut into the corners of the nib that deliver ink to the entire width of the writing surface. Because this is a bespoke nib, I had an option to engrave my name to the nib. I find the idea of a nib with my name so strange because I have always intend to use this pen as a functional tool. I never wanted to get it as a significant occasion pen, which I guess most people do. So I decided to engrave the function purpose of the nib onto the side. Montblanc found this VERY unusual and asked many times whether the words I chose was correct:) I did say I had another nib made. Which was an italic. Perhaps I was caught up in the moment, and thought it might be very special to also get a Montblanc italic nib. On hindsight, it's definitely not as special as this calligraphy nib. In fact other pen makers make italic nibs that are much better without the high price and wait. If I were to do it again, I would only get calligraphy nib. Definitely stratospheric in price, but recommended wholeheartedly!
  8. nightfury11

    Diamine Oxblood - Homemade!

    Right so I was looking through my drawer one day and found a bottle of Sheaffer Red, Black, Royal Blue and Brown. I thought I should attempt at making something like Diamine Oxblood from these inks. It turned out AMAZING. The ink shades beautifully and the colour is way too good. Hope you'll enjoy Right. So the ink is very smooth and it writes beautifully. It's got a good dry time and shades well as well, you can zoom in on the uploaded photo if you like. So overall, these are the scores I'd give it: Smoothness: 4/5 Wetness: 4/5 Shading: 5/5 Drying time: 3/5 That gives us 18/20, which is quite respectable IMO. Attaching the file so you can download it if you want to.
  9. Cursive Child

    Diamine Aurora Borealis

    Nice, well behaved, ink from Diamine. Well lubricating, vivid blue-green closer to the green end of the spectrum. The significantly compressed scan is showing a greener and lighter tinge than it is. E.g. the Ku-Jaku comparison I have shows up bluer than on the scan.
  10. Disclaimer: I enjoy doing mini ink reviews for my personal reference, and I'd like to share them with others if they might be of help to gain an insight into the ink's appearance and performance. I generally don't have time to put together super comprehensive reviews, like some of our fantastic reviewers here do (thank you so much for your hard work!), but hopefully these mini reviews will still be useful as another point of reference. Maruzen Athena - Sepia Brown This ink comes in beautiful old-style bottles and is available for sale from Japanese "Maruzen" book stores. I believe at some point it was imported for sale in the U.S. by Nanami Paper, but it seems to have been out of stock for a while. I bought my bottle at Maruzen on my recent visit to Japan. Athena Sepia is a rich and dark red-toned brown. It is so saturated and dark that you will likely not see much of any shading with finer nibs, even on fountain pen-friendly paper. I personally like red-leaning browns, and this is my kind of dark brown--as opposed to more green-gray-leaning Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Guri. I am not 100% sure if this ink is made for Maruzen by Sailor, but it might be. I remember reading something to that extent a while ago. It does have the typical Sailor Jentle ink behavior and consistency. Flow is good but not excessive (depends on your pen), lubrication is good, I have not observed any feathering on good paper. Drying time varies based on paper used and pen, but it's not very long (subjectively). Despite the lack of shading in writing with fine nibs and the darkness of the color, it's actually fairly interesting in its constituent dye colors. So if you like to do a bit of water brush drawing with your fountain pen inks, this is a good ink for that purpose. There's a kind of pink brown component, and a warm golden component. There's even some green, as can be seen on the edges of the paper towel drop "chromatography". The ink has moderately good water resistance--clearly legible lines remain and not too much smears off to obscure original writing. This ink doesn't sheen for all practical purpose. I have not observed any smearing after the ink has dried. I am posting photographs (color-corrected) and scans of this ink and other inks in the general brown color family for comparison. Papers used in this review are: Fabriano Bioprima 4mm dot grid - a kind of ivory color, lightly textured, uncoated Rhodia Dot Pad 5mm dot grid #16 - bright white (perhaps with a slight lavender tinge) Nakabayashi Logical Prime notebook - coated and super smooth ivory-toned Japanese paper, shows things like sheen and hue variation pretty well (Image source: http://www.nanamipaper.com/products/maruzen-athena-ink.html) Photographs in diffuse daylight shade: On Fabriano Bioprima: On Nakabayashi Logical Prime paper: Scans: Nakabayashi Logical Prime paper:
  11. truthpil

    Jinhao 991 Review

    Hello again to all my FP-friends, Allow me to introduce to you the Jinhao 992’s oddly named and somewhat homely younger sister—the 991. This pen comes in both an EF (0.38) hooded nib and F open nib version. Since the nib, feed, housing, and converter on the F nib version are identical to that of the 992, it goes without saying that the 991 writes just as well and has the same smooth nib and flawless flow. All I had to do was put ink in the converter (I don’t like sticking my pens in bottles), put the converter back in the pen, and within just a few seconds the pen was writing a juicy medium-side-of-fine line. I can’t speak for the EF version because the black hooded nib was just too ugly to look at. Nib options: (Taobao) Color options: (Taobao) Appearance & Design There is no question as to where the design came from: The appearance is my least favorite part about the 991. Who would want to own a fountain pen that looks just like a disposable roller-ball?? The only saving factor is that it’s a demonstrator (and, of course, a fountain pen). The coffee brown tint on this model gives it an extra bit of class over the dull black Uni-ball. Looks aside, the matte finish on the cap and barrel adds a nice tactile feel. The whole pen is notably thinner than the 992 and almost as long as the X750. If you wanted a significantly thinner and lighter alternative to the X750, then you’ll probably enjoy using the 991. The section is long and slender and will be comfortable no matter where you grasp it. The design is utilitarian and comfortable, even if boring and unoriginal. I could easily write with this pen for hours on end with no fatigue. Construction I was at first concerned about the durability of the 991. The plastic is noticeably thinner and has just a tad more “give” to it than that of the 992. The thickness and strength of the plastic reminded me a lot of a Platinum Preppy (see below). In fact, I’d say the 991 is Jinhao’s answer to the Preppy (and a more cost-effective answer at that). Despite these initial concerns, after much squeezing of both barrel and cap on the 991 and a Preppy, the 991 is clearly more durable. If you like Preppies and use them regularly without cracking the cap or barrel, then you’ll love this pen! I’m just slightly more apprehensive with this pen than with the 992 about throwing it in my bag unprotected, but I don’t think you’ll have to wrap tape around the joints to prevent cracking the way I always have to with my Preppies. Jinhao 992 and 991: Jinhao 991 and Platinum Preppy barrels: And now the million yuan question, “Does it come cracked like the 992?” After examining the whole pen with a loupe for quite some time over two days, I can assure you that at least my specimen has NO CRACKS whatsoever. [What might appear to be cracks in the photos below are injection molding seams and a few scratches in the plastic.] I’ll give you an update after a few weeks of use, but I don’t foresee cracking as a problem. The end of the barrel does have a plug in it, but it is quite different than that of the 992. The plug takes up the whole end of the barrel, as is also the case with the finial on the cap. If you’re one of those brave souls who likes to eyedropperize pens, then this pen is worth your consideration. The seal on the barrel plug is airtight. I also filled the barrel with water and shook it vigorously for a while and there were no leaks. My only hesitation about using this as an eyedropper filler is that the pen is very slender and will probably heat up quickly from hand warmth and start burping, as might occur with a Preppy. Also note that, unlike the 992, this pen does not come with an O-ring, so you’ll have to supply your own and probably apply some silicone grease to the threads just to be safe. One nice point is that the threading is much finer than on the Preppy and thus provides a tighter seal. Weight & Dimensions Numbers mean little to me when I’m thinking about what is comfortable in my hand, so here are some comparison shots with other common pens to give you an idea of the physical dimensions of the 991. From left to right: Jinhao 992, Jinhao 991, Platinum Preppy 02, Jinhao X750, Parker 45, Parker 51, Lamy Safari The 991 is a very light pen. It has no heft at all when unposted and feels back-heavy and unbalanced when posted (at least for my small hands). Concluding Remarks Although the 991 lacks much of the appeal of the 992, it also lacks its problems. I’m not fond of the shape and general appearance of this pen, but it’s a pleasure to write with and extremely comfortable to hold (unposted, in my case). This pen was designed to write and write and write effortlessly, although some may be uncomfortable with the slender body and light weight. Nib options are limited to EF and F, but you can easily remove the nib on the open nib model and put in another. TWSBI ECO nibs fit well and perhaps a standard #5 would work as well. I’ll have to get back to you on that once my JoWo #5 architect grind arrives. I recommend the Jinhao 991 over the Platinum Preppy for the following reasons: (1) its nib is just as smooth as an 05 Preppy; (2) its material is sturdier; (3) it comes with its own converter that holds a lot of ink; (4) it comes in several colors with no painted on branding to remove; (5) it’s about half the price of a Preppy, depending on where you live. This pen is a perfect choice for your “fountain penvangelism” efforts and is just nice to have around for trying funky inks you may be afraid to put in nicer pens. This pen is so affordable that, if you can tolerate its underwhelming physique, it’s worth at least owning a couple.
  12. Hi folks, This year for the holidaysI decided to treat myself to a tiny Pelikan! There was a seller on amazon offering the 101N for less than $300. I'd been fancying one for a while, but of course they are usually pretty spendy. At that price, though, game on! The pen is not very large, being the same size as a vintage 100n. I like this size a lot, having a few 400s and other older pens. I have pretty big hands, but love the way the small pens balance and handle when they are posted. I also enjoy larger pens as well, such as my Scribo and M800. I can see the size would be an issue for people who like to write with a baseball bat, but I imagine most folks would enjoy the portability and elegance of one of these in the toolkit. It comes in a posh "I'm so fancy" sort of box: I worked out the box is actually 130 times the volume of the pen, which seems like a lot. Especially when it doesn't hold very much: Or, to put it another way: Hmmmm. One of the things I admire about Germany is the progress they have made on environmental matters. Not so much here. So, to the pen. Honestly, it's a beauty. Here it is sitting on its fancy box: Super styley hang-tag! Here are a couple of details. First the binde, which on mine is perhaps a slightly bluer blue-grey. A very pretty colour with a nice shimmery effect. I can't tell for sure if it's a binde or the body, by the way, but the construction looks really like a vintage Pelikan. If forced to guess, I'd say that it's a cellulose binde over a body made of the same stuff as the ink window. When you look "up" the body towards the piston it is really quite translucent and the binde has that slightly "draggy" feeling I associate with cellulose. Here is the top of the cap. I LOVE the engraving here (sorry about the fluff in the picture. That was me, not Pelikan!): Here are a couple of beauty shots! So how about filling and writing? The piston action is simply superb, smooth and positive. I know people say this all the time, but the Pelikan piston really is the best in the game. Here's a picture of the nib. It's a terrible picture, but I wanted to show the cool 1940s nib engraving! It looks like the nib is scratched in the picture, but it's not. Just needed a wipe! The nib was terrific right out the box. Not a lot of line variation, but a nice spring, very smooth, no hesitation, skips or any other naughtiness. It's one of the nicest nibs I've tried in a long time. Here's a writing sample, with apologies for the scrawl: So there you go. A very elegant, handy little pen, with rock solid construction and really impressive vintage references (and a "free" bottle of ink and a box your cat can live in after you take out the pen). The cat in the room is, of course, the price. At $500 or €500, this is not a bargain. It's cute, it's fun, it has a lovely nib, but really! For $300 or €300 it's a solid deal, with character, reliability and not a little flair. I'd say that if you were thinking of one, at any price up to $400 or €400 you will feel you got your money's worth and a wee bit more! Thanks for reading, and take care, Ralf
  13. Wing sung 3003 Really like the body on this model , much better than other fountain pens .. Just feels more robust - stronger - not fragile at all . The NIB on this one is NQR , but I tested it in anyways .. Very scratchy , canted 45 deg right it became horrible , tore into the paper ... Same thing using the pen inverted ... Doing circles the pen ran dry on one side ... 24 Hours latter .. It started fine , but I got out the 2000 wet and dry and started polishing the NIB .. It did write better but was never really good .. So I just kept polishing till I destroyed the NIB ... I did have a spare nib , unfortunately it was another fine NIB so write scratchy , but I let this one be ... Not sure the review is fair as the NIB was NQR , but hey , this is how it was sent to me .. I really wish I could buy 0.7 NIB's , but I have ordered some spare NIBS ( medium I hope ) ... Such a shame that a nice body is attached to a rubbish NIB ..
  14. LizEF's recent question/thread in this forum section – and the fact that I frivolously ordered and picked up 26 new bottles of different inks yesterday – have me pondering, how does one go about systematically reviewing inks, from planning to execution, so that the ‘work products’ out of the expended effort (and resources, including the inks themselves) are meaningful and useful? Yes, I've read the pinned topics at the top in the Ink Reviews section, including specifically ‘Suggestions For What To Include In An Ink Review’, and read many great and helpful reviews of different inks by esteemed fellow forum members, from which each I glean bits and pieces of what I want to know about an ink. visvamitra and crahptacular, as (notable, but of course not the only) exemplars of seasoned and thorough reviewers, obviously have well-practised procedures and systems for doing ink reviews. But do most of the rest of us just fill a (spare?) pen up with a new ink, start scribbling, and let our thoughts and impressions come to us? Right now I'm pondering buying extra pens – and other equipment and incidental consumables – for testing, but part of me thinks it's going over the top, while another part of me thinks it actually goes against the spirit of a user review, not the least in consideration of: Would my review have been the one-stop-shop that would have covered at least 90% of what I want to know about an ink, the next time I consider when, on what and in which pen to use a particular ink, or whether I want to buy more of it if (say) a special retail offer for it comes onto my radar? (Getting ink samples in retail or commercially is, for all intents and purposes, not an option readily available to Australian fountain pen users, so I'm always thinking of a financial commitment of A$15–A$45 a bottle of ink delivered.) In particular, it's almost as if the only ‘fair’ and meaningful way to test for ‘wetness’ is to use something like a cheap (Platinum/Pilot/Sailor) desk pen with EF nib – that I suspect none of us use seriously and frequently, not for any shortcoming in product quality – as a de facto standard (from the perspective of a particular individual reviewer) to see whether the ink flows decently down the feed and the slit, and to compare the line width laid down on a particular type (or even batch) of paper, since there is no practical, objective metric the average reviewer can use for measuring ‘wetness’ or viscosity, with or without a specific use case in mind. I'm not going to keep a duplicate or second unit of my ‘favourite’/‘EDC’ pen for ink testing and review purposes only, and I dislike flushing and cleaning a ‘fine’ fountain pen after 30 minutes of intermittent use during testing, and wasting time, effort and ink through inevitable unproductive loss in the process. In any case, I know from experience that, say, my two new Platinum #3776 Balance pens with F nibs (in the same model, just of different barrel colours) seem to behave noticeably differently, so it's just so difficult to isolate what is the characteristic of the ink itself (as opposed to variation in the nibs, pens, paper, ambient temperature, etc.) as opposed to making a forecast for a specific future use case. Then there are things that I'd like to know about, but not by engineering a situation where it could happen, just to see whether it does or not. For example, whether an ink would stain the white surface of my writing desk. I do have eight or so demonstrator pens, but I don't want to use them specifically to test whether an ink would stain a clear demonstrator, 1. because (I believe) nobody in his/her right mind wants to stain a clear demonstrator pen he/she owns and most likely paid for; and 2. choosing to use a demonstrator has inherent risk, and so I only buy cheap demonstrators (the most expensive being a clear Sailor Lecoule). I have no interest in whether an ink would stain a $200 Platinum #3776 Century Nice Pure, and I don't really want anyone else to have to find out through first-hand (but unwanted) experience either for the purpose of a review, either. How to strike the right balance of effort (and risk) against value (and meaning) in doing ink reviews still evades me.
  15. Disclaimer: I enjoy doing mini ink reviews for my personal reference, and I'd like to share them with others if they might be of help to gain an insight into the ink's appearance and performance. I generally don't have time to put together super comprehensive reviews, like some of our fantastic reviewers here do (thank you so much for your hard work!), but hopefully these mini reviews will still be useful as another point of reference. Pilot Iroshizuku Tsuki-Yo Much has been written about Pilot Iroshizuku inks. It is a highly popular line of Japanese inks that comes in [mostly] vibrant and saturated colors, with rather wet-flowing consistency, some translucence, a good deal of unobtrusive sheen for some colors, and generally some water resistance. Tsuki-Yo is a popular blue-black, and I probably won't add more than what's already been written and photographed, but better more than less information for prospective buyers. This is a rather vibrant blue-black. As opposed to more muted and vintage looking blue-blacks such as Sailor Jentle Blue-Black. There is a good deal of teal in this ink, but it's not necessarily jumping out at you from the page if you use bright white paper. Some paper makes it look less teal and more navy, and some paper enhances the green notes. I personally prefer the more teal look and like it on ivory toned paper more than on more neutral white paper. There is magenta-red sheen around the edges of wetter writing on good paper. The ink has some water resistance: a slightly fuzzy blue line remains and the text is still legible after dabbing a wet page with a paper towel. Water resistance increases slightly with time. In my experience, Iroshizuku Syo-Ro has the best water resistance and legibility of the three tealy Iroshizuku inks: Syo-Ro > Tsuki-Yo > Ku-Jaku. In terms of saturation and vibrance, Tsuki-Yo sits in between Ku-Jaku and Syo-Ro. Ku-Jaku dries a more bright turquoise-teal with red sheen, Tsuki-Yo has some gray and muted tinge to it but still saturated, and Syo-Ro is more green and even more muted and grayed than Tsuki-Yo. Because of how free-flowing Iroshizuku inks are, they might feather on some paper--even on fountain-pen-friendly paper if they are left to sit in a pen and concentrate. They will increase line thickness and will not give the finest hairlines. But they do provide pleasantly gliding experience for lower fatigue in long writing sessions. Tsuki-Yo is not a particularly exciting ink to use with a water brush. It's fairly monochromatic in practice. Papers used in this review are: Fabriano Bioprima 4mm dot grid - a kind of ivory color, lightly textured, uncoated Kokuyo Campus A5 lined - white Japanese paper, could be lightly coated as it's quite smooth Nakabayashi Logical Prime notebook - coated and super smooth ivory-toned Japanese paper, shows things like sheen and hue variation pretty well Nakabayashi Logical Swing "A" B5 paper - lightly coated(?) ivory-toned paper which shows sheen and hue variation pretty well but is also quite soft Photographs: Scans: Ivory toned Fabriano Bioprima: Kokuyo Loose Leaf A5: Nakabayashi Logical Prime A5 notebook: Nakabayashi Logical Prime A5 notebook: Further comparison with Syo-Ro and Ku-Jaku:
  16. Greetings, fountain friends, I’ve been an offline observer to this wonderful community for some time now, and it has influenced me in many of my pen decisions and handwriting expansions. I'm an Irish doctor working in England, and in my spare time, I am a keen German language user, chess player, philosophy and psychology enthusiast, and now beginning to dabble in the world of writing. I’d like to begin to give back with my own opinion regarding an undoubtedly biased view on my favourite fountain pen purchase to date – the Lamy 2000M Stainless Steel (my model is a fine nib, and I like to rotate between Diamine Oxblood, Teal, and Montblanc Toffee Brown). Excellent reviews for this well-known model – most prominently the original makrolon edition – already exist in this forum, and further afield. However, I would like to write something about the SS version of this pen, which has attracted mixed-to-negative reviews regarding it’s 1) weight, 2) similarity without difference, and 3) price. I do not pretend to be impartial regarding this particular piece, and I must suggest that this is an opinion primarily for those who are closer-than-not to a purchase regarding this model with the attributes I will discuss, later, and go some way to defend the model fit enough to be considered both distinct and worthy of purchase and recognition. 1). Weight. The most notable set of specifications is the weight of this pen – both in-and-of-itself, and in contrast to the lighter, original version. For convenience, the total (54g), body (34g), and cap (20g) weights are significantly heavier than the makrolon version (typically 25g, 15g, and 10g, respectively). Particularly when the cap is posted, this can be a considerable contributor to writing fatigue, back-heavy imbalance, and an uncomfortable writing experience with poor stamina for even those with larger hands. I think this is an unfair area of criticism, and rather, should be a binary factor for those who like heavy or light pens. Consider a fountain pen reviewer who takes on a ballpoint pen – by the very nature of the pen’s mechanism, this will be reviewed much more poorly than it’s capillary counterparts by the nature of what makes the pen a writing instrument. I believe that weight – as well as dimensional size – are factors in review that should be areas of distinction, rather than comparison, when considering models of pens (even when such models are within the same branding). Therefore, I think that those who favour heavier, metal pens should take interest in the Lamy 2000M as distinct in interest even from those who use the original makrolon Lamy 2000. Whereas the first example I provide is clearly an extreme version of the issue described, here, I think that the factors of size, weight, and filling system are considerable enough to be whittled down to pens that address those precise categories rather than having (e.g.) a Kaweco Liliput scolded by a user who’s daily driver is the MB 149. 2). Similarity without difference. Apart from the material use and the weight of the pen, criticism is offered by reviewers who perhaps borrow too much influence from these paradoxically drastic differences, by finding nothing new offered by this version once the novelties are stripped away. I believe this is an easy mistake that we all can make when we overanalyse versions with heavy influences in one area or another and seeing it as a simple marketing rehash. I’d like to offer the opinion that these two factors bring about differences in performance and suitability in preference that are drastic enough to address an entirely different audience to attract those that were perhaps failed or disappointed by the Lamy 2000 in its original format. The material and weight provide a unique writing experience that is (I’d argue) much more palpable than the difference between modern steel and gold nibs. It is difficult to capture the sensory, tactile, and phenomenological experience in the differences between both versions without robbing the reader of an hour’s time, but there is something tremendously satisfying about the gravity and industrial nature of this instrument. I think it more excellently captures the Bauhaus movement than it’s makrolon parent, but aesthetics aside, even the differences in brushing material and the lack of a two-tone/material compartment provide a different experience to those deliberately sensitive enough to notice a difference. Clearly, there are differences which I think are rather miniscule (the plating on the hinged clip, or the placement of the Lamy logo, for example), whereas others are perhaps discriminatory to those who prefer other attributes (the removal of the ink window seems to be a sore point for many consumers, as is the smoother metal finish of the grip). However, when it comes to the ultimate endpoint of a writing instrument – the writing – then this pen deserves a mention distinct from the original as being paradigmal in it’s feeling, experience, and output. Everything else is style and preference. 3). Price. Finally, the Lamy 2000M is noted as being approximately 50% more expensive than the original*. This is an area of criticism, compounded further when the two areas addressed, above, are neglected in final consideration. One could talk endlessly regarding the economics of price, but I believe there are a few more objective factors to consider before discussing the differences in the intangibles: Stainless steel is a difficult material to manufacture, and clear that it is at least a significant percentage of the pen that this instrument is fashioned with (I have yet to see a demonstrator video in which the pen is sliced in half at various angles for a more accurate opinion on this, though the innards are made from essentially plastic on disassembly). The weight specifications should be enough to reassure most to a reasonable standard of this. Lamy is also a brand of (at least in my experience) good and efficient quality – perhaps the Ikea of manufacturers when it comes to template design with the odd-revolutionary product. With this comes a certain level of brand investment, especially as an edition of an item that sits on permanent display in an art museum. More subjectively, those wishing to purchase something metal, heavy, and made by a manufacturer such as Lamy, will find themselves justifying this purchase (rightly or wrongly), as it is a widely-recognised and reliable model of a pen that has already been proven to survive over long periods of time, but utilises their preferred categories of material choice and weight. Stainless steel is also tremendously robust, and provided that the user is aware of the interplay between it and the more sensitive innards, then this pen should act as its own safeguard against wear, damage, and accidents that will inevitably creep up in the coming years and decades. C). A worthy purchase for those who can discern it. The conclusion may seem as weak as point 2) that I make above – clearly, this is a pen that will satisfy those who will be satisfied by it just as much as it is the same pen without its differences. But I write this piece (which is also my first – constructive feedback would be very much appreciated from the community) in biased defence and justification to what is a wonderful writing instrument that I believe has been treated unfairly even in favourable reviews (who towards the end may conclude that the makrolon version is better simply because it is essentially the same, and more affordable). I argue here that these are two distinct pens that should not be compared any more than a small and a large pen be reviewed by an individual who is more/less suited to one or the other. That is not to argue the Lamy 2000 out of hands who love it – I merely stress that there are differences that are more significant in the review of such pens than are given credit (some which are not even available in filters for online pen retailers, e.g., weight) that will eliminate certain pens from consideration even if they are identical in other superficial aspects. Furthermore, I wish to offer the opinion that such differences then go on to contribute meaningful changes both in hand and on paper, and that these should be noted as both distinct, and as incomparable to pens with category differences such as weight that are paradigmal. Lastly, this is a pen that will suit some, and not others. For those that it will suit, however, will depend more on attributes and qualities of pens that make it knowingly or unknowingly both more appealing and satisfying in acquisition and use than variants (Lamy 2000) and competitors (when considering weight, e.g., Faber-Castell Basic Metal). Clearly, other factors also play a role (i.e., price, availability, European nib sizes, etc.), and some which I have not noted, here. But for those who can discern their ideal pen yet find themselves a little underwhelmed by the community’s reaction despite its pedigree and performance, I hope this piece can help to explain some of the feeling on both sides. Thank you for your time. Schreiber *Thank you to 1nkulus, who corrected my original gross approximation as being double.
  17. I am reviewing a Dryden Designs “Modern Classic Limited Collection”, only available with a Medium Nib, available both on Amazon and directly from their web site. https://www.dryden.design/ I have a strong preference for pens with a fine nib, and this particular model is only available with a medium nib. I bought the pen anyway because I really like how the pen looks. I thought about this purchase for a few months before finally buy one to test. I should also note that I spent most of my life using a slim ball-point pen, which is at odds with most fountain pens; which are usually much thicker. The first thing that I did with the pen was use the included converter to fill the pen with Pelikan 4001 Turquoise ink. I have used the pen for a few weeks and I have used up the ink in the converter; I need to refill it. I filled pages of text in both extended multi-page writing sessions as well as short, one or two word, writing sections. The pen might site for days without use before its next use; I have about 10 pens inked right now. The converter worked well. I had no issues filling the pen. I have not used it long enough to discuss longevity; I have only owned the pen for a month. The pen has been very reliable and enjoyable to use. I did not experience skips or other problems related to starting or writing. The nib is reasonably smooth... Not as smooth as my Lamy Studio with a Gold EF nib or my Lamy 2000 with a Gold EF nib, but those are exceptionally smooth. I have a strong preference for fine nibs based on my years of using fine point writing devices in Mathematics. I use EF nibs on my Lamy pens and F nibs on my Pilot pens. One of my Pilot pens has an EF nibs, which is very fine compared to any other nib that I own. I compared the writing of the Dryden pen with a Jinhao X750 with a medium nib and the resulting writing width looks the same to me. It is surely narrower than my Parker with a broad nib. In other words, it acts like a Medium nib. I do not like the clip. The clip has a small ball on the inside, which has a tendency to catch as I put the pen into, or remove my pen from, my pocket. Bottom line, I don't like the nib. Pretty much everything else, I really like. The “threads” that appear to be in place for a cap to screw in place are not helical in nature. In other words, it would not be possible to use the threads to screw something to the pen. They are just grooves that go in a circle around the pen. When I use the pen, my fingers are touching these grooves in the pen. The grooves are not sharp and I never noticed that my fingers touched them until I specifically looked. Your comfort level using this pen is more a question of your preference to a thick pen versus a thinner pen (in my opinion). I find the pen very comfortable and easy to use. The cap has a very positive click when it locks in place. I am not concerned about the cap coming off when it should not. The nib is small, smaller than the nib on my Pilot Custom 74, and significantly smaller than the nib on a Jinhao X750 (see picture, top to bottom is the Jinhao, Dryden Designs, and Pilot Custom 74). I sent an email to Michael Dryden, the CEO and founder of Dryden Designs and I asked him about this pen. He mentioned that all of their nibs are made by a company in Germany. The nib contains the text “GENIUS IRIDIUM” and looks remarkably similar to a nib that I saw on a Hero 901 pen (in terms of markings and coloring), but usually I see this also including “GERMANY” on the nib as well; for example, their bamboo pen. Some of their pens have pictures showing this on the nib. I am taking Michael at his word that this nib was made in Germany and this is not the same as the IPG (Iridium Point Germany) debacle, which means pretty much nothing about the country of origin for the nib. My best guess is that the nibs are made by Schneider. Michael also told me that although the nib is NOT user replaceable, some users have managed to replace the nib. I did not pursue this, nor did I attempt to dismantle the pen (even though I like to do such things); I like the pen too much, and it writes to well, for me to risk $20 just to have a little fun taking the pen apart and finding out that I broke it in the process. For now, just assume that if you destroy the nib, you buy a new pen. On the other hand, I purchased some spare nibs that I can drop into a pen such as the Jinhao X750, and those nibs cost me about $15 each, which is about the same cost as the pen. Michael Dryden did say that they were looking at the fact that the nib is not replaceable; I speculate, threefore, that this may be possible in the future. If the only available nib is Medium, it is less important that the nib is user replaceable given the low price point on the pen. I will admit, however, that I was very upset when I dropped a $15 pen and the manufacturer (Pilot) did NOT offer replacement nibs at any price. That particular pen is now using a compatible $1 Chinese nib purchased on ebay. What else did Michael Dryden tell me? • All of their pens are designed by them in the USA. • Materials for the pens are sourced from 5 different countries of which the USA is one. • All of their nibs are made in Germany. • Finally assembly is done in their warehouse in China There are many reviews on Amazon for this fountain pen, very highly positive. Most of the reviews do not strike me as though they were written by people who know much about fountain pens. What is notable, is that people who had problems, indicated that Dryden Designs made it right. This is the only pen that I have tested from Dryden Designs. Some of their other pens have nib sizes other than Medium. Based on my experience with this pen, I would say that if a pen from Dryden Designs catches your fancy, give it a try. I have been very pleased with mine. If you have used one of their pens, especially one of their other models, I would love to hear about it.
  18. Platinum 3776 Century Black with a Soft-Fine nib Is the Platinum soft-fine a 'real' flex nib? I seek to answer that question... I can trace my purchase of this pen to a seed planted by Leigh Reyes and her enthusiasm for the Platinum SF. She named it one of her 2012 pens of the year, and then posted this writing sample, which really impressed me (of course, she has good handwriting...). There are no shortage of reviews of Platinum pens. There's even a great review of this exact pen by APHK. Not only that, but I think APHK's review is spot-on and really well done (in fact the pens were even purchased from the same ebay seller, kendo-karate). The information I'm trying to add here is how this nib fairs against a variety of 'flex' pens. I'm also going to add my own photographs (since APHK's review doesn't have macro shots... and macro is how I roll). Therefore, this is a review with my perspective of this Platinum followed by a comparison between this pen and a bunch of other pens. I will be comparing the Platinum Soft-Fine nib to these pens: http://suramar.org/fpn/flex_platinum/intro-1.jpg From left to right: Stipula Duetto Lemoncello, Parker Victory, Noodler's Ahab, Waterman 52, Pendleton Brown bad boy with angel wings, Pilot/Namiki Falcon, Eversharp Symphony 713, Pyralin, Non-stop, Ambassador. http://suramar.org/fpn/flex_platinum/intro-2.jpg For these tests, I used a Rhodia #18 pad and Iroshizuku Syo-ro. http://suramar.org/fpn/flex_platinum/intro-3.jpg I used these supplies because I think they are fairly mainstream and well behaved. The ink also does a good job of showing how thick it is on the paper with both sheen and shading. Plus it's one of my favorite inks (at the moment). I've decided to break this up in to multiple posts to function as a table of contents. Review: Platinum 3776 Century SF Stipula Duetto Lemoncello Parker Victory Noodler's Ahab Waterman 52 TWSBI 540 with a Pendleton Brown bad boy with angel wings Pilot/Namiki Falcon Eversharp Symphony 713 Pyralin ball flex Non-stop extra fine Ambassador extra fine Conclusion
  19. Disclaimer: I enjoy doing mini ink reviews for my personal reference, and I'd like to share them with others if they might be of help to gain an insight into the ink's appearance and performance. I generally don't have time to put together super comprehensive reviews, like some of our fantastic reviewers here do (thank you so much for your hard work!), but hopefully these mini reviews will still be useful as another point of reference. Lamy Petrol Lamy releases limited edition color inks and accompanying Safari or Al-Star pens annually. Petrol was a 2017 special edition color for textured Lamy Safari with black hardware and nib, and this ink. Because Lamy only made a fairly small amount of this ink, it quickly sold out and became somewhat of an unobtanium (in truth it is still available, but be prepared to pay 3-6 times the original $12-per-bottle price of this ink on eBay or classifieds boards). I hope Lamy will eventually bring this ink back. I have 3 bottles stocked up and sadly had to pay extra for each one, but I believe this is a great ink that should be made freely available to anyone who is interested--not only because of its color, but also because of its performance. This ink is a saturated green-teal-black with a matte finish on paper. It has some shading in broad or dry nibs, but mostly it is fairly uniform in fine nibs. There is a red-black color-shift where sheen develops, and the metallic component of the sheen is a kind of light pink in color. In practice, it is very difficult to see the metallic sheen from this ink, unless you are writing with a wet pen on Tomoe River, and even then you will not see it much. The red-black color shift is more readily apparent in larger concentrations. The degree to which this ink will look more or less green is highly dependent on illumination and paper used. This ink has moderate flow, one can produce fairly fine hairlines with this ink. It is well lubricated. In my experience it has tamed some difficult nibs and poor performing pens (generally they have something wrong with their nib grinds or alignment) that skip much less or not at all with this ink. One of the properties of this ink that I like is that it removes staining from converters and cleans ink windows, if you let it sit in a pen for a couple of weeks. Water resistance is moderate: a legible black-gray line remains, but there's some smeary wash of dyes that are lifted, so be careful to dab wet paper quickly. No feathering on good paper. I think this ink also makes a good candidate for water brush art. As you can see on the water test rectangle, there is some range of hues that the ink can produce in [more] capable [than mine] hands. Papers used in this review are: Fabriano Bioprima 4mm dot grid - a kind of ivory color, lightly textured, uncoated Rhodia Dot Pad 5mm dot grid #16 - bright white (perhaps with a slight lavender tinge) Nakabayashi Logical Prime notebook - coated and super smooth ivory-toned Japanese paper, shows things like sheen and hue variation pretty well Tomoe River 52g "white" - off-white slightly ivory Japanese paper which shows sheen and shading very well Col-o-Ring sample paper - bright white and thick Photographs: Scans: Fabriano Bioprima: Rhodia Dot Pad: Color comparison on Nakabayashi Logical Prime notebook paper:
  20. Disclaimer: I enjoy doing mini ink reviews for my personal reference, and I'd like to share them with others if they might be of help to gain an insight into the ink's appearance and performance. I generally don't have time to put together super comprehensive reviews, like some of our fantastic reviewers here do (thank you so much for your hard work!), but hopefully these mini reviews will still be useful as another point of reference. Graf von Faber-Castell - Deep Sea Green Recently I became interested in GvFC inks. They seemed overpriced before, and I was severely disappointed with my first encounter with Deep Sea Green. I had bought a set of DSG cartridges for a trip, and when I popped one into a pen in my hotel room and saw the watery, pale tealy green, I thought "This is not what I expected". This is a very dry ink with low lubrication, so that did not predispose me toward it either. I went to a local fountain pen shop next day, bought a set of Visconti Sepia cartridges, and did not look back. That was over a year ago. Fast forward to a few months back. I kept looking at the writing made with this ink as well as at reviews. I have also since become more enamored with inks that 1. have a kind of watercolor look with color complexity (can see constituent dyes separate a bit) and 2. inks that are not so wet that they can provide high line definition with very thin hairlines. To that extent, high lubrication and wet flow are generally exclusive of good line definition and are more synonymous with increased line thickness. There was a good sale on GvFC inks around Black Friday, and so I ended up with 5 bottles of various colors, including this one. I'm very happy to own this ink and other Graf von Faber-Castell inks. It is true: the bottles are absolutely luxurious--the best I have experienced to date of any brand. The way the bottle cap opens so smoothly and is very heavy is just so pleasant. I even love the scent of color print dyes in the cardboard packaging. It's all just perfectly appealing and tactile. The inks themselves tend to be dry, with varying degrees of lubrication depending on color. Deep Sea Green in particular is not well lubricated. However, it is a sacrifice I am now willing to make given the aforementioned conditions. What's cool about this ink is that it is not monochromatic, and it really does look like watercolor. It can be more or less gray or blue, or green depending on concentration, paper, and illumination. Drying time is very fast to super slow--depends on whether you've let it sit and concentrate in a pen. At the end of this review, I am attaching a photograph of how this ink looks once it sits in a pen for a month and becomes fairly concentrated. The periods take close to half an hour to dry at that point (or even longer), until they stop smearing easily. That's an extreme case, but some inks do this more than others. Another ink that behaves like this in concentrated form is J. Herbin Lie de The, which can take multiple hours to fully dry in the dotted spots. Water resistance is quite good: well-defined gray line remains. This ink is an excellent candidate for watercolor-type drawings. While Deep Sea Green can look somewhat similar to J. Herbin Vert de Gris, the two are very different in details. Vert de Gris has a very chalky pastel finish with some watercolor wash, Deep Sea Green looks like watercolor with more in-line hue variation. Bottom line: A+ art and specialty ink. Beautiful and soothing for personal journaling for those who appreciate nuances of color and finish on good paper. I would not recommend it for note taking or professional environment due to lack of lubrication, dry flow, and rather pale appearance when fresh. If you let it concentrate, you will encounter long drying times, which is also not good on-the-go. Papers used in this review are: Fabriano Bioprima 4mm dot grid - a kind of ivory color, lightly textured, uncoated Kokuyo loose leaf A5 - lightly coated white Japanese paper Nakabayashi Logical Prime notebook - coated and super smooth ivory-toned Japanese paper, shows things like sheen and hue variation pretty well Photographs: Scans: Fabriano Bioprima, ivory: Highly concentrated version that took forever to dry in the "dots"; paper is Kokuyo Loose Leaf A5. Ignore the comment about using this for notes and professional environment -- that's before I realized just how long it takes to dry like this..
  21. Bigeddie

    Montblanc Permanent Black

    Hi all, I've been slow on the uploading, but here is the third of three reviews of the new (Oct '13) Montblanc inks. Some of the text on the background is copy and pasted, this is in grey should you want to skip it I see some of you have already checked out the Flickr album! Montblanc seem to be shaking up their line a bit, Midnight Blue is no longer listed as being a permanent ink and two new permanent inks are being introduced. The packaging is the same format as the existing inks with new graphics, All white with blue and black text. The bottle is the same shoe as we are used to with the existing line up (with the nice two part filling arrangement). http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5477/10108346353_779b6d73ca_z.jpgIMAGE_1.jpg by Bigeddie100, on Flickr Included below are samples of the new ink, and some from Mystery Black for comparison. My scanner is now older than some forum members, that is to say rather tired. I have taken photos in direct sunlight for comparison. Both inks were in Lamy Safari pens with medium nibs. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7381/10116588723_c5577df8a6_z.jpgMontblanc Permanent Black on copy paper by Bigeddie100, on Flickrhttp://farm4.staticflickr.com/3788/10116533925_da7d9bebf0_z.jpgMontblanc Mystery Black on copy paper by Bigeddie100, on Flickr http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2820/10116512226_fa55819151_z.jpgMontblanc Permanent Black on Rhodia by Bigeddie100, on Flickrhttp://farm8.staticflickr.com/7380/10116525525_6451b35e04_z.jpgMontblanc Mystery Black on Rhodia by Bigeddie100, on Flickr Analysis: The new black has a much heavier flow than Midnight Black and a more intense depth, it is truly black. I would rate it on blackness with Noodlers (bulletproof) Black or Sailor Kiwa-Guro, whereas the Mystery Black has quite obvious shading, to me the sign of a not black black. Performance is good despite the heavy flow, even on cheap paper; the same caveats as the Permanent Blue here, it looks like single sided use only due to the bleed and show through, but there is very little feathering. Performance on Rhodia is superb, with a deep black, good lubrication. Water resistance:These new permanent inks from MB are the first that I have seen with an ISO certification for permanence, here I am only testing water resistance when dry. The inks proved to be very water resistant, I would be hard pushed to detect the difference between inks before and after soaking. Certainly this ink along with the new Permanent Black are the most water resistant inks out there, unlike the pigment inks nothing floats off of them. But the black does rub off, a little bit. After a two hour soak (photo to be added) I could rub some of the black off, legibility is still excellent, far ahead of that of the old or new Midnight Blue inks, and miles ahead of Mystery Black (which disappears after a 5 minute soak, as below). http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3747/10116653463_80c76125ea_z.jpgWater resistance in progress by Bigeddie100, on Flickrhttp://farm4.staticflickr.com/3764/10116561223_bec75a871d_z.jpgWater resistance by Bigeddie100, on Flickr Conclusion: This is a nice black. The down side, as with the Permanent Blue, is that it's £19 a bottle. For a good permanent black ink I would go to Noodlers black (90ml currently £12.50 from Niche Pens) or Sailor Kiwa-Guro (50ml around £16, The Writing Desk or Write Here). It's nice enough but not very remarkable for the money, and both of the other two have better performance for use double sided. I look forward to your opinions
  22. Ebonite And Ivory

    Namiki Emperor Vermilion Review

    Hello fellow pen enthusiasts, So far I have seen just one review on the internet for this pen and I strongly felt it merited another look. The comments about it being a baseball bat are, though funny and mostly in good humor, about as appropriate as saying Babe Ruth's bat was but a twig to be burned with the chaff. This pen is spectacular, and not just because of it's size. Yes, it sports the #50 nib, which if I understand correctly is the largest production nib around. Yes, its Mount Fuji engraving on the nib is breathtaking to behold, and it also writes smooth as butter. But, seldom have I had a pen where what's outside the cap rivals what is under the cap. This pen is vermilion red urushi. This is not just a "big red pen." This is not a "red injection molded plastic pen." This is a work of art--specifically, the technique is called Roiro Urushi. I suggest searching out youtube and other video or Japanese print sources to admire this technique as a Westerner's written explanation would not do this work justice. In short, this pen begins as a black ebonite barrel and, after countless hours of applying, burnishing, smoothing, and finely polishing the red-pigmented urushi, this whole process is repeating ad neuseam with clear urushi lacquer coats--that is, if my rudimentary understanding is not misinformed. This pen is dazzling to the eye and to the touch. I have red pens. This is not just a red pen. Below are as many photos as FPN size limitations will allow me to post. Pictures truly are worth 1,000 words. The only pic missing due to size limits is the first picture I took that showed the boring outer box (cardboard). Nothing really missed there... I don't want to take away from the photos with endless text. But I will offer these words as first impressions and by way of explanation on a few matters: 1) I liked the simple wood box with the elegant and soft purple tie-strings. Very elegant and very Japanese... 2) I knew the pen was big. When I opened the box I smiled because it was even bigger than I expected--in a good way. The simple elegance of this pen is unmatched. I have chosen the ringless version, but one can get this pen with gold bands around the barrel. 3) Comparison pens left to right are: Namiki Emperor, MB149, Yard O Led Grand Viceroy, and the Pelikan M1000--all very large pens. 4) The red feed is awesome. That is all on that subject. 10 out of 10. 5) There is a brilliantly crafted velvet-ish lining to the cap so if one posts the cap (WHY WOULD ANYONE POST THIS PEN?) it will not scratch the urushi barrel. 6) In the photos I challenge you to find the place where the end cap unscrews from the barrel. This craftsmanship is un-improvable. 7) Once you locate the invisible end-cap, one needs only to hold the pen vertical and unscrew it apx. 1.5 turns to let the ink gush out into the feed. 8) Yes, this is an eyedropper. It should be called eyedroppers as I literally gave up filling it after 4 full droppers. Please see the up close photo of the inside of the section to see how this comes together to form an impressive, leakproof seal. 9) One complaint. In the final pen-photo I posted a picture showing the threads. You can see a small hint of black there where the vermilion urushi was either not applied perfectly or where, perhaps by the unavoidable friction-nature of how threads function, the urushi is rubbed off right out of the box. I'm slightly unhappy about that and submit this as a charge to Namiki to look into that problem if it happens more than on my pen. However, I am so happy with this pen that my enjoyment is not reduced even a little by this minuscule problem. 10) Shout out to Chatterly Luxuries for a good price. This is a beautiful pen and I recommend it highly. Did anyone actually read the writing sample? Conclusion/Scores: Appearance & Design: 8. Small deduction for the black-thread issue. Stunning with a truly "blind" cap--no visible slits on the barrel. Threads do not hurt to use. I personally think it's a 10, but recognize there is not detailed makie-e work, etc. It's the best single color pen I have ever seen. It is not the most beautiful pen I have ever seen. Construction/Quality: 9.5 for the thread issue. There is no perfect pen and they can't all be high scores. But so far there is no squeaking or weak-fitting parts and urushi coverage is stunning. Clip works well. Rare and ingenious felt-lining inside cap for posting (which no one would ever use--but it is there). Weight & Dimensions: 10 or 6.5 6.8" capped length. 0.7" diameter, and a weight of 46.6 grams un-inked. 6ml of ink capacity. The reason for this high rating is that this is an incredibly big pen for those who like that sort of thing. It is not too heavy or too light in the hand and is just-right for people with medium or large sized hands. Clearly, this pen scores a 2 or worse if the subjective criteria is, "how this pen fits small hands." If you hate big pens, this one is terrible. If you want a true rating on the weight and dimensions of this big pen from a big pen lover, it's a 10. For long writing (over 5 pages) I must drop this pen to a 6.5. It's more than a signature pen, trust me, but a 5 page letter may get ridiculous and crampy. Nib/feed: 10. I realize all the high ratings. This pen is that good. Zero scratch. Nib flow is unhampered with any amount of speed writing or even scribbling. No "tapping" to get things moving after opening up the eyedropper end cap each use. The nib is also a little springy, too, because it is gold and huge. If you want flex pen performance, buy a flex pen. This is a wet writer but not out of control. My 10 rating is based on smoothness, flow performance, and superb performance right out of the box. I have many pens and none of them have performed like this right out of the box. Filling system/Maintenance: 8 Friends, I intend to review more pens with lower ratings, I promise. But this one is sweet. The eyedropper filling system is awesome. I wanted to give this a 10 but decided for the sake of some credibility to say something critical. The fact that this holds 6ml of ink is baller. The fact that it takes over 5 pipets full of ink is slow. So, my feeble attempt at a criticism is that this pen should come with a bigger and more efficient pipet. I cannot fault the huge ink capacity. Love it. I will circle back and adjust the score if maintenance becomes an issue. Cost and Value: 7 There are plenty of worse pens out there priced much higher. And yes, it is a work of art. But at its retail price this pen is a bit pricey. If you can get a good deal and appreciate large urushi pens, the value is a 10. If you pay full retail, you will love this pen; however, you will have a lot of money into it. Value is in the eye of the beholder I guess. Conclusion: 8.46 total score. Regrets: 0
  23. A few weeks ago I picked up an Airmail/Wality 69eb, marketed as the Airmail Ebo from Fountain Pen Revolution, because I needed some silicone grease and because I wanted to take advantage of FPR's 20 percent off sale. I only paid 16 dollars for this pen, and I have really enjoyed it. It has been a great workhorse these last couple of weeks and has earned a spot amongst my favorites. I really enjoy the pen's styling. Its cigar shape and ebonite body give the pen a vintage feel. Indian pens, specifically the handmade ebonite eyedroppers, have always invoked nostalgia. This pen is no different. The Airmail 69eb is a large, but not oversized pen. Here it is next to a Metropolitan, Al-Star, and Ahab. It is a comfortable pen to use posted or unposted and is very comparable in size to the Ahab, just slightly thinner. I have read mixed things about Wality/Airmail nibs. My nib gives decent feedback but is not at all unpleasant. Sometimes it feels like writing with a nice pencil. Sometimes I enjoy the feedback on a workhorse pen as I am usually writing quickly and the feedback helps keep my writing more legible. The nib is marked "Special Wality, Tipped Fine" It writes a very fine line with Pelikan Royal Blue. The only other eyedropper I have experience with is an Asa I Can and that is a rather wet pen. Royal Blue tends to be a dry ink so I thought it would be a good choice. The Airmail 69eb does not seem to be a very wet writer and with Royal Blue is a great choice on cheap, absorbent paper. I scrubbed the nib and feed before I inked it and I haven't had any flow issues, hard starts, or skipping. It writes a consistent fine or extra-fine line. The build quality of the pen is good. All of the threads are nicely cut, the nib and feed were nicely set, and the clip works fine. Mine has some small fit and finish issues. The cap band extends below the ebonite material of the cap and is fairly sharp. Sometimes it gets caught on my pen case when I try to slip it in and I am afraid it is going to ben and scratch pen's body. Also, the threads, though nicely cut, must have a sharp edge or bur because they gathered some paper towel material when I wiped them. That is really not a big deal because they feel fine on my fingers. Moreover, while I have read that the pen is handmade, the section is not made of ebonite. It has the feel and odor of vegetal resin. I am not sure how much of this pen, if any, is hand turned. It was only 16 dollars. I do wish the section was made of the same ebonite material as the body. Overall, I really like the pen. For 16 dollars, something like the Pilot Metropolitan gets you a pen with nicer fit and finish, a smoother nib, and a lot less character. I really enjoy Indian pens. Perhaps it is an unfair association, but they evoke feelings of nostalgia and adventure. I bet Indiana Jones used something like the Airmail 69eb to document his travels *This is my first pen review. I apologize for the bad picture quality and the sloppy handwriting.*
  24. Cursive Child

    Diamine Terracotta (150Th Anniversary)

    Love the shading in this ink. Very well behaved and vibrant color.
  25. Lamy Al-Star Graphite I have been using this pen almost everyday for the last 6 months. This is an impartial review aiming at determining this pen's strenghts and weaknesses within its price range [sub €50 (euros)]. Packaging was a standard blister pack including a Lamy blue ink cartridge. Certainly not one of the strong points of this product, especially when compared to the Pilot Metropolitan metal casing. If this was an evaluation attribute, I would have rated it 5/10. 1) Appearance & Design – Graphite finish suits this model quite well by complementing the original ‘industrial’ look. All aluminum apart from the grip section, cap top and barrel top, which are made of good quality plastic. LAMY is engraved near the top of the barrel. The ink window looks nice and complements the overall design of the pen. I am not a big fan of the clip aesthetically speaking. The grip section will divide opinions. As a ‘forefinger up’ user, I can live with the grip, but it is not a favorite of mine. Overall, I prefer a classical fountain pen look. 8/10 2) Construction & Quality– Very sturdy. It has only minor scratching which is rather imperceptible in this finish. Body is quite slick though. 9/10 3) Weight & Dimensions – Medium sized, reasonable balance uncapped. Balance is improved quite a bit when posted, IMHO. Light to moderate weight (12g unposted, 22g posted). 9/10 4) Nib & Performance – M nib is quite reasonable. Dry writer but consistent flow. I do need to apply a small amount of pressure in order to write, which prevents me from writing in a lighter manner. F nib presents basically the same line thickness but is much worse when it comes to other parametres. It is scratchy and the sweet spot, besides being smaller, requires a different writing angle than the M nib. I believe this nib to be flawed. I had a lot of issues with ink flow when the pen was in new condition, even after flushing twice. Writing with it has seem to have solved the issue over time. The pen may still rarely run somewhat dry depending on the ink used though. 7/10 (M nib). 5) Filling System & Maintenance – Standard proprietary C/C system. I use the Z28 converter. It holds a good amount of ink (up to 0,8ml). I did not enjoy the included Lamy cartridge. The converter is hard to disassemble for cleaning behind the piston. 5/10 6) Cost & Value– I paid €28 at a technology store. I think that there are stronger competitors on the market for the price (some above, some below). 6/10 7) Conclusion – 7/10 It might look like that I am being quite harsh on the Lamy Al-Star. The pen certainly has its merits: an interesting design, solid construction quality, nice weight and balance. However, I believe Lamy’s nib QC is substandard or simply just insufficient. In addition, the packaging and the converter could be further refined. Rivals include the Pilot Metropolitan (which I prefer overall), the Faber-Castell Loom, the Pilot Kakuno, the Platinum Preppy and Plaisir, the Pelikan Stola and even the Lamy Safari itself, the latter competing internally at a lower price point. I do like my Al-Star and do not regret purchasing it but, if I had to replace my deceased Pilot Metropolitan today, I would have made a difference choice. I hope you enjoyed this review and hope that we can have a civilized and interesting interchange of ideas concerning this pen. Pictures follow (I would update these with better quality, but I do not know how to aside from attaching them to the post. Any input on this is greatly appreciated). Cheers P. S.: This was my first review so do not be shy and provide input so I may improve future reviews!





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