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For a while now, I have had my eye on both of those pens. I've read reviews about both, but none of which help... I write unposted to start. I understand both are indeed small, that isn't really an issue though considering I write with my Scheaffer Craftsman (Thanks again Matt!) unposted. And That pen is considerably small. I will not take any nibs larger than a fine. I write too small and all nibs larger than fine, make my handwriting unreadable. So, what is the better pen to invest into? What has a smoother nib? A nicer feel in the hand? Any help is appreciated. And thank you all for taking time to read my thread! ~Phil

Edison Pens have always remained in the periphery as far as my pen addiction is concerned. To me, the idea of a "custom pen" (and the associated price point) always raised questions such as "Why don't I buy an expensive German/Italian/Urushi/vintage pen instead?". There's a whole lot more that goes into buying a custom Edison pen than just walking into a shop (or browsing an online store) and using your credit card. And that's what makes this different, and special. Many of you have already gone through this with Brian at Edison Pens (and enjoyed it) - with a custom pen, you first choose the model. Then you choose from different materials (Acrylic, Ebonite mostly) and within the material, literally hundreds of colours and patterns, and you can also further customise the pen until you end up with something truly unique (and truly personal). This review is of the Edison Beaumont in Persimmon Swirl acrylic (which is my second Edison; I'll do the review of the first one another day). Appearance, Material & Design The Beaumont was an obvious choice of model. After having been bitten by the "vintage pens" bug of late, choosing the beaumont was like getting a vintage sheaffer, but with modern guts. It also posts quite deep, which was a big plus for me. After poring over Brian's smugmug site for all the possible materials & patterns, I settled on the persimmon swirl material. It was always in my short list of materials to try. It shows up in many other reviews, always positive (the few videos also indicate it's a "shiny and mesmerising" material). Incidentally, you can get this material in a Production line model currently, the Collier. I opted for black finial & end cap, plus rhodium trim, all of which I thought makes the rest of the pen stand out. I also requested the section be made matte/satin finish, to improve grip (considering the hot & humid weather here). You can keep looking at the pen for a long long time, especially how it shimmers in the light, truly mesmerising! Here are some photos that paint a better picture... Nib I chose a 0.6mm cursive italic steel nib, which Brian himself customises. It writes with good line variation, with enough feedback, and on the dry side as I requested. I wouldn't put it at par with the work of nibmeisters like Masuyama, but Brian sure knows what he's doing! Filling system Standard cartridge/converter, which also has an added advantage (over upgrading to a bulb-filler) that you can be more adventurous with your ink choices. With (latex) bulb fillers, you will need to be more careful with reactive inks. Value In terms of the dollar amount you spend (starts at $250 as a custom order, with extra for the nib customisation; or at $150 if bought from the production line from other retailers), one might not immediately consider this a "value" purchase. But when you consider all the models/materials/patterns/textures you can choose from, to end up with a pen that was made for just one person - you - and then when you actually hold the (absolutely gorgeously) finished pen in your hand, you'll understand why this purchase was different from the umpteen others you made in the past. Shipping, on the other hand, was a whole different story. If you live in the US, you wouldn't have to pay the exorbitant prices USPS charges for International shipping. For me, shipping charges hurt! Conclusion In conclusion, all I can say is - if you ever considered buying a custom pen, drop Brian a mail, and give this whole buying experience a try. What I have is a great daily writer, solidly built, "my very own pen".

Some pics of the pen, then the handwritten review followed by the text in case you can't read my writing. Also I was writing from the back of the book towards the front, so keep that in mind Fountain Pen Review — Edison Beaumont pneumatic-filler First Impressions Whenever you get a new pen it's always an exciting moment. Even more so when you have never actually held the pen or even really seen it until it arrives in your mailbox. This is part of the experience of ordering a custom=made pen from Brian Gray at Edison Pen Company. The pen I ordered was a Beaumont pneumatic filler pen in Antique Marble acrylic with a steel nib in medium. Two-tone on the nib with the end caps matching. It was exciting to get the email that the pen had shipped. The pen comes well packaged shipped via USPS. It has a simulated alligator case in which the pen rests. Included is a metallic Edison bookmark of their logo and that's kind of cool. There's also a thank you letter from Brian Gray with his fabulous signature. And instructions about how to fill and empty the pen using its pneumatic filler. The pen itself is lovely. Of course it's a modern acrylic not a vintage celluloid so one shouldn't make comparisons there. But it's very attractive, smoothly polished, and a pleasure to hold in one's hand. Appearance (1-10) 9 When I first saw the pen it was a shock. The pens I'd had up to then were black (Aurora Ipsilon and Lamy 2000). So here is all this color and translucency. And the pen seemed more orange than I had been expecting based on photos from the Edison website. For some reason I thought it would be more towards yellow. There were examples of more orange versions but I hadn't noticed them perhaps. But about half the pictures show a yellow antique marble. Some of this was simply my inexperience with the materials and how to go about ordering a custom pen. I now understand that color lots change and the exact pattern will vary from batch to batch. Now I can say that I really enjoy how the pen looks. It has a depth to it and wonderful color variation in the acrylic. It really is beautiful. The nib itself is stunning. None of the pens I'd had up to then had such a large nib. At first, it seemed massive. But writing with the pen showed that the size was perfect for where ones' hand met paper. The translucency of the pen was another surprise for me. One of those things that's difficult to photograph. But it was a cool effect and nice to see the filling mechanism working. One can in the barrel see the tool marks of the cutting bore (not sure of the name for this) and it'a an intertesting artifact of the manufacture. The section color is amazing. Brian says that's from the black of the feed. It's like looking at some black marble with gems embedded in it. The cap has lovely patterning to it of the antique marble. The clip and band are nice. There's nothing really special about them. Construction and Quality (1-10) 10 The pen is really well made. The pen doesn't feel cheap at all. I'm not willing to drop the pen to see how rugged it might be. But I think capped it would do OK. The threads are very nice. They are very crisp and the cap and barrel connect smoothly. Even though the threads seem low the cap is well connected. And the low threads on the barrle means the threads don't disturb your writing. It's like they're not even there. Weight and Dimensions (1-10) 10 The pen is 5 1/8" capped, 4 13/16" uncapped, and 6 ¼" posted. I usually write without posting and this is a perfect pen size for me. I probably have medium hands for a girl. According to the Edison web site, the pen weighs 13g (0.46 oz) and 20 g (0.7 oz) without the cap and with. It very light in the hand so for extended writing it's easy to use. Posted is fine too, but I prefer the balance of the pen unposted. Others may feel differently about that. The pen is a little thicker in the barrel than an Esterbrook J or Parker Vacumatic major and about the same length (a little longer). So if you have vintage pens this gives you can idea of the size of the pen. Nib and Performance (1-10) 9 I chose a two-toned steel nib in Medium. I believe this is the #6 nib. According to the Edison web site EF, F, M, B, 1.1 mm italic, and 1.5 mm italic nibs are available. The #6 18k nibs are avilable in EF, F, M, and B and they are $100 extra in cost. I've been quite happy with the steel nib. You can get various customizations which will be done either in-house or by Mike Masuyama of Mike-It-Work. Full flex 14k nibs from Richard Binder are available. My writing style doesn't lend itself to these customizations so if that's something that interests you I'd inquire with Brian Gray. I arrange to have the nib set up at 7 on theflow scale of 1 to 10 and Brian has it with "a touch of feedback". I can alsmot write without touching the paper with this nib. It has the kind of flow that I like. I don't think I'd want anything wetter than this. There's a little bit of noise letting me know how I'm writing. Perhaps some people wouldn't want that. Some of it is my writing style. So far I haven't noticed any problems with different papers. I write in my Moleskine notebook, on regular copy paper, and for special occassions Mohawk Via Linen. The nib has one spot perhaps that has a hint of dryness but it's not really anything that I don't experience with other pens. The Edison nibs can be swapped out by the end user. It may not be that every Edison nib fits every pen, so best to check. Filling System & Maintenance (1-10) 9 The filling system for this Beaumont is a pneumatic filling system. According to David Nishimura's web site on vintage pens, Shaeffer and Chilton used a pneumatic system. The Shaeffer system was called the "Touchdown". The Edison pen is closer to the Chilton system. I won't go into lots of detail but there is a blind cap at the end of the barrel. Unscrewing it allows you to pull up the plunger. The mechanism is straightforward and easy. Emptying the pen is the same put you don't put the pen in the ink well. There is a description of the mechanism at the Edison web site. The filling system uses a sac but it's quite large and the pen can hold 1 to 1 ¼ ml of ink. More than twice what a cartridge converter would hold. I'm still getting used to this filling system, but it's really easy. And pretty much fills the first time. One thing some people may not like is that you can't see how much ink you have left, so as the pen exhausts its ink supply you wonder why is the pen so scratchy all of a sudden. That's your clue that you need to add more ink. I like that Edison is bringing back these historic filling systems. Especially when they are good systems such as this one. They're fun too. Cost & Value (1-10) 9 A custom pen such as this is not cheap. Since you can only order one from the Edison Pen Company it'll be unique (or nearly so). There are Edison pens you can order from the usual retail outlets. These are the production line. The cost for this pen was $350 compared to a standard c/c Beaumont of $150 at Richard Binder's site. I think I got a good price for such a pen. I haven't really looked at other custom pens so I can't compare costs. The only thing I would have liked to have done was get an 18k nib, but I wasn't willing to spend that much. In spite of the cost, I think I got a really great pen that will last for years, assuming that I don't fill the pen with the "ink that shall not be named". Overall 56 out of 60 I'm very happy with this pen and my experience of acquiring a custom Beaumont pneumatic filler. I was happy enough that I've ordered a custom Menlo pump filler. This review was written using Organics Studio Blue Merle ink and my Beaumont pneumatic filling pen.