Skilcraft Executive Fountain Pen

[Davjohn]

 

Appearance & Design (9) – The appearance is fine. The top of the cap is a slanted gold tone finial followed by a well made, clip with the right amount of spring. The cap terminates in a wide gold tone band with the Skilcraft name imprinted. The barrel has a thin band where the cap snaps on, with a very rigid and solid snap. The barrel has 3 thin bands within the first third. The end of the barrel ends with a gold tone finial.
The design is good. As a metal pen it is somewhat heavy. The feeder is plastic and the nib is gold tone and engraved "Iridium Point". There is a small amount of humble scroll work.

Construction & Quality (8) – The Navy Blue barrel is made metal with a reflective, almost

iridescent lacquered finish. The quality is very good being that it is solid and feels quite durable. The weight of the cap is the only drawback.

Weight & Dimensions (9) – It is 145.2mm capped, 117mm unposted, 155mm posted. The width at the section is 10mm, and 11.6mm at the barrel. The weight of the pen is 18 grams, 31 grams capped. The cap itself is 13 grams, making it quite back heavy when posted.

Nib & Performance (10) – When the cartridge is inserted ink flows within mere seconds. The nib comes in fine. According to video reviews the nib also comes in med. It appears that the nib can be replaced with a standard #6 nib.
The nib writes very well. On some paper the flow is mildly wet like on Rhodia Dot paper, on others like journal pages, not so much. It will bleed a fair amount on standard legal pads and the more fibrous the paper the more it will bleed.

 

Filling System & Maintenance (9) - This pen takes a small international cartridge while holding a spare in the barrel, a long international cartridge, or a standard international converter.
Maintenance is easy. The nib and the feed cleans easily with a simple injection of water. Whether it can be used as an eyedropper remains to be seen.

Cost & Value (10) – The pen, Skilcraft Executive Fountain Pen, Fine Tip, Navy Blue Barrel, costs $10.20 on Amazon, $15.44 on ebay or $6.99 from National Industries for the Blind at blind-made.com. The $6.99 price is more than good value for this pen. You won't worry about dropping it, tucking it into a purse or pocket, using it for an every day pen in and out and about.

Conclusion (9) - This is a pen that is made in America of Chinese parts assembled by Industries of the Blind. It's an effort that gives the disabled jobs, hope, esteem, and the ability to work for themselves and support families. I don't see how you can go wrong supporting something like this.
For anyone that likes a good fountain pen at a good price, well built, attractive in appearance although maybe a little retro 80s, that is easy to use both at home and at work, the purchase of which will support a worthy charity, this is the pen.