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Faber-Castell E-Motion Pearwood


visvamitra

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Let’s start with the end of the review, why don’t we? Get it over with and move on to more interesting things.


Faber-Castell e-Motion is great pen, worth every penny you pay for it.


The end


But you need some context, so let’s start again.


First, a personal thought. There is a thing I find irresistible in most Faber-Castell and Graf von Faber-Castell designs. Some of them are strange, some elegant but they’re all, mostly, unique. Also they all, mostly, work for me. While I don’t really like the way Faber-Castell Basic looks like, I think it’s great entry-level pen.


Faber-Castell e-Motion on the other hand not only looks well, it also performs well. In this price range it’s one of more interesting choices. Not everyone will enjoy it, but the ones who’ll actually try it, will remeber this pen for unusual design and great pen-to-paper performance.


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I’ll agree that this pen looks odd. After analyzing pictures some people may wonder if it’s possible to use this pen comfortably for more than few minutes, if at all. I was asking the same question to myself before buying e-Motion. After using the pen for a while I can assure you it’s not only possible, it’s also enjoyable.



The Faber-Castell fountain pens come in a rather minimalist and elegant white cardboard box with the Faber-Castell logo printed on it in silver. A small brown leather strap that is attached to the sides of the box serves for pulling out the slider. After opening the box, the pen is revealed.



Chunky, almost cigar-shaped, this pen sits comfortably in the hand. High-gloss metal in combination with warm brown pearwood looks and feels modern and elegant. Sure, this pen is rather heavy. It has to – there’s a lot of metal parts in it. This makes it feel solid and the weight is perfectly balanced. Of course if your preferred pens are the likes of Pelikan M200 you’ll find this one too heavy.


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The clip is spring loaded and feels strong without being overly tight. The cap is heavy and has interesting curves that for some will look gracefull, while for others simply odd. I enjoy them.


Nib



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Writing sample (L'Artisan Pastellier's Botany Bay on Rhodia Dot-Pad)


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I’ve made a mistake with this one. I’ve decided that I have too many mediums and broads and it would be good to have some fine nibs in the collection. I should have known this wasn’t meant to work for me. Sure this nib writes perfectly well. It doesn’t skip, the inkflow is consistent, there’s no scratchiness to it. Also the nib looks nice – the nib does not have a breather hole, and features “golf ball” dimpling across the nib’s face. Still – it’s just too fine for my taste. I’ll need to find a way to exchange it for medium or broad.


Filling system


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e-Motion is C/C pen. Nothing extraordinary. Nothing exciting here. The system works well and is easy to clean. It’s also quite boring (but functional).


Dimensions




Closed – 137 mm

Uncapped – 117 mm

Weight: 51 g




Summary


I really enjoy this pen. It combines wood and metal, materials I trully enjoy. It feels great in my hand. In order to be more objective I think that for some people this design won’t work due to the pen unusual shape and hefty weight. For me, though, this design works very well.

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Arg, this is tempting me in to yet another pen as I love my Pearwood ambition and I'd suggest FC nibs are second only to OMAS for buttery smoothness (which I like). I don't know what your options are like in Poland,but one of the UK online stores sells the nib sections separately, probably others as well.

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Your love for these pens is palpable - thanks again for sharing.

 

Sorry you don't get on with their F nibs - I think they're excellent daily use nibs.

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I'm afraid my experience with the e-Motion pen has been less than satisfactory. The pen initially was attractive because of its design, the juxtaposition of wood and metal (which F-C often carries off well), and the well-deserved reputation of the steel nib.

 

First, I discovered that the cap would not post securely. Many people don't post their pens, but I usually do. From an aesthetic point of view, the nib, which was a B, is rather small for the pen. The worst problem for me, however, was the glossy metal section. I found the pen constantly slipping out of my hand. The final time this happened, the pen dropped to the floor, bending the nib. I decided to make lemonade out of a lemon by having the nib stubbed, but this only made the nib appear shorter, and did not solve the problem of the slippery section.

 

My pen has the darker brown pearwood. It's looking for a new home, if anyone's interested.

Rationalizing pen and ink purchases since 1967.

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Every time I see this pen the apparent cons end winning over the pros;

 

Pros: pearwood, bigger shape.

 

Cons: chrome section (it's going to get sweaty while writing?) and while I never give clips a second though for some reason I really dislike this one's.

"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

 

B. Russell

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  • 1 year later...

I got one in dark wood yesterday. Sadly, it is one of the few pen purchases I regret. However, I must accept responsibility for this, since I bought it without doing as much research as I could.

 

The main problem for me is that the barrel is half an inch too short, which can be fixed by 'posting' the cap, but then the pen becomes too heavy. It annoyed me so much that I drained the converter and refilled it with Diamine Registrars ink, which at least looks nice.

 

Despite all the hype about FC nibs mine is really nothing special, and a tad too toothy for my liking. It gives more feedback than that of my Cross ATX and is no better than the nibs of some much cheaper pens in my collection.

 

Given the foregoing it is only suitable for moderate duty writing sessions with well-rested hands.

 

Perhaps my hands will get stronger with repeated use of this pen, as in weightlifting.

 

Pros

1. Well-made, good quality, fit and finish

2. Screw cap with good clip

3. Good converter

4. Wooden barrel feels nice in the hand and offers grip

5. Attractive design, nice box

 

Cons

1. Barrel is too short

2. Cap is too heavy

3. Nib scratchier than I expected and on the fine side for a medium

4. I find the grip section slippery compared to the wooden barrel

 

Adjustment wish list

1. Make barrel half inch longer

2. Lighten cap

3. Make M nib slightly broader and smoother

 

Score: 2.5/5

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The feel of the pen is definitely marmite. It either works for you or it does not - for me it does, for a friend of mine I got in to fountain pens it does not. It is down to the length of the grip, which some, like you, feel is too short, the weight, or the way it tapers quite rapidly at the back.

 

Nib wise sounds like yours may be slightly misaligned. The only Faber-Castel nib I've had that was not wonderfully smooth had tines about 1mm apart on the vertical - bringing them in to line fixed everything. If you bought it in a shop I'd consider taking it back over the scratchiness/toothiness. See if they'll swap for another make/model of pen or give you a refund.

Edited by dapprman
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I got one in dark wood yesterday. Sadly, it is one of the few pen purchases I regret. However, I must accept responsibility for this, since I bought it without doing as much research as I could.

A few days ago I took out my frustration with the pen by testing for nib flex with extreme prejudice. The result was better than expected. The nib now exhibits subtle line variation under normal writing pressure, which has encouraged me to persevere with it. The above criticisms still apply but the cursive produced with this pen looks too good to ignore. Really trying to get used to its short length, using it unposted, to keep the weight down to a bearable level.

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I love this pen. I have all 3 parquet finishes and I am considering getting the croco finishes, too.

 

It would have been my all time favorite if it hadn't been for one thing; the cap sealing.

The ink evaporates annoyingly quickly if you leave the pen unused.

 

If you blow into the cap you can actually feel the air leaking out.

I haven't managed to take the cap apart to try and fix it.

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Great review. I am really tempted by this pen in the wood finishes. And such a fine fine looks like a dream nib for me. I wonder how the extra-fine is. I love fine nibs. I also like mediums if they have some character and offer either ultra-smoothness or slight feedback and shades nicely. I really WANT this pen!

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I have several Faber-Castell pens including Loom, Basic and e-Motion. All of the nibs are very smooth and nicely wet. The rubbery section of the Basic does seem to become stained with ink after being closed which isn't great. I have the black croco e-Motion which is just the right size and weight with a terrific clip. I'm not keen on wood in pens as I think they sometimes look too much like kit pens. Having said that I really like my (wooden) Forever Cuban everlasting pencil (from Cult pens).

 

Gary

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50+ grams? I don't think my (literally) powerless fingers will sustain that weight for long. I love my Faber-Castell Looms, but the weight gets to me at the end of the day.

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