Bexley Pen Co.

[zaddick]

The brand was sold earlier this year. They are part of the portfolio that includes ASC pen now. Pens are still made under the brand name.

[langere]

Just checked their website. Looks like there is very little selection and what there is looks nothing like the Bexleys that I have...

 

Erick

[Parker51]

The new owners have just started producing pens under the Bexley name. I have seen one model and it was quite nice, though a bit pricey for me. It was made in the US, but in Miami, Florida, rather than Columbus, Ohio.

Howard Levy is still around and is still making pens in Columbus, Ohio at the same location. He is now focusing on primarily private label production. He has made one new pen so far to sell under a play on his own name, Levy Legacy Pens. I don't know how he plans on distributing or selling them. He was set up at the Ohio Pen Show with his initial offering, selling it himself, with the help of his son and wife. It was produced at the same location, using the same equipment, by the same people as the earlier Bexley Pens. The new owners purchased the name and other intelectual property of the company. I don't know who is responsible for the warranty on the older pens as I didn't ask Howard.

[Seney724]

For all of Howard's years at Bexley, the quality control was superb and the customer service was terrific. The pens were not cheap but they surely were not crazy expensive.

 

 

The new owner of the Bexley brand has, thus far, proven to be the polar opposite. Awful quality control, shamefully poor customer service and pricing beyond stupid expensive, especially when one considers the poor quality and craftsmanship.

 

 

It's hard for me to believe that Howard would subject "his" brand to (at least potentially) being dragged so far down from the highly esteemed status it enjoyed during all of Howard's years at the helm. After all, that's his name on the pens!!! But, who can blame Howard for wanting to cash out on his success and to move on to the next stage of his life.......

 

 

Some will be fooled by seeing the name on the pen and promos, but Bexley, as we knew it, is gone.

[inkstainedruth]

Oh that explains why, when I went through the Ohio Pen Show and saw their booth, the stuff seemed to be crazy expensive.... I had forgotten that they had been sold.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[ildbig]

Just checked their website. Looks like there is very little selection and what there is looks nothing like the Bexleys that I have...

 

Erick

 

 

Do you have a link? I cannot seem to find the new website for Bexleys. Thanks!

[sansenri]

I wish I didn't go for a 1.1 stub in 18k with my bulls for jim gaston. I had to replace it three times for not writing and the last one still doesn't write properly. I need to just send it in for grinding. But it is an interesting shape, made from unique woodgrain red ebonite, and finished wonderfully.

Stop complaining about this, Honeybudgers , get it ground! (or do it yourself!). I learned from you that I should have a go at working on my ebonite feeds to increase flow to my liking!

(it resuscitated one of my ebonite pens that was dramatically ink starved, thanks for the detailed instructions!)

 

I have one of these 18k Bexleys too, and it was not working properly and hard starting all the time, so I had a go with it on micromesh (the word grinding is perhaps excessive). It probably had some baby bottom, so I went carefully smoothing just horizontally, and turning the nib backwards and forward, to avoid creating a flat spot. It now works great, no more hard starting!

If you don't feel comfortable, get it done, but do it, it's a great nib!

 

PS by now you've probably done so...

Edited November 18, 2019 by sansenri

[sansenri]

The brand was sold earlier this year. They are part of the portfolio that includes ASC pen now. Pens are still made under the brand name.

I had a feeling this was happening when Howard's special prototype offers on the bay suddenly disappeared...

I'm glad I bought a few when they were still on offer.

[Doug C]

Bexley was sold to ASC. At this point in time, they have only one (pricy) model.

[sansenri]

The new owners have just started producing pens under the Bexley name. I have seen one model and it was quite nice, though a bit pricey for me. It was made in the US, but in Miami, Florida, rather than Columbus, Ohio.

Howard Levy is still around and is still making pens in Columbus, Ohio at the same location. He is now focusing on primarily private label production. He has made one new pen so far to sell under a play on his own name, Levy Legacy Pens. I don't know how he plans on distributing or selling them. He was set up at the Ohio Pen Show with his initial offering, selling it himself, with the help of his son and wife. It was produced at the same location, using the same equipment, by the same people as the earlier Bexley Pens. The new owners purchased the name and other intelectual property of the company. I don't know who is responsible for the warranty on the older pens as I didn't ask Howard.

 

It would be interesting to know what Howard is up to, I've always admired his skill in making "classic but modern" fountain pens. Does he have an own web site?

[WLSpec]

A few years back, this is all the Bexley pens I had. I've grown the family a little bit since then. (sorry for the terrible photo.)

 

 

Best Regards, greg

Sorry to re-start an old thread, but I love all of the Poseidons! I want one of those so badly...

Edited February 12, 2020 by WLSpec

[ParkerBeta]

On 1/12/2019 at 6:06 AM, gregamckinney said:

A few years back, this is all the Bexley pens I had. I've grown the family a little bit since then. (sorry for the terrible photo.)

 

 

Best Regards, greg

Hi Greg,

 

I’m back with another model-identification question: what are the third and fourth pens in the top left quadrant?  I have both and want to be sure what they are. The yellow one that looks like a vintage Mandarin Duofold, and even more the all-orange one next to it.  Is the orange one made of ebonite?  Mine is. 
 

Thanks!

[amberleadavis]

And I really like the demonstrator!!

[Glenn-SC]

Just so someone doesn’t get the impression that everything Bexley is all “sunshine and butterflies” my experiences have been the opposite to those reported in this thread. I used to own a bunch of Bexleys because I loved the designs, colors, sizes and materials.  A dozen at least. 

But none of them every write reliably. Lots is hard starts and skipping. My Prometheus was the Bexley that broke my heart and ended any desire to own more.  I loved the design, size, weight, everything.  But it belched ink every other word I wrote with it.  On the paper, on my hand, on itself.  It was returned to Bexley and my money refunded.  After I that I have sold off all my Bexley pens except one, I think. 
 

[amberleadavis]

On 4/23/2022 at 5:25 PM, Glenn-SC said:

Just so someone doesn’t get the impression that everything Bexley is all “sunshine and butterflies” my experiences have been the opposite to those reported in this thread. I used to own a bunch of Bexleys because I loved the designs, colors, sizes and materials.  A dozen at least. 

But none of them every write reliably. Lots is hard starts and skipping. My Prometheus was the Bexley that broke my heart and ended any desire to own more.  I loved the design, size, weight, everything.  But it belched ink every other word I wrote with it.  On the paper, on my hand, on itself.  It was returned to Bexley and my money refunded.  After I that I have sold off all my Bexley pens except one, I think. 
 

 

That's a nib problem not a pen problem. The nibs are Bocks and the quality control from Bock is iffy, in my experience.  I would have preferred if Bexley had tuned the nibs before the pens shipped.

[Glenn-SC]

9 hours ago, amberleadavis said:

 

That's a nib problem not a pen problem. The nibs are Bocks and the quality control from Bock is iffy, in my experience.  I would have preferred if Bexley had tuned the nibs before the pens shipped.

For the price Bexley was charging for their pens I expected them to work properly with no extra cost or effort on my part. 
 

A consumer has reasonable expectations of performance when buying a new product.  Bexley did not meet mine.  A writing instrument actually writing was mine. 

[Seney724]

4 minutes ago, Glenn-SC said:

For the price Bexley was charging for their pens I expected them to work properly with no extra cost or effort on my part. 
 

A consumer has reasonable expectations of performance when buying a new product.  Bexley did not meet mine.  A writing instrument actually writing was mine. 

I agree with you 100%, however, somehow as a community of pen enthusiasts so many have accepted the inexcusable fact that their "high end" fountain pen will not work properly upon receipt.  For sure, some sellers will do what ever they can, before shipping the pen, to assure it writes well for their customer right out of the box.   But there are a lot of sellers who do not.   What always surprises me is people just accept it.

For example, check out this post from earlier today by @MidSouthern-Dad.........  Good for him that he was able to make his new pen work for him, but what if he did not have the knowledge, skill, time and interest to do all that work on his new pen??

 

[Glenn-SC]

9 hours ago, Seney724 said:

Good for him that he was able to make his new pen work for him, but what if he did not have the knowledge, skill, time and interest to do all that work on his new pen??

 

I have seen this on other “Collectables” forums.  People are willing to overlook (and correct) the flaws in brands or models that they “love”, and the damn the same flaws in brands or models that they don’t like. 

[amberleadavis]

I agree that nibs should be checked before they leave the shop. I hate getting pens that don't write perfectly, especially when I pay a lot of money.