Faber Castell

[saulyleeplans]

Hi All,

 

Can anyone tell me if Faber Castell fps are good or not? I haven't noticed any posts about them and I'm just wondering whether they are worth me looking into or not?

[lectraplayer]

I think the general consensus from most of the people who had one here liked them OK, though found them to be a bit overpriced for what you get. Faber Castell is better known for their pencils also. I also saw them in my local art shop, but the people there said pretty much the same things. Maybe some of the people here that are more experienced can chime in.

[Antenociticus]

I like them enough to have four Looms and one Ondoro, with nibs in all the different sizes. Faber-Castell nibs are great, and interchangeable between the different models.

 

Note: If buying a Loom, which probably represents the best value in their range, avoid the "metallic" ones and go for the caps with the "piano" finish.

[1nkulus]

You can look at the Loom, Ambition and e-motion.

All come in EF/F/M/B nibs.

 

You can also look at Graf von FC, budget permitting, which is Faber-Castell's premium offering.

[loganrah]

There has been a bit of recent discussion of Graf von Faber-Castell fountain pens around here, you should try giving that a search as well. Not sure how much information on Graf von carries over to the normal Faber Castell range; I don't know. for example, if they are made at the same factories and simply labelled differently, or if they are made separately and therefore more likely to be different.

From what I've seen (and my experience with two GvFC Tamitio's and 4 nibs) they are generally regarded as quality products, if sometimes a little overpriced. They do have rather distinctive styling which puts some people off.

Edited April 22, 2019 by loganrah

[Erik Dalton]

Not sure your reason for asking, but in the event you have found one at a bargain, make sure it feels good in your hand, then go for it. The nibs are generally excellent. The pen shape and grips, vary. I have two Ondoro, and a Loom. I love the Ondoros, the nibs, one fine and one medium are smooth and wet, nice balance, a pleasure to write with.

The section on the loom is not ergonomically shaped as on the Ondoro. It’s thicker and made of a slippery plastic that I find impossible to grip. It is also much heavier than the Ondoro and poorly balanced. Not good for me, but others rave about the loom.

So, there is no easy way to answer your question it depends on your preferences and the design and feel of the pen in question. But, if you like the pen, it feels right, and the price is right, go for it.

Good luck, happy hunting.

[OMASsimo]

I'm afraid your opening post is a little vague. Do you talk about current or vintage FC (big difference), FC or GvFC (quite a difference)? Do you have a particular model in mind? If you're not more specific, you are likely to get random answers.

[A Smug Dill]

Can anyone tell me if Faber Castell fps are good or not?

I only have one: an Ambition in basic black resin. The construction is good enough, the cap seals not quite as well as the Platinum #3776 Century but better than the Pilot MR in terms of not letting the nib (or feed, or even converter) dry out, but the steel nail of an EF nib is just not as narrow as I'd like it to be. I have a Medium nib on a much-loved Rotring Initial fountain pen that writes equally as fine if not finer than that.

 

It's one of those pens that sit mostly un-inked and undisturbed in my pen box for an eternity. I keep it around because I think the colour and texture of the barrel makes it well-suited for inking with Pilot Iroshizuku take-sumi (bamboo charcoal) ink, but that's about it. I'll take a Rotring over a Faber-Castell any day when it comes to fountain pens.

 

(On the other hand, I love my wooden-barrelled FC e-motion ballpoint pen and prefer it to my Rotring Initial ballpoint pens any day.)

 

I haven't noticed any posts about them and I'm just wondering whether they are worth me looking into or not?

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/341455-why-is-graf-von-faber-castell-not-more-popular-in-the-fp-world/

 

Not sure your reason for asking,

I think she was asking whether it's worth her stocking Faber-Castell fountain pen models (at the sub A$120 level, presumably?) as a retailer.

Edited April 22, 2019 by A Smug Dill

[sandy101]

Faber castell are excellent pens. Their niba are lovely writers. I'd say they have the best nibs in the sub £30 bracket.

 

As Old salt says, some of the grips do seem strange, and not everyone finds them comfortable, so it is about finding a model that will suit you best.

 

I have two Looms and a school pen - all three of which very good.

[penzel_washinkton]

The Loom in particular is good. There is a reason why some reviewers recommend them as beginner / step up from beginners fountain pen.

Can't say much about their other models.

[SoulSamurai]

My general impression is that quality is good, but their ergonomics and aesthetics are polarising.

[senzen]

I have a pearwood Ambition, gorgeous pen with a unique tactile feel and a good nib, the Ondoro also looks interesting.

[sansenri]

GvFC tend to be exceptionally good once you go to the upper range models.

They also tend to be expensive then, but ooze quality and elegance.

 

[Honeybadgers]

The loom is one of the best made, highest quality steel nib pens made.

[Guardy]

The Loom has a very, very good nib - crisp and smooth but not too smooth and neither too wet nor too dry and 100% reliable - though I prefer the ergonomics of the Lamy Safari/AL-Star. Not to mention they don't attract fingerprints nearly as much and their clips are far less flimsy.

 

My dad has one of the more expensive GvFC models; he absolutely adores it and I think he might prefer it over his Pelikan pens. On the other hand, I think the gold nib on that GvFC pen feels weirdly mushy and the pen looks uninspired and... bleak, but I'm really more of a vintage pen fan anyway. Either way, from what I know they're usually well-made.

[MuddyWaters]

GvFC tend to be exceptionally good once you go to the upper range models.

They also tend to be expensive then, but ooze quality and elegance.

 

 

I would LOVE to own one of these. I have a penchant for FC and GvFC in general. Their designs are out of the ordinary and they make reliably good writing instruments.

 

The problem I have with mine (Loom and E-motion) though are that they only take cartrige and converter, and that the e-motion dries out. The Loom never ever dries out, always ready to write, but it is not as comfortable to hold as the e-motion, which is a champion in comfort.

 

Finally, I do find that the writing gets dimmer in longer writing sessions. I would prefer if the flow was as generous as it is in the first page for the subsequent ones.

 

I can't speak for GvFC as I have never tried them. The one sanseri posted is attractive to me because thick section, not metal, and looks like a sick nib. I just wish it also was not a converter pen.