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Favorite Franklin Christoph Pen?


MABuckeye

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I have a 45, 45L, 2 x 20s and a 66p.. every one has a different nib and I could not, for the life of me, choose my favourite.  I have to stop myself from ordering another and another and another.  So I am not in the least bit helpful.

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8 hours ago, mizzbananie said:

I have a 45, 45L, 2 x 20s and a 66p.. every one has a different nib and I could not, for the life of me, choose my favourite.  I have to stop myself from ordering another and another and another.  So I am not in the least bit helpful.

Haha thanks! I'm still just sitting over here a month later refreshing the FC website...

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  • 1 month later...

Model 29 for me.  Very unique design, magnetic cam closure, and a Masuyama nib.  What’s not to love?  FC has fantastic customer service too.  If they made the 29 again I’d buy at least 2 more to enjoy. 
 

NM

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  • 2 weeks later...

The model 02 is my favorite pen in my collection. Smoothest nib, and when I had a problem their customer service was great and handled it right away. My daily writer and no sign of that changing.

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I've 4 or 5 Model 31's, all with Masuyama Broad CI's. Love each one of them.

But my favorite, go to FC is the Model 19 with a Nagahara Broad Steel CI nib.

This nib is crisp and the line variation is superb.

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  • 1 month later...

So I don't have any Franklin Christoph pens but they seem great. And looking at all your comments here it seems like there are a range of favorites. 

 

I was wondering if I could get a recommendation for which model to start with. Here is what I'm looking for. 

 

Size and lenth

I never post my pens and my 2 favorite pens both have unposted length of 4.75" this is the perfect length for me. Some range here is just fine. These two favorite pens are medium small pens both quite lightweight. (An old vintage Pelikan 120 and my FPR Himalaya)

 

Grip comfort 

I draw with my pens which means that my grip position changes a lot. So I don't like a pen with a steep drop off. Often I will hold the pen farther back and not only at the grip section. The gentle grips on a lot of the christoph pens are very appealing. 

 

Aesthetic 

I love the look of most of the pens here. I'm a little unsure of the "skinny butt" look of the 02. Really love that Vintage green model. It looks like jade. I also have questions about the screws on models having the threads so far down. Also it's not a lot of twists. Does it feel secure? 

 

Nib

So there are a lot of nib options and people swear by these nibs especially the ones tuned in house. For drawing since you hold the pen at a bunch of different angles I don't think the italic is for me. I am very curious about the needlepoint though. 

 

I think most of my pens are a size 5 nib. Since I prefer mid size pens. But I'm interested in either nib size. 

 

Would really love to just compare the models and see them in people hands. It's so hard to judge online. I really want to hold them in person but that seems very unlikely at the moment. 

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1 hour ago, mouse2cat said:

So I don't have any Franklin Christoph pens but they seem great. And looking at all your comments here it seems like there are a range of favorites. 

 

I was wondering if I could get a recommendation for which model to start with. Here is what I'm looking for. 

...

 

I only have the model 20 and 20p --- these have no step down, just a couple grooves and then a gentle concave section (slip/friction cap, so no threads either). They also have a recessed #6 nib, so the distance from the end of the section to the tip of the nib is more similar to an unrecessed #5 nib. However, the 20 is 5 inches unposted, so 1/4 inch beyond your ideal length (the 20p is much shorter at 4.125" unposted; I only use it posted which makes it just over 5 inches). Both can come with or without a clip.

 

You might like the 45L XLV, which is 4.75" unposted, has a #5 nib, very minimal step-down and block threads at the nib end of the section (can't say what those threads are like personally). It is a clipless pen.

 

Both the 20 and 45L XLV are available in VIntage Green at the moment :)

 

As for nibs, I was less than impressed with two instances of their in-house SIG nibs, but I do have a Nagahara needlepoint nib in my 20p and love it for both regular writing and for drawing.

What have you done with the cat? It looks half dead.

 ~ Schrödinger's wife

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2 minutes ago, jandrew said:

 

I only have the model 20 and 20p --- these have no step down, just a couple grooves and then a gentle concave section (slip/friction cap, so no threads either). They also have a recessed #6 nib, so the distance from the end of the section to the tip of the nib is more similar to an unrecessed #5 nib. However, the 20 is 5 inches unposted, so 1/4 inch beyond your ideal length (the 20p is much shorter at 4.125" unposted; I only use it posted which makes it just over 5 inches). Both can come with or without a clip.

 

You might like the 45L XLV, which is 4.75" unposted, has a #5 nib, very minimal step-down and block threads at the nib end of the section (can't say what those threads are like personally). It is a clipless pen.

 

Both the 20 and 45L XLV are available in VIntage Green at the moment :)

 

As for nibs, I was less than impressed with two instances of their in-house SIG nibs, but I do have a Nagahara needlepoint nib in my 20p and love it for both regular writing and for drawing.

 

Thank you so much for those unposted lengths. I would say an unposted length of 5" is still well within a comfortable range. I just know these forums are full of big handed guys so when people talk about pen size I think there is a pretty large range of what people mean. 

 

I had the 20 on my radar it seems like a very popular model. But the 45L XLV was not a model I had looked at closely so this is very helpful. 

 

It sounds like you strongly favor the Nagahara nibs. 

 

 

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This is the 45L XLV in the vintage green - and I utterly love it. I have to say the nib is OK rather than outstanding, and for the 20 marietta I bought next I went with a stock nib, saved myself a fair bit of money, and have been perfectly happy with it. 

 

In terms of shape, I prefer this one to the slightly bulkier 20 marietta. The section is awesomely comfortable, and the whole pen just oozes class.

 

One of my favourite modern pens - for reference I'm a woman with pretty average (if slightly chubby) hands and I prefer smaller pens - though I do also have plenty of larger ones!

FC45L-XLV.thumb.jpg.6af84f285ec17ee05594bedf7d41eac3.jpg

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Beautiful writing! I see you have a good ink pairing with this pen too. The color of this just looks like jade to me. Like that slight translucence and everything. 

 

Thank you for the hand size reference. And you don't post this when you write with it? It's big enough to just go for it? 

 

I was reading about Japanese carving tools and the ideal tool length is from the cup of the palm to the tip of the index finger. Measuring my hand, my 4.75"-5" range makes a lot of sense. A lot of time the artist would cut their tool's handles down to fit their hands. 

 

Does the lack of clip mean this pen rolls around a lot? 

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I very rarely post any pen - other than pocket pens that are either threaded or otherwise designed to post. I don't like the extra back end weight (I have a very light hand) and I always seem to end up fiddling with them!  My hand on the measurement you reference is 4.75", and that's exactly the length of this pen unposted.

 

It does roll, but not excessively so, and it doesn't bother me at all. Given the choice, I'll always opt for a clipless pen, though. I prefer the cleaner lines.

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On 5/12/2021 at 12:13 PM, mizgeorge said:

This is the 45L XLV in the vintage green - and I utterly love it. I have to say the nib is OK rather than outstanding, and for the 20 marietta I bought next I went with a stock nib, saved myself a fair bit of money, and have been perfectly happy with it. 

 

In terms of shape, I prefer this one to the slightly bulkier 20 marietta. The section is awesomely comfortable, and the whole pen just oozes class.

 

One of my favourite modern pens - for reference I'm a woman with pretty average (if slightly chubby) hands and I prefer smaller pens - though I do also have plenty of larger ones!

FC45L-XLV.thumb.jpg.6af84f285ec17ee05594bedf7d41eac3.jpg

 

Beautiful writing , pen , and ink .

Is the ink available in USA ?

 

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54 minutes ago, rosa_m said:

 

Beautiful writing , pen , and ink .

Is the ink available in USA ?

 

I don't know - and they seem to be working on the website at the moment, so I can't look for a stockist list. It's an ink I like a lot, and it does go extremely well with this pen - it's slightly on the dry side, so I also use it for some of my vintage eyedroppers, where it also seems to perform well.

(and thank you, especially as it really was a quick scribble writing test when the pen arrived).

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/12/2021 at 4:11 PM, mouse2cat said:

So I don't have any Franklin Christoph pens but they seem great. And looking at all your comments here it seems like there are a range of favorites. 

 

I was wondering if I could get a recommendation for which model to start with. Here is what I'm looking for. 

 

You might like the Model 03. 

 

Size and weight - Just a fraction under 5 inches unposted, so ~3/8"shorter than the 02, and slightly shorter than the 20 (I don't have a p20) I never post

 

Grip - the 03 has the threads in the front, like the 02 and 45. I have no problems with the comfort of FC's threads in general, and the 03 offers a reasonably long hour-glass section - about 22 mm from the (small) step to the base of the threads - which should make it easy to change your grip frequently.

 

Aesthetic - a flat top pen with a modest taper and a clip, so its all about the resin you choose. (I've got an 02 in Emerald, and I love it)

 

Nib - I enjoy FC nibs. The 03 takes a #6. Its not recessed. I haven't gotten a custom nib (yet) from Mr Nagahara, but I can vouch for the needlepoint from his predecessor, Mike Masuyama. 

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  • 2 months later...

I have three F-C pens. A model 02 in Gold Rising with a 14K Masuyama Fine Stub nib, a model 20 in Black with a 18K Masuyama Medium Stub nib, and my newest is a Model 65 in Diamondcast Blue with a Nagahara Medium Stub nib. The 65 is my dedicated desk pen, perfect size for me, and I could look at that Diamondcast Blue material all day long. My three F-C pens are all EXTREMELY comfortable to write with, and have impeccable fit and finish...definitely keepers! 

 

I'm also a fan of their notebooks and notebook covers. Their Urushi Red ink is outstanding, as well as their Blue 72. Come to think of it, I need to try some of their other colors also.

 

And last but not least, their customer service is outstanding, if not the best in the business.

 

Yes, I'm definitely a fanboy! 😁

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On 5/12/2021 at 2:11 PM, mouse2cat said:

So I don't have any Franklin Christoph pens but they seem great. And looking at all your comments here it seems like there are a range of favorites. 


I was wondering if I could get a recommendation for which model to start with.  

 

Me too please!  I have been circling the Franklin-Christoph drain, if you will, and I think I have it narrowed down to one of the models at the end of this post - but any advice would be welcome.  The choice of acrylic is another matter entirely!   I am mostly interested in getting my hands on one of Mr Nagahara's nibs, and it seems I need to buy an acrylic Jowo holder to get one.  So I might as well choose the best acrylic Jowo holder for me!

 

Here is what I'm looking for. 

 

Size and length

I never post my pens and I have a non-negotiable minimum length of 4.9" nib to finial, but longer is fine by me.  My favourite pens at the moment are my Ranga 8B and my Cleo Skribent Classic and they are both in the 5.3"-5.5" range.

 

Grip section comfort 

I only use my pens to write, and I prefer an hourglass section to a ski slope.  I would like to hold my pens higher up on the section for longer writing sessions, but with a comfortable option to drop down to the end of the section for situations where fine printing is required, e.g. marginalia.  Definite "no" to any step between the barrel and section.

 

Aesthetic 

Entirely subjective, so I'll leave this blank, except to say I dislike the overly tapered barrel of the 02.  I understand the functional benefit for posting, but I don't post.  I have no preference for screw cap or slip cap, as long as the section is long enough to accommodate different positions and there is no step.

 

Nib

It will either be a Nagahara needlepoint or fine cursive italic.  I don't have any other Jowo nibs, so interchangeability isn't really an issue.  I've gone for Bock 250 on my Rangas.  I don't have a strong feeling about #5 vs #6, although I appreciate #6 is very popular and is used on a large variety of pens.

 

Short list of models?

  • 02 - don't like the barrel taper
  • 03 - looks like a step between section and barrel
  • 19 - maybe a bit too girthy, and step between section and barrel
  • 20 - looks good, but curious about the recessed nib
  • 31 - looks good, but curious about the recessed nib
  • 40 - looks good, but rarely in stock, don't love the long cap, but that's OK. Can't seem to find the unposted length anywhere...
  • 46L - looks good, but how big is that step between section and barrel? rarely in stock
  • 50 - looks good, but how big is that step between section and barrel? rarely in stock
  • 65 - looks good
  • 66 - looks good

bayesianprior.png

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I am hopelessly addicted having bought TWO in less than a week. Shipping is super fast, so I was already enjoying the one when I couldn't stop myself from ordering the other. I now have 4 of the 31 and 2 of the 20p. I love the nib selection and think it may be that which keeps me coming back. I mistakenly ordered the 1.5 CC and so ordered a black broad to swap it out.  My niece coincidentally sent me a calligraphy book, so I will use the 1.5 CC for that.

 

To answer the question about the recessed nib: I don't feel any difference writing with the the 20p or 31 than I do with any of my other pens (Visconti, Sailor, Platinum or Pelikan).  The 31 is my favorite, even though I haven't tried more than just the two models. I am resisting the 45L FP because it is a #5 nib, but it is very difficult! Gah! I keep looking at it . . . 

 

The prices are great too and also make it tough to resist not buying more. I just regret wasting the shipping by ordering the two pens separately; I should have just gotten both together. I might just do that now if I continue to look at that 45L FP since the 31 Autumn Oak has been calling me for months now (opted for Winter Pine instead).

 

By the way, the Herbin clear plastic converter is great in the Antique Glass and it doesn't draw the eye like the regular one that comes with the pen does.

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