Kilk Epigram Veritas Model Fountain Pen

[TheDutchGuy]

Fontoplumo has been carrying this brand for a while now. I visited the shop recently and have seen some Kilk models on display there. Nice-looking pens, seem to be well-made. The market for steel-nibbed, well-made, beautiful pens is very, very crowded. Some of the competition is notably cheaper (Pineider Avatar UR, Opus 88), some is similarly priced (Diplomat Aero), some is slightly more expensive (Visconti van Gogh). I hope that Kilk can gain some traction.

[Aysedasi]

I hope so too.  Very different pen to the Aero, and far nicer (IMO) than the 88 (one of which I have).  I've only ever owned one Van Gogh and hated it.   I still believe the Veritas is an absolute steal at the price.  

[Bill P]

I received my Epigram on Sat....

 

Original Color (looks like Burgundy and Black swirl), Veritas Band, Medium Kilk branded nib, manufactured by Bock.

 

Took 2 months to receive it....Oruc had to see if he could locate any surplus material for the body, and then he had to find time to make the Pen.

 

I am VERY VERY pleased.

 

I have a lot of Pens in my personal collection, and this one will be a keeper.  

 

Superb workmanship

Love the color of the material

The nib is very smooth and a great writer...plus I plan on trying a Bock Titanium nib in it at some point....nib/feed/holder should just screw into the section.

International converter/cartridge

Great design - feels excellent when in the hand and writing

I find it to be a very good value.....mine cost $199 shipped via DHL. (extra cost for the material)

Oruc was excellent to deal with - very good communication.

 

All in all I thank Aysedasi for the initial review, without which I would not have known about, nor would I have purchased the Pen.

 

Thank-you Aysedasi...

 

I look forward to seeing and considering Kilk designed Pens.

 

Bill P.

[Aysedasi]

You're very welcome Bill, I'm just as delighted to hear that you have one and like it!      Oruc made mine in the original material too so I too had to wait a little while for him to make it.   I hope this will prompt one or two more to dive in.  I keep reading about people swooning over pens that cost several times as much as the Epigram (pens that I don't have such a high opinion of) and I wonder why they don't try this.  It was the look of the pen that sold it to me immediately.   

[A Smug Dill]

On 8/18/2021 at 5:20 AM, Aysedasi said:

I keep reading about people swooning over pens that cost several times as much as the Epigram (pens that I don't have such a high opinion of) and I wonder why they don't try this.  It was the look of the pen that sold it to me immediately.

 

I was genuinely tempted to order one after reading your review, but — since you asked why — the commercial offer, each time my interest in the pen is sparked, fails to be competitive as an unproven brand and/or product from my perspective, even if it just manages to lose out marginally at every turn.

 

• I'd say there is extra value if a pen manufacturer made its nibs in-house (e.g. Santini Italia) and stands by the quality of such — and I would either give high praise openly, or ding them really hard equally openly, after I've formed a view from my own assessment and first-hand experience.
  
  Stepping back from that, I expect to be informed which established manufacturer's nibs — and attribute higher value (from my perspective) if they're Sailor or Pilot, only average value if they are JoWo or Bock, and lower value if they are of Chinese or Indian manufacture.
  
  Kilk has failed to offer any information in that regard, so it doesn't win any points there at all.
   
• Kilk doesn't have the inherent clout or appeal (whether deserved or not) of being Italian… or German, or Japanese, for that matter. All things being equal, I'd be more inclined to pick a pen of Italian origin, just because. Kilk wins no points there in its own right.
   
• I'm not going to pay US$40 in delivery charges on a US$160 pen (prices per Kilk's own web site) just to test the waters.
   
• Oh, then Fontoplumo started ranging some Kilk pens, and since it offers free international delivery, I was tempted and looked again. That same issue of Fontoplumo's newsletter also offered a 10% discount almost site-wide… except it didn't apply to Kilk products. (I tried.) That means, at the point, other brands also carried by Fontoplumo all had a competitive advantage that Kilk had to overcome, to get me to take a leap of faith, and spend money to check out with is unknown and unproven to me. As stated in the earlier points, I saw nothing particular in Kilk's favour to sway my decision.
   
• I think the Kilk looks beautiful in the photos, but then so do Edison Pen Co.'s production line pens (e.g. the Collier and Menlo models that aren't burdened with an integrated filling system), Tibaldi Bononia pens, etc. LCdC offered the Edison Collier in Pearlised Juniper at a slight discount, on top of the standing site-wide discount codes I'm sure many of us are familiar with, so I jumped on it. Loved the material, loved the workmanship, loved how damn fine that EF nib wrote, and so now I'm psyched to buy more Edison pens when the time is right. LCdC then offered, back in June, a 15% discount on Tibaldi. I have barely heard of it, but the Bononia model has been severally and favourably reviewed online in established reviewers' blogs, it's Italian, and it's fitted with an ebonite feed which, even though I have no particular preference for that over plastic, is generally regarded as making the offering higher value. (Nib manufacturer is still unclear to me, so no bonus points there.) Discounted, each Bononia pen cost me (with delivery by DHL and all that) roughly the same as what buying a Kilk Epigram from Fontoplumo would cost me; so I took a leap of faith and ordered three (out of five available colours/patterns) at once. And, now that I've received one of them and used it for a few days, I consider Tibaldi a proven brand to me, which is yet another point on which it will be more competitive than Kilk products.

 

That's why. (You asked.) Next time I feel like buying a beautiful looking acrylic pen with a (for all I know) generic steel nib of European manufacture, Kilk will remain at a competitive disadvantage against other would-be takers of my money.

 

Not that I'd pay several times the price of a Kilk Epigram for another steel-nibbed pen; but I'd be happy to spend that kind of money on an Aurora with aurolide body and gold nib (Italian, in-house nib manufacture, ebonite feed, and known/proven brand to me — all the competitive advantages), or Santini Italia (same, and with excellent customer service to boot, from my previous experience), or Japanese pen with a specialty gold nib (that isn't special for reason of being broad or laying down a lot of ink).

[Aysedasi]

Ah well, detailed but a far too high brow analysis for me.  I have one, it looks wonderful, feels terrific in the hand,  appears to have been very well made and writes superbly.    Perhaps I just don't analyse my purchases (and intended purchases) quite as deeply as you do.  It's not about winning points for me it's about being attracted to what I consider to be a terrific pen.  There you go.   I have no connection with Kilk or Oruc so your reasons for not buying one are of limited interest, although bearing in mind how many pens you buy and how much you must spend, I would have thought it a drop in the ocean....    Whatever..... 

[Pale.Ink.Tom]

Magnificent! Quite stirred up by what I've seen here! As if I've been snoozing on the job!

Gooey Chocolate, cigar shape, Bock running gear! (where the rubber meets the road)

I really like the 'Veritas' but saw other models that showcased to 'pearlescent' white barrel, coloured cap, etc etc. not the 'Alhambra'.

I'm going to dash back to the 'Kilk' site for a good look.

 

[A Smug Dill]

On 8/18/2021 at 5:20 AM, Aysedasi said:

I keep reading about people swooning over pens that cost several times as much as the Epigram (pens that I don't have such a high opinion of) and I wonder why they don't try this.

 

1 hour ago, Aysedasi said:

I have no connection with Kilk or Oruc so your reasons for not buying one are of limited interest,

 

OK. Go figure.

[Pale.Ink.Tom]

I would like to see the reintroduction of 'Duelling" for pen lovers.

'Seconds' would carry little trays of pens out into the forest and... I will need help to figure out what happens next (and at how many paces)!

But inky, scared faces, (well tattoos really), passionate, pen lover's battle trophies.

Come on and help me out here.

Yay or nay to the 'Duelling'? 

[halffriedchicken]

What a lovely pen! I am definitely a fan of the acrylic that you received more than the acrylics currently being offered. There are many good pen makers out there at the moment who do great things with very unique acrylics, but what sets Kilk pens apart from other pen manufacturers for me is that you can customize the sterling silver band to any phrase within 20 characters. I will definitely consider having this pen one day with a personalized center band.

 

How heavy is the pen without the cap? I have seen the total weight elsewhere but not the weight of the pen or of the cap, especially since this does not seem to be a pen that posts well.

[Pale.Ink.Tom]

The stunning beauty of the Kilk, NovoBaroque Fountain Pen is what is was trying to describe in a previous post.

Breathtaking in my own estimation...and that's all the counts, right?

I will be going to some effort in future to find and write with one of these pens!

 

I'm off to the "Finally pens" thread for an update...

vf

[Aysedasi]

On 8/19/2021 at 12:35 PM, A Smug Dill said:

 

 

OK. Go figure.

 

Did that a long time ago.....  No offence intended, but of all the members who might have commented, I knew your response would be 'detailed'.  I was just surprised that your buying decisions might be so heavily influenced by names and manufacturer 'clout'.  It matters not, we all have reasons for our purchases and we can pick and choose for whatever reason we like.