J. S. Staedtler Princeps Fountain Pen

[Jan Mathijs Rijck]

J. S. Staedtler Princeps Fountain Pen 

 

The company Staedtler Mars GmbH & Co. KG 
(GmbH & Co KG is a German limited commercial partnership (KG) consisting of a general partner (GmbH) and a limited partner (members of the GmbH))
from Nuremberg was founded in 1835 (the same year Germany's first railway ran from Nuremberg to Fürth) as a pencil manufacturer.

Today, it is mainly known in Germany as a manufacturer of stationery for schools, such as pencils, coloured pencils, compasses, geo-triangles, felt-tip pens, erasers; as well as materials for artists such as acrylic paints and modelling pastes. According to its own information, Staedtler is the world's largest manufacturer of industrial plasticine.

I came across Staedtler because I try to own at least one fountain pen from all contemporary fountain pen manufacturers in Germany. Staedtler produced only one (now 2) fountain pens under the Staedtler brand name, the 476 TRX (review to follow) and the Triplus 474 (are essentially identical except for the colours).

 

Then there is also the noble series, under the name J.S. Staedtler. For a long time, very little information was available about these pens; Mat Armstrong (The pen habit) and Stephen Brown (SBRE Brown) each published a review of the Initium, and even the J.S. Staedtler website was not accessible for a long time.

 

The Princeps was a unicorn, very rarely seen, RRP/MSRP €1.400, in the Brazilian jungle also sometimes seen for under 1,000€. All these were very strange circumstances for a flagship product of an actually renowned company.
 
So I waited until I had a very good opportunity to buy a Princeps (I'll tell you more about the price later).

I bought it on Amazon, new and in its original packaging.It came with its wooden box in a solid cardboard box.

The box:

 

The wooden box is made of dark brown stained softwood (possibly it is MFD), high quality workmanship with metal hinges, magnetic closure, the top engraved with the company logo (head of Mars) laid out in silver and the lettering J.S. Staedtler, the bottom covered with black velour.
Two pen stands are incorporated in the front left corner, very neatly lined with brown textile. However, these are not suitable for the fountain pen (too short, the nib hits the lower limit), but are probably intended for the ballpoint pen, rollerball or pencil from this series.
Dimensions: 206 mm x 154 mm x 46 mm

The lid is lined with light (beige) velour and printed with logo and lettering in black. The fountain pen is in a reversible tray with one space on one side and two spaces on the back, also lined with light velour.

Under the tray I found the worldwide warranty with the care instructions, a small catalogue about the Edition J.S. Staedtler and a white polishing cloth with silver flocked logo.

 

Appearance & Design

 

This fountain pen amazes with its difference in appearance and actual values. At first glance, you think it's a lot bigger than it really is. Intuitively, you put it in a size class bigger than the Pelikan M1000 or the Montblanc 149, but it's actually a bit smaller.

 

(left to right: Montblanc Meisterstück 149, Pelikan Souverän M 1000, J.S. Staedtler Princeps, Lamy Safari Mango)

Its metal parts are high-gloss (according to the manufacturer, partly platinum-plated, partly nickel-plated), the visible wood (European black walnut) has a matt finish. The huge clip (none of my other 100+ fountain pens has such a big clip!) is spring-loaded and holds very well, even on thicker tissue (up to 3 mm). But that also seems necessary given the total weight (more on that later).

Although the cap is evenly cylindrical, the fountain pen has a conical appearance overall. The barrel tapers clearly from the cap thread to the finial.

The stylized head of Mars (company logo) is worked out as a bas-relief on the flat top of the cap. Below that we find the engraving (probably laser engraving, as it is relatively flat) "J.S. Staedtler" on the cap.
At the lower end of the cap, at the level of the thread, we find a small engraving in block letters "Made in Germany".
The cap opens with a rotation. The thread in the cap is made of black plastic, cut flat out of the metal on the section and without sharp edges. There are four threads, giving you four ways to put the cap on.

 

The hourglass-shaped section rises slightly towards the nib and is platinum-plated.
The #6 18K gold nib is platinated and stamped with 18K, the head of Mars and the nib gauge (M in my case). The shape is standard, as is the plastic feed.

 

The general design of the Princeps with its hage cap and the tapering barrel is certainly something like J.S. Staedtler's signature and found throughout the series of J.S. Staedtler fountain pen. It is unusual and highly recognizable, but still conservative enough and clear enough to be considered timeless.

I like it, with two restraints: The reflective metal parts are a prime fingerprint magnet.
In addition, the barrel is a bit too short for me because I have very large hands.

Hence my rating is 8/10.

 

Construction & Quality

 

The workmanship is flawless, all threads are 100% perfectly cut and deburred.The wood, as a natural material always very difficult to work with, is immaculate; nevertheless lively and recognisable as wood.

 

Personally, I would have liked a more interesting filling system. Cartridge converter is a bit boring for a top fountain pen in my eyes. The converter supplied is absolutely standard (probably Schmidt K5) with no company imprint and no agitator. Faber-Castell, for example, puts more effort into this.

 

It is true that the cap can be posted reasonably securely, but that is completely pointless because it is so heavy that the balance is shifted completely to the back and proper writing becomes impossible.

As I said above, I would have liked the barrel to be a few mm longer, but I can still write well with the Princeps.

 

Unfortunately, if it falls off the table or out of the bag onto a stone floor, it will get badly scratched. But I am very confident that its function as a fountain pen will remain unimpressed.

 

Hence my rating is 8/10.

 

 

Weight & dimensions

 

 

Length capped: 138.2 mm
Length uncapped: 131.7 mm

Length cap: 59,5 mm
Diameter cap (without clip): 17.1 mm
Length clip: 58.0 mm
Width clip: 8.0 mm

Length barrel: 83.1 mm
Diameter barrel (widest part): 15 mm
Diameter barrel (narrowest part, finial): 10.5 mm

Length section: 25.0 mm
Diameter section at the nib: 10.7 mm
Diameter section at narrowest point: 10.3 mm
Diameter section widest point: 13.5 mm

Step between section and barrel: 1.5 mm

 

 

Diameter feed: 6.2 mm
Length nib (visible): 22.8 mm

Length nib total: 32.5 mm 

Width nib (wings): 8.6 mm

 

Total weight (empty, with converter): 70.0 g
without cap: 37,9 g
Cap: 32.1 g
Section with nib: 16.3 g
Barrel (without converter): 19.3 g
Converter: 2.3 g

 

I find it very difficult to give a rating, as every user has different preferences. 
Objectively, this pen is very heavy, M 1000 and MB 149 are more than 10g lighter, even the "stone" Visconti Homo Sapiens is under 30g (all weighed dry and without cap).
37.9 g is already Lamy Dialog 3 territory, of my edc-pens only the Kaweco Sport brass is heavier, and that only with the cap posted (otherwise you can hardly write with it...).
But I like heavy fountain pens and enjoy the weight in my hand, especially since this one has a good balance for me due to the processed wood.

I find it very comfortable; it's just a shame that it can't be used posted, as I really like to post my fountain pens.

 

Therefore, I give it 9/10.

 

Nib & Performance

 

For testing, I wrote on four quite different papers, but all of them fountain pen friendly.

 

Tomoe River 68g/m², Rhodia Dotpad No 18 80g/m², Brunnen letter pad with watermark smooth white 80g/m², Vergé de France G. Lalo Ivory

 

The nib writes smoothly, little feedback, but not over-polished, with a pleasant noise.

 

I would describe it as quite wet, the M size already puts a decent trace of ink on the paper. Not as wet as a Pelikan M800 or M 1000, but not much is missing.

Reversed writing is possible, but very scratchy and unattractive; I would advise against it with this nib.

 

Not surprisingly for a relatively large 18K gold nib from Germany, you can get quite a bit of line variation out of it (as always: be careful!), but for me the springiness is more important, which is nice but not outstanding. As you can see, I'm not a caligraphy expert.

 

The nib is easy to pull with the feed and thus also easy to change, but it sits firmly and smoothly in the housing.

In direct comparison, I would think that the nib of my M805, although in the same dimension, is a bit bouncier. I find the nib of my Diplomat Aero comparable, but it is 14K and B.

 

As for the review, I would like to say that there is actually nothing wrong with this nib. She writes easily, just the way I like it. What bothers me is the ordinariness, a standard nib that at least three manufacturers bring to the market in Germany alone. Technically perfect, but boring. For example a 2 tone design would have been nice, or even an ebonite feed.

 

So I'm giving this a 9/10.

 

 

 

Filling system & maintenance

 

Of course I have to choose a converter if I want to make a fountain pen at least partly out of wood. I already said above that I think that's a shame (the converter, not the wood).

A full fill holds 1.3 g of ink (measured with Montblanc Midnight Blue), so probably a little more than 1 ml.

Of course, the Princeps cannot be used as an eyedropper because the barrel is made of wood and metal. Anyone who would like to have a large fountain pen as an eyedropper (I will leave out the Japanese ones here for financial reasons) is much better served with an OPUS 88 clear demonstrator.

 

The Princeps can be completely disassembled (ok, not the cap...) with all parts that should come into contact with ink and very easy to clean. Of course also with the bulb syringe. I wouldn't put the barrel and the cap with their wooden parts in water for hours; but why should you do that?

If you value a shiny pen, you will often have to use a polishing cloth.

But since I've already deducted all of that above, I give it a 10/10.

 

 

Cost & Value

 

The RRP/MSRP here in Germany is 1,400€, including taxes. 

For further evaluation, however, I think one should have two pieces of background information:

 

1) As FPN - member Precise reported, the Princeps was offered to him in 2015 in California for $3,000. 

I know (as probably many other fountain pen enthusiasts do) that European fountain pens in particular are considerably more expensive in the USA than in the EU. In Germany, for example, the Otto Hutt design C costs €2,500 RRP / MSRP (tax included); David Parker (Figboot on pens) mentioned a US price of $4,000 in his review.
A simple Lamy AL-Star, which is priced at $47 (plus tax) in the USA, is offered in Germany at €25.90 RRP/MSRP (tax incl.).

There are certainly similar variations in other countries. In Germany, for example, Japanese pens are considerably more expensive than in the US, so I ordered almost all my Pilots and Platinums in the US, despite taxes and customs.
So we are in very different markets and I will always refer to the German market in what follows.

 

2) RRP/MSRP for fountain pens has nothing to do with the actual market price, at least here in Germany. The only fountain pens I have paid full RRP/MSRP for are some of my Lamy, especially the special editions I buy here from a local dealer. She only stocks Lamy and I made every effort to support the business. But again, I almost always got a small discount, or sometimes a converter for free, etc. Unfortunately, she is now closing the shop becauseof COVID-19.

Otherwise, it is absolutely common to get discounts of 30 or 40% for fountain pens, not only via the big platforms, but also at the retailers directly. I have a handful of companies all over Germany where I shop from time to time and get excellent service.

 

 

So after this prelude, finally to price and value.

I paid €375 (including tax and shipping) for the J.S. Staedtler Princeps fountain pen, nib M. For comparison, that's about the same as what I paid for my M805, my Parker Duofold Centennial or my Porsche Design TecFlex. This is also the pen category I want to compare the Princeps with.

 

Joining wood to metal is certainly a difficult crafting process with many possibilities for error and thus also with necessarily strict quality control. Also, to carve the heavy cap out of one piece and give it such a perfect finish is expensive and labour-intensive.
Someone has obviously put a lot of thought into the design, and that too has to be paid for.

 

The materials used are well chosen, but not noble. The metal is brass and probably partly steel, the European black walnut is a good choice in terms of durability and appearance, but not an precious wood. It is used to make kitchen cutting boards, which are not particularly expensive.
The coating with nickel or platinum is expensive and complex and has to be paid for.

 

On the other hand Staedtler uses a nib with feed "off the shelf" (ok, with own engraving, but otherwise standard). I have exactly the same feed in my Porsche Design, but there it is under a nib specially designed for that fountain pen.

A highlight is the box, which could also decorate a noble desk and for which a stationer would probably ask 50+€ alone.

 

Determining possible depreciation or resale value is difficult. If, as is currently the case, you keep finding offers under €500 (new), you will hardly be able to get rid of a used princeps in the bay for €800 (I just saw such an offer). After all, Staedtler lacks the name and reputation as an outstanding fountain pen manufacturer. This product is very good, bug free, interesting, high quality and will last a lifetime. But from the manufacturer's name it's "only" a VW and not an RR.

 

I find the €375 I paid reasonable, even cheap. Including the box, around €500 would be a fair price in my opinion, because it is comparable to its competitors.

€1,400 is a joke. I can't imagine that someone who is passionate about the fountain pen hobby and keeps their eyes open and mind sane would pay for that.
If it were sterling silver, precious wood and a fantastically designed #9 nib, then maybe. And if also the Princeps were a Pelikan, Montblanc or Graf von Faber-Castell and not a Staedtler, then I would be in for this prize.

Rich tourists might buy the J. S. Staedtler fountain pens for the RRP/MSRP at the Staedtler flagship store in Nuremberg, but then only because they don't know any better, not because it's worth the price.

 

How do I rate that now? I would give a full 10 for the price I paid, and 0 for the RRP/MSRP. However, I explained above that the RRP/MSRP in Germany, as far as fountain pens are concerned, is more of a kind of threatening gesture.

 

So I give it a 6/10 for cost and value.

 

 

Conclusion

 

The J. S. Staedtler Princeps fountain pen is a gem in my collection. It looks good, is relatively rare and writes very well.
I'm happy to have it and would pay the same price again, maybe even a few € more to buy it.

 

Being unusually heavy, I would not recommend the Princeps as a stand alone fountain pen, nor for a beginner. You have to specifically like to write with heavy pens, otherwise you are badly served with this model.

It's a niche product. It fits my niche, but probably not so well for many others.

 

In total I give 50/60, which corresponds to 83% or in German school grades a 2 (with 1+ = 100%), in the USA a B

 

Have always nice ink in the pen, plenty of clean paper on the table and enough good thoughts to write down.

Edited January 23, 2022 by Jan Mathijs Rijck
additions

[Gloucesterman]

How does it write? Filling system?

Would enjoy hearing more about how it feels.

More on the weight issue later?

More on the cost issue later...

 

You have me interested with a very nice review!

Thank you...

[1nkulus]

Thank you for the detailed review.    Wish you many reams of happiness.

 

A unique pen and hence, I too would have considered adding it to my collection at that price.

The heft and screw cap are right up my street. 

[Jan Mathijs Rijck]

49 minutes ago, 1nkulus said:

Thank you for the detailed review.    Wish you many reams of happiness.

 

A unique pen and hence, I too would have considered adding it to my collection at that price.

The heft and screw cap are right up my street. 

 

Thanks!

 

Yes, I have to say, I haven't used the Princeps for a few months and actually only activated it for this review initially. Now I'm really enjoying writing with it again.

[1nkulus]

5 minutes ago, Jan Mathijs Rijck said:

 

Thanks!

 

Yes, I have to say, I haven't used the Princeps for a few months and actually only activated it for this review initially. Now I'm really enjoying writing with it again.

Glad you are enjoying it. Metal and wood is a lovely combo although more nib options would be a boon.

Another one is the Staedtler Initium Metallum, similar heft and screw cap albeit with a steel nib and lower price tag.

 

These two are the only ones I would consider from the Staedtler FP range.

[Jan Mathijs Rijck]

43 minutes ago, 1nkulus said:

These two are the only ones I would consider from the Staedtler FP range.

 

I find the Initium Lignum (plus wood ort maple wood) quite interesting.

 

I'm not really enthusiastic about the Initium Corium with a leather-covered barrel.  I just can't imagine that the leather will last very long.

But that is an unfair assessment, because I have never held an Initium Lignum or an Initium Corium in my hands.

[jchch1950]

The combination of wood and metal are well donde. The price is high if you cannot find it with a good discount,at least for me.

[1nkulus]

17 hours ago, Jan Mathijs Rijck said:

I find the Initium Lignum (plus wood ort maple wood) quite interesting.

 

I'm not really enthusiastic about the Initium Corium with a leather-covered barrel.  I just can't imagine that the leather will last very long.

But that is an unfair assessment, because I have never held an Initium Lignum or an Initium Corium in my hands.

I have a feeling the leather won't hold up well.

 

The Lignum (26g body) is lighter than the Metallum (34g body). The metal cap is the same for both.

Wood/metal combo of the Lignum is similar to the Princeps albeit at a lot lower price tag.

[Pintstein]

Thank you so much for the review! I've been tracking this one for a while, waiting for the right price to pop-up... It looks really unique and I am utterly impressed with the quality of my two Coriums and one Metallum, so kind of want to check the same standards applied to flagship pen... 

[Jan Mathijs Rijck]

24 minutes ago, Pintstein said:

Thank you so much for the review! I've been tracking this one for a while, waiting for the right price to pop-up... It looks really unique and I am utterly impressed with the quality of my two Coriums and one Metallum, so kind of want to check the same standards applied to flagship pen... 

 

It's very strange, it's currently listed on amazon (Germany) for over €1000, last week there were individual nib sizes for under €500. It's definitely worth waiting and seeing.

[gerigo]

Thanks for the very detailed review. Here in Asia and also in the US, this pen went for CRAZY prices when it was released. Which for what it is, as you have summarized so well, is so clearly outside the perceived versus actual price equation. I have always kept an eye out for this pen because converter pens are my preferred type of pens but the ungodly price of between $3000 - $5000 is unjustifiable. I would personally LOVE to know your source for such an attractive pricing!

[Jan Mathijs Rijck]

6 hours ago, gerigo said:

 I would personally LOVE to know your source for such an attractive pricing!

 

amazon.de

Today, February 9. 2022, it‘s € 1023.99 for the M nib and the F nib, but € 858.53 for the B nib (in Germany always tax incl.).

I‘ve no idea whether they ship abroad.

I also don't know how the price fixing works there, I strongly suspect that someone somewhere is sitting and rolling the dice.

[lascosas]

I have five of the Corium Urbes and the the plum wood Initium Lignum.  Amazon (US) had strange pricing on the Coriums.  Prices started at $300 for each city and nib size and then slowly went down in price until the one city/nib size was purchased and then the pricing went back to $300.  I bought each of mine for under $50.  The leather, in my experience, is not a problem because where the pen rests on your hand there is a thin metal bar running the length of the body.  That I find a minor irritation.  Otherwise, very nice chunky pens with smooth, wet nibs.  I particularly like the bold nibs.

[amberleadavis]

This is a wonderful review. Thank you.