Any thoughts on Krone pens?

[eric.zamir]

I've never owned or seen one - how's the fit and finish, the celluloid (Boulder series), the nibs, the feeds, the flow, the balance, etc.????

Thanks,

Eric

[KendallJ]

I have one, Chinook. Love it. Beautiful pen. Hefty. Love the embedded convertor.

[Ghost Plane]

I have two, Thunderbird and Curacao. Seriously smooth nibs [exceedingly plain to look at, but float over the page] and write nicely wet. The variation in the embedded colors is awesome and the fit where the piston cap fits on is almost seamless on mine. Very beautiful. I had to send the Curacao in to cure a skipping problem, but they were decent about the warranty and I had it back in hand within 6 weeks, including shipping. They run a little light after the Archetectus [HEAVY] silver overlays and fat, heavy pens with glorious colors under the silver. Also have one of the Harmonie series and it may be one of my favorite writers and glorious in the depth of light refraction from the finish.

 

One of my 2 Archetectus went in for a piston leak the first month I had it, but I was willing to do it rather than give it back to FPH because it's such an awesome writer. These absolutely plain, white gold nibs are incredible if you like smooth and wet.

 

I have no idea how the upper end pens are, but if this range is such desk jewelry, I can only imagine. I will happily buy one again the next time the price is right, even knowing that 2 out of my 5 have needed warranty tweaking. The little purple card that came with them said lifetime, so if they honor it the way Yard O Led does and the service stays as good as it was in the first months after purchase, they're worth a little effort.

 

These are NOT conservative looking pens, so if you're not crazy about jewel colors in sometimes unusual combinations [boulders are an example], don't bite. I absolutely adore them. Pretty to look at, pretty to use and good service behind them.

Edited August 7, 2007 by Ghost Plane

[playpen]

Eric they are smooth, well balanced, beautiful and their service is great if you need them. If you find them at the right price, grab one! I own many Krones and each one is a pleasure!

[Bennington1967]

I've never owned or seen one - how's the fit and finish, the celluloid (Boulder series), the nibs, the feeds, the flow, the balance, etc.????

Thanks,

Eric

 

 

I have one of the very expensive Krone pens - the Blue Gold. It's a truly great pen (as it should be at the price) and very hefty.

 

Krone is the most underrated of all brands, mainly because of the negative publicity surrounding its 'historical' series of limited edition pens. This means you can pick up some real bargains.

[Ghost Plane]

I'm so jealous.

[John Cullen]

HI How long is the Boulder uncapped, say from nib tip to end of barrel?

 

I agree with everyone about Krone nibs. They are very very smooth. However, I too had to send in several Krones. I would also add that the two Fine points I had were more toward the Medium size.

 

jc

[FrankB]

I have three of the little guys from an older series. I have a "Hyperbole," a "Metaphore," and I confess to having a brain cramp on the third. The pens are short, so they seem intended to be posted, but their grith is very comfortable for me. Mine are all button fillers. The nibs are smooth and easy to love. The colors are lovely. All three of mine have performed flawlessly out of the box.

 

My pens were all made by Marlen, as far as I know. I think there is some sort of flap these days about Krone having changed to another manufacturer and having experienced a subsequent denigration in quality. I have to let someone more knowledgeable than I conmment on this turn of events, and, in fact, I wish someone would. If it is true, I would stick to Krone's older models that are sure to have been made by Marlen.

[John Cullen]

Hi FrankB,

 

by any chance do you have or have you seen either the blue moon (i think that is what they called it?) or pimento colors? To my mind, those were really amazing colors. We have to give Krone that. They do not simply yank some plastic off the shelf and put out a pen that looks like lots of other pens.

 

I love the colors of the Boulders!! But I am hesitant to try another Krone because the ones I had a few years ago needed adjustment. I know it is easy to get spooked about a pen company just because one or two pens need attention and I probably should not be so hesitant.

 

As for Marlen, I do not know if they make or made Krone, but the nibs are similar...or at least I should say my one Marlen pen nib looks and writes like the Krone nibs I had.

 

 

 

JC

[FrankB]

I have not seen either the "Blue Moon" or the pimento colors. But I do agree that Krone's non-LE colors are both unique and lovely. And the fit and finish are great. I think both of these things are part of what Eric wanted to know.

 

A couple of months ago, we had a thread in the "Chat" forum about who manufactures Krone's non-LE pens. The consensus among us arm chair "experts" was that Marlen made them. I think one or more of the contributors had even asked a vendor and gotten Marlen as a reply. I feel that Marlen makes good quality pens, so I was happy with that consensus. But I have understood that Krone has changed to another manufacturer. On Pentrace I have seen at least one brief complaint about quality in newer Krone pens, but I simply cannot recall what specific models or complaints were involved. Hence, I really want to hear from someone who is more knowledgeable than I (read: who knows what the heck he is talking about).

[AndyW]

Eric:

 

I have had a Blue Gold for about 15 months and I love it. I had the nib modified by Richard Binder to get it to an extra fine. They only sold a fine and it was a little like a medium for me. Because Rivchard always does such a wonderful job, I cannot speak to whether the nib needed any work. What I can tell you is that the pen is the heaviest in my collection (of approximatley 35 pens) but is well balanced. The nib is really very smooth and wonderful to write with. The pen is not in my every day rotation because of the investment and the weight, but when I use it I love it. The quality has been fine and I have no problems with it.

 

Let us know what yo get and include pictures....

 

Andy W

[Zarble44]

I have a Krone Moderne I bought a few months ago. There was something wrong with the nib (made a clicking sound), so I exchanged it at FountainPenHospital. The new nib (Broad) is smoother than I'd even hoped. No problems with ink flow or startup.

 

The pen looks heavy, being kind of short and squat, but is lighter and more comfortable than I'd have guessed. The work they did with the rings of various colors is much prettier live than the pictures. Basically, I love it, and use it regularly.

 

The fancy ones that go for many hundreds and up are a bit over the top. I suspect they're also a bit heavy.

Anyway, I agree that Krone gets kind of an undeserved bad rap because of their limited editions.

[Ghost Plane]

John - my Boulder is approximately 4 3/4 inches uncapped from nip tip to end of pen. Around 5 1/3 or slightly longer capped. [May be off a just a hair as I'm trying to read faint notches on the ruler I could find.] Posted, it runs about 6 1/4 which is how I write with it. [Ruler didn't have markings past 6", so I'm guesstimating]

[John Cullen]

Ghost Plane- thanks for taking the time to measure. I have a Krone Boulder (and the Taccia Staccato and a Dupont D Link) bookmarked that I keep coming back to. Wonderful colors and super smooth nibs on the Krones. So many pens.... J

[Ghost Plane]

You're welcome. I know trying to track down measurements is sometimes the hardest part for folks making decisions.