anyone use a laban

[marsos52]

happy new year to all

 

all my searching and reading here and i havent seen anything about laban fountain pens

so i am wondering why i checked the pens out and there is not much info about them

the stlyes and colors and models are very inviting along with the cost factor

 

they seem to be good deals

 

but when i dont get any feedback i get scared to try one

 

maybe i can get some feedback

 

thanks

marc

[handlebar]

Try this review.It is one of many.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...?showtopic=3027

 

I used to have the same Pumpkinseed,Good pens for the price,although i found the nib a bit toothy.That is until my parents dog sank his into it.

Talk about toothy now!

All in all though,not a bad brand.

 

Jim

[John Cullen]

I think that any brand you ask about will bring some mixed responses. However, if enough people respond you can pick up some basics.

 

I have had four Labans, two of the big ones and two of the regular sized ones. By the way, the regular sized ones are still pretty good sized! I think the small one in the shape of a Sheaffer Balance is as big as the modern sheaffer Balance II.

 

I loved the colors and the material. I had the pumpkinseed and the one that is sort of black marble. Both were beautiful.

 

I had steel nibs on the small ones and they wrote nicely. The line was not exactly crisp or varied, but it was nice. I would rate them a 7 or 8 out of ten.

 

I had gold fine nibs on the large ones and they were almost as smooth as the steel nibs.

 

They are rather simple in construction and the clip is pretty basic. Some people had drying out problems with them between use. A few people solved this by filling in the hole in the cap where the clip goes into the cap. I did that with one of them and while it solved the drying out problem it resulted in a stuck clip and a strong smell of nailpolish for quite some time. There has to be a better way to do it than the way I did it.

 

One of my small ones developed a crack in the cap. Laban USA had me send the pen back and they returned it with a new cap. The person I spoke with was a not a native speaker of English and so I made sure I wrote down carefully what the problem was when I sent the pen in. I found their service very good and I want to make sure I am clear that I felt they took care of me. They also did not charge for the new cap!

 

I like their plastics a lot, but I think their nibs are good at best, not great. If you were to try a Taccia steel nib and a Laban steel nib you would see what I mean.

 

More recently I bought a Laban Scepter in the orange/green pumpkin something pattern. I really like the pen, but I did change out the nib and put in a DaniTrio steel nib, again a better nib than Laban, at least to my taste. I like the Scepter! If I had some money I would try to Scepter in cream yellow and black or one of the wild white and colored swirl patterns! If you like wild, Laban can really make you smile!!

 

I guess I would say if you have 60.00 to spend and it is the only pen money you will have for a year, you might want to think about it a little more. But if you would not go crazy if you did not like the pen and had to sell it at a 25% loss, then give it a shot.

 

As I said at the start, everyone has his own opinion. I am sure the wild colored swirl pens seem ridiculous to many people. I can't see any reason to warn you off the brand, and their service here in the US was way faster and cheaper than the service of a number of well-known companies.

 

If you get one, report back. ONe thing I think is fun about these pen chat groups is that people usually seem eager to see and read about what others have gotten recently even if it is a pen or brand they have experienced themselves. Some people's reviews are so detailed that reading the review is almost like haveing the experience of getting the pen in the mail for a try out.

 

enjoy, j

Edited December 28, 2007 by John Cullen

[marsos52]

hi and thanks so much

 

i saw laban pens when i first started looking at fountain pens at the time i have no clue about anything with this kind or instrument

 

as i became more educated and started sorting out my needs and likes i got hooked on the bexley's and that became my first pen and i love using it every time

 

all said and done i came across one i really liked on ebay the stlye and the color interests me i have to put the thought on a back burner because i have a pencraft on order and that set me back a bit

 

i think i can be happy with a bexley a pelican and a pencraft at least for a while

 

marc

 

ps i believe i ordered the pelican on your recomendations mr handbar

[bdngrd]

I have two Labans for sale at great prices in Marketplace.

[FrankB]

I have just one Laban - a Mento. It is a very large, comfortable pen. Mine is a tortoise shell and it is lovely. However, my pen has the dry nib issue to the max. I cannot put the pen down for more than 15-minutes until the nib starts to dry out. I am going to plug up the air space around the clip with silicone glue. My reaction is very mixed. I find the Mento a lovely, comfortable pen that does not write very well. Once I deal with the drying issue, I might change my mind.

Edited December 28, 2007 by FrankB

[John Cullen]

Marc:

 

Bexley, Pelikan and Pencraft!! I think you can be happy with those!! I think you will like the Pencraft pen a lot! J

[yachtsilverswan]

Evening Marc -

 

I bought the new Laban Checkered Flag last month.

 

The pen was moderately priced at around $130 through one of our two local Atlanta pen shops - Total Fine Writing. They did not actually stock the line, but the factory told me they represented the line in Atlanta.

 

I agree the guy on the other end of Laban's telephone does not communicate well in English, and I was never really sure he understood what I was asking. But once he told me to go to Total Fine Writing, everything else went smoothly.

 

Mort at TFW took care of the details, just as if the pen was $1300 rather than $130. A few days later the pen arrived. The Checkered Flag is available in two versions - a larger version shaped like a cylinder - similar in size and shape to the Parker DuoFold - and a smaller torpedo shaped version similar in size and shape to the MB Meisterstuck 145 (though much heavier).

 

I ordered the torpedo shaped smaller version, though I was disappointed to learn the pen was not available with a broad nib - so this example has a medium nib.

 

The Checkered Flag is a moderately heavy pen, built on a metal frame and wrapped in a checkerboard of constrasting inlaid blocks of walnut and beechwood. Well executed and well crafted, particularly for the price.

 

The pen is cartridge/converter filled, and lays down a smooth, wet, reliable line. As a stock nib, very little line variation is seen from the pen, but a good nibmeister could fix that by regrinding a cursive italic or a stub.

 

I liked it. If you like a smaller but heavier pen with a wet line, I think you will like it too.

[GirchyGirchy]

I have a Laban Pinto I purchased from the Marketplace here. It's a nice enough pen, perhaps a bit small for my tastes, but I do like the looks. The nib performs well, but like FrankB, it has some drying issues. It can't sit for a day or two capped without having to prod the ink from the feed. I might look into having it serviced.

[QM2]

 

I bought a sterling silver Laban "Othello" last year, but then sold it here on FPN. It was a great pen: It had an interesting shape, wrote well and the nib was not toothy at all; no problems with it what so ever. It just somehow wasn't for me, so I ended up not using it beyond the first inking. I found the shape and feel of it a bit too masculine and just generally did not take to it for some reason. Having said that, I cannot think of a single negative thing to say about Laban, except "to each their own" and it happened not to be "my own". One of my local pen shops -- The Bromfield Pen Shop in Boston -- has a tray of colorful, celluloid Labans on display and apparently they sell well. So people do like them!

 

If you are looking for more information about them, they have a website with a full catalogue

http://www.laban.com/

and they are very helpful in responding to emails with any questions you might have

 

QM2

[lovemy51]

I have just one Laban - a Mento. It is a very large, comfortable pen. Mine is a tortoise shell and it is lovely. However, my pen has the dry nib issue to the max. I cannot put the pen down for more than 15-minutes until the nib starts to dry out. I am going to plug up the air space around the clip with silicone glue. My reaction is very mixed. I find the Mento a lovely, comfortable pen that does not write very well. Once I deal with the drying issue, I might change my mind.

 

 

i have the same problem with my Laban Kaiser... if you are thinking about that one. i

 

marsos52,

if you get laban make sure is one with no air space around the clip!!!!!...

 

... the scepter looks like a good looking pen... and from the looks of it, air sipping thru the clip is not a problem...

 

...any comments on that, anybody?

[Delivered]

If it were not for the drying issue, I would have purchased more Laban's.

 

I have both the steel nib and the 18K nib. Prefer the steel nib. The "noreaster" that moves through the gap where the clip is mounted to the cap can also be a source of leaking and stained shirt pockets.

 

Why by a pen you are going to have to repair, to make it usable, when for the same money you can get a Bexley or a Taccia?

 

Actually I rarely use the pens due to the dry nib syndrome. I even sent mine back for a mysterious repair - i.e. the issues was supposed to be fixed but nothing telling me what was done was sent back with the pens. The 18k nib came back with the feed off by about 2cm.

 

Good luck.

[tipstricks]

I have a Pinto, a Mento and a Maya that are great writers. Pinto and Mento are M nib, a little wide for me, but are smooth and wet, like the F nib on Maya. I'm very happy with this last, it's one of my daily writers. I'm hunting others Maya because are perfect size for my hand.

[AndyHayes]

Here

 

This is my review and shows a comparison in size between the Mento and a Danitrio Densho and Pelikan 200

[John Cullen]

Andy--those pictures are very helpful and the captions took me by surprise and cracked me up. jc

[Ledjeffelin]

I have a Laban Meno RB and a Meno FP. If you like to post the cap I would suggest you avoid the Menos. Based on the two examples I have, you will not be happy as the caps just don't fit securely or straight.

 

The FP does have nib drying issues but some have said this can be easily remedied with some clear nail polish applied to where the clip attaches (on the inside) to the cap.

 

I really wanted to like these pens but based on just my two experiences, I would not recommend them.

 

 

happy new year to all

 

all my searching and reading here and i havent seen anything about laban fountain pens

so i am wondering why i checked the pens out and there is not much info about them

the stlyes and colors and models are very inviting along with the cost factor

 

they seem to be good deals

 

but when i dont get any feedback i get scared to try one

 

maybe i can get some feedback

 

thanks

marc

 

[marsos52]

thanks for all the comments that is what i needed when i look at a pen or for that matter anything

first is the eye apeal only natural then the function then the price and then do i reallly need it

 

i dont want to be a collector i want all my pens to be regualar writers and to have a purpose to me

 

i think the laban has many pluses stlye and great colors etc and the pricing is more than fair

but if the pens has problem when put to use such as the drying up thing and the nibs not writing smooth

i will pass

 

they are a pen is a cream color and the shape of the pen is interesting to i have see it sell for 65.00 to 85.00

dollars but again why get a pen that i may not be happy using when for the same money i can anothe bexley or

pelican

 

thanks you all the helpful and honest remarks

 

marc