Posts filed under Faber-Castell

Faber-Castell Grip Fountain Pen - A Quick Look

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

Faber-Castell’s Grip fountain pens are one of my favorite entry-level, budget-friendly fountain pens. There is already an excellent writeup of the Calligraphy set which contains the Grip fountain pen with calligraphy nibs, so this post is going to take a quick look at the non-calligraphy version.

The Grip Fountain Pen is part of Faber-Castell’s Grip line of pencils, erasers, and pens which all have subtle dots or bumps on the barrel for easy gripping (hence the name). Two versions of the Grip fountain pens are available, the 2010 and 2011, with the former sporting a glossy finish while the latter are matte. The snap cap is very secure, but also easy to open/close with one hand. The barrel is very subtly triangular, making it less likely to roll off one’s desk when uncapped.

*From left to right, 3 - 2011s and 3 - 2010s. Can you tell the difference between pens’ finishes?*

The fountain pen has a slightly triangular grip section as well. The pens come in EF, F, M, and B sizes and include a standard international Faber-Castell blue cartridge. The nib and feed are friction-fit into the barrel (there is no housing or nib unit) and can be swapped with the Faber-Castell Loom (and probably other models too), though you would need to pull the nib/feed out of the Loom housing to fit the Grip. I would equate the writing experience to be similar to a Jowo steel nib in its stiffness and line width. I like the Medium and Broad nibs for smoothness and flow, the Fine is nice too. The EF felt a bit too nail-like and borderline scratchy for someone with a high writing angle like me and is more sensitive to pressure. If your writing angle is closer to 45 degrees (versus 70-80 degrees like me), it will feel smoother.Prices range from $20-30 USD, depending on color and finish, which makes it a good value.

*Left to right: Kaweco Sport, Pilot Metropolitan, Faber-Castell Grip, TWSBI Eco, Lamy Al-Star.*

*TWSBI Eco T, Faber-Castell Grip and Lamy Al-Star - The washi tape shows the Grip’s shape to be less angular/sharp compared to the other two.*

Pros

Pen takes readily available standard international cartridges or converter.
Slight triangular grip is more forgiving than other triangular gripped pens.
Secure snap cap makes quick note jotting a breeze.
Two finishes and a variety of colors are available.
Reliable steel nibs that are also swappable with other Faber-Castell models including the Loom.
Solid writer at a decent price.

Cons

The Grip is a very light pen. If you prefer heavier pens, this might not be the right pen for you.
Slight triangular grip still might not be comfortable for all users.
The glossy 2010 cap/barrel can feel a bit “cheap” compared to the matte 2011, but this is personal preference.
Converter not included (but also not expected at this price point).

*EF-B nibs with Sailor Ink Studio 252 on Clairefontaine 90gsm Triomphe paper.*

So why is it one of my favorite pens? Because the snap cap makes it quick and easy to use but doesn’t feel flimsy, despite being a very light pen. The gentle triangular grip feels more like a suggestion rather than a mandate, making it more approachable than other triangular gripped pens like the Lamy Safari/Al-Star. The nibs are pleasant to write with, right out of the box. And the dots on the barrel make it look and feel interesting (in a good way), and the variety of colors and textures makes it easy to find one to match your style. All this in a budget-friendly price range, what’s not to love?

(All pens in this review were purchased with my own funds and I received no compensation from Faber-Castell for this review.)

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Posted on August 27, 2021 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Faber-Castell, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Faber-Castell Grip Harmony Fountain Pen Giveaway

I greatly appreciate the effort Faber-Castell is making at the accessible end of the price scale, including leaning in to their popular Grip lineup. I have one Faber-Castell Grip Harmony Fountain Pen in Rose Shadows with a Medium Nib to give away this week, so read the rules below and enter away!

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Giveaways, Faber-Castell.

Faber-Castell Hexo Fountain Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

Faber-Castell is a brand that I'm overly familiar with, but one that I don't give enough attention. I have several of their fountain pens, and I enjoy using them all. For whatever reason, they don't make it into my rotation often enough, and it's not because they're unworthy or sub-par in any way. The newest Faber-Castell to make it into my collection, the Hexo, has reminded me of what great pens this company make and why I should consider them more often.

The Faber-Castell Hexo is a wide-bodied fountain pen that features a hexagonal body shape. The edges of the hexagon are soft and rounded off, but they still have plenty of definition to feel good in your hand and prevent the pen from rolling around on your desk or table. The pen has a slight taper that starts at the top of the cap and goes to the bottom of the pen. This makes for a pleasing shape, but also makes it possible for the cap to post on the back of the pen.

For those of us that prefer things to be in order or alignment with everything else, this pen has a built-in mechanical system that ensure the edges of the hexagons are always aligned. My inner OCD-self rejoices when this happens. For example, I really don't like it when the edges of my Caran d'Ache 849 fountain pen don't line up. I twist the cap a bit to line them up manually, but it's fiddly. This isn't necessary with the Hexo, as the inner cap always aligns to the hexagonal edges of the pen. It's a beautiful little tough of detail that I really appreciate. And, due to the unique mechanism for keeping everything lined up, this means the cap is also a click-on as opposed to a screw on lid, making this pen very easy to cap and uncap securely.

The clip on this particular pen isn't my favorite. It's plenty strong to stay in place once it's clipped onto something, but the issue is getting it clipped in the first place. Since the clip is so strong and the raised lip at the bottom of the clip is very shallow, it's really easy to get stuck on the fabric that you're trying to clip it to. In most cases, this means you're just pushing down the opening of the pocket or sleeve instead of the clip easily sliding over the edge of the pocket or sleeve fabric. With a little attention to how you angle the pen into the pocket, you can successfully clip the pen onto things, but it does take a little more attention than I'd like. Again, the nice thing is that the pen doesn't budge once it's clipped in.

The grip section of this pen is uniform all around and features a nice shape for gripping the pen while writing. It's not as opinionated as a Lamy Safari, but it's still really comfortable and provides a nice shape that keeps your fingers from sliding up on the nib while writing. It's also fairly transparent and gives you a clear view of how much ink is flowing through the feed. When you can start to see the dry feed, it means your ink is almost gone.

Speaking of ink, this pen also accepts international cartridges and cartridge converters. I'm using a generic international converter so that I can use the ink I prefer, but the pen does come with a single black short international cartridge. Unfortunately, the converter is not included with this pen. At $42, I feel like a converter would be a nice thing to include with the pen without impacting the bottom line.

Faber-Castell Hexo Fountain Pen Comparison

Finally, the nib. The steel nib on this pen is small and black, matching the rest of the pen perfectly. The EF nib on my copy of this pen is smooth and crisp. I didn't need to make any modifications to the nib out of the box, which makes me really happy. I've really enjoyed the firmness of the nib and the crisp lines it makes on the paper. But, even though it's plenty firm, it still writes smoothly without any scratching or dragging. The Diamine ink I'm using is average in terms of lubrication, but it's also not a super wet ink. Overall, I've been really happy and impressed with the writing performance of this little nib.

The Faber-Castell Hexo took me a bit by surprise. I wasn't expecting something so enjoyable, but that's entirely my fault for looking past this brand and what they have to offer. At a price that lines up with the Lamy Al-Star and Kaweco Sport, it provides great performance with a unique form factor that many people will enjoy over the standards that Lamy, Kaweco, and Pilot currently offer. And, if all black isn't your thing, you can also choose from Silver and Rose.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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