Posts filed under Fountain Pens

Parker Premier Monochrome Titanium PVD Fountain Pen: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

I have never owned or even tested a modern Parker fountain pen. I once owned a Parker 51 in Cedar, but I could never get that pen flushed out, and I eventually sold it.

So, I wasn’t at all sure what to expect from a modern Parker, like this Parker Premier Monochrome Titanium model. This pen arrived in a black clamshell box with black velveteen lining. The black velvet really shows off the silver finish on this pen. Included with the pen are a box of blue Parker cartridges, a converter, a polishing cloth, and a booklet.

I must say that this pen is absolutely gorgeous. The titanium PVD finish is etched and that gives the pen a semi-matte look.

The barrel is adorned with triple sets of engraved rings—two sets on the grip and one at the base of the barrel. The rings make the design interesting without overwhelming the classic lines of the pen. Plus, the grooves on the grip provide some texture so your fingers don’t slip as much.

The snap cap has matching rings on the finial and cap ring. Plus, the Parker logo, name, and the word “France” are engraved on the cap ring. This is pretty low-key branding, and it suits the pen. The clip is a classic Parker arrow design. It flexes well and will clip easily to a shirt pocket or pad of paper.

The pen is postable, but as usual, I find posting throws off the balance too much to make it practical, especially since this pen is fairly weighty. The Premier is a medium-sized pen. It is 5 inches uncapped, 6.2 inches posted, and 5.5 inches capped. It weighs a total of 45 grams.

You can fill the pen with the supplied Parker cartridges or with the converter. The converter is an especially nice model with metal fittings. It holds .5ml of ink.

The nib is a Ruthenium-plated 18k gold medium, and it writes beautifully. It is engraved with Parker’s arrow design.

It has a little give to it, so it doesn’t write like a nail. It offers a tiny bit of line variation.

I used this pen to take notes during my Honors Old Testament oral final. While the students responded to my questions, I wrote their responses as quickly as I could. The nib kept up with me, and never missed a stroke. I was very impressed as I wrote constantly for an hour and a half with no problems whatsoever.

One thing I don’t like about this pen is the metal grip. Even with the engraved rings, my fingers slipped when they got warm and sweaty. This is simply unavoidable with a metal grip. Still, I found the Parker’s grip to be much better than smooth metal grips. I never had to wipe my fingers off in order to keep writing.

The only other minor quibble I have is that ink gets caught in the engraved rings when you fill the pen. This isn’t a major problem, but you do have to clean out the rings if you fill the converter via the nib. You can avoid this by simply filling the converter and inserting it into the pen.

I fell in love with this Parker Premier. It convinced me that I need a modern Parker in my life. I’m looking for one with a non-metal grip so my fingers won’t slip as much.

If you are looking for a classic modern pen that writes beautifully and exudes professionalism, the Parker Premier in titanium is an excellent choice. You can purchase this pen from Goldspot Pens for $419.95 (current sale price).

Pros

The Parker Premier in titanium is an elegant, professional looking fountain pen. I particularly like the etched/matte exterior.
Although I normally prefer screw-on caps, the snap cap on the Premier attaches firmly to the barrel, and it does not rattle or rotate loosely.
The pen is hefty, but I found it completely comfortable while writing constantly for an hour and a half.
The nib is fantastic. It is smooth and has a bit of bounce to it.

Cons

Because the grip is metal, it can get slippery if your fingers sweat like mine do.
Ink can get caught in the engraved rings on the grip when you fill the pen.
This pen is expensive, retailing for $525.00. Goldspot is currently offering it at a sale price, but it is out of stock. I read elsewhere that this pen is no longer being produced. So it may be difficult to get your hands on this exact model.

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

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Posted on December 22, 2017 by Susan Pigott and filed under Parker, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Faber-Castell Loom Fountain Pen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

Faber-Castell has been in the fine writing instrument business since 1761--an incredible legacy. Many of their pens are very high-end, elegant, and unique--but even their more affordable pens show the design and craftsmanship you'd expect from a company that clearly knows what it's doing. I would consider the Faber-Castell Loom to be slightly above entry-level on the pen enthusiast scale. At $40, it's an expensive jumping-in point. But if your first impression of fountain pens is the Loom, there's a good chance you'll soon be referring to yourself as a pen addict.

This model is the plum color in piano finish. There are a lot of other fun colors to choose from. It took me a little sleuthing to figure out that piano finish are the shiny chrome bodies, and metallic are the matte bodies. It's glossy and looks quite fancy on the desk or when writing, but it collects dust and fingerprints very easily. The body is made from aluminum, so it's also quite heavy, while the plastic cap is very light compared to the rest of the pen. The body is a straight tube that tapers to the grip section, which has a matte texture and five raised ridges meant to aid in grip. As much as I think it looks snazzy, this grip section doesn't work well for me. It's a very wide pen and the tapering is a bit too severe--so my fingers just keep slipping down to the nib. I have to focus on maintaining my grip, and it makes my handwriting look terrible. This may not be a problem for someone with larger hands--but a larger hand may find that the pen feels a bit short to them. The proportions are just a bit unusual. Posting the pen solves this, but there is a risk of scratching that glossy finish.

The pen takes a standard international cartridge or converter, and comes with a short cartridge and a dummy cartridge meant to hold the short cartridge in place. It does not come with a converter, which is a shame.

The cap is wider than the body, tapered at each end. The clip is sturdy and spring-loaded, and my favorite clip ever. It's flexible but sturdy, and feels reliable. It's attached at the finial, which is stamped with the Faber-Castell insignia, the jousting knights. The name and logo are also stamped into the plastic of the cap. The stamping isn't terribly clear--I had to squint a bit to see what it was, but it's a complex image to shrink down to the size of a pen cap. It's a snap cap, and the snap is very aggressive. It takes more force to remove than it feels like it should. It's nice to know it's so secure, but I hope it relaxes a bit over time.

The nib, of course, is where this pen reels you in. It's smooth and perfectly tuned, so it's not too wet, but not at all dry. It has no breather hole, but is dimpled all over. It also attempts to squeeze the jousting knights logo into an even smaller space, with limited success--but it still looks fancy. The EF is definitely a western EF--comparable to a Kaweco, but close to a Japanese M. It's a pleasure to write with. There is just enough feedback to give you control of the pen, but it feels butter smooth. I can see why it's said that Faber-Castell has the best steel nibs on the market.

Overall, it's an excellent pen. That wide, tapering grip makes it not work for me, unfortunately. I wish it did, because I can tell I'm missing out on something special. It's definitely a good buy for its cost, and I think it would make an excellent gift--it's in that perfect price range to be something fancy without being extravagant.

I think I'll be trying out more Faber-Castell pens in the near future, looking for one that fits my hand well, and that nib is going to haunt me until I succeed.

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

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Posted on December 14, 2017 by Sarah Read and filed under Faber-Castell, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Pilot Kakuno Clear Fountain Pen Review

When I talk about the best fountain pens for beginners, the list goes something like this:

Pilot Metropolitan

TWSBI ECO

Lamy Safari

And every time I rattle off that list, I want to add the Pilot Kakuno to it. In all honesty, I think the three above are the best choices going into it blind. But if you want to add the caveat of “fun” into the mix, then the Kakuno may be the best choice.

Not only is this pen fun, it functions extremely well. I expect nothing less from Pilot in the fountain pen market, even in the entry level realm.

The Kakuno is designed purposefully for beginners. The grip section is triangular in shape to teach you the proper way to hold a fountain pen. The smiley face on the nib teaches you to always keep the nib facing up at the correct angle. Even the hex barrel and cap indention are designed to make the pen easy to handle.

From that description, the Kakuno sounds like a kid’s pen. It’s certainly designed with kids in mind, but in reality it is so much more. It’s a well designed, highly functional fountain pen that anyone can use and enjoy. I know I enjoy the heck out of it.

My first Kakuno was the grey barrel with lime green cap. I backed that up pretty quickly with the orange cap model, because orange. At the time, the Kakuno only came in fine or medium nib widths. In the second round of pens - white barrel with pastel caps - Pilot added extra fine into the mix. This is important because many first time fountain pen buyers that read this site what to know if there is an inexpensive fountain pen with a line to match their favorite micro gel ink pen. Pilot extra fine has always been the answer, but there was never an easy way to get the nib. There is now.

I’ve seen the clear barrel Kakuno making the rounds in Japan, and as a demonstrator pen fan, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. The build is identical to all of the Kakuno’s before it, but now you can see the insides better. I’m a big fan of pen guts and ink blood. :D

It’s as great as expected, and the extra fine nib is an added bonus. On my Rhodia Ice Pad, the line width is comparable to the Pilot Hi-Tec-C 0.3 mm gel ink pen. That’s impressive for a fountain pen.

The only question remaining is if you can eyedropper the Kakuno. You will need to fill the two holes on the back end of the barrel with epoxy for starters, then add silicone grease to the barrel threads. My only concern is that the feed is friction fit and there is not an extra spot to silicone the nib unit threads, because there aren’t any. Cartridges and converters obviously work fine, but they seal off around the feed post. I’m not sure how ink would handle just floating around that area.

Speaking of converters, I used the Pilot Con-70 in mine. This is Pilot’s largest capacity converter, and most expensive as well. You don’t need this one for the Kakuno, but I have a couple not in use so I put it into action. All of Pilot’s other converters will work, as will all of their cartridges. For the clear barrel Kakuno I’d look at using more fun colors, like the Pilot Mixable cartridges.

The Pilot Kakuno is a great pen for any level of experience. The most beginning fountain pen user will enjoy its cool looks and ease of use, and the most experienced user will love the great nib and build quality. It’s an all-around great pen.

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

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