Karas Kustoms Starliner XL Series Fountain Pen 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.)

A few weeks ago, Jeff introduced Karas Kustoms Starliner pens which are part of the company’s new Reaktor Writing Instrument line. This week, I’ll be highlighting the Starliner XL pens which are part of the same line but are full-sized pens rather than pocket-sized like the Starliner.

The Reaktor Writing Instrument line harkens back to the atomic age of the 40s and 50s and the space race in the 60s and 70s. The name “Reaktor” is a play on the atomic idea, and the pens in the range are designed to reflect elements of the space race (more on that below). In addition, Karas Kustoms wanted to make a series of pens at a lower price point than their other lines. With that in mind, they kept the pens simple both in design and color range (silver, black, and tumbled finish).

The Starliner XL pens are full-sized pens, measuring 5 inches (127mm) capped, 4.8 inches (123mm) uncapped, and 5.3 inches (135mm) posted.

The cap snaps on and has a machined clip. You’ll notice that while the cap and barrel look flat at the top and bottom, they both actually have small peaks. This detail is meant to evoke the glint of a star.

An additional space design element is the six machined rings—three on the top of the cap, two on the cap lip, and one near the barrel’s bottom. These rings evoke the “3-2-1” countdown of a rocket launch.

As I stated earlier, the Starliner XL series comes in only three finishes: black, silver, and tumbled. However, you can choose either blue or red anodized grips for the silver pens. These colors were chosen for their association with space suits, which often had red and blue fixtures.

The Starliner XL comes with a polished steel Bock 076 (#5) nib in sizes from EF to 1.5mm stub. You can also upgrade to a Titanium nib or a 14k gold one. The nib is a standard Bock design with some scrollwork and the Bock name and logo. All the nibs on the pens I received write smoothly and are unproblematic—no hard starts, skipping, or blobbing.

Included with each Starliner XL is a Schmidt K5 Converter and one Monteverde black standard international cartridge.

You can purchase the Starliner XL from Karas Kustoms for $55.00 with free shipping in the US (international shipping will cost $15.00). At the time of this post, the pens are not yet up for sale, but they should be available soon.

I’ve enjoyed using the four Starliner XL fountain pens for the past month. I love the sleek design and the snap cap works well—easy on and off. And, wonder of wonders, I even like posting the cap on these pens. It posts deep onto the barrel and does not throw off the balance.

I think you’ll find the Starliner XL to be a terrific every-day-carry pen. They are rugged and the clip makes it easy to stow them in a pocket. $55.00 with free shipping seems like an excellent deal, especially for a pen that will last for a long time.

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

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Kanilea Pen Co. Hanauma Bay Fountain Pen Review

Immediate reactions are priceless, and the reactions Myke and I had when opening our respective Kanilea Pen Co. Hanauma Bay Fountain Pen in the privacy of our hotel room at the 2018 Atlanta Pen Show were just that.

Myke went with the mouth agape, eyes embiggened, audible gasp reaction when first opening the box, while I went with the grin, giggle, and head shake, as if to say “Wow, they did it again, didn’t they?”

Yes, they did.

The “they” in this case are Hugh and Karol Scher, the owners of Kanilea Pen Co., and they were kind enough to send us a pre-launch look at their newest release. We had to sit on these for a week or two before sharing them and spilling the beans, but both Myke and I arranged purchase of our respective loaner pens before leaving the hotel room that day (Disclosure: I paid full price for the pen barrel and was given a gold nib upgrade at no charge.) That was in April, and I think I’ve had it inked up ever since.

What fascinates me the most about what Kanilea brings to the market is the wizardry behind the acrylics. And the wizard in the big pointy hat and cape is none other than Jonathan Brooks. What comes out of his cauldron is nothing short of magic.

If you knew nothing of the real-world locations or source images these pens were designed to mimic, you would still be blown away by their beauty. That someway, somehow their representation is near perfect is beyond my admittedly basic mental capabilities. I don’t understand how it happens, but I’m glad it does.

The golden yellow of the sunrise is what sold me. This is a mostly-blue swirl pen, with a fair amount of silver and shimmer. The yellow is mixed in liberally, representing the sun on the horizon between the blue of the skies and the ocean, and is mostly translucent. That’s what sent me over the edge: The mix of translucent and solid acrylics in one pen, with a wide range of depth and transparency. And each pen is different.

Shopping with Kanilea Pen Co. is best done in person for that reason. I know it’s not feasible for every one, every time, but getting to choose the exact model you want to write with is a plus.

A year earlier, at the 2017 Atlanta Pen Show, Myke said he wanted to be sure to get to the show floor early so he can be first in picking out the then brand new Haleakala Silhouette. He spent some time with each model, finally settling on the one. He then paid for it, and Hugh began setting up the nib for Myke, which he does for each pen. Upon handing over the pen to Myke, Hugh mentioned that he picked a good one, as it was the one chosen for the recent Pen World cover shoot and article on Kanilea Pen Co.. Needless to say, Myke thought he was hot stuff after that.

Kanilea Pens are about the stories. I could bore you with technical specifications, but that information doesn’t even register with me when discussing it. Ok, it’s a big pen, on par with the Pelikan M1000 closed, but closer to the M800 when writing with it. And it’s an expensive pen, almost $400 with a stock Jowo #6 steel nib and over $500 with the 18k option, so it can’t be purchased on a whim, if ever. But when you see one and hold one you will understand.

And if you are lucky enough to buy one, you can start writing your own Kanilea Pen story.

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Faber-Castell Design Ambition Op-Art Flamingo Limited Edition 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.)

The Faber-Castell Design Ambition Op-Art Flamingo Limited Edition Fountain Pen (what a mouthful!) is a small, light pen with a stainless steel nib, a metal cap, and a resin body.

It comes packaged in a classy Faber-Castell box with a sliding drawer that extends to reveal the pen. One blue cartridge is included, but there’s no converter, so if you prefer a converter, you’ll have to purchase one separately.

The metal snap-on cap has a spring-loaded clip, and it posts easily on the bottom metal section beneath the barrel. Because the pen itself is so light (11 grams), posting the cap (16 grams) throws off the balance considerably, so I don’t recommend it.

The pen design is modern but is not exactly comfortable. Although there is a metal section above the nib, I wouldn’t call it a grip because it is so small in length (about 8.5 mm) and the step down between the barrel and the metal section is significant (and sharp). Because of this, I have to hold the pen much further back than I normally do. Plus, the barrel’s diameter is small (11.1mm), so I don’t find this design conducive to lengthy writing sessions.

The barrel is made from resin engraved with a beautiful guilloche design.

It’s very light and almost feels more like cardboard than resin. The diminutive size of this pen could be a pro or a con depending on how heavy/large you like your pens. Capped, the pen is 5.5 inches; uncapped it is 4.8 inches; and posted it is 6.8 inches.

The nib is a stainless steel fine, and, like most Faber-Castell nibs I’ve used, it writes smoothly. It is decorated with engraved dots and the Faber-Castell logo.

I have another Faber-Castell Ambition, so I borrowed its converter and inked this one with Kyo-Iro 05 Keage Sakura which matches the pink color of the pen well. The pen writes beautifully. I’ve tested it on several different papers and I’ve encountered no hard starts or skipping.

Although I love the sophisticated look and the nib quality on the Faber-Castell Ambition, I’m not so certain of its longevity. I discovered that the resin is easily marred. As I said, I own another Faber-Castell Ambition which I purchased in France. I always carry my pens in a pen case and try to be very careful with them. I’m not sure what happened—if the pen rolled off my desk at work or I accidentally banged it against something—but the barrel got damaged (see photo). I wish Faber-Castell coated the exterior of the resin with clear acrylic to protect the surface.

You can purchase the Faber-Castell Ambition in flamingo from JetPens for $100. Be sure to buy a converter ($5.00) if you don’t want to use cartridges.

Pros

• The Faber-Castell Ambition Op-Art Flamingo is a classy looking pen with distinctive metal accents. The color reminds me of cherry blossoms—it’s not garish like the plastic flamingoes people put in their yards.
• If you prefer small, light pens then you will probably like this model.
• The stainless steel nib on the Ambition writes beautifully and without any problems, such as scratchiness, hard starts, or skipping.

Cons

• This is an expensive pen considering that it’s made of rather delicate resin and has a steel nib.
• No converter is included with the pen. At this price point, I think Faber-Castell should provide a couple of cartridges and a converter.
• I find this model to be uncomfortable, especially for long writing sessions. The lack of a decent-sized grip section forces you to hold the pen by the barrel and the barrel is quite thin in diameter.
• The resin is easily damaged. I would not recommend putting this pen in a purse or bag unless it’s protected by a pen case.

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

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!