Posts filed under Wancher

Wancher Primo 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.)

It's an exciting time when there are new stationery companies appearing so often, and especially when they have really interesting designs and ideas. I've heard about Wancher several times, but I've never had the opportunity to try one out until now. When the Primo came across my desk, I was stoked to ink it up and see how it performed.

When you browse Wancher's website, it's really difficult not to get sucked into all the different categories they have to offer. The Urushi and Maki-e look absolutely amazing, but they have several more modern designs that also fit more budgets. The Primo is one of more budget-friendly pens that Wancher offer, but that doesn't mean it's cheap or lacking in quality. At a retail price of $250, it will definitely be outside many budget comfort zones, but this is also a really interesting price zone in the market. When you're willing to let go of $200+, your options open up quite a bit, and it can be really difficult to make choices.

The Primo is a modern and sleek design that looks similar to a cigar tube with an intricate pattern of crackly metal on the body and cap. It's made of a combination of titanium and aluminum, so even though it's a fairly large pen, it's actually pretty light in the hand. I was a little surprised when I first picked it up when I realized it wasn't as heavy as it looked. If this pen was made of steel, it would be a chunker that might put a hole in your pocket.

Not everyone prefers a large pen, but there are plenty of people that enjoy a larger pen diameter and/or length. For me, the length is just right, and the diameter is on the max side for my writing comfort. Despite being long, it balances perfectly in my hand. The majority of the weight in the pen body is concentrated on the nib/grip end, so that contributes to the comfort and balance. If the back end of the pen was heavy, it would create an awkward writing feel.

The cap doesn't post on the back of the pen, and that's probably for the best since the pen is long enough already. The cap has the same weight and feel as the pen body, but doesn't have a clip. Since it tends to roll around on my desk, I just hold it in my other hand while writing. It has a nice warm feel and fits my palm perfectly, so I rather enjoy holding it. That being said, it does roll incredibly easy, and I wish it had some kind of roll stopper built in.

In fact, the whole pen tends to roll since it's perfectly round. Without a clip or roll stop, it tends to roll quickly. Let's just say I know which of my desks and tables aren't quite level after using this pen for a few weeks.

The main aesthetic focus of this pen is the unique finish on the body and cap. To me, it looks like metal that's boiled and cracked in an unpredictable and beautiful way. According to Wancher, they use a color treatment during the anodizing process to create a thin oxide film on the titanium surface. This bonds to the titanium and creates some really interesting effects in different light. Wancher say they also use a blast-polish finishing technique to make certain parts of the pattern matte and others shiny. I don't understand the alchemy behind it, but the finished product is gorgeous. It's unlike anything else I've seen so far, and I can't help but keep looking at it. Even better, it morphs and changes with different light and angles. It really something unique and special.

The Frosty Silver version I have is just one of the four options. You can pick from Amethyst Purple, Russet Brown, and Midnight Blue as well. In my opinion, the purple and blue are fantastic.

So, the pen looks and feels great, but how does it write? Well, this was a pleasant surprise for me. The fine nib on this unit is exceptionally smooth and consistent. The ink flow is plentiful without being too wet, and the nib flexes just enough to remain comfortable at any writing speed or pressure. It really is a treat to use. According to Wancher, this is a JoWo stainless steel nib, but I have to wonder if they've tuned each nib prior to shipping out. It's really good.

The pen comes in a nice gift box that includes a converter, a couple of cartridges, some documentation, and a custom pen sleeve. Keep that pen sleeve handy because it's great for storing the pen on the desk and ensuring it doesn't roll away! The unboxing presentation is nice, and I think I'll be able to repurpose the balsa wood box for something else, which is a nice change from the plastic boxes that other manufacturers use that really serve no purpose after the unboxing is over.

Obviously, $250 (or $225 when they're on sale) is a lot of money and opens up your options to a lot of high-quality pens. I have pens in my collection that cost the same amount of money, and some of them even came with gold nibs. Still, I think the price is more than fair due to the level of craftsmanship, fit and finish, and the excellent nib tuning that comes out of the box with this pen. Ultimately, this will come down to a personal preference for what you find aesthetically pleasing. If this pen fits your interests, I can whole-heartedly recommend it. I really look forward to trying other offerings from Wancher in the future.

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

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Posted on February 23, 2022 by Jeff Abbott and filed under Wancher, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Wancher Bakelite Seven Treasures Fountain Pen Review

I’ve been able to spend a couple of weeks with the Wancher Bakelite Seven Treasures Fountain Pen, and I am confident in saying this: This is a good pen. It looks good, feels good, writes well, and is fairly priced.

That’s the TL:DR version of this review. Why not end it right there? Because there is a whole lot more to discuss with this pen than whether it is good or not. And that conversation may help you determine if it is good for you.

Let’s start with this: What is Bakelite? That’s a great question! Reading the Bakelite Wikipedia page (which made me want a whiskey) told me that it is a synthetic plastic, developed in the early 1900’s. Over the past 100+ years, it has been used for a wide-range of products - from jewelry, to radio knobs, to equipment coatings. The raw material can be molded into almost anything, including pen barrels.

The Bakelite formula changed and improved with the times, but as other synthetic materials were created, it was pushed aside due to its added cost of manufacturing. Wancher chose to bring Bakelite back with the Seven Treasures fountain pen, and I’m glad they did.

The feel of this pen reminds me of a combination of two materials: G10 and Micarta. Both of these are fibrous materials, manufactured in sheets and pressed together to build the structure of the finished product. G10 is rock hard, and Micarta is sturdy, but softer and more porous. This Bakelite lands right in the middle of those materials to me. It is firm, but has a warmth to it, and if you look closely, you can see the underlying material fibers.

I bring all of this up because at first glance and feel, the Seven Treasures Bakelite doesn’t seem to be a pen that would absorb ink if dipped into an ink bottle. It seems like any other polished acrylic that you could wipe the ink right off of. That’s not the case, and Wancher has designed the pen taking this into consideration.

The grip section is removable from the barrel, but not in the way you would traditionally think. It’s a sleeve, designed to be removed so the pen doesn’t get stained when filling. You wouldn’t know that by looking through the campaign page though - it’s not pictured, even once. It’s not in the shape and size diagram either, despite having its own fixed measurement. The filling system is shown in the video without the sleeve, dipping into an ink bottle. That’s about it other than it laying on the table in a few shots.

Why is that? Backers should know what they are getting upfront. I don’t think it is a technical issue, but if Bakelite stains, and you’ve designed a way around that, it should be shown in the campaign. By no means is this a dealbreaker, and in fact I think it is a smart idea that other companies could pick up on. I just find it odd it is never mentioned.

Aside from Bakelite, Wancher added another unique aspect to this pen. Shippoyaki is a traditional Japanese art style, and is featured prominently on the pen cap. Each piece is handcrafted by Master Okagaki Yukie, who has over 60 years experience in this form of artwork. And I have to say, all four pieces available are stunning, and really make the pen.

My pen features the Sangria artwork, which represents the Sun. It’s a wonderful match to the red barrel and gold trim of this pen. You can also choose from three other styles of Shippoyaki - Moonlight, Cosmos, and Verdant - all of which add a spark to the overall pen design.

For Kickstarter projects, I generally go with the stock steel nib and feed options, which is what this pen uses, but you can upgrade to Wancher’s own 18k gold nib, and even add an ebonite feed. The steel nibs are Jowo, and this medium works perfectly out of the box. The pen ships in a large balsa wood box, and includes a beautiful silk pen sleeve.

*Wancher Seven Treasures vs. Lamy Vista*

The big question left is will I back this pen. The answer is no, but not for any of the reasons I listed above. It’s because this is a big pen - too big for my daily use. I love the Bakelite idea, as well as the Shippoyaki artwork, but the size and style of the pen don’t fit my usage needs right now. If the Wancher Bakelite Seven Treasures Fountain Pen checks all of your boxes, I think you will enjoy it, and I think you are getting it at a great price, so back it confidently.

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

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Posted on February 24, 2020 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Wancher, Kickstarter, Pen Reviews.

Wancher Shizuku Glass Nib 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.)

A few years ago, I reviewed the Wink Pen, a glass nib fountain pen with a converter fill. That pen didn’t meet my expectations due to problems with flow and a less than satisfactory nib. Now Wancher, after years of research, has produced a glass nib fountain pen with a converter filling system. It is called the Shizuku, and it will be available in several colors named after the planets, moons, and space.

Shizuku is a Japanese word that refers to water dropping onto a surface. The Shizuku pen is made from Duralumin, which is a material used in aircraft. It’s lightweight and durable. This material is anodized with incredible colors and also has a tiny bit of texture.

The pen arrives in a large black-velvet-lined box with a red kimono and bottle of Wancher purple ink.

My Shizuku pen is called Earth. It bursts with swirls of colors: yellow, pink, blue, turquoise, orange, purple, and silver. It’s really gorgeous in sunlight.

Unfortunately, the pen has a visible seam on the body and cap. This may simply be how the anodizing process works with this material, but I would prefer a seamless finish.

The pen is, indeed, light in the hand even though the metal itself is quite thick. It weighs 26.5 grams capped and 18 grams uncapped. The cap does not post. The pen is relatively small in length, about the same size as the Kaweco Student: 5.4 inches/137mm capped, 4.7 inches/120mm uncapped.

I’m not too fond of the major drop from the barrel to the grip. Plus the grip is very short--only 10mm. But you can hold the pen by the barrel rather than the grip, so it’s not a deal breaker. I just wish the grip was longer or the step-down smoother. I do love the classy gold/copper color of the grip, and the metal extends all the way into the barrel where it meets the converter.

The nib is a work of art. It is hand-crafted from glass and is an extremely smooth writer. I’ve never been much of a fan of glass nibs, but this one has changed my mind. It writes beautifully, and I love the color of the ink on the clear glass.

The really cool feature of the Shizuku is that it is not a dip pen. This is a glass-nibbed pen with a converter. Unlike the Wink Pen that I reviewed previously, this converter system works perfectly. The ink flows from the converter onto the nib seamlessly, and the nib has just the right amount of wetness.

The nib writes like a fine steel/gold nib. It doesn’t offer any line variation, but it writes smoothly and works well for writing or drawing. I experienced no skipping, blobbing, or hard starts, even after leaving the pen unused for several days.

Wancher is now accepting pre-orders for the Shizuku pen. The options include eight styles: Blue Moon, Saturn, Earth, Mars, Venus, Pluto, Eclipse, and Jupiter. You can choose between a clear glass nib or a black glass nib (for $50 more). There are other add ons, such as pen pillows and pen cases. The base price for a Shizuku is $300, though the Blue Moon model is $350.

I am thoroughly impressed with this pen. And it’s not just me. My daughter, who normally rolls her eyes at my fountain pens, saw the Shizuku and said, “Oooooo! I like this one!” I let her give it a try and she (an artist) was wowed. I suspect she’ll steal this pen from my collection as soon as I’m done reviewing it.

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

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