(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. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)
I first saw the Fine Writing International Bronze Age in one of its many Instagram glamour shots. There was definitely an element of love at first sight--it's a really beautiful pen. But I was a bit wary, too. I had never heard of the brand before, and it seemed a bit underpriced, actually, for a brass pen. While I thought it was lovely, I was suspicious of its quality. So when the opportunity arose to review it, I was doubly excited--excited to try out this mysterious beauty of a pen, and excited to satisfy the lingering curiosity I'd held onto since I first saw it.
My curiosity is happily satisfied, and this pen is as nice as it looks. The first thing you can't help but notice, when you hold this pen, is that it is very heavy. The cap, end, and grip section are solid brass, and the pen weighs in at 53g before it's even inked. Most of that weight alone is the cap. Because of that, I worried about what it would feel like to write with, but the grip section and end cap are very well balanced, so I didn't actually experience any hand fatigue, even during a longer writing session. The cap is lined with a special plastic sleeve that seals the pen when closed to prevent dry-out. It works very well, but it does prevent the cap from posting at the back end. You really wouldn't want to post this pen, though. It would be incredibly back-heavy if you did.
The body of the pen is clear acrylic. It bears the claim of being nearly indestructible. It's a bold claim, and I get a bit nervous any time I see metal pen parts that thread directly onto plastic ones. But so far, I see no signs of any stress to the acrylic. Despite the fact that I forgot I put this pen into a pocket of my notebook cover, and then it fell out of the pocket inside my backpack and spent an afternoon tossed around in my bag like in a tumble dryer. I had a moment of panic when I realized what had happened, followed by surprised delight when it was entirely unscathed. There wasn't even the slightest leak from its eyedropper fill.
I was also nervous to eyedropper fill this pen. The brass is exposed to ink inside the pen, which I thought was a big no-no, but apparently it's okay with brass. And so far, so good. I also thought that the metal/acrylic join would probably leak, but it doesn't. There's a slender o-ring at the join that is there for reinforcement, but no ink has ever even made it that far up the threads. The body holds a whopping 4ml of ink, which will last even the most devoted scrivener a good while. The pen even comes with its own syringe for filling. It also comes with a converter, which it can use--or it can take any standard international cartridge. Lots of options! The included converter is pretty, and looks good inside the clear body.
The nib is gold-plated steel, and is available in EF, F, M, B, and 1.1 stub. This model has the stub nib. The nibs are made by Jowo and are engraved with the lovely quill design for Fine Writing International. My nib writes perfectly, with a consistent line that's just wet enough to show off the ink, but not too gushy. The feed keeps up with the stub very well. It's a #6 nib, and it can be interchanged with any other #6 nib that you like.
Despite all those very practical details, my favorite thing about this pen is the beautiful engraving. The images represent the Taotie, a beast from ancient Chinese mythology that often appeared on bronze vessels during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The Taotie is one of the four evils of the world, said to be representative of gluttony and known for eating people, namely human sacrifices. While all that sounds a bit scary, that's the image intended for those on the outside of the mask. For those inside, the Taotie is a symbol of strength and protection. It is believed that the alarming visage would serve as a warning for those who were covetous.
That warning didn't come through on Instagram, where I think we all became a bit covetous of this pen. And, fortunately, it's very fairly priced at around $100. That's still an expensive pen, but reasonable, given the build and materials. I've certainly paid more than that for pens that are not as good as this one. This is one I see myself continuing to use on a very regular basis, especially when I travel for writing, where I'll need a durable pen with a high ink capacity. I'm delighted that this pen exceeded my expectations.
(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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