Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Levenger's True Writers
When I first saw the True Writer fountain pens in Levenger's catalogue many months ago, I scoffed - yes, I scoffed. I did not imagine that these "Johnny-come-lately" fountain pens could be any good. How could they possibly compare to those who only make fountain pens and have been doing so for decades? However, since purchasing my first fireball red demonstrator a couple of months ago, I have become a True Writer sycophant - O.K. that's extreme but once you write with these, it is diffcult to let go of them. Now I have four True Writers featuring all of the different nib sizes that Levenger offers. Everyone of them writes as well as pens that cost two or three times the price. True Writers are very wet writers and their nib size produces a line that is broader than you expect - much like a Cross - the fine writes like a medium and the medium like a broad and the broad nib is like writing with a stub, and all of them are deliciously smooth. Levenger's ink colors are intense and offer you the option to have a pen body that is the same color as the ink it contains - a very nice option once you have more pens that you can easily keep track of. The cobalt blue is particularly brilliant and I was thrilled to discover it before it was discontinued. The luminescent blue is even better in person. Another reason why I like the True Writers is the size: they have fairly wide barrels so the pen is comfortable and balanced to write with even when the cap is not posted. As much as I like my two Pelikans, they are rather small for a man's hand. Surprisingly, the pen that I thought I was really going to enjoy writing with was the Sailor pocket pen with a 14kt white gold nib. However, that pen writes dry. It is just the opposite of the True Writer - I feel like I need to squeeze the ink out of it to get it to write. So, if you like a wet writer, get a True Writer.
Labels:
Ink,
Levenger,
review,
Sailor,
True Writer
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4 comments:
Great feedback here, I have been on the fence about the Levenger pens as I feel the same way you did before you tried them. Nice blog you have here.
Thanks for the feedback! Actually, the more I use the True Writers, the more I enjoy them. If you want a heavier True Writer try one of the medalists. In fact, they are on sale now. You can also get great deals through their E-Bay outlet site.
I wish my experience with the True Writer had been as positive as yours. I bought one a few years back--the first decent fountain pen I ever bought after using an inexpensive Sheaffer cartridge pen for several years--and had to return it after a month because the collar that held the nib in the section had cracked. Strangely enough, customer service didn't seem surprised, and after reading messages on FPN, Pentrace and Zoss, I know I'm not the only one to have that problem. I believe the cause of the crack was the converter that was included with the pen that didn't seem to fit in the pen. The pen even had instructions saying that if the converter didn't go in easily, that the user should gently twist/screw it into place. After having to do that a few times, switching between carts and the converter, the pen just didn't want to write anymore. Skipping, hard starting, you name it. It was a shame, too, because it was a gorgeous shade of pink and I hated having to send it back. I've been hesitant to try another since then, but I'm hoping to find one at a deeeeep discount at some point so I can find out for myself if Levenger's fixed the issue.
That is frustrating. I had the same problem with a Monteverde pen that I got. Unfortunately, I never sent it back. I have read on Levenger comments that many others have had the problem with the rings falling off. Maybe Levenger addressed that because I haven't had that problem and I have about ten TWs. Only one of them is a little reluctant to start a line. Have you discoverd the Levenger outlet on Ebay?
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