Namiki Falcon & Cross ATX

This summer I celebrated my fiftieth birthday. And my affection for fountain pens was no mystery to my family and friends. Even knowing that, I was surprised by the quality and quantity of pens that I received. So much so that it will take a few posts to describe and review them all. These are the four fountain pens that I received: Cross ATX Basalt Black XF point, Namiki Falcon soft/fine point, Taccia Portugese black & silver medium point and a Laban Mento Tiger Pearl medium point. Two of them are outstanding writers (Namiki & Taccia), one is a very pleasant writer (Laban) and the last is an adequate writer (Cross).

Namiki Falcon.

The Namiki Falcon has a "soft-fine" nib, which is nothing like any other pen that I have used. When you read reviews on blogs and the FPN where people describe the one pen that "they can't live with out", this is one of those most frequently mentioned - and I can see why. The nib is 14kt gold and has a hump or bend in the middle that increases its flexibility. Since a Japanese fine point is more like an American extra-fine point, this flexibility greatly improves the feel of writing with this pen: you receive a very fine line without the feedback or scratchiness of an XF steel nib. In addition, the pen responds well to variations in pressure, so that there is a slight brush effect when you write. Thank you to my dear friend for this marvelous gift!

Cross ATX.

By contrast, the Cross ATX with its steel XF nib is extremely rigid and not all that pleasant to write with. I specifically "requested" this pen because I love the look and design of the ATX series (and it was on sale), especially the way the clip extends from the top of the cap down. It has a simple elegance that hints of Art Deco and is made of brass and chrome with a tactile matte black finish. One of the first fountain pens I ever purchased was the same series with a medium point nib (pictured below), along with a roller ball, ball point, and pencil - all in basalt black.

I bought the XF to complete the set. All of my other Cross ATX pens were made in the USA, but this last one was manufactured in China. This was quite a disappointment - not that I have any disdain for the Chinese but one of the reasons why I liked Cross so much was that it was American made, because so many of the quality pen manufacturers are either European or Japanese. Apparently Cross was aware of this because they used to print "USA" on the pen caps. I still think the ATX series is a great design - comparable to the look of the Lamy Studio, but the writing quality does not measure up. When I want to write in fine and extra fine I will pick up the Namiki Falcon or Lamy Studio instead.

Demonstrators

Previously, I wrote of my disappointment with Levenger's Decathlon Fountain Pen, which I returned because it did not live up to the "firm handshake" metaphor in the catalogue description. However, I read so many favorable reviews of the Levenger True Writer series, that I wanted to give them another try - and besides I have been very pleased with most other Levenger items. Correspondingly, I was becoming very intrigued by the idea of demonstrators and nearly bought a Pelikan or Sailor demonstrator but both were too pricey. Levenger put their colorful demonstrators with matching bottles of ink on sale, as if they read my mind and wanted to clinch my decision. It worked. I recently received a Lamy Vista demonstrator with a 1.1 Italic nib, which is filled with Waterman brown ink and so apart from the modern look and feel of the fountain pen, the result is something wonderfully antique in appearance. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed using so much ink and having that much color present while you write. I am usually just a black and white thinker and writer. The experience with the Lamy demonstrator compelled me to buy the red bold nib demonstrator from Levenger and I could not be more pleased. At a fourth of the price, the Fireball is much more satisfying than the Decathlon and the intensity of the red ink is as bold as the nib. Since the Levenger nibs are interchangeable, I am ordering a green and blue demonstrator from Levenger with a fine and medium nib to complete the set and add more colors and nib combinations. By the way the broad nib True Writer writes amazingly smoothly. That was such a success that I sent in one of my Pelikan 215 fine point nibs to ChartPak to be exchanged for a broad nib. Pelikans also simply unscrew and are interchangeable with one another. Plus ChartPak will exchange them for free!

Sheaffer Balance Fountain Pen Writes Very Well

The Sheaffer Balance that I won on Ebay came in last week, and it is a beauty! I filled it with Noodler's Marine Green ink - although I don't know how. What I mean is, I don't know how the filling system works. The end unscrews and a long plunger pulls out and when you push it back in there is a funny popping sound and there's ink in the pen. I read some history on Sheaffer who was quite the inventor and revolutionized the pen industry at the turn of the century - he invented the lever and bladder system for fountain pens, so that people would no longer have to fill them with eye-droppers. He also guaranteed the nibs for life, which you can see if you zoom in on the nib (with lingering green ink) pictured here. I think this pen dates back to the mid 1930s but I am not sure. This pen with a 14ct gold (extra?) fine point nib, is the smoothest and easiest writing pen I have ever used. It is a much smaller than what I expected, which is ironic because I returned a Levenger Decathlon because it felt too light weight and I wanted a a larger heavier pen. Well, not everything that is "vintage" is larger and heavier. The Sheaffer Balance is narrow and light weight but at least it is long enough at 5.5". The long and short of it is that you simply do not care because it writes so well.

It probably appears as though I have nothing to write about but pens. Actually, I hope to have time in the near future to post some photos of my grandfather's and dad's old handtools, but I have to pull them out of storage before I can do that. One of the benefits of fountain pens is not only their unique beauty and utility; they take up very little space!

Fountain Pen Day

My wife offered me the greatest gift for my birthday: a fountain pen day. This means that I get to spend the day reading and writing with and about fountain pens! Recently, a friend of mine asked me why I like fountain pens so much? So, what is the reason? I had to think about the answer at first, and then it dawned on me: fountain pens represent resistance against technopoly. Not just resistance against technology but the recognition that faster is not always better. Easier isn't always best. We are living in an age where drive-through tellers, restaurants and pharmacies are normal. Face to face contact is less common and less valued. Even though I am an introvert, I used to enjoy striking up conversations with the cashiers - it was a pleasant human activity. Now, the cashier is constantly pointing me back to the debit pin-pad and it is impossible to have a conversation. We are no longer running the machines; the machines are running us. I would like to return to the world where there is time to sit inside a restaurant to eat lunch; where the banker and grocer know who I am and I know who they are; where you do business face to face; where signmakers paint signs with brushes rather than computer cut letters; where people have real paintings in their homes rather than posters; where people play boardgames; where we are more concerned about what politicians say versus what they look like and where people write letters on actual paper. So, fountain pens represent a lifestyle and a pace that is rapidly disappearing. Taking the time to write with a fountain pen is an act of resistance but it is also recognizing that writing is a unique human priviledge. Conveying ones ideas and thoughts on paper with a fine pen becomes an act of thoughtful leisure. Using a beautiful and well-made fountain pen produces the same kind of rewarding satisfaction that I experience using one of my grandfather's woodplanes to trim down a piece of fresh pine. Technopoly is deadening our senses. Tools that allow us to use more of ourselves in their operation - that require more of our time and concentration - also keep more of our senses alert and awake.

Lamy Fine Point Fountain Pen

I promise that I am not getting "kick backs" from fountain pen manufacturers or distributors.

But folks, this is too good to ignore. Goldspot has this Lamy "Studio" fountain pen on sale at an incredible price - in all colors (black, blue & stainless) and nib sizes (ball point, too). I am tempted to buy another one.

While it might not look very interesting in the photo due to the German minimalist modern design (Bauhaus influence, maybe?) - it handles and writes wonderfully. Not too heavy. Not too light. The ink always flows when needed. Some "nicer" pens I have, constantly have to be primed before use, which is very frustrating - not so with this pen. I have the fine nib, so a converter full lasts a long time between re-fills. Best of all, the nib writes very smoothly - almost as smooth as my gold-nibbed Namiki Vanishing Point. I don't know about the other colors, but the black Lamy fountain pen has a very comfortable matte finish that keeps it from slipping in your fingers. The clip actually holds the pen in your shirt pocket. (I have dinged up a couple of heavier pens with loose clips when I bent over to pet my dog - ouch!) All around, at that sale price this is by far the best fountain pen for the money that I have seen. Even at list price the Lamy "Studio" fountain pen is worth it.

Libelle Epic Fountain Pen

Do you find yourself anxious at the end of the day because you realize you have not had time to write with one of your fountain pens? Of course not. Only a fountain pen collecting Luddite would have such a thought. I have such thoughts.

The Libelle pen pictured above is just the pen to elicit that passion for pen and paper intercourse. A photograph cannot due justice to the rich multi-layered swirls in the barrel. The pen is just the right weight and is very comfortable to write with. The medium nib seemed a little too scratchy at first but with use on a heavier smooth paper, such as a moleskin journal, it writes beautifully. Besides having a fascination with fountain pens, I also enjoy studying dragonflies. So, it is an amusing coincidence that Libelle's logo on the cap is a dragonfly repeated around the rim. "Libelle" is Latin for "dragonfly". The fountain pen takes a cartridge or can fill via converter.

I purchased this pen from Goldspot.com. The price was discounted and the pen was shipped right away. Sadly, for you folks who may not have this model, Libelle has discontinued it.

Click the "Pens" label below to see more reviews of pens.

The Glorious Utility of Fountain Pens

At Saint Austin's Pub, we prefer to use fountain pens with heavyweight high quality paper rather than ball-point and roller-ball pens. It isn't that we never use ball-point pens; Mrs Augustine actually gave me a beautifully handcrafted ballpoint pen made out of abalone and brass. The abalone shimmers with multiple colours and the quality of the ball-point cartridge is unusually satisfying. Even so, fountain pens are the writing instrument of choice at the Pub.

The four pens above are, from left to right (1) Namiki - Pilot Carbonesque Vanishing Point (2) Monteverde Invincia carbon fibre "Bow Tie" (3) Pelikan M215 (4) Cross ATX - matte black

All four write well and are reliable on their ink flow. However the two best are the Pilot and the Pelikan. These two are always ready to write - they never seem to dry up, even if not used for a couple of weeks. Their points are flexible and very pleasant with which to write and sketch. The Monteverde is probably the most pleasing to the eye but sometimes needs to be primed before it can be used. It is heavy and will start to unscrew apart after much use. The Cross is an elegant work-horse - heavier ink flow than the others and very reliable.

You Scots who have the good taste to drink stouts, ales and porters, rather than the wretchedly tasteless American lagers, should likewise put away your Bic Stics; go out and buy a real pen!