My Fountain Pen Education: The Edison Pearl

I think it is pretty well established at this point that I am a fan of Japanese pens, both of the standard and fountain variety. There is something about the craftsmanship and history of many of these brands that is enticing, not to mention the ready availability of the super fine nibs that I prefer.

To limit myself to only pens from the Far East would be doing myself - and other pen brands - a huge disservice because there are so many amazing manufacturers out there. One of them, based right here in the US, has established itself as a big player on a smaller scale. Say hello to The Edison Pen Company.

The man behind Edison, Mr. Brian Gray, takes a personal approach to the pens he creates. In fact, that is a core part of the service he offers:

With the exception of the Production Line, the vast majority of pens sold at Edison are a custom creation between the client and myself. This means that you can pick your favorite model of pen and then decide your favorite material to have it made from, along with many other possible customizations.

It is great to have this level of customization available as a consumer, and with the sterling reputation that Brian has you know you will be receiving a product that perfectly suits your needs.

While I haven't bought my first Edison Pen yet, my friend Thomas has many and I am fortunate to be able to test drive a few while trying to decide on a body style. First up: The Edison Pearl.

Out of the batch of pens I was sent, the barrel design of the Pearl spoke to me immediately. The cigar-shape body, length, diameter, and slightly tapered ends are all spot-on. What caught me off guard though was the weight. The acrylic material used is LIGHT! For a pen this size, I honestly wasn't expecting that. It was a little off-putting at first even. But after some discussions with Thomas mixed in with some reading and research on other similar pens my expectations were set properly. What really solved the weight issue for me was time. Once I moved into day two and three with the Pearl I stopped noticing the weight completely.

There were two items that I was unable to stop noticing though. First off, the step down from the barrel to the section is steep. This is done to ensure the thick wall of the cap is flush with the barrel when closed but it gave it somewhat of an awkward feel when gripping the pen.

Secondly, I could never get settled in with the nib. It is a stock EF steel nib, and while it was good, it was not great. I didn't feel like my lines were as sharp as they could have been, but there are a litany of possible reasons as to why. I would never subtract points from a pen on loan because of the nib.

Thomas' Pearl was purchased as part of the 2012 Edison Pen Group Buy where he was able to buy this Cobalt Fleck model for $170, which is a great price. Stock Pearls run around $250 these days. For the amount of customization and personalization Brian puts into these pens that seems like a fair price.

The Edison Pearl definitely makes my wish list, but with all of the other pens I have tested (and yet to post reviews of) it is down the charts a little ways. I'm fairly certain I will own one in the future though.

As a side note, the 2013 Edison Pen Group Buy is in the early stages of planning. If interested, be sure to follow the thread over at The Fountain Pen Network.

Guest Review: Pilot Custom 74

(This is a guest review by Joseph Pang)

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Unlike many fountain pen users, I have the luxury of living near some of the finest pen stores in the country. For those who haven’t been to a good pen store yet, let me fill you in. Being able to go to a brick and mortar location to see pens in their display cases, try out new nibs, and look at hundreds of bottles of inks is still one of my favorite things to do on the weekends. There is one disadvantage; it is extremely dangerous for your wallet.

On my most recent spending spree I picked up the Pilot Custom 74, the most beautiful fountain pen that I have ever seen. When I think of the ideal fountain pen, a few things come to mind: a screw-on cap, simple yet elegant styling, the ability to use a converter, and a comfortable section. The Custom 74 has all of those qualities and more. Aside from the nib, the pen seemed to be custom tailored to my preferences right out of the box.

My handwritten review briefly recounts the experience that I had with the nib. When I first brought the pen home and loaded it with ink, I was disappointed. The nib was a little scratchy and the ink flow was inconsistent. Upstrokes and sidestrokes in one particular direction were nonexistent (a common problem for this pen). After applying some of the very basic nib tuning techniques that I have learned over the years, I had the pen writing like what I had dreamed it would be from the start. The line is wet, smooth, and consistent.

If I had to point out a shortcoming of the Custom 74, it would be the durability. Because the pen is plastic, it is prone to cracking. This means that you do not want to drop the pen on a hard surface like tile flooring, as I found out the hard way. My pen will be making a trip down to Pilot USA to get a new cap in the near future. I have never really worried about dropping my Lamy CP1 or Kaweco AL Sport, as I know they would survive the fall just fine. Ironically, I have never actually dropped those pens.

So, should you buy one? If it helps you out at all, I am in the process of buying a second one in blue. The nib will take some getting used to for those who have never used a gold nib before. In my experience, steel nibs are stiff whereas gold nibs have some flex and spring to them. For $160, the Custom 74 is priced near pens offered by Edison, higher end Pelikans, and maybe even Mont Blanc if the right deal comes along. For that price, it really comes down to what is right for you. If you can find this pen for cheaper, perhaps $100, I think that it is a no-brainer. If you are like me and cannot resist the good looks of this pen, go for it; you will not be disappointed.

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Pentel TRF91 Tradio Fountain Pen Review

Can expectations get in the way of a product review? I think the answer is yes, but I try not to let any preconceived notions jump onto the page and screen. I do try to be honest about my true feelings for a product though, whether good or bad. So, my honest, preconceived thoughts of the Pentel TRF91 Tradio Fountain Pen before reviewing it? I thought it would be terrible.

That is one of the reasons it took so long for me to order it - I didn't want it to be a waste of money. I did like the looks of it, and was generally happy with the similar Pentel Tradio EnerGel Combo Pen, so I bit the bullet and bought one. And you know what? It is better than I expected.

What we have here is a true entry level pen. There are six barrel color choices but only one nib option - medium. It is made to be used with both short and long international cartridges so you could probably find a compatible converter as well. The design is comfortable with just enough style points to set it above more run of the mill pens.

The surprise factor with the Pentel Tradio Fountain Pen is the nib. I don't have many other M nibs to compare it to, but this one is unbelievably smooth. I think this is what fountain pen people refer to as "glassy" - there is little to no friction or feedback when the nib hits the page. It is as smooth of a writer as you can get.

The one gotcha with the Tradio is when posting the cap. It goes on firmly, or so it seems, but as you write it works its way up the barrel until it is loose. The Tradio Energel did the exact same thing. If you write with the cap posted this might be an annoyance.

Will the Tradio Fountain Pen move ahead of the Lamy Safari as one of the best entry level fountain pens? No, and it is not even close. The Safari offers way too many options to ignore. But the Tradio can hold its own performance-wise, and if you are searching for a good looking, good performing entry level fountain pen you could do much worse.