Faber-Castell Ambition Blue Ocean OpArt 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.)

I really wanted to buy a French fountain pen on my trip to France. I tried several Waterman pens, but the nibs were scratchy and the pens were (in my opinion) over-priced. So, at La Paperterie in Rouen, France, I purchased the new Faber-Castell Ambition Blue Ocean OpArt. I'm calling it my French pen, even though it's a German brand–but I bought it in France, okay?

The city of Rouen

What drew me to this pen is its beautiful dusty-blue body with an engraved, intricate guilloche pattern. Plus, I've found Faber-Castell pens to be high-quality, and this pen does not disappoint.

The pen comes in a solid cardboard presentation box. The inner box, which contains the pen, slides out like a drawer. Faber-Castell offers a two-year guarantee on the pen.

One blue cartridge is supplied, but if you want a converter, you have to purchase it separately (which I did). The converter works well, though it is made of a rubbery sort of plastic, not the hard clear plastic I'm accustomed to with most converters.

The Blue Ocean has a resin barrel with a chrome cap, grip, and posting knob.

The pen is neither lengthy (120 mm/4.75 inches unposted) nor heavy (13 grams, unposted). Posted (159 mm/6.25 inches), the pen feels off-balance because the cap is the heaviest piece. When you put it on the posting knob the balance shifts backwards making the pen uncomfortable to use. I do not recommend posting it.

The cap exhibits the usual clean, crisp lines of Faber-Castell pens. It has a simple clip, an engraved circle on the finial, and Faber-Castell branding engraved on the side. It is subtle, and unless you look closely, it's difficult to distinguish the two knights on horses, the emblem of the company. I like subtle branding, and Faber-Castell pens always look classy in my opinion.

The nib sports the Faber-Castell emblem, decorative dots, and the nib size. It's not the most beautiful nib design I've seen, but it suits the Ambition style.

The nib itself is silky smooth and firm though it has no spring or flex. It wrote perfectly right out of the box, and I've had no problems with it at all. This is an excellent steel nib.

I love the style of this pen, and the guilloche pattern is striking. One of my students noticed the pen in class the other day and said, "Wow! That's a cool-looking pen!" You know a pen is something special when an undergraduate notices it.

That said, the Ambition design does not make for the most comfortable writing experience. The step-down from the barrel to the grip is significant, and the grip is too short to grasp comfortably.

I almost did not purchase the pen because of this. The French saleslady showed me I should hold the pen further back on the barrel, which works, but it feels a bit awkward to me. I generally hold my pens fairly close to the nib. I think, in this case, Faber-Castell chose symmetry and design over comfort in writing.

I paid 78 Euros for the pen which converts to about $88. You can purchase this pen at American retailers like Goulet for $100. That seems a bit pricey for what you're getting: a plastic barrel and a steel nib (though other parts are chrome). I wish the barrel were metal overlaid with the guilloche pattern. It would make the pen feel more substantial in the hand.

Nevertheless, the pen is beautiful and well constructed. The Blue Ocean color is pleasing to the eye and the chrome parts accent it perfectly. I now own three Faber-Castell pens, and all of them write beautifully and look fantastic.

L-R: Intuition Terra, Special Edition Walden, and Ambition Blue Ocean.

Pros

• The Blue Ocean OpArt is a beautiful pen with classy styling.
• It is less expensive than some other Faber-Castell models.
• The medium nib is smooth and works perfectly straight out of the box.
• This is a light and thin pen, so people with small hands will probably find it comfortable (but see below).

Cons

• The pen does not feel as substantial as the other Faber-Castell pens I own due to the plastic barrel. People who prefer pens with some heft will probably want to avoid this model.
• Because of the design, the grip section is too short and uncomfortable to hold (the barrel digs into your fingers). So, you have to hold this pen further back from the nib. I have adapted to this, but it might be a deal-breaker for some users.
• The pen does not come with a converter. You have to purchase it separately (but it is only $5 to $7, depending on where you make your purchase).

Lamy Al-Star Charged Green Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

It looks like spring is finally here for most of us, which means a lot of greenery is on the way. A new year also means a new limited edition color from Lamy for the Al-Star line, which just so happens to be fairly spring oriented this year.

The Charged Green Al-Star is electric, and it's the perfect color to welcome in the spring of 2016. The Al-Star, in case you don't know, is the aluminum line of Lamy's entry level fountain pens. They look almost exactly like the Safari line, but the main difference is the material (metal vs. plastic). The same contoured grip section is found on the Al-Star, but I happen to prefer the metal bodies over the regular Safaris most of the time.

If you've never used a Lamy Safari or Al-Star before, you're really missing out. Sure, there's a chance you might hate the very opinionated grip, but there's only one way to know. Lamy introduces a limited edition color each year for the Al-Star and Safari lines, but it's usually fairly easy to score one for several months after it's released. In the case of the Charged Green Al-Star, they're still easy to come by.

It's been a while since an Al-Star was reviewed here, so it's probably worth looking at the pen from its roots, not just the fancy color. The Al-Star is a medium-sized pen, but is still fairly light because of the thin aluminum used in the body and cap. Now, Kaweco also offers some aluminum pens, but they typically use much thicker materials that feel much stronger and hefty in the hand. The Al-Stars use thin aluminum, which is lightweight but not as durable. Still, they're rugged and can keep up with your normal pen duties with no problems.

The clip is strong, but easy to use, and there's a convenient ink window on both sides of the body to see how much ink is left in the pen at a glance. The Al-Star uses a propriety Lamy cartridge or Lamy converter, and ships with a standard Lamy blue cartridge. The grip section is contoured in a way to compliment a "standard" grip (whatever that means), and this is the main point of contention for the entire lineup. You'll either like the grip, or you won't. That being said, I'm a big fan of the grip and enjoy using them.

The nib that came on this pen is a medium, and it is fantastic. No tuning needed out of the box at all. It has excellent flow, almost no feedback on the page when writing, and starts beautifully every time. For the review, I chose a nice green to go along with the green theme, but the nib has done great with several types of ink. And, as with most Lamys, it's incredibly easy (and affordable) to swap out a different nib.

All in all, it's a great writer and worthy of its fame. There are plenty of standard colors offered in the Al-Star line, like gray, silver, black, purple, and blue, but the limited edition colors are usually quite enjoyable. In the case of Charged Green, it's a knock-out. When you see it on a desk or in a bag, you can't help but be drawn to it. Maybe you think it's pretty, or maybe it's ugly — your eye is drawn to it regardless. Personally, I love the color and will enjoy having it in my collection of more "boring" pens.

You can grab a Charged Green Al-Star in extra-fine, fine, and medium, but you'd better act fast because these limited editions don't stick around forever.

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

Visconti Traveling Inkwell: 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.)

The Visconti Traveling Inkwell is a conveniently-sized container for ink. The inkwell offers an alternative to traveling with heavy glass ink bottles. But at a retail price of $70.00 (at Goulet Pens), is it worth it?

I took my Visconti Inkwell with me on a recent trip to France. I slipped it in one of the slots of my Nock Hightower and carried it in my backpack the entire trip. It never leaked, and it went through every security check without anyone asking to examine it.

The Traveling Inkwell comes packaged in a Visconti faux-leather, clamshell box. Instructions for using the inkwell are included as is a glass eyedropper.

The inkwell is made of hard plastic and measures 5 inches (127mm) in length, a little over 1/2 inch (12.7mm) in width. It weighs only a few ounces without ink. With a capacity of 5.5 ml of ink, it will refill medium-sized pens about five times and large pens about three times. This blog post and video on Goulet is exceptionally helpful, explaining how to use the inkwell and listing pens that will and will not work.

The inkwell consists of a cap, a stopper, and the ink chamber.

Removing the cap exposes a wick that can be removed for cleaning off your nib after filling.

The stopper provides a secure seal so that no ink escapes.

To fill the inkwell, you simply put the eyedropper in your chosen ink and squeeze to fill it.

Then you insert the eyedropper deep into the inkwell and squeeze out the ink.

You have to do this several times to fill the inkwell to the maximum capacity line. The glass eyedropper is a little cumbersome to use. You might want to use a pipette or a syringe instead.

When you want to fill your pen, remove the stopper, prepare your pen to receive ink, push the nib and section firmly into the inkwell to create a seal, and turn the inkwell upside down to fill your pen.

You can use the inkwell with any filling system, though each type requires a slightly different methodology to fill the pen. I recommend watching Brian Goulet's video on the inkwell to get a good overview on how to use it with different pen types.

I used the inkwell with my Pilot Custom 823, which is a vacuum filler. I pulled the pump all the way out, inserted the pen into the inkwell, pushed the pump . . . and made a huge mess–ink everywhere.

It was my own fault. I (a) didn't create a good enough seal and (b) pushed the pump in too quickly. As a result, ink spilled everywhere. My second attempt, after following the instructions more closely, resulted in a good fill.

The Visconti Traveling Inkwell can be used with most pens as long as they measure a minimum of 9.2 mm at the grip and a maximum of 13.2 mm according to Goulet. Brands like Pelikan, Montblanc, Visconti, Pilot (but not the Pilot VP), Platinum, etc., should all work fine. Pens with small diameters will not work with the inkwell. For example, the Faber-Castell Ambition, the Pilot Vanishing Point, and other small pens cannot create the necessary seal. Oversized pens also will not work because they don't fit into the inkwell.

A couple of pens that won't work: Pilot Vanishing Point, Faber-Castell Ambition.

The inkwell requires a little practice, so it's a good idea to try it out with water first (add a little ink so you can see the liquid). Once you know what you're doing, the inkwell makes it easy to fill your pens with the bonus that you can get a complete fill by manipulating the converter/piston/or pump slowly. Brian's video shows you how to get the best fill using each system.

Most brands will work regardless of the filling system: converter, piston, lever fill, etc.

So, is the Visconti Traveling Inkwell worth $70.00? I'm a bit torn on this question, to be honest. I didn't actually use the inkwell in France because my Pilot 823 holds so much ink, I never needed a refill. On previous trips, such as to Ireland, I took plastic ink bottles that I sealed in a plastic bag and packed in my luggage so I wouldn't have to put them through security. I filled my pens from those ink bottles just like I normally would. None of them leaked, but that may have been good luck. Since I don't travel often, I probably wouldn't purchase the Visconti Inkwell for myself, especially since, when I do travel, I like taking several ink colors and can do this with inexpensive plastic ink bottles.

Plastic Ink Bottle

What sets the Visconti Inkwell apart, however, is its pen-like shape (so it fits in most pen cases), its leak-free construction, and its ability to fill pens without a big mess (as long as you know what you're doing). If you're a frequent traveler, and you don't mind taking along just one color of ink, the Visconti is an excellent choice. It is much simpler to use than ink bottles, and you can take it in your carry-on without any problems.

Even though I won't be galavanting through France again anytime soon (le sigh), I may take my Visconti Inkwell to work. I can keep it there to refill pens without a big mess when the need arises.

Pros

• The Visconti Traveling Inkwell is well-constructed and leak-proof (at least I had no issues with it in my trip to France and back).
• It is shaped like a fountain pen and is about the same size, so it fits in carrying cases made for fountain pens.
• When used correctly, it makes filling a pen virtually mess-free, but practice first!
• The inkwell works with the vast majority of fountain pens regardless of their filling system, making it quite versatile.

Cons

• The Visconti Traveling Inkwell is expensive at $70.00.
• If you want to take a variety of ink colors with you when you travel, you'll need to buy several inkwells.
• The eyedropper that comes with the inkwell is a bit awkward to use and requires repeated fills in order to get the inkwell to capacity.
• Small pens and oversized pens will not work with the inkwell.

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