The Franklin-Christoph SIG Nib: 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.)

Recently, I lucked out and bought a Stabilis 65 in tiffany from a seller on Fountain Pen Geeks. The pen came with a Masuyama steel needlepoint nib I was eager to try. Unfortunately, I found the needlepoint scratchy (expected) and very dry (unexpected).

But I loved the pen, so I decided to order a different nib for it. That's when I discovered you can buy a new grind from Franklin-Christoph called the SIG (stub-italic-gradient) nib. The nib is in between an italic and a stub with less sharpness than an italic but a crisper line than a stub. The gradient means that, depending on the angle you hold the pen (shallow or steep), you get more or less line variation.

I purchased a medium SIG for my new Stabilis 65. It arrived a few days later and, I must say, I adore this nib. It is smooth. It's not hard to find the sweet spot because the whole nib is sweet. The edges don't gouge the paper (like some super crisp italics), and there's just enough line variation to distinguish the nib from a stub.

The Franklin-Christoph steel nibs don't have any spring to them, but in this case, it doesn't really matter as the nib itself offers such an enjoyable writing experience.

Franklin-Christoph nibs simply screw into the grip, so you can purchase a nib and use it with any Franklin-Christoph pen. Just make sure you know which size nib your pen requires (#5 or #6).

My Franklin-Christoph Stabilis 65 in tiffany with the medium SIG nib is already one of my favorite writing pens. You can get a Stabilis 65 from Franklin-Christoph with the SIG nib for $159.50 in black or emerald. Unfortunately, the tiffany acrylic was a special run and is no longer available. If you just want the SIG nib, you can order the ^5 nib for $40 and the #6 nib for $45. All the SIG nibs are steel, but hopefully Franklin-Christoph will produce them in gold as well in the future.

(I purchased both the pen and nib with my own funds and was not compensated by Franklin-Christoph for this review.)

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Sailor Pro Gear Slim Four Seasons Haruzora Spring Sky Fountain Pen Review

Out of the top three Japanese pen brands, Sailor does the best job of mixing in limited and seasonal releases alongside their primary fountain pen offerings. My favorite manufacturer, Pilot, is the the worst in this area, with Platinum not doing much either, unless it relates to a Japanese lake.

Sailor, on the other hand, seems to enjoy putting out a few extra releases each year. And whether they revolve around neon colors, seasons, cities, or galaxies, they always seem to be interesting.

In late 2015, Sailor released the Pro Gear Slims Four Seasons lineup, featuring four colors: Haruzora Spring Sky Manyou, Summer Woods Meigetsu, Autumn Moon Yukitsubaki, and Winter Camelia. All feature unique resin colors to match the seasons, and 14k Medium Fine nibs.

It was hard to choose which one I wanted to review from Goldspot. An argument could be made for any of them actually. I thought Haruzora Spring Sky with its bright metallic light blue barrel was the standout, and, judging by the response on social media, I think I chose correctly.

The stark black end caps matched with the bright blue barrel and gold trim makes every bit of this pen pop. Although the blue isn’t a perfect match, I find the look to be Tiffany-esque. It’s classy, clean, and eye-catching.

Bottom to top: Pro Gear Slim, Pro Gear, 1911, King of Pens

The Sailor Pro Gear Slim, often called the Sapporo, is the smallest and lightest of Sailor’s gold nib pens. Despite that, it is a comfortable writer for all but the biggest of hands. Even when posted it remains light and well-balanced.

Sailor nibs are considered some of the best in the world, but I personally rank them behind both Pilot and Platinum. That is relative of course, like how I said above that Pilot is the worst among the three with seasonal releases. They are still wonderful, as are Sailor nibs. They have more tooth when compared to the smoothness of Pilot and precision of Platinum. Placing them third among that group is like saying someone is the third best supermodel in the world.

If you have never owned a Sailor fountain pen and were shopping for one of their gold nib models, my recommendation would be to go for the standard Pro Gear due to the larger barrel and nib. Yes, it is more expensive, but if it is your one and only Sailor it will make you the happiest in the long run I believe. If you have tried a Sailor and are familiar with the Sapporo size then you will certainly enjoy the unique colors of the Four Seasons series.

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

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The Montblanc Heritage Rouge et Noir Coral 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've long been entranced by the Montblanc Agatha Christie Writer's Edition–that serpent clip and nib are so fabulous. When Montblanc announced the Heritage Rouge et Noir edition, I fell in love immediately. I mean, what's not to love? A Montblanc pen in coral (coral is the new black) and a serpent clip with green spinels for eyes and a serpent nib–all for a price significantly less than an Agatha? I knew I had to have one.

I ordered my pen from Appelboom and requested a special factory-made oblique medium nib.

"This," I told my beleaguered husband, "will be my Mother's Day, Anniversary, Birthday, and Christmas gift!"
"Okay," he said, "but you can't open it until Christmas."
"Sure!" I said. "I can totally wait until Christmas."

But, sacrifices have to be made for the Pen Addict. What's the point of waiting until December to review this pen when all of them might be sold by then? No. Pen Addict readers need to know whether or not they should buy this pen themselves. I am such a fountain pen martyr that I opened it for your sake, good readers. But, I promise that I will clean it thoroughly, put it back in its box, and save it for Christmas once I'm done with this review. Really!

The Montblanc Heritage Rouge et Noir is part of a retro series Montblanc embarked on with the Heritage 1912 (see my review here). The Heritage Rouge et Noir series–one in black, one in coral, and one in black ebonite–hearken back to the 1906 safety-pens, though the modern ones are piston fillers. Taking a cue from the past, the pens have large snowcaps/stars on their finials and a retro-looking serpent clip.

I chose the coral version because, frankly, I'm tired of black pens. Plus, the serpent on the coral version has green spinels for eyes whereas the black version has no jewels. The far more expensive ebonite version has rubies for the serpent's eyes.

The packaging for the Heritage Rouge et Noir is pretty understated for Montblanc. The pen is housed in a black and cream clamshell cardboard box (albeit a nice cardboard box) with a cream velvet interior. A leaflet accompanies the pen.

Aside from the added flare of the serpent clip and nib, this pen is a simple design. The barrel is made of lacquered metal with an antique-looking metal grip. The cap threads are on the nib end of the grip, so your fingers don't contact them. The piston knob is set off with a metal ring that matches the grip. The knob turns on metal threads, and I'm pretty sure there's a ball or agitator inside the piston housing to keep the ink flowing. I can hear it when I shake the pen.

The cap is made of resin with a large cream-colored snowcap/star with a ridged ring around the finial. These details evoke the look of the 1906 safety pens.

An old-style Montblanc logo is etched into the side and matches the cream color of the star.

Of course, the highlight of the cap is the serpent clip. The tail wraps around the cap twice and the upper body of the serpent forms the clip. Montblanc says that the clip is made of a special alloy that has been "aged by a unique galvanic and stripping process." The green crystal serpent eyes glint in the sun and make me smile.

The nib is 14K gold, rhodium-plated with a golden engraved serpent (the black model has a single-tone nib, whereas the ebonite model also has a two-tone nib). The triangular breather hole nicely melds with the serpent's head. It is a striking design (pun intended).

The nib is small but in proportion with the rest of the pen. Unlike the Heritage 1912 nib which has a vintage, springy feel to it, this nib has no "give," unfortunately.

The oblique medium grind offers some line variation and accommodates my tendency to rotate the pen while writing. It took me a little practice to find the sweet spot, but, once I did, the nib wrote smoothly. For some reason the feed doesn't deliver as much ink as I'd like, so periodically I have to shake the pen to get the ink flowing more. It's not that the pen ever completely stops writing or skips, it's just that the ink flow slows down.

I should note that getting my Rouge et Noir with the OM nib took some time. I ordered the pen on April 9, but Appelboom didn't receive it until late June. The specialty nibs are simply not well stocked by Montblanc.

So. How does my Mother's Day, Anniversary, Birthday, and Christmas pen measure up? In terms of quality and beauty, this pen is outstanding and gorgeous. But, dang it, it's just too skinny. It measures 135mm in length, capped; 125mm uncapped; 160mm posted but is less than 10mm in diameter at the grip. Although the proportions are elegant and lean, it feels like a (rather heavy) Bic in the hand (horrors!).

The metal barrel gives the pen some heft, but my hand cramps up when I'm writing for any length of time. I love everything else about this pen, but I don't much enjoy writing with it, and that truly is a shame. Perhaps, with some time, adjusting my grip, and experimenting with different inks, I'll discover I can write with this pen without discomfort. Still, beauty and elegance won't heal hand cramps, so I may have to let this one go. Honestly, I think I really just want an Agatha, but this one almost scratched that itch.

The MB Heritage Rouge et Noir is available at many retailers and Montblanc boutiques. The list price for the black or coral resin versions is around $700.00. If you want the ebonite version, the list price is around $2,000.

Pros

• The Montblanc Heritage Rouge et Noir is a well-crafted, retro-looking fountain pen.
• Despite its svelt girth, the pen feels solid in the hand because the barrel is made of metal.
• The serpent clip and nib are absolutely stunning. The coral color is a welcome departure from black.
• It is a piston filler, though the ink capacity is rather small (less than 1ml).
• The nib performs smoothly but does not have the spring of the MB Heritage 1912 nib.

Cons

• Unfortunately, the pen is very thin in diameter. While this might not bother some people, others will find the pen uncomfortable to write with.
• The pen is expensive (but that's true for all Montblancs).
• The Rouge et Noir is quickly becoming more difficult to find. And, if you want a special nib, be aware that it takes a long time to obtain one.
• I found the ink flow to be a bit stingy but need to experiment more with different inks.

I purchased this pen with my own money and was not compensated by Montblanc for this review.

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, which I am very grateful for.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!