Posts filed under Fountain Pens

Conid Minimalistica Monarch Fountain Pen Review

(This is a guest post by Phillip Barlow.)

As many in the community may know I have been a Conid enthusiast and self appointed brand ambassador for a long time. Conid is a company based out of Antwerp, Belgium and when I purchased my first Conid in the middle of 2016 they were not as well known as they are today. They have grown by leaps and bounds over the past two years through many like myself showing off their pens, talking about them, and helping spread the word.

Today I would like to give my thoughts and opinions on the newest Conid to be added to my collection, the Conid Minimalistica. This particular model is the Monarch, a collaboration between Conid and Fontoplumo. The Conid Minimalistica Monarch is limited to 50 pieces and the orange ebonite finials stand out with a brilliant pop of color. This pen was originally sent to me by a friend who knew I loved Conid and knew I hadn’t had the opportunity to try the Minimalistica model. Within days of having this pen I knew I didn’t want to send the pen back to its owner, luckily after chatting he was willing to sell it to me.

The Conid Minimalistica has the modern and industrial design found throughout the Conid line of pens. It definitely follows the less-is-more contemporary style, giving it clean lines and elegant touches throughout. Conid design checks so many boxes of what I consider is needed for the perfect pen, there is a lot here for everyone to love. I feel that the Minimalistica is a wonderful value and a star in the Conid lineup. While it won’t unseat the Kingsize as my favorite Conid pen it does come in second.

One of my favorite aspects of all Conid pens is the interchangeable nibs. I enjoy being able to have spare nibs and switch them into the body to give me a different writing experience. This is one of Conid’s 7 strengths and particularly close to my heart. This particular Minimalistica came to me with a Platinum 3776 Soft Fine in a housing designed by Joey over at Flex Nib Factory to convert the Platinum nib over to the Bock housing that Conid uses. This allows the Platinum nib to screw into the normal Bock mount of pen without issue and work seamlessly. I currently do not have any other Bock #6 size nibs but have a Fine nib on the way. After owning the Platinum for a while I decided that the nib wasn’t for me and have since switched it over to a H-F Sailor 21k nib. If you are also one that enjoys experimenting and changing up your pens Conid is a brand for you. I have seen Conid pens with all kinds of nibs ranging from vintage Waterman nibs, to Sailor nibs, to dip pen nibs, to even Montblanc and Pelikan nibs.

The Minimalistica uses the same materials as the other Conid’s with a few slight design changes and “minimal” approach to construction. Unlike other Conid’s that have separate barrel attached the the grip section the Minimalistica uses a one piece design. This design also uses a gradual increasing taper instead of the sculpted grip on other models. This gradual taper allows the user to grip the pen at any comfortable spot along the length of the pen. Near the nib is starts out at 10.3mm thickening to 12.5mm with the mid-point of 11.2mm. The Minimalistica comes in a little thicker to the Pilot 823, and for my large hands it is much more conformable to hold. If the Pilot 823 is a pen you already enjoy the Minimalistica will be right up your alley.

Another unique aspect of the Minimalistica within the Conid lineup is its slip cap. When I first thought of this cap my mind jumped to the well known Lamy Safari or Lamy 2000 … BUT it’s not like either of those which are more of a snap cap, this cap slips. To achieve its seal the cap incorporates an o-ring. This was a very appealing feature for me as sometimes I’m making a lot of quick short notes in meetings and unscrewing or leaving a cap off isn’t a good option. This cap does function differently than other similar caps I have used securing the cap much more efficiently. I have tested putting it cap first into single pens sleeves, shaking the pen over a bed to see if the cap would come off (without a nib or ink in in), and other ways I’ve had caps come off in the past. Surprisingly it passed all these tests with flying colors, the one semi draw back to security is the cap does require, at least for me, a special way to remove it easily. This is accomplished by holding the cap and the barrel of the pen and pulling apart while at the same time doing a quarter twist and the cap comes off easy and smooth. Once this is accomplished and you pick up the skip quickly you and your trusty Minimalistica are ready to take on the world … well at least ready to write a bunch.

I mentioned writing a bunch and this is definitely the case with the pen coming in with an impressive 2.5ml ink capacity. Granted, just because it has it doesn’t mean you have to use it. Personally, I don’t often fill up my pens, only doing about a half fill most of the time. Now to one of the fun parts filling the pen! Conid uses a patented filling system called the bulkfiller and it is present across the complete line of pens. This system is both easy and a joy to use, while also in my opinion being very beautiful. Conid pens have a forward small reservoir right at the nib housing assembly that is blocked off from the main in supply in the barrel by the end of the piston rod with an o-ring on it. To fill the pen or allow more ink into the forward reservoir simply twist the piston knob on the end and draw back the piston a little. If filling the pen draw it all the way to the end and continue twisting and the end of the piston will screw into the plunger in the rear of the pen. Once the piston is attached the the plunger you will make one more twist and the plunger with release from the rear of the pen allowing you to push the plunger forward, without ink unless you’re trying to attack someone with a jet of ink. Then dip the nib of the pen ink your bottle of ink and draw the piston rod back and it will fill with ink, release the process of unscrewing the piston and you’re ready to go back to writing.

I have recently performed a test on the Bulkfiller system involving shipping my pen back and forth to Mark Bacas. We drained the ink from the forward reservoir into the barrel and sealed back the piston rod, leaving the ink in the barrel. With a normal pen, mailing it filled with ink would normally cause an explosion within the cap. Both trips back and forward were accomplished with no splatters of ink inside the cap.

For me, what really makes a Conid such a great pen and wonderful writer is its superb balance in the hand and marvelous build quality. When you include its modern design and great ink capacity it becomes a true titan in the pen world. The best compliment that I can give the pen is that IF I was only allowed to have one pen for the rest of my life I would choose a Conid as that pen. For me it checks all of the boxes for what I’m looking for in a great pen. If the design aesthetic is one that appeals to you and you have been holding back getting one, I can recommend that you try one when the opportunity arises. You might find a pen that is an extension of your thoughts bringing words to paper.

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Posted on December 3, 2018 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Conid, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Récife Special Edition Artis Traveler 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.)

Récife is a specialty shop in Paris that carries leather goods, accessories, and writing instruments. Today I’m reviewing a soon-to-be released fountain pen in the Récife Special Edition Artis collection. These pens are meant to evoke the works of Claude Monet. My pen utilizes the colors found in Monet’s work, “Le Jardin de l'artiste à Giverny”: purple and pink (Récife calls the color Violene). Récife craftsmen make each pen by hand, so each pen is unique.

I’m not sure if the pen is made of resin or acrylic, but it is extremely lightweight, regardless. It is 5.5 inches (140mm) capped, 4.75 inches (121mm) uncapped, and 6.25 inches (159mm) posted. I found the pen to be unbalanced posted, but I do not usually post pens, so your experience may vary.

The cap’s final and clip are one piece of metal with an art deco motif. The cap band is inscribed with “Modèle Recife déposé Paris,” which means “registered Recife model, Paris.” The cap screws onto the barrel with a few twists.

The grip is made of metal, but it doesn’t add much heft to the pen.

My pen came with a standard international-sized black ink cartridge but no converter. I didn’t see any converters advertised on the Récife website, but it’s likely that a standard international converter would work with the pen.

The nib is a steel medium with scrollwork, “Récife Paris,” a logo (I can’t tell what it is), and the nib size inscribed on it.

The tines are perfectly aligned and the writing is smooth. However, I experienced hard starts whenever I uncapped the pen to write a new page.

The Récife Special Edition Artis Traveler Fountain Pen is an interesting pen with a palette based on Monet paintings. It sort of reminds me of the Visconti Van Gogh pens, but the Récife is definitely not in the same class as the Visconti pens which are made of resin, have magnetic closure caps, and sport much thicker metal trims (they are also more expensive). The violene color is not my cup of tea, but there are other marbled colors in shades of black, gray, green, blue, and red in the collection. I also think the pen is much too small and light, but that is because I prefer heavier, large pens.

You can purchase Récife fountain pens from Récife Paris. The Traveler model is ordinarily 50 euros (= $57.00), but the Special Edition Artis models will be more expensive (around $90.00).

(The US distributor for Récife provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on November 16, 2018 by Susan Pigott and filed under Récife, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Récife Waldorf Fountain Pen Review

The Récife Waldorf fountain pen is a charming and well-made fountain pen from a company located in Paris, France. The body design has lovely lines and grooves that elevate the aesthetic to something that is reminiscent of Art Deco. In fact, Récife cites New York as the inspiration for this design, and I definitely think of the Empire State Building when I use this pen.

The pen is a solid metal and lacquer construction, and it feels great in the hand. The cap screws on securely, and there are also threads on the back of the pen so that you can securely post it when writing. I found the pen to be too long and unbalanced when posted, so I haven't used it that way very much.

The grip section is a polished chrome look and is very comfortable to hold. Despite the polished metal, there are plenty of ridges surrounding the grip section to provide ample finger holds when writing.

The body of the pen is a rippling wave of sparkly purple lacquer. You can pick your color, of course, but the purple version look amazing under light when accompanied by the shiny accents.

The clip is quite strong and is integrated into the finial. The finial itself is decorated tastefully to continue the Art Deco aesthetic.

The only branding on this pen is found in two small places: the cap band and the nib. The nib has a small "Récife" logo along with the nib size, while the band says "Récife" and "PARIS" on opposite sides. I love the minimal branding on this pen. The overall look of the pen is ostentatious, and I'm glad they didn't take it too far with vivid branding.

Uncapping and capping the pen is a smooth process for the most part. I've had a little bit of trouble with the unit I have when trying to cap it sometimes. Every now and then, the threads don't want to line up straight and I have to try several times to find the right path for the threads. It isn't a big deal, but I do think it should be smoother for the price.

Writing with the pen is a delight. The nib was perfect out of the box and I've enjoyed every minute with it. The fine nib is true to the size I expect, and it's a true performer. The flow is perfect, the steel nib is stiff but comfortable, and I can find no flaws in the tip. Writing is smooth, reliable, and pleasant.

Along with the pen, Récife include one international short cartridge. There's no cartridge converter included, and that's disappointing to me because the size of the pen makes it impossible to fit a standard converter. I haven't found a cartridge converter that fits yet, but I only looked through my own collection, which is not extensive. In order to use my own ink, I opted to use a Kaweco bulb converter. It works fine, but it's difficult to fill and doesn't hold much ink. It would be great if Récife included their own converter as part of the purchase so that buyers could use their own ink to match these brightly colored and beautiful pens.

I've really enjoyed using this pen. It has a bold design, but I think it works well. It definitely attracts attention and comments, and people can't wait to get their hands on it. Even better, it's an excellent writer.

My only concern with this pen is the same concern I share with many other luxury pens in this same price bracket: it has so much competition. On the Récife website, it lists the retail price for this pen as €125. In current prices today, that translates to just over $140 USD. In my opinion, that's a bit high for this pen, but it's also the full retail price. If you look at other pen offerings in the $140 price range, you are easily overwhelmed with high-quality pens that feature gold nibs, piston filler ink reservoirs, fancy click mechanisms, and more. At full retail, I can't recommend the Waldorf unless you're absolutely in love with the design. If you just want a good pen for your money, there's a long list of readily available pens that I would recommend first.

This price conundrum will always exist, but it's always so great to see new players and new products in the stationery space! If the Récife Waldorf speaks to you, I encourage you to pick one up. It's an excellent writer and a well made pen that won't let you down.

(Artistic Paper, the US distributor for Récife, loaned this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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