Posts filed under Fountain Pens

Traveler's Company Brass Fountain Pen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

Traveler's Company is already well known for their fantastic notebook systems and line of stationery products with a classic, vintage aesthetic. I've enjoyed their notebooks, accessories, pencils, and writing utensils before, but this is the first fountain pen of theirs that I've used. I'm really quite happy with it. It isn't perfect, but it does its job well.

The Traveler’s Company Brass Fountain Pen pen is made from - you guessed it - brass, so it has a hefty weight to it, despite its small size. They've kept it quite thin, though, so it's not as heavy as many other brass pens I've used. When capped, it's very small and resembles a brass bullet casing, but when pulled out of its lid and posted, it's the size of a normal fountain pen. It has a flexible steel clip that is removable, and a lanyard loop on the top of the cap. The top unscrews to allow you to remove the clip, if you like. There are some decorative grooves hammered into the top, and the words "Traveler's Company Made in Japan" are engraved on the barrel. Otherwise there are no decorations to distract from its minimal design.

Traveler's Company Brass Fountain Pen Posted

The pen is uncapped by pulling on the bottom of the pen. The cap is friction fit with some ridges that grip the pen body. The bottom part that you pull is a bit small and has no texture, so it is sometimes hard to uncap. If you've just put lotion on, it's probably not going to work. The pen body is short and narrow, similar to a Kaweco Liliput. Large hands may struggle with the narrow grip, but I found it comfortable to hold, even without posting. Keep in mind that if you use it on a lanyard, you won't be able to post it very easily, which might be a problem if you have larger hands. Or even regular sized hands.

Traveler's Company Brass Fountain Pen Cap

The section unscrews from the body for inserting a standard international short cartridge. I'm not aware of any converters that will fit this wee pen. It does come with some cartridges, though, that can be refilled with bottled ink if you have a blunt syringe.

Traveler's Company Brass Fountain Pen Comparison

The nib is a fine #5 nib with "Traveler's Company" engraved in it. Mine writes very well. It's firm but not too scratchy and has excellent flow. It's not too wet, and the line is fine enough that it works well on scrap paper or in pocket notebooks that don't typically handle fountain pens well. Which is perfect, as that is what I typically use my pocket pens for.

Traveler's Company Brass Fountain Pen vs Lamy

The best part about this pen, besides its excellent portability, is that it ages with character, much like the Traveler's Company notebooks do. The brass begins to patina almost immediately, and even after just a few weeks of use, it's starting to look more like a family heirloom instead of something I just got in the mail. If you like to keep your pens shiny, that might be a downside, but I love it.

Traveler's Company Brass Fountain Pen Lanyard

At $57, it's a reasonable price. It feels a bit steep for something so small, but the brass is very nice and it functions well. I love that it's small enough that I really can fit it in my pockets--which I can't actually do with a lot of pocket pens, because I have girl pockets. It's been great to have with me at work, and its ruggedness means I'm not worried about damaging it. I think it could use some texture to make it easier to pull open, but otherwise I think this is a fantastic little pen.

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

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Posted on August 20, 2020 by Sarah Read and filed under Traveler's, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Scribo Feel Amarena Fountain Pen with Fine Flex 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.)

Scribo is an Italian company founded by former employees of Omas. Their signature pen is the Scribo Feel, which originally came in two colors: grey-blue and blue-black. Recently, they've expanded their colors, one of which is a rich burgundy called Amarena.

The Scribo Feel comes in a grey-blue box with a magnetic closure. It folds up to reveal a cotton/leather pen case, which can hold two pens and has a pocket with a soft cleaning cloth.

Scribo Feel Amarena Fountain Pen Case Closed

The pen is large, measuring 5.9 inches/150mm capped and 5.31 inches/135mm uncapped. Supposedly it can be posted, but the cap doesn't feel secure posted and it makes the pen unwieldy. Capped it weighs a solid 31.87 grams; uncapped it weighs 20.62 grams (both weights were measured with the pen inked). Although the pen is large, the grip is only 11.32mm, which makes it comfortable in the hand. I like girthy pens, and the Scribo's shape and size suits me perfectly. People with small hands or who prefer lighter pens should try this pen in person before purchasing.

The Amarena is made of burgundy resin hand turned from a single rod. There are twelve facets, which are meant to evoke a Doric column. In addition, both the cap and barrel have convex shapes called entasis, also derived from columns.

Ruthenium accents adorn the pen. The cap finial is a ruthenium coin with a quill inscribed on the surface.

The spring-loaded clip curves to match the cap.

The cap ring is engraved with "Scribo" and "Feel the Writing."

Scribo Feel Amarena Fountain Pen Cap Ring

Another slim ring adorns the barrel above the piston knob. The piston mechanism is metal.

Uncapped, you'll notice a distinct drop from the barrel to the grip section. This does not create any discomfort, however, because the barrel of the pen rests between your thumb and pointer finger and your fingertips settle near the nib.

Scribo Feel Amarena Fountain Pen Grip Drop

The piston mechanism works smoothly and the pen holds 1.4 ml of ink.

This pen has a 14k ruthenium plated fine flex nib and an ebonite feed. It's not the most beautiful nib, engraved with "Feel the Flex" and "Scribo." I'd prefer scrollwork or the minimalist design of the old Omas nibs.

Scribo Feel Amarena Fountain Pen Nib Design

The nib itself is excellent. It writes smoothly with or without flex and offers generous ink flow.

Scribo Feel Amarena Fountain Pen Nib Macro

This is an example of writing without flex:

Scribo Feel Amarena Fountain Pen Writing

The fine line without flex expands to about 1mm with flex. It's possible that you could get an even broader line if you pressed harder, but since this pen is on loan, I didn't want to risk it. The pictures that follow demonstrate writing with flex.

Scribo Feel Amarena Fountain Pen Flex Writing

Scribo Feel Amarena Fountain Pen Flex Close Up

I wanted to compare the Scribo flex nib with my vintage celluloid Montblanc 146, which has an oblique medium flex nib, because flex-lovers always want to know how modern flex nibs compare to vintage ones.

Scribo Feel Amarena Fountain Pen Montblanc Comparison

As you'd expect, the Montblanc nib is considerably softer than the Scribo nib. Plus, because the Montblanc is a medium nib, it starts with a wider line unflexed so it doesn't demonstrate as much variation when flexed.

Scribo Feel Amarena Fountain Pen Montblanc Lines

Scribo Feel Amarena Fountain Pen Montblanc Variation

The Scribo nib is pretty darn good. It flexes to about 1mm, and bounces back quickly. Because it starts fine, the variation between the line when the nib is unflexed and when it is flexed is much more obvious.

Scribo Feel Amarena Fountain Pen Scribo Measured

Scribo Feel Amarena Fountain Pen Line Variation

Both nibs performed well when I did calligraphy (please forgive the shaky lines--I'm still learning):

Scribo Feel Amarena Fountain Pen Calligraphy

I am pleased with how well the Scribo flex nib performed. I encountered absolutely no railroading or skipping, even when flexing the nib. The nib doesn't feel mushy like the Omas flex nibs. It's bouncy and offers good feedback when flexed.

Scribo Feel Amarena Fountain Pen Flex Nib

I've been wanting to try the Scribo Feel ever since it was announced, so I was thrilled when Vanness sent Pen Addict the loaner pen. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one of these pens straight away . . . if they weren't so expensive. The Scribo Amarena with flex nib costs $760. That's a pretty penny for a resin fountain pen. But you are getting a piston filler (with metal threads) and a beautifully designed fountain pen with excellent ink capacity and a flex nib.

I'm debating about purchasing a Scribo Feel. Now that they are offering more choices of color and material, I may succumb to the temptation. It's a well-crafted pen and the flex nib is superior.

You can purchase Scribo Feel fountain pens from Vanness Pens in Amarena, Mediterraneo (teal green), Blue-Black, Grey-Blue, or Grigio-Notte (grey with black trim).

(Vanness Pens loaned this product to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Posted on August 7, 2020 by Susan Pigott and filed under Scribo, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Platinum Curidas Fountain Pen Review

If there was an award for the most anticipated stationery product of 2020, the Platinum Curidas would be the runaway winner.

In development for years prior to release, the Curidas hype train officially pulled out of the station at the beginning of the year. I mean, who wouldn’t be excited for a reasonably priced, good quality, retractable fountain pen? I know I was.

That hype continued through its early release. Yes, there was pricing confusion brought on by Platinum themselves, pulling back from their standard retail pricing of 20% off MSRP to full MSRP, but I don’t think that snafu lowered anticipation in the least. It just gave us as a community something to talk about.

What we really wanted to discuss was the pen itself, and the initial reviews were positive. The only hang up early on was with the bump located on the back side of the barrel that affected the grip area for some users. A bump that many of us, myself included, never noticed in Platinum’s early marketing photos. Good job by them for hiding it well, I guess?

As these early looks at the pen trickled in, a new issue cropped up with the wide release of the Curidas, as delivery was pushed back from February to April - at least in the US market. There was some early availability, like in the UK at special release events, but most of us were still waiting. Again, not really a big deal, but another “thing” to discuss surrounding this pen.

By the time I received mine in early April, I was nearing Curidas-hype burnout. But as with most new products, once it actually got in my hands I was excited to test it out.

My initial thoughts about it were tempered. I felt it was an ok pen, with a just-too-wide barrel and a bump that gets in they way of my low grip. But I liked the idea of it, and kept using it to see if my thoughts would change with continued use.

Then crack-gate hit.

What started as the discovery of a few cracked feeds where the nib clamps onto it, turned into a widespread, high rate of failure, issue. Once news started to spread I gave mine the once-over. I didn't see anything glaring at first, but upon closer inspection, it stood out like a sore thumb: A crack running nearly the full-length of the right side of the feed.

Platinum responded to the issue quickly, and offered replacements through the original point of purchase. I haven’t gone that route with mine yet because it doesn’t affect the performance of my Curidas. It will eventually, and I’ll have it replaced.

At this point, I began to wonder if the Curidas was cursed. What started as a hype train lead into a derailment. Yet, I couldn’t put it down.

The more I used it, the more I enjoyed it. My main holdup, as I mentioned above, is the barrel diameter. This is a wide pen. I have a place for wide pens in my arsenal, but I prefer if they have some sort of taper, or concave area, in the grip section. The retractable Pilot Vanishing Point tapers toward the grip. The retractable Lamy Dialog 3 doesn’t. Having a straight-sided, wide-barrel causes more tension in my grip, leading to shorter writing sessions due to my hand getting tired.

Platinum Curidas Pilot Vanishing Point Nib

What I have found with the Curidas is that it thrives in shorter writing sessions. This is a note-taking pen for me, not a journaling for page after page pen. And the retractable nature of it is perfect for that - at my desk.

I want the Curidas to be a more portable EDC-type pen, but it is too large for that. The Vanishing Point is better for that use case, and is a better pen overall.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for the Curidas in the market. Platinum invested in this idea for a reason: There is no other retractable fountain pen close to this price point. My gut tells me that this is just the beginning of the Curidas. If they can make a few tweaks here and there, and tighten up the QC, it will no longer be just a curiosity. It will be a solid choice for users wanting a good retractable fountain pen experience.

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

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