Posts filed under Laban

Laban Pens - A Quick Comparison

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

Last year, Luxury Brands of America added Laban Pens to their portfolio of brands that they distribute (including Platinum, Waldmann, Colorverse, Girologio, and others). Founded in Taiwan, Laban Pens has been making pens since 1981 (and inks in 2020). While I own all of their mythology series inks, I didn’t own any Laban Pens, so I wanted to take a closer look at their various models. Thank you to Bryce Gillett from LBA for loaning these pens for review.

Note:

These aren’t all of the pens that Laban makes/sells, just the ones I was able to get from Bryce since their inventory is often flying off their shelves.
Since these pens are on loan, I did not ink them up.
Some of the models are also available as rollerballs/ballpoints, but I am only reviewing the fountain pens.
I confirmed with Bryce that Laban nib housings are glued in, but you can pull the nib/feed out (it took more force than I was comfortable with, so I did not do so).

325 (and 326):

One of the best known models of Laban Pen is the 325. Most of its colorways sport a cream & light brown cap and finial, while others have a solid black cap/finial. The 325 is a great canvas for highlighting various barrel materials. They announced the 326 earlier this year, which is the same pen as the 325 but with special artisan resins for the barrel. The first, and only colorway so far, is Blue Mirage.

The 325/326 is a fairly light pen, comes equipped with a gold-toned Jowo 6 nib, and is available in Extra Fine to Broad and 1.5 for steel, and Flex EF and Flex F in 14kt gold. Note that this is Jowo’s “flex” nib which isn’t very flexy, even in 14kt gold. The retail price starts at $160 (steel nib), or $360 (14kt gold nib).

*Two examples of the Laban 325 model, made with Jonathon Brooks resins, one with cream cap/finial and the other with black cap/finial. Both gorgeous!*

Antique’II:

The Antique’II is the second in the Laban brass series (the first being Antique), and has etched/engraved lines down the cap and barrel. It is made from recycled brass, so expect some patina on the trim (clip/finials/cap band) over time.

The Antique’II is available in EF to Broad. It uses a smaller, two-toned nib, which is made by Bock. I was unable to remove the nib or unscrew the housing to confirm if it is compatible with Kaweco Sports but it looks like it should. It is a slimmer pen with a smaller nib, but the brass gives it some heft. The pen retails for $120.

*Laban Antique’II Fountain Pen in Grey.*

*Antique’II nib (left) next to a Kaweco Sport.*

“Jewellery” Series - Abalone and Mother of Pearl:

The Abalone pen comes in two trim colors, Silver and Gun Metal (grey). The Mother of Pearl (MOP) has silver trim. Both start at $270 with a two-toned, size 6 Schmidt steel nib (EF to B). The Mother of Pearl starts at $330 with the same nib options. Both the Abalone and MOP pens are made from real abalone shell and mother of pearl.

*Laban Abalone with Gun Metal trim (left) and Mother of Pearl.*

Formosa:

The Formosa has a blue swirled resin base that is covered with a silver-plated overlay. It is equipped with a specially-engraved, silver-toned EF- Broad Jowo 6 nib and retails for $280.

Galileo:

The Galileo has a multi-layer overlay design - a resin base, topped with two different plated overlays. Despite two overlays, the Galileo is not a super heavy pen. It is very comfortable to hold because it’s not very hefty. There are currently two colorways, the one shown below (black, rose gold, silver) and rose gold (cream, silver, rose gold). It is equipped with a two-toned EF-Broad nib and retails for $280.

*Galileo in hand, surprisingly as not heavy as it looks.*

Rosa:

The Rosa is another pen in Laban’s Resin collection and has trim bands around the cap, and at the top & bottom. I like the slightly conical ends which makes it visually more interesting than cigar or flat ends. It is equipped with a two-toned EF-Broad nib and retails for $140.

Skeleton:

The Skeleton is another overlay pen in Laban’s Filigree collection. Unlike the Formosa or Galileo pens, which have non-transparent bases, the Skeleton has a clear, transparent acrylic base which is then covered with silver, gun metal, rose gold, or in this case, a rainbow plated-metal overlay. The Rose Gold version has a two-toned nib, while the other colors (including Rainbow) have a silver-toned nib. EF-Broad nib sizes are available and most colors retail for $280, while the Rainbow is $300.

*Skeleton uncapped. Not gonna lie, I wish the nib was also rainbow and not silver-tone.*

Taroko:

Like the Rosa, the Taroko is part of the Resin collection. The Taroko is a cigar-shaped, gold trim pen. Unlike the Rosa, the Taroko does not have trim rings near the top or bottom of the pen, giving it a clean, classic look. It is equipped with a two-toned EF-Broad nib and retails for $140.

*Laban pens capped (left to right): 325, Antique’II, Abalone, Formosa, Galileo, Mother of Pearl, Rosa, Skeleton, Taroko.*

Laban pens posted - While the pens are postable, there is nothing preventing the cap band or threads from potentially scratching the barrel when posting. As such, I gently put the cap on the barrel for the photos. It would also make some of the pens (especially the MOP) extremely back heavy.

*Comparison with other pens (L to R): Platinum 3776, Sailor Pro Gear, TWSBI Eco, Laban Pens, Visconti Homo Sapiens, Pilot Custom 823, Pelikan M800, Leonardo Momento Zero.*

All of the pens come with a Laban-banded converter (already installed in the pen), orange nib bookmark (and a little tag to let you know the sticker is below the pen panel), and booklet - all encased in a blue box and white box sleeve. Cartridges are not included.

*Laban’s converter is standard international. The clear piston knob is less distracting in their Skeleton pens.*

*Laban’s packaging (minus white box sleeve) shown with the Laban Rosa. I like the orange nib bookmark (on top of the box.)*

The Laban pens come in a wide range of styles and price points, and are outfitted with reliable nibs (based on my experience with Schmidt and Jowo nibs on other pens), making them worth checking out. After spending time with all the pens, I’ve been eyeing the Laban Rosa in Lilac and the Taroko in Pinnacle and might have to reach out to Bryce about buying one of them 😀 Laban Pens can be purchased from all of our site sponsors, including Vanness Pens, Pen Chalet, JetPens, and Goldspot, and you can see them at next week's San Francisco Pen Show at the Luxury Brands tables.

(Disclaimer: All pens were on loan for review by Bryce Gillett of Luxury Brands of America. All other pens are my own.)

Posted on August 22, 2025 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Laban, Pen Reviews, Fountain Pens.

Laban Skeleton 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 Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

In my love for all things spooky, I've had my eye on the Laban Skeleton for a while, so I was excited to give it a try. Clearly it looks fantastic. The resin demonstrator body gives a fun view into the converter and ink inside the pen, and the gunmetal-colored brass lattice covering looks, somehow, both modern and ancient. The shape of the overlay looks both architectural and organic. Yaknow, like a skeleton.

The finial, endcap, cap band, clip, and grip section are also brass, but for all that metal, the pen feels very light. The clip is stiff, but it holds securely to whatever it is clipped to. The grip section has no texture, so it can feel a bit slick, but because the pen is so light, it's not too much of a problem.

The pen has a stainless steel Bock nib and it writes well. It's smooth, but with a good amount of feedback. It has consistent ink flow. I prefer a wetter writer, but this doesn't feel too dry.

For the most part, I enjoy writing with it, but it isn't super comfortable to hold. I had assumed that the metal overlay would be somehow attached to the pen body, but it actually sits around it like a cage, with space between the metal and the resin. One of the reasons the pen is so light is because the metal is very thin. The result is that this cage of thin metal is quite sharp, and the edges of it dig into the hand when you're holding it. On the plus side, grip! You're not going to drop it! But I don't enjoy using it for long writing sessions. I had expected the pen to be more precisely fitted and finished than that.

One of the reasons I had those expectations is the price point of the pen. The Laban Skeleton costs $224, which is rather a lot. While fountain pen prices have gone up at an upsetting rate, I still think this price is too high for the pen. In terms of materials, feel, and performance, I'd compare this pen to a TWSBI Diamond ALR, and those cost between $65 and $90, depending on limited edition status. And those are perfectly good pens, as is this one, but for the price, I expected better than good.

It does look better than good, though, so it definitely has that going for it. And when I took it out into public for a writing group gathering, it received much admiration. And while I don't like the way it feels, I do keep picking it up for quick notes--just not long writing projects. This is a pen you might enjoy very much, but its one I'd recommend you try out before you invest and see if you like the feel of it as much as you can't help but admire its good looks.

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

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Posted on February 27, 2025 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Laban, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Laban 325 Fountain Pen Review

Founded in Taiwan in 1981, Laban has been present in the fountain pen world for a while, but only came on my radar in the last several years. In using the Laban 325, I can only wonder what took me so long?

I’ve had this pen inked up on and off for the past three months, and every time I pick it up and write with it, the same group of words come to mind. Solid. Nice. Pretty. Quality. Fun. What more can I ask for from a pen? Not much. The Pen Addict Review Crew have been reviewing Laban fountain pens since 2019, to generally high praise, and I’m only going to add to the chorus today.

Let’s start with what you see: the barrel. The 325 is on the larger size of the scale, especially given the cap overhang. The design works together as a whole, but the initial visual is that this is a big pen. When in user mode, aka uncapped, the 325 hits the perfect user length at just over five inches. The diameter befits its size, with a tapered section providing a nice grip area.

Aesthetically, the 325 features three distinct visual areas. With this Sun model, both ends use an Ivory marbled acrylic, with the heart of the barrel showing off a beautiful Orange cracked acrylic. Many of the 325’s are designed similarly, with different color acrylics taking prominence on the barrel.

Laban 325 Fountain Pen Safari — *LAMY Safari for scale.*

Gold trim wins the day on the 325, with the clip, finial, barrel and cap bands, and matching gold plating on the steel nib. The nib itself is Laban-branded Jowo #6, and the Medium tip was perfect out of the box. This is an international cartridge/converter filler, and ships with Laban marked on the converter.

Writing comfort is perfect for me. To say that I don’t notice the pen when writing is a high compliment. When I’m putting ink on the page, I want nothing more to get into the flow. I don’t want to think about the pen, nib, ink, or paper. The 325 allows for that.

Should you consider trying out a Laban fountain pen, specifically the 325? At $128, it doesn’t have a lot of price competition. The entire $75 to $150 range is honestly a bit confusing. Benu, Narwhal, and Opus 88 do well here, fancy Kaweco’s live here, maybe some solid maker pens. The 325 is one of the lower priced Laban pens, and has some of the Leonardo Momento Zero feel to it for around $40 less. So yes, I think they are compelling.

*L’Ecritoire ink, from Paris. Courtesy of a pen friend.*

Laban makes several different styles of pens in their lineup, and given the feel and functionality of the 325, I’m interested in moving on up the price bracket to see if the value proposition continues to hold. Seems like a good plan for 2025.

(This pen was provided by Luxury Brands USA at no charge for purposes of this review.)

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