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.)

Lamy Tipo Coffee Body Rollerball Review

When reviewing products, there is sometimes a disconnect between products I like and products I would recommend. The Lamy Tipo is the embodiment of this. I personally love the Tipo. The design is a Lamy masterpiece in my opinion, but there is a long list of issues I bring up when actually recommending this pen.

First of all, the clip design takes some getting used to. When clicking it down to engage the refill, the ball on the tip of the clip lands in a circular cut out on the barrel. Most of the time anyway. There are times when it takes two or three clicks, or a little push down to get the clip to sit correctly. And on occasion, it will bounce out randomly and retract the refill, like when putting the pen down on the table.

The end of the clip sticks out far above the barrel too. That has no impact on writing, but it may get in the way depending on how and where you carry the pen.

Grip-wise, it can be slick. The plastic ridges help, but it’s not a smooth plastic where your fingers will stick. Rather, it’s lightly textured, almost matte-like. If your fingers have a little moisture its fine, but if they are dry they slide around a bit.

The Lamy M66 rollerball refill it ships with is decent, but it’s not as good as the Schmidt P8127. It is both wetter and wider, making for a line that is not as clean.

And did I mention the sticker rage? That too.

All that being said, you think I would hate this pen. Fortunately there is one redeeming thing that makes me love it: It fits Pilot G2 refills. For me, that means it fits my favorite Pilot Juice 0.38 mm Blue Black refill. #winning

Swapping in the Juice refill changes everything about this pen. I find it comfortable to hold and use, and the writing experience is excellent. My grip settles in after a couple of lines, and the ridges are no longer slick. Maybe I still have to click the knock two or three times to engage it, but look how cool this pen looks! I genuinely love it.

I buy the Lamy Tipo for gifts frequently because it is unique looking and decently priced. The plastic barrel models are $12.50 at JetPens (look at that orange!), and the aluminum are only $2 more. I’m always sure to include a Pilot Juice pen as well, plus a note on swapping out the refill. It’s fun turning an average pen into a very good one.

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