Posts filed under Pen Reviews

Woodshed Pen Co. Fountain Pen Review

I can’t believe it has been less than two years since I first heard of Woodshed Pen Co.. I may not have heard of Mike Allen and his company back then either if it weren’t for a reader asking me about a certain “Cracked Ice fountain pen” project on Kickstarter in the middle of 2017. I’m glad I got tipped off to it, because I have been able to enjoy my Woodshed pen, and make a new friend along the way.

The materials were what sold me on Mike’s first fountain pen Kickstarter. He started out as a kit pen turner, who transitioned into turning his own fountain pens. It was a small start to be sure - I was one of only 26 backers of the project - but the quality of the end product set Woodshed off on the trajectory he is on today. Onward and upward!

Today, Mike continues to turn pens in off the shelf materials, and has begun mixing his own blanks as well. On top of that, he is trying to perfect the coating of black fountain pen nibs. That’s a tough challenge to be sure, and is what prompted me to write this review.

*New, “Wildfire” model on top. Original Kickstarter “Roses and Violets” on bottom.*

But before that, let’s talk about the pen, and specifically, the barrel shape. Woodshed Pen Co. offers just one. That’s it, and I can appreciate that decision. Luckily for me, that one shape is right on the money. You could be tricked into calling this a small pen, but in reality it isn't at all. It is “just right sized” in my book. The overall length may fall short of some of the standard pens in your rotation, but it is plenty long enough for most people to use unposted. The pen diameter falls in the standard range as well, including the grip section.

I think the section it what makes the entire pen body work honestly. It is slightly longer than you would expect for a pen this length, and makes for a comfortable writing experience for all grip styles.

My second, and newest Woodshed Pen does have a slightly different body shape than my original Kickstarter model. The overall length is shorter by about 1/4”, and there is no taper towards the ends. I prefer this current shape for the overall size of the pen. While my original is great, the shape made it feel like a bit of a tweener in it’s overall size. The newer shape is perfect.

*Top to bottom: Sailor Pro Gear, Woodshed, Kaweco Sport.*

The fit and finish of the pen is perfect as well. It takes pen makers a while to get everything dialed in, and I’m sure many will say that they never do, but my Woodshed pen feels complete. The edges are smooth, the threads are clean, the polish is even and shiny - it’s a real joy to use.

So about that black nib. Mike asked me before this year’s Baltimore Pen Show if I would help him test a coating he is working on for his black nibs. For any of you that have used black nibs in the past you know that the coating wears down over time, or during repairs, showing a lighter grey, down to silver, color once they get worn.

*It’s hard to see the black coating difference in pictures, but you can tell in person.*

That’s has never been an issue for me. I’ve always assumed the finish of any coated nib would wear over time, and that was part of the deal when owning one. Mike, on the other hand, wasn’t happy with that result, and has set out to stop, or at least slow down, the wearing effect on black nibs.

I’m only a month into my testing, which isn’t nearly enough time for a test like this, but the black nib Mike gave me for this pen looks brand new through a few different inks and cleanings. Mike is taking things a bit further with testing than I am, and is committed to get this right. I certainly applaud the effort, and I’ll keep hammering away at mine as well and will keep everyone updated.

If there is any hangup with Woodshed Pen Co. right now it is that Mike doesn’t make it easy to buy a pen from him. You can see his latest work and make a purchase through Instagram, or catch him at a pen show, like Atlanta in two weeks. But I’m taking this opportunity and platform to implore him to get that website up and running. Get those pens into our hands Mike!

I’m a Woodshed Pen fan, and I consider Mike a friend, so read this review with that in mind. But good products review themselves, and make my job easy. This is one of the good ones.

(I paid full price for my Roses and Violets Woodshed pen, and Mike gave me the green model, which I call Wildfire, at no cost.)

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Posted on March 25, 2019 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Woodshed, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Old but New to Me: The Waterman Edson Sapphire

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

In my early pen collecting days, I purchased several vintage pens. Unfortunately, I had no idea what I was doing, and I wound up with some real stinkers--a jimmied together Waterman lever-filler that never worked correctly, a few vintage Pelikans, a vintage Parker or two. I had such bad luck with these pens--bladders failing, horrible nibs, pistons sticking--that I eventually swore off vintage pens altogether.

Recently, however, I began purchasing a few vintage and pre-2000 pens. I found a vintage Waterman with a steel music nib for a great price on FPN. I bought a Parker 51 on eBay that so far is working well. I purchased an incredible 1970s Montblanc that I’ll be reviewing soon. And I lucked out on a Waterman Edson Sapphire.

I actually found a new-in-box Waterman Edson Sapphire for sale, and I was about to purchase it, when one of my awesome pen friends told me he had a user-grade Edson that I could buy much more cheaply. Since I always want pens I can use (I don’t collect pens to keep them under glass), I was happy to get the user-grade Edson.

When it arrived and I opened the box, I gasped. It is stunning.

The cap is gold plated with a soft, buffed finish. It has a unique clip that wraps around the top of the cap--it sort of reminds me of the nose of an airplane. The clip itself has an interesting cut out design. It’s hard to describe in words, so see the photos below. I think it’s one of the coolest cap designs I’ve ever encountered.

The cap is engraved at the bottom with “Waterman” and “Paris.” It snugly snaps on, held by three gold posts that are also a brilliant part of the design.

As I examined it more closely, I discovered that the cap was once engraved with someone’s name, but it has been sanded down and buffed off. I’m intrigued by this hint of a previous owner. I can’t read the name, but I love the ghost of it remaining on the cap.

The body of the pen is a deep blue resin that is transparent if you hold it up to light.

The grip is a really dark black/blue color and it feels almost rubberized. I’m not sure if this is due to use and age (perhaps ink permeating the material over time), or if this is how all Edsons feel. Regardless, it makes the pen easy to hold because it isn’t slick.

The 18k gold inlaid nib is incredible. Just look at the details: the V shape that extends to the grip, the gorgeous “W” logo on the otherwise simple nib, the rounded feed. I could stare at this nib all day.

The Edson is a cartridge/converter filler. My pen didn’t come with one of the original converters, which were also sapphire blue. But that really doesn’t matter to me. The converter I have works well and supplies plenty of ink to the nib.

The Edson is a large pen. It measures 5.9 inches/150mm capped, 5.2 inches/132mm uncapped, and 6.1 inches/155mm posted. There’s no way I would try to write with it posted. The Edson is a weighty pen at 46 grams with the cap. Without the cap it’s a more reasonable 26 grams. Most of that weight is in the nib end, but the barrel actually has brass threads that also give the pen some weight in the middle.

I love writing with this pen. I inked it with Iroshizuku Kon Peki which is a great match. The medium nib is super smooth and juicy, but it has absolutely no bounce or flex. I knew that before I bought the pen, so this was not a disappointment. I find the large grip and the weight of the pen to suit me perfectly. Writing with it is a pleasure.

I am absurdly in love with this Waterman Edson. I adore its retro looks, the clean lines, the color, the weight, the ghostly remnants of a previous owner’s name. It’s like owning a retro sports car--it handles well, is really solid, and shines like a jewel.

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Posted on March 22, 2019 by Susan Pigott and filed under Waterman, Fountain Pens, Pen Reviews.

Faber-Castell NEO Slim Rollerball Pen Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

The Faber-Castell NEO Slim rollerball pen falls comfortably into the sleek gift category of pen, but it's also a solid performer that comes equipped with a great refill.

At face value, this is another pen that falls into a category that is already fairly cramped, so it has to show some sort of unique feature or style decision that sets it apart from the many other contenders. Priced from $35 to $55, it's already more expensive than other pens in the same class, making the comparison even more difficult. But, even with this uphill battle, the NEO Slim manages to (mostly) pull its own.

The model in this review is the Black Matte, which falls in the middle of the price range at $45. Here are the basics: this is a slim barrel click pen that's made mostly of metal. The included refill is a Parker-style medium ceramic rollerball in black. If you're looking for a different color from Faber Castell in this line, you're out of luck. There are plenty of ballpoint refills, but no rollerball. That might sound like a downside, but I wouldn't go that far because of the lack-luster performance of the rollerball refill.

When most of us think of "rollerball" refills, visions of different Retro51 Tornados flash through our minds. They're popular, affordable, and perform well. When comparing the NEO Slim refill to the Schmidt rollerball refills that ship with the Tornado pens, there really is no contest. The NEO Slim refill acts exactly like a decent ballpoint refill. Even then, when comparing to something like a Schmidt EasyFlow refill, it still doesn't match up. The rollerball refill has certainly disappointed me, but the saving grace is the fact that it's a Parker-style refill, meaning you have a plethora of other options.

When writing, the included refill normally has a rough start with lots of skipping and some ink build-up around the nib area. Once it is going, it's a fairly smooth writing experience minus the occasional hiccup. The richness of the ink is lacking, as it just isn't bold enough to grab your attention. One the plus side, it does dry fairly quickly for a rollerball ink, and that probably has something to do with how thin the line is.

The pen barrel is slim, but still comfortable. It's very similar in length and diameter to the popular Rotring 600 ballpoint pen, but it has a much more minimal and sleek design.

The only branding on the pen is a small logo next to the clip. The clip is mushy and doesn't seem to stay very well when clipped to things. It doesn't have a pronounced jaw or tooth on the clip are, so it slips around easily. If you're clipping this pen to your shirt, pocket, or bag pocket, it will stay put. If you make any sudden movements or toss your bag around, it will probably come loose.

The click mechanism has a solid but pleasant feel. It doesn't take much pressure to operate, but it has a satisfying click sound. The only irritating part of the mechanism is that you can hear some metal-on-metal grating sounds when using the nock. To me, it sounds like the spring inside the click mechanism is too loose and rubs against the edges. It's not a deal-breaker, but worth mentioning on a pen of this price. On another note, the top of the click mechanism has a slight concave depression that feels great under your finger.

The only non-metal portion of this pen is the nose section where the nib comes out. It's a black plastic material that degrades the overall feel a tiny bit, but it feels good in the hand and does a good job.

Overall, I wanted to really love this pen and add it to the list of "great pens to buy as classy gifts," but the number of negative ticks is just too high to justify the price. It's great that it accepts the ubiquitous Parker-style refill, but I expect a $35-$55 rollerball pen to have a buttery smooth refill out of the box. It's hard to justify this pen over a Parker Jotter, Retro51 Tornado, or the Rotring 600, just to name a small handful.

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

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