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OMAS Paragon Fountain Pen Review

June 22, 2014 by Blake

This pen is troublemaker. I have had it for a good number of years and as I reflect on it now, I am not exactly sure why.

I figure that my first OMAS review should be one that I would consider to be a great first OMAS. Don’t take that to mean that the Paragon is the bottom of the line pen, it’s not, it is in fact the top of line oversized model but used, in black resin, it is quite affordable and a good place to start with the brand if you are willing to roll the dice a bit.

A little background:

For those that do not know, OMAS stands for “Officina Meccanica Armondo Simoni” and they continue to make some of the world’s most beautiful fountain pens. OMAS is famous for their Arte Italiana line that features wonderful faceted pens. The Paragon is the largest model (and consequently the most desirable) in the Arte Italiana line.

OMAS Paragon — Barrel Imprints can help identify the approximate age of a Paragon.

The Paragon I am reviewing today is from the early 1990s. It differs in a few ways from the current Arte Italiana Paragon which confusingly now has two distinct styles “Vintage” and “Icon”. The “Vintage” style is more or less the same pen they have been making for decades and most closely resembles my 1990s Paragon.

Appearance

The body is made out of black resin and has 12 facets with 18kt gold furniture including Greek key bands on the cap and on the section just above the threading. The pen terminates at each end with short points. The large nib is a classic OMAS arrow design that I have seen on OMAS pens as old as the 1930s. It is one of the best looking nib designs out there.

No ifs, ands, or buts about it, this pen is beautiful. I have had the pleasure of owning a few celluloid versions and those really gave my Nakaya a run for its money in the awe department.

Score: 4/5

Build Quality

OMAS pens are turned from a single block of resin or celluloid and just about everything on this pen is done by hand. OMAS made the nib in house and it’s beautiful. Even the hand cut ebonite feed is beautiful. There are no seams and nothing on this pen looks poorly executed BUT there are some functional problems.

The piston knob is hard to turn (something I have experienced with all my OMAS pens from the 1980s-2000s purchased new and used). I don’t know if OMAS is trying to cut down on costs by saving on lubricators or what but it seems odd that such an expensive brand would have a hard and rough mechanism.

My biggest gripe about this pen is that I get ink all over my fingers when I use it. I believe ink comes out from the nib sleeve and onto the collar of the section. I have sent this pen in for repair where the entire pen was disassembled (piston mechanism lubricated…still hard to twist) and the problem wasn’t solved.

This is a beautifully made pen but unfortunately, it just doesn’t work all that well.

Score: 2.5/5

Size & Weight

The Paragon measures 5.6” capped, 5.25” uncapped and a whopping 7.15” posted. My partially full Paragon weighs in at 19.6 grams, which is very comfortable, and lightweight for a pen of this size. I find that the Paragon is comfortable to write with unposted as well as posted, despite its long length.

For me the combination of its large size and lightweight make it almost perfect. I am buying more and more old OMAS pens from the 40s and 50s and I always try to opt for the largest size in a series.

I did not realize until after I took the picture that the OMAS pictured beside the Montblanc 149 isn't the 1990s Paragon in all the other pictures...its an older 1960s celluloid version. The size is identical though. — I did not realize until after I took the picture that the OMAS pictured beside the Montblanc 149 isn’t the 1990s Paragon in all the other pictures…its an older 1960s celluloid version. The size is identical though.

Founder Armondo Simoni, believed that writing should be an enjoyable experience and as such pens needed to be lightweight. You wont see any overweight OMAS pens until after he passed in 1958.

Interestingly, the Paragon size (also know by the number 557) has changed throughout the years. In the late 40s to early 50s the 557 was over 5.6” and then in the late 50s it dropped to under 5.5” which would have been the senior size (aka the 556) in the late 40s early 50s. Today the Paragon is back to its original extra large size.

Score: 4/5

Performance

Up until the mid 1990s OMAS manufactured their own nibs in house before switching over to highly modified Bock nibs. It is clear to me now having owned a several modern OMAS pens with both Bock and OMAS nibs that the change was really quite minor in terms of performance and feel. They both have the same hand cut ebonite feed and the design is mostly the same. In the 1960s and prior the OMAS made some of the best “semi-flex” (like the 14kt Extra Lucens pictured below) and flex nibs that I have ever used. Below are three different nibs from Paragon-sized OMAS pens.

Left to right: 1) Bock made 18kt gold, 2) OMAS made 18kt gold, 3) OMAS made 14kt gold "Extra Lucens" from the 1960s — Left to right: 1) Bock made 18kt gold, 2) OMAS made 18kt gold, 3) OMAS made 14kt gold “Extra Lucens” from the 1960s. “OMAS” on a Bock nib has a large “O” and a bit different Greek-style lettering. You cannot see it without removing the nibs but the OMAS made nibs actually have a much longer body than the Bock ones. I don’t think there is any difference from a performance perspective but it is clear that OMAS made nibs are made with more gold.

The medium point 18kt gold nib is quite springy and with its generous flow feels quite nice on paper. The nib as long as I have had it skips. I sent it to a well-known nibmeister to be sorted out unfortunately he didn’t fix the problem, it still skips…I suspect that it needs a bit more regrinding. If the nib didn’t skip it would be one of my best nibs on a modern pen…it really feels excellent.

In the end it sort of does everything I don’t want a fountain pen to do… it skips and gets ink on my fingers.

Score: 1.5/5

Filling System

The Paragon is a piston-filler and holds a good amount of ink. If you have ever had the displeasure of twisting the piston knob on an “untested” vintage pen only to find that ink has dried inside the pen locking the mechanism then you have a pretty good idea of what it’s like to use the piston on this pen (and sadly most modern OMAS fountain pens). I might be exaggerating a bit but let’s just say it’s not that pleasant.

Score: 1.5/5

Value

A used resin OMAS Paragon in nice condition can be had for around $200-$250 and honestly it’s a ton of pen for the money IF you get one that works well. My success rate with both new and used OMAS pens from 1980-2005 has been about 60% and I have had more fountain pens from OMAS than any other manufacturer.

I know people who have had nothing but great luck with modern OMAS pens so I would encourage any potential buyer to do their own homework and come to their own conclusions.

New, you can buy a resin Paragon (or some version of it) for around $600-$700. The beautiful celluloid versions cost around $1,000.

Score: 2.5/5

Bottom Line

This Paragon’s beautiful looks are let down by poor performance.

Final Score 16/30

Here some great reviews of the OMAS Paragon:

(I have no affiliation to the sites linked below)

The Noble Savage – OMAS Paragon Blu Venezia 2003

These Beautiful Pens – Amazing Celluloid: Omas Paragon Arco

Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter A5 Organizer Review

June 22, 2014June 20, 2014 by Blake

I found out about this product back in December while listening to the Pen Addict podcast (thank you Myke Hurley).

If you don’t speak German, Roterfaden is the manufacturer and Taschenbegleiter is German for, “bag companion”. This is without doubt the coolest organizer I have ever had the pleasure of owning.

Roterfaden Tachenbegleiter with early 1950s Aurora 88. — Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter with early 1950s Aurora 88.

The Taschenbegleiter is a custom made-to-order organizer that utilizes a unique clip system that allows you to clip in all sorts of notebooks and loose paper.

Tachenbegleiter clips — Taschenbegleiter clips

The Taschenbegleiter comes in three standardized formats: A4, A5, and A6. For the outer cover you have two material choices (in multiple colors): dance floor and leather. Dance floor is a synthetic material that was originally used for (you guessed it) dance floors. I opted for the black leather option.

The black leather has a suede-like finish that is very soft to the touch. The Taschenbegleiter has a wonderful organic hand-made quality to it. Depending on the colors and options you choose it can be more casual look or more professional looking.

Roterfaden Tachenbegleiter — Few scuffs on the back from taking the Taschenbegleiter in and out of my bag.

For the inside material you again get two options for materials, suede and wool felt. I chose the blue wool felt and I also chose to have my name embroidered into the felt in a light blue thread and Interstate font. You can actually send them a picture and they will embroider it on the organizer!

Empty Tachenbegleiter with all the clips open — Empty Taschenbegleiter with all the clips open

There are various pocket configurations that include an option designed specifically for an iPad mini. Instead of pockets on the back cover you get 4 elastics that hold the iPad Minis corners. I chose the large pocket (which also fits an iPad) because it serves a dual purpose as a pocket for smaller notebooks like Field Notes and work as an iPad holder when I travel. The downside of course is that you have to pull out the iPad every time you want to use it.

There are more options still. You can have all the pen loops you want. You can have them on the bottom the top or the side (as I have on mine). If you like to use really fat pens you can specify the size of the pen you want to use and they will make the loops bigger.

You can also specify the number clips. The standard is three but you can have none, one, two or four if you request it. This is an important consideration because it will determine how much stuff you can put in your Tachenbegleiter and how fat it will be. Mine is about 1.5″ wide with the three clips in use…but you can make it even fatter if you really stuff it.

Roterfaden makes various refills and inserts for the Tachenbegleiter. They all look beautiful and are of excellent quality. Let me show you how I normally have mine loaded up:

I always fill from the back forward. This is the notepad. It comes with a cardboard cover and the pages are blank on one side and graph on the other. The pages are perforated so they tear off easily.

Next is the diary refill and three sheet protectors. — Next is the middle clip which I use to hold the diary refill and three sheet protectors.

Last up is the calendar. The clips work beautifully as book marks. — Last up is the calendar. The clips work beautifully as bookmarks.

Calendar refill with optional cardboard cover. Cell phone, memo pad and business cards in the cover pockets.

Here are some more pictures of the unusual diary refill which has a stave on one side and a dot grid on the other.

Notice that you can see glue and the red stitching on the spine. Also notice all the lovely signatures!

This is right in the middle of the notebook. Notice how flat it lies. — This is right in the middle of the notebook. It lies ultra flat.

I love the red stitching in particular. The different booklets have different papers. The calendar has 70g paper that does show some bleed through with fountain pens. The 80g paper in the diary booklet holds up well to fountain pen ink. If you write with a fat juicy nib you might get some light bleeding but nothing serious.

There is some minor show through and some pretty minimal bleed. — There is some minor show through and some bleed from the juicy OMAS nib.

I have not yet had the chance to sample the 120g drawing paper booklets. Most of the larger booklets have an optional cardboard cover and while they are not necessary they are nice to have as the booklets are otherwise protected by paper only.

Because the Taschenbegleiter comes in standard A series sizes you can put pretty much any A5 notebook in the organizer. I have also been able to put a standard Field Notes in one of the clips (top or bottom only). The new larger Field Notes Arts and Sciences notebooks work beautifully.

I have been using mine everyday for the last five months and there are some downsides. The main one being that it’s a pretty big organizer and its weight wont go unnoticed in you bag. For personal travel I tend to take my smaller Midori Travelers Notebook with me (maybe I need to get an A6 Taschenbegleiter).

The clips are also great for loose piece of paper and receipts. A folded A4 piece of paper will fit perfectly into the clips. — The clips are also great for loose pieces of paper and receipts. A folded A4 sheet of paper will fit perfectly into the clips.

The other downside is the price. It’s expensive, especially if you start adding options like a leather cover and embroidery. The basic A5 size runs 89€ or $120 USD (this includes VAT which is not applicable outside of Europe). With options mine came to $182 USD but with VAT removed (because I live in the USA) the organizer cost about $150 USD.

While expensive, I do believe you will have a hard time finding a better quality organizer for double or even triple the price. I have looked and I haven’t found anything close. The Taschenbegleiter is completely hand-made in Germany.

I love my Taschenbegleiter. It is a wonderful product and I recommend it to anyone in the market for a high-quality and highly adaptable organizer.

Field Notes Arts and Sciences Edition Review

June 15, 2014 by Blake

The Arts and Sciences editions are special because they are much larger than all past Colors editions. Instead of the normal package of three 3.5″ x 5.5″ notebooks you get two large 4.75″ x 7.5″ notebooks with 64 pages each.

The Arts Field Notes notebook next to a normal sized Field Notes — The Arts Field Notes notebook next to a normal-sized Field Notes.

The covers feature the normal Futura Bold typeface but unlike past editions “Field Notes” is debossed into the covers as are the little Arts and Sciences logos on the back cover.

This edition came with two pins. — The back covers feature debossed logos show here with matching buttons.

The Arts notebook has a “chili” colored cover and features art related references on the inside covers:

The Sciences notebook has an “urban grey” colored cover and features science related references on the inside covers:

Sciences inside back cover. — Sciences inside front cover.

Sciences inside front cover. — Sciences inside back cover. Notice this one has a metric ruler where the Arts has an imperial ruler

The pages in the Arts notebook are lined on one side and blank on the other. The Sciences notebook is a bit more interesting. It features “Engineer’s Graph Lines” on one side and blank pages on the other. The thickest grid lines are the 1″ followed by 0.5″ and 1/10″. I love these graph lines.

Field Notes Arts and Sciences Edition — Arts on the left and Sciences on the right.

The paper in both of these notebooks is the same and like most Field Notes they don’t hold up well to fountain pen ink. There was a good amount of bleed.

Lots of bleed...the thicker nibs bled onto the opposite page! — Again Arts on the left and Sciences on the right. Lots of bleed…the thicker nibs even bled onto the opposite pages!

Of the two, the Sciences notebook is my favorite. I really like what they did with this edition. I am not sold on this larger format at the moment but I need to spend more time with them. My initial reaction is that they are too big. You can’t put them in a pants or coat pocket.

Pentel EnerGel Multi-function Pen Review

June 12, 2014 by Blake

The Pentel EnerGel Multi-function pen features two 0.5mm liquid gel ink refills, one black one red, as well as a 0.5mm pencil and an eraser at the top of the cap.

I am a big fan of EnerGel ink as writes similar to a rollerball but dries as fast as a traditional gel pen. The EnerGel is thinner than most of the similarly priced multi-function pens and as a result feels more comfortable in my hand.

Red refill deployed as indicated on the barrel.

To deploy the different pen and pencil points you simply twist the cap to the indicate positions on the barrel. It’s not a smooth action and to me it feels pretty unpleasant. Also it can be a bit confusing to switch points. You have to remember that the red is the middle point. For instance if you were to switch from the black EnerGel refill to the pencil you have to pass over red; if try you to simply go from black to the pencil you will unscrew the barrel.

The design of the this pen is a real pig’s breakfast. I am not sure what they were thinking of but it looks terrible. There are so many non-related design elements to this pen that I will just let the pictures do the talking.

I purchased this pen on my recent trip to Japan at its retail price of 500 Yen (about $5 USD). I like the EnerGel refills and the pencil works quite well but with the unpleasant twist mechanism and hideous design I don’t think it’s a winner.

Soennecken 103 Fountain Pen Review

June 5, 2014 by Blake

I have been collecting fountain pens for twelve, maybe thirteen years now and it has been a real journey. I have a lot of fountain pens from the early 1900s to present day and for me my favorite era is the late 1940s to the late 1950s.

Why, you ask?

I believe this period was the culmination of fountain pen technology combined with the best quality nibs and the most beautiful celluloid bodies. During this time in Europe the major manufacturers were moving to piston fillers that are more or less the same mechanism that we have in modern day fountain pens.

Back then the composition of gold nibs was different…I don’t know what specifically has changed but in general the nibs were softer and springier than the gold nibs on modern pens.

Manufacturers like Montblanc and OMAS were at their innovative peak during this period and I would argue that we have seen very little innovation from 60s to present day (apart from some smaller newer manufacturers).

Okay, if you are still here and I haven’t bored you to death, Soennecken: they went out of business in the late 1960s but they were a competitor to Montblanc and Pelikan. They made lots of colorful celluloid pens in various patterns and in my opinion were of equal (or superior) quality to their German rivals.

The 103 is my first Soennecken. It is a ladies pen made in the early 1950s specifically for the Swiss market. Being a ladies model it was significantly less expensive than the highly desirable 111 Extra (MB 149 size) and 111 Superior (MB 146 size) flagship Soenneckens.

Appearance

The 103 has a beautiful green striped celluloid body with a hard rubber finial and blind cap (piston knob). Being on of the earlier models the finial is pointed instead of the rounded dome shape the later models had.

The gold plated clip is in excellent shape and reads “SOENNECKEN” with the “O” overlapping the “S”. The ring on the cap has a good amount of brassing and sadly doesn’t match the gold color of the clip as well as it should.

The body has “SOENNECKEN 103” imprinted on the body and all the letters are still white and crisp.

There is a little ink window that is quite clean for its age. No ambering like I see on a lot of old ink windows.

The nib is quite small and while it seems proportional to the body it is a bit narrow for my tastes. It is a pretty plain nib with an overlapping “S” and “O” as the only design other than “14K – 585”. The ebonite feed is cut nice and flat; it looks very similar to an OMAS feed.

The 103 is a great looking little pen.

Score: 4/5

Build Quality

This is a 60+ year old pen and everything on it fits tight and as it should. The 103 is a handmade pen. There are no seams like you would find on most mass-produced plastic pens today. I also see no celluloid shrinkage like I see on a lot of pens from this era.

The piston seal is cork (as was common at the time) and can dry out if stored dry for a long period of time…otherwise it should be good to go another 60 years. It is a stout little pen that stands up well against Montblancs and Pelikans of the era.

Score: 4/5

Size & Weight

The little 103 measures 4.6” capped, 4.4” uncapped, 5.75” posted and weighs 16.3 grams. It’s the smallest vintage pen I own. I have smaller hands and I have been able to write a few pages pretty comfortably. Even though it is lighter weight it doesn’t feel cheap in hand. Is it my ideal size for a pen? Certainly not, but the combination of light weight and a nice sized grip section all allow the little 103 to work as comfortably as many larger pens.

Left to right: Soennecken 103, Geha 790, Montblanc 146 (early 50s), Montblanc 149 (1972)

Score: 2/5

Performance

The little 14kt gold nib performs like a champ. It’s a very soft and springy fine. There is not a lot of line variation like some of my other pens from this era but it has the same wonderful feel that I have come to love. No issues with skipping or hard starting. There is a sweet spot to the nib but it is easy to find.

I used the 103 as my daily writer for two weeks straight and it proved to be a real workhorse.

Score: 4/5

Filling System

The 103 has a standard piston filling system and not the famous Soennecken “click” mechanism that is more prone to breaking. As I mentioned above, it does have a cork seal, which can be a weak point if you store your pens for a long time. My 103 was completely overhauled and has a new cork. The 103 holds a good amount of ink for such a small pen.

Score: 3.5/5

Value

Even though I went for a cheaper model, Soenneckens are not cheap pens in general. The condition and the color and pattern of the celluloid all affect the price. I have seen 103s go for $250+ but in my opinion that is on the high side. I think the sweet spot for a pen 103 with a nice striped celluloid body should be around $140-$175.

I paid around $170 for my restored 103 and while I admit it’s a lot of money for a small pen, I think it’s worth every penny.

I purchased the 103 to see if Soennecken should have a place in my collection. I figured if I didn’t like it I wouldn’t be out too much money. As you can tell, I did like it and I am now on the hunt for a very nice 111 Superior or 111 Extra.

Score: 4/5

Bottom Line

It’s a winner with beautiful looks and full-sized performance in a small package.

Final Score 22.5/30

One thing to note: If you want a bigger Soennecken you can add a couple hundred dollars for each pen size you go up. I think that 111 Extra (MB 149 sized pen) is a value at $900-$1,100 in good condition. A Montblanc 149 from the early 50s is worth around $2,000 and a 139 from the late 40s is worth $3,000+. I just point this out because 1950s Soenneckens are pretty close price-wise with 1950s Montblancs until you get to oversized pens where the Montblancs start getting crazy expensive.

Kaweco Special Fountain Pen Quick Review

July 10, 2014June 3, 2014 by Blake

The Kaweco Special fountain pen is a very nice looking pen with a faceted aluminum body. The slender matte black body reminds me of vintage hard rubber pens. Unfortunately, like the Kaweco Allrounder I reviewed earlier, it’s not really a pen that I would recommend.

The first problem I noticed was that the coated brass grip section is tiny; it’s noticeably thiner and shorter than the section you get on a Kaweco Sport. The section is less than half an inch long before you run into the threading and is just over .25″ in diameter. This wouldn’t be the end of the world if it were not a full sized pen. It measures 5.5″ capped, 4.75″ uncapped and a massive 6.75″ posted. Because there is threading on the back of the pen (a feature I do like) the cap screws into the threading resting about .15″ in on the body. With a half full converter the Special weighs 20.5 grams which feels like a lot more when the pen is posted because it is so long.

The broad nib is the same as you get on a Kaweco Sport and the performance was pretty difficult in the beginning. There was a lot of skipping. As I used the nib more it became less of an issue but it never totally went away. I again think that the feed had trouble keeping up with the nib as was part of the problem with the double broad AC Carbon I reviewed.

It does take a Kaweco converter which is actually quite nice looking as far as converters go…if you notice in the picture the piston is about halfway down…that was because I couldn’t get the sucker to write after being stored nib up on a couple of occasions.

Throw a $118 price tag on this pen and it’s a definite no-go for me. If you want to spend $100+ on a Kaweco opt for a vintage Kaweco Sport with a gold nib and a piston filling system.

Bottom-line: Calling this pen a “Special” seems pretty generous.

Please note: this product was provided to me at no charge by Kaweco for review purposes.

Here are some great reviews of the Kaweco Special :

(I have no affiliation with any of the sites linked below)

Best Fountain Pen – Kaweco Special Aluminum Fountain Pen Review

A Fool With a Pen – Is it incredible? A review of the Kaweco Special FP

The Clicky Post – Kaweco Special Fountain Pen – F Nib

Pilot Custom 743 Falcon Fountain Pen Review

May 31, 2014May 30, 2014 by Blake

The Pilot Custom 743 is the only pen to use Pilot’s full line of #15 size nibs. In the store I tried three of the more unusual nibs: a music nib, a Waverly nib and a falcon nib. I ended up picking the falcon nib, which is a soft flexible nib.

Appearance

Like most pens in the Custom series, the 743 is a very traditional and classic looking executive pen with a black plastic body and yellow gold furniture. The trim level is the same as you get on the Custom 823 and they look almost identical. The trim ring on the bottom of the body is closer to the end of the pen than on the 823 (the 743 has vacuum mechanism to accommodate) but otherwise they look the same.

The cap has a rounded top with a clip that starts broad and narrows ending with a ball; this is the classic Pilot/Namiki clip and I think it looks great. The gold band at the bottom of the cap reads “* * * CUSTOM 743 * * * PILOT MADE IN JAPAN”. The letters are filled in with black (paint?) just as you would see on the Custom 845 and Custom 823. The large 14ct gold #15 nib is plain, with no decoration to speak of. The cuts on the sides of the nib help to increase flexibility and in my opinion make up for the lack of decoration.

The gold trim is much more yellow in color than the 14ct gold nib. This is quite apparent with the cap posted. I would like to have seen the gold match a bit better but it’s not a big deal.

All things considered, the Custom 743 is a clean looking pen with no strangeness to its proportions. It’s not going to score any points for originality but it’s a nice looking pen nonetheless. Score: 3/5

Build Quality

The build quality like most Pilot products is quite good. The section (as on the Custom 845) has two big seams that just look cheap on a $300 pen.

Custom 845 with Custom 743. Both have the same plastic section.

Unlike the Custom 845, the 743 also suffers from seams on the body as well. They are clearly defined in the threading on the body and then they disappear about a quarter of an inch in on the glossy part of the body. You wouldn’t really notice any of this unless you are looking closely. The fit and finish is otherwise quite good and I suspect this pen will last a long time. Score: 2.5/5

Size & Weight

The Custom 743 measures about 5.9” capped and about 5.2” uncapped. At its widest point it is about 0.6” and weighs about 25.6 grams with a converter full of ink. Like the 845, the 743 is a good sized pen similar in girth to a Montblanc 146 but closer to the 149 in length. I find the 743 to be well balanced in my hand. It looks quite long posted but it remains comfortable. Score: 4/5

Performance

I think it is fair to say that this pen will not be for everyone. I was lucky enough to try it in a store in Japan before I purchased it. It would be a mistake to think you are getting a new pen that is going to write like a vintage flex pen; it does not and I haven’t seen a modern flex pen that does.

Compared to a vintage flex pen there is minimal flex when pressure is applied to the Falcon nib.

The falcon nib is a bit on the scratchy side, not unpleasantly so but there is a good amount of feedback. With little or no pressure the nib writes with a pretty fine line, definitely an extra fine by western standards.

If apply some pressure you can get the line to become broad but this will require more force than you would need on most vintage flex pens. I find that with nib flexed and writing slowly (as you should) the pen has a tendency to railroad by which I mean produce two thin parallel lines instead of one fat line. The feed seems unable to keep up with the pen.

I have been experimenting with different inks and I have found Diamine inks to work the so far. I tried Noodler’s Blue Eel as I thought that might help with the railroad situation but alas it performed the same as the Waterman and Pilot inks I tried.

The "no pressure" and "medium pressure" writing samples were written quickly at my normal pace. — The “no pressure” and “medium pressure” writing samples were written quickly at my normal pace and the “Pressure” sample was written slowly with the most pressure…notice all the railroad tracks.

In normal writing there are no real performance issues and I can get some nice (not huge) line variation with medium pressure without causing any problems but if you want to make extra extra fine lines and triple broad lines the Falcon nib isn’t going to cut it. With a careful hand (sadly not something I possess) I have seen some beautiful western writing with the 743 Falcon. Score: 2/5

Filling System

The Custom 743 uses Pilot’s top-of-the-line Con-70 converter that is considered by many to be the best converter on the market. It holds a good amount of ink and is quite easy to use.

The 743 has the standard metal Con-70 which is not quite as nice as the black one you get in the Pilot Custom 845 and most Namiki pens but the function is the same. Score: 3.5/5

Value

I bought my Custom 743 in the low $200s, which I think is a pretty reasonable price for this pen. The retail price is 30,000 Yen (approximately $295 USD) is pretty high. If the pen had no seams and the gold trim matched the nib nicely I could easily justify a $300 price tag for the 743. Score: 3/5

Bottom Line

The feed prevents the 743 Falcon from living up to its full potential as a “flex” pen.

Final Score 18/30

Montblanc Meisterstuck 90 Years Permanent Grey Fountain Pen Ink Review

May 28, 2014 by Blake

To celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Meisterstück, Montblanc has released a limited edition Meisterstück 149 fountain pen and a permanent grey ink. The ink comes in a retro bottle that reads: “This ink fulfils all the demands made on it by durable, good-working, Fountain Pen”.

I have never been a fan of grey inks in the past but when I saw the bottle in the store I had to try it. The salesman was kind enough to let me dip the new 90th Years 149 fountain pen into a bottle of the Permanent Grey. The ink looked great so I bought a bottle.

The 90 Years Permanent Grey is a beautifully saturated almost black ink. The flow is excellent, especially for a permanent ink. Good saturation and shading. The big downside I see to this ink is the dry time…it’s long….very long. In my tests on Rhodia 80gsm paper it took approximately 75 seconds to fully dry.

(click the picture to enlarge)

To test the ink’s permanence I let the ink dry over night and with a few drops of water the ink remained well intact. I believe most of Montblanc’s permanent inks have an ISO certification but I don’t see any mention of that on the packaging of the 90 Years Permanent Grey.

If you like grey inks, this one is a must have. The price is on the expensive side at $20 for 35ml but I think it’s worth it.

Uni Pure Malt Multi Pen + Pencil Review

May 24, 2014 by Blake

The Uni Pure Malt is a multi-pen with two 0.7mm Uni Jetstream hybrid ballpoints (black + red) and a 0.7mm mechanical pencil. If you are wondering what “Pure Malt” refers to, it’s the wooden grip which supposedly comes from the wood used in Japanese whiskey barrels. The Pure Malt comes in a couple whiskey related colors (browns). I chose one with a champagne colored body and a dark wood grip that I think looks great together. The barrel unfortunately has two seams and they go right down the middle of the plastic part of the body which is poor placement if you ask me. The words “PURE” and “MALT” are split by the seam.

The bottom half of the pen appears to be made of metal and gives the pen its nice weight.

The Pure Malt weighs 22.6 grams and feels of good quality. It measures just under 6″ long and is about 0.6″ at the widest part of the barrel. The Jetstream refills perform very well and are my favorite ballpoint style refills. The lines are quite clean and dark by comparison to a standard ballpoint. The point glides across with minimal resistance.

The mechanical pencil is deployed by pressing the clip down and to advance the lead you just click the clip in the down position. The 0.7mm mechanical pencil works very well. I picked up this pen in Japan for at the retail price of 1,000 Yen which is just under $10 USD and for that price I am really happy with the Pure Malt, in fact it is my favorite multi-pen I have come across in a long time.

Uni Pure Malt

Jac Zagoory Atlas Pen Holder Review

May 22, 2014 by Blake

I love desk accessories and my Atlas pen holder by Jac Zagoory is one of my favorites. Jac Zagoory Designs is famous for its whimsical pewter desk accessories that are all made in the USA. Jac Zagoory is an avid pen (and watch) collector and he has even written a great little book on the subject called: Pen Passion a Cylindrical Obsession.

The Atlas pen holder is one of his most popular designs and comes in a gold plate finish and a black finish in addition to the bare pewter finish. The pen goes in his hands where the globe normally would be.

The holder measures 5″ wide x 3″ high x 5″ deep. The shortest distance between his hands is just over 4.5″.

There is also a mini version of the Atlas which I have not seen in person but I suspect would be much better at holding smaller pens.

The detailing on the Atlas holder is decent but not as detailed as some of his other designs. The standard pewter model that I have retails for $130 (street price closer to $100) and the black finish and gold plate models retail for $199 and $280, respectively. They aren’t cheap but I do believe you are getting what you pay for with Jac Zagoory products.

Jac Zagoory Atlas Pen Holder — felt bottom and imprint

Overall, I really like the Atlas pen holder it is a real conversation starter and a nice place to rest your pen.