Pen Review: my "precious" Edison Pearl

Also posted on the FPN.

0. Background
When I saw a picture of an Edison Pearl back in October 2008, it was love at first sight. The design is so simple and elegant, I know I must have one in my collection. The question then, is why I waited for more than a year before finally putting in an order? Both parts of my answer have something to do with it being a custom-made pen. First, Brian at Edison Pen Co. offers a dazzling array of possible materials to make this beautiful pen and it is really difficult to pick just one. Furthermore, the idea of having a pen custom-made just for me somehow creates a luxurious aura to it, so I have been waiting for a special occasion to celebrate with such a special pen. Finally, something wonderful happened at work this spring and I quickly decided that an Edison Pearl would be the ideal milestone pen for this occasion.

It took quite some time, not to mention dozens of emails, to figure out what exactly do I want for this pen to be like. Initially, I was thinking about a colorful celluloid pen. However, after some unexpected twists, I ended up going to the other extreme and got a stealth-theme pen for its understated elegance (partly inspired by the Savage Detective Pearl). Working with Brian is a pleasure; he was fast in responding to my questions and provided many helpful suggestions in the process.

I waited about 3 weeks for the pen to arrive after placing my order. The waiting period wasn’t much fun because I really wanted to hold the pen in my hand immediately after spending weeks finalizing every detail of it. To his credit, Brian always kept me updated about the status and gave me a pretty accurate time estimate in the beginning. The positive side of this long waiting is that I lost interest in any other pen while I was waiting, so my pen budget got some time to recover from my recent pen-buying frenzy.

One special thing about Edison Pen is that Brian has a webcam set up in his workshop so you can watch him making pens. He told me about the date he scheduled to make my pen and invited me to watch if I want. Unfortunately, things were quite crazy at work on that day and I ended up missing it completely.

1. Appearance & Design
The pen arrived in a simple box with the Edison Pen Co. mark on it. Since I expect this pen to be in use most of the time, I don’t really care what the box looks like. In fact, I am happy to know that only a tiny fraction of cost went into the box.

The material I choose is a black acrylic, which Brian refers to as "faux ebonite". According to Brian, this material is almost indistinguishable from ebonite in term of the look and feel. I don’t have any ebonite pen and I am happy to take his words for it. I opt for acrylic because my two concerns about ebonite: the smell and the oxidation problem.

I chose the satin finish for this pen and I am very happy about this decision. The understated look of this finish is quite elegant and it does not attract fingerprints at all. The best part? It is wonderful to touch.




These photos were taken by Brian and he has graciously agreed to let me use them for this review.

Before getting the pen, I was a little bit worried about the step between barrel and section. Fortunately I don’t really notice it when I use the pen.

2. Construction & Quality
The pen is extremely well made. All threads are nicely done and the finish is excellent. The only imperfections I can find were some tiny tool marks on the cap lip. They are not really a big deal but when I asked Brian about how to polish them out, he immediately offered to take the pen back and make a new cap for it. I was stunned by this extraordinary level of after sale service. I struggled with this decision because (1) I didn’t want to part with this wonderful pen, and (2) as I mentioned, these are really tiny marks and I felt like I was just nitpicking.

Finally, the desire for a ‘perfect’ pen got the better of me and my new pen went on a brief 2-week visit to its birthplace. I included a note in the box to tell Brian that a new cap wasn’t necessary and I’d be very happy if he can just polish out the tool marks. I am not sure if he had followed my suggestion but when I got the pen back the cap feels like a new one. This time, I can’t find any imperfection no matter how hard I try. Really amazing.

3. Weight & Dimensions
The specifications of a standard Pearl below are taken from Edison Pen’s website:

Weight w/ Cap: 16g
Weight w/o Cap: 11g
Cap Diameter: .610"
Body Diameter: .610"
Length Capped: 5 1/4"
Length Uncapped: 4 3/4"

I made two requests to modify the design so the one I have is slightly different. First, after trying out a bunch of different pens, I found the ideal length for me is 5 1/8” uncapped (I don’t post). Second, instead of the regular concave section used for Pearl, I asked the section to be slightly slanted toward the nib side with a lip in the end (similar to the design used for Huron). Brian accommodated both of my requests and delivered a pen that is ideal for my needs.

4. Nib & Performance
The black/silver dual-tone 18K gold nib is truly a beauty. The color scheme is unique and goes well with the “stealth” theme of this pen. Furthermore, I like the Edison Pen Co. logo engraved on the nib a lot. The logo looks like a light bulb with a nib in it; I think the Edison-connection here is quite clever. The logo also makes me looking forward to having some ‘Eureka!’ moments while writing with this pen.



I requested a custom regrind for a 0.6mm stub nib and Brian did a great job on it. The balance between smoothness/feedback and the wetness were both exactly what I have requested. Although I may like a 0.5mm cursive italic nib that Richard Binder did for me just a tiny bit better, the two are really close and both are my favorites.



It is worth noting that the nib unit can be screwed out for easy swapping and Brian sells additional nib units at a very reasonable price. I don’t have the need for extra nibs at the moment but it is good to have the flexibility.

5. Filling System & Maintenance
By default, the Pearl is a C/C filler that can be converted into an eyedropper. Although it is also possible to order a Pearl as a bulb filler, I prefer the simplicity of a standard C/C filler.

6. Cost & Value
A standard Pearl is priced at $250 and I paid some more for the gold nib upgrade and the custom nib regrind. Brian didn’t add any charge for my requests to change the dimension and the section profile of the pen. I feel the price was quite reasonable for a pen of this quality. Considering that it is a pen custom-made to my spec, just for me, I have to say the value is quite good.

7. Conclusion
This is my first experience of ordering a custom-made pen. I really enjoyed the process of being involved in the making of my ideal pen and I am extremely satisfied by the end product. The pen certainly will be a daily user for the years to come. My only problem now is that I have already started thinking about what my next Edison pen will look like.

The new moon arrives!

No, this is not about the bloodsucker movie. While the special effects are quite entertaining, I don't really care for the crazy teenager love story. What got me excited was the arrival of a Taccia Staccato in Lunar Blue. The pen is big and light and extremely comfortable to write with. The color is slightly darker than I would like but the perceived depth of the resin used is truly amazing.

No cure for a busy mind

Things have been quite intense and stressful at work during the past few months. Fortunately, the situation is more under control now and I somehow retained my sanity through all that craziness. After being told to relax repeatedly by several people, I decided to do something that always works for me: shopping for a new fountain pen!

However, this turned out to be anything but relaxing. After failing to find anything that meets my expectation, I started the process of ordering a custom-made pen. With so many decisions to make, it actually requires no less work than designing a research project or writing a proposal. Well, at least these are the "good" kind of problems to have on hand. :)

Pen Review: Delta Napoli

Also posted on the FPN.

This is a short review of Delta Napoli, a FP/RB set that I received as a gift from my parents-in-law. According to the box and the booklet that come with the pens, these pens belong to a Fountain Pen Hospital exclusive limited edition of 100. Strangely, I can't seem to find any information about these pens on the web, not even on FPH's own website.

1. Appearance & Design
The pen comes in a big blue box, with some very nice scenery printed on the outer paper box.



According to the booklet, the cap/barrel is hand turned from a solid bar of light blue resin. As a result, there is no seam in the material, which adds to its attractiveness. The main design features are two big engraved 925 sterling silver bands on the cap. The top one has some elegant patterns and the bottom one has the scenery from the bay of Naples in addition to the word "NAPOLI".




The serial number is engraved on the top of the cap:


and mine is the matching set of 065/100.


The blue colors of the resin is very beautiful, and they remind me of the movie "The Big Blue" directed by Luc Besson. The choice of the platinum-plated furniture compliment the body quite nicely.

2. Construction & Quality
These are substantial pens with very good construction quality. The barrel is quite thick and all the threads work perfectly. The engraving on the cap is done beautifully.


The only thing that I can nitpick about is the lack of attention given to the matching of the resin patterns between cap and barrel. While most of the resin is in a darker blue, there are two layers of lighter blue in the material. I thought that it would be nice if the these parts can match up between the cap and the barrel when fully closed to from a nicer flow. Unfortunately both of the FP and the RB have the same problem of mismatched resin pattern between cap and barrel. Considering that this is not really that hard to do, even a $10 Pelikan Pelikano Jr. can have threads that make the nib and the logo on the barrel lined up perfectly everytime, it is disappointing to see an expensive limited edition pen to fail at such tiny detail. Well, at least these are not faceted pens, otherwise it would be really unsightly.

3. Weight & Dimensions
The pen is about the same length as the Pelikan M800.

Capped:


Uncapped:


The diameter is slightly larger than the M800. However, it actually feels lighter compare to M800, possibly due to the fact that this is a C/C fillter and has no complicated filling mechanisms inside. I like the way that they put the engraved silver bands on the cap, which makes an attractive pen while maintaining a light body. The large size and light weight makes it my favorite these days. I can write with this pen for a long time and feel very comfortable.

4. Nib & Performance
The FP comes with a mono-tone platinum-plated 18k gold nib, about the same size as the Pelikan M800 nib. Right out of the box, the nib performance is a big disappointment. I need to press down pretty hard to get the ink flow started, and the nib makes a squeaking sound when I write. Even without looking, I know the tines are probably misaligned. A quick examination under a 10X loupe confirmed my suspicion: the tines are pinched together way too tight, and the right tine is higher by about half of the nib's thickness.

Fortunately, the nib is quite large and soft, which makes the adjustment relatively easy to do. After 10 minutes of tweaking, this pen quickly becomes one of the best writers I have. The F-nib writes a true fine line with a hint of springiness. It is softer than a Sailor 1911 nib, but not quite as soft as a Pelikan M800 nib. The extreme smoothness of gliding this nib across paper gives a very nice sensation that I enjoy a lot.

5. Filling System & Maintenance
This pen is a standard C/C filler. Nothing exciting here but it works as intended.

6. Cost & Value
As I mentioned in the beginning, this pen is a gift from my in-laws. I have no idea about the listing price or the street price because I can't find any info of it on the web. Judging from the construction quality of the pen and the usual going price of the Delta's LE pens, this pen is easily the most expensive pen by far in my collection (my Pelikan M800 being the runner-up). A pen in this price range is way out of what I'd feel comfortable to spend on a single pen so I can't comment on the "value" either.

7. Conclusion
This is my first experience with pricy (>$300) LE pens and also my second Italian pen (the first being a Signum Orione). I don't really know what to expect from such pens and was pleasantly surprised for the most part. The beautiful design, detailed engraving, solid construction quality, comfortable ergonomics, and nib performance are all big pluses going for it. However, the lack of attention to details (resin pattern matching between cap/barrel) and poor quality control of nib tuning in such expensive pens both left me baffled.

Overall I like the pen a lot because of how well it works as a tool. However, I don't see myself spending this kind of money on a FP now or in near future. To me the most important thing about these pens is that they are gifts from people who I love and respect, so I would cherish and enjoy them while I can, and eventually pass them down to my FP-loving children. NOPE, not now and not in near future either. Those Pelikano Jr. ought to last for quite some years to come. :)

Another trip to Taiwan

Back from my second trip to Taiwan in two months, very tired but nevertheless quite happy. It is interesting to see how my body adjust to these frequent international travel and jet lag. Last time I slept quite well from day one, but lost my appetite almost completely and couldn't taste the food at all. This time I had trouble sleeping for the entire trip, but thoroughly enjoyed all the delicious food that Taiwan has to offer.

Work aside, I got to see my mom and my brother's family again, and of course, my nephew's excellent performance of making faces:


I also visited my in-law's new house



and saw a bunch of orchids and roses that have been keeping my father-in-law busy:




Luckily, my travel schedule allowed me to stay for my father-in-law's birthday, so I prepared a Think Tigre FP for him


and also a Lamy Pico for my mother-in-law as a very late b-day gift. What I didn't expected was that I'd come away with some really awesome party favors, including a Delta Napoli limited edition FP/RB set (FPH-exclusive)




and a yellow Aurora Ipsilon.


Now while I deal with the jet-lag (yet again), I will have some great time playing with these new toys.

Pen Review: Libelle Season Collection

Here is a short review of the three pens from the Libelle's Seasons collection: Autumn Leaves, Summer Breeze, and Winter Storm. This is also posted at the FPN.

0. Background.
Well, it's not that I have never splurged on 3 pens at a time, but this is definitely a rare event. The main culprit of this crazy-impulse-purchase, although much delayed, is the Autumn Leaves, so I figured that I'd start with a background story.

I first saw the pen about an year and a half ago. My second daughter, Vivian, just started school that year. The first song she learned at her school is called "When the leaves are red and yellow in the fall", which is to the tune of "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain". The lyric goes like:

When the leaves are red and yellow in the fall, (clap, clap)
When the leaves are red and yellow in the fall, (clap, clap)
When the leaves are red and yellow, then the apples taste so mellow,
When the leaves are red and yellow in the fall. (clap, clap)

She enjoys singing the song at home all the time, and she looks so cute when she does that it melts my heart every single time. She kindly agreed to sing the song again for me today, but she is very shy this time:

Note: I believe that having a song as a part of a pen review is never done before at FPN. :)

One day, I had a chance to stop-by the Artlite pen store in Atlanta, and saw the Libelle Autumn Leaves there. The beautiful color combination of green/yellow/orange quickly caught my eyes, and when I learned about the name, I instantly thought of Vivian and her song. I almost bought the pen on the spot, but refrained from doing so because I really have too many pens and we were about to move all the way from Georgia to Arizona at that time. However, the image of this pen etched deeply into my mind, along with Vivian's song. For this reason, I simply can't shake the pen out of my mind. As I followed the pen, I noticed the subsequent release of Summer Breeze and Winter Storm in the Libelle Seasons collection, which are also quite stunningly beautiful. I keep telling myself that I really don't need another pen, but well, you know how that goes.

1. Appearance & Design
Each pen arrived in a nice cardboard/faux leather box. The black/white combination of the box did a good job to showcase the brilliant colors of the pens.


Inside the box, there is the pen (of course), a converter (with a bead in it), an international cartridge, and a small instruction card.

I've only seen the Autumn Leaves in person before I ordered the pens, and its colors are as wonderful as I remembered. The name pretty much said it all about what you can expect.


The Summer Breeze is a combination of white and blue with pearly irradiance, which reminded me of those wonderful times we had at beaches in summer. The Winter Storm is a very powerful/striking combination of black and white. I am very happy with the appearance of all three pens, and they are much better looking in person than any of the photos that I've seen on the web. Here's a shot of all three pens together.


Initially I thought that I wouldn't like the black part used for the cap/barrel ends because I always like pens that use the same material through out. However, this design feature makes the three pens look really great together, and I have learned to appreciate it on each individual pen.

To match up with the pen, I have PR Orange Crush for the Autumn Leaves, Pelikan Turquoise for the Summer Breeze, and Visconti Black for the Winter Storm. All three pen-ink combos look great for the moment.

2. Construction & Quality
The cap/barrel are thick in these pens, which makes them feel quite substantial. The construction quality is pretty good. I would prefer the barrel to be made thinner, such that (1) the pen can be lighter, and (2) the fit of converter wouldn't be so tight (you can feel a vacuum when you pull the barrel up and down, but this is a pretty minor issue). BTW, because the threads are on a metal part, eye-dropper (ED) conversion is out of the question with these pens.

3. Weight & Dimensions
I don't know the exact weight, but these pens feel heavier than my Bexley Americana and are similar to my Pelikan M800. These are definately full-sized pens, here is a shot with a Pelikan M800 (top) and a M200 (bottom) for comparison:


I like the balance of the pen when un-posted. The cap can be posted, but I don't do that for any of my pens except for Pilot M90.

4. Nib & Performance
The pen comes with a standard stainless steel Iridium Point Germany (IPG) nib, with M-nib as the only available option. All three pens that I got worked well right out of the box. They are all smooth writers with a medium ink flow (5 out of 10).
Although I probably should be happy with how well they write, I do have some complaints about the nibs that are not related to their writing performance. First, at this price point, Libelle could have use a nib that carry their own logo (the dragonfly should look pretty good on a nib). Second, the nib feels too small for the pen. It probably will look more balanced if a larger nib is used. Third, given that a generic IPG nib is used, they should have make it a screwed-out so that user could replace/upgrade the nib. Last, more nib size options should be available.

5. Filling System & Maintenance
These pens are standard CC fillers. Not much to add here.

6. Cost & Value
The MSRP is $80, and I bought them new for $56 each from TheInkFlow.com (standard disclaimer here). To me these pens are in the same category as the Levenger TrueWriters, so I think they will be a good benchmark to determine the "value". The Libelle pens look much nicer than the TrueWriters so they win hands down in the appearance part. The build qualities are similar. However, I am not so happy with the Libelle nibs, plus the Levenger TrueWriter can be had for a touch cheaper (or much cheaper if you go with the Levenger Ebay outlet), so it all depends on how much you like the look. Rationally, I think the Levenger TrueWriter has a much better "value", but then again, the reason I bought these Libelle pens are not entirely rational, and I am quite happy with the pens that I got for the price.

7. Conclusion
Overall I am pretty happy with these pens. To me the most important value of these pens are not how good they write or how good they looks, after all, it is difficult to put a price on the good memories from my daughter's 4-year-old days (yeah I know that this sounds like those cheesy credit card ads, but it's true). Now if Libelle come out with a Spring one with some cheerful colors, I would not hesitate to add that to my collection.

Ouch the itch

Somehow I managed to stay clean from buying fountain pens since May this year. The two wonderful Japanese pens that I got (a Platinum 3776 Jade with Music nib and a Pilot/Namiki M90) have kept me occupied for quite a while. Alas, such thing is not meant to last; it appears that the resistance is futile and I was bitten by the bug yet again.

The three available colors (Autumn Leaves, Sea Breeze, and Winter Storm) in the Seasons collection by Libelle all look stunningly beautiful. Taccia is not helping either; their Momenta is very attractive in any of the five colors (Chocolate Espresso, Merlot Swirl, Marine Waves, Midnight Clouds, and Onyx Black) and I really like the Staccato in Starry Night or Lunar Blue.

Oh what to do? What to do?

Happy Father's Day to myself, part 7

I am still kind of shocked that I have been in this tough business for so long (even more so for surviving it). It certainly didn't get any easier with time, in fact, it has gotten harder and harder over the past seven years. But I guess I should "enjoy" it while I can, considering that a guy at the post office just reminded us this yesterday: "Your kids are really cute! Too bad that they are going to turn into teenagers some day".

Anyway, I had a very enjoyable Sunday. Kids were behaving pretty well the whole day, even made me some nice cards and crafts. I spend a fun and eye-opening afternoon visiting the Total Wine, which turned out to be a crazy super-doper-big store; I mean, holy moley! How can someone pick a bottle out of that store without going nuts is totally incomprehensible to me. Knowing my recently developed interest in wine, Ann got me a very nice set of wine accessories; I look forward to putting them to use soon. After the kids went to bed, Ann also told me a surprising secret. The kids consulted her several days ago about getting me a fountain pen for the Father's Day, because "We think that's daddy's favorite thing". They then decided not to get one because they figured a nice one is way beyond what they can afford on their allowance.

I was deeply moved. My daughters know me so well and have the thought and full intent to make me happy. I am so happy and don't even know how to express that.

Pens, inks, and rocks

While still feeling bummed about missing the LA pen show this year, I saw on the FPN that the PenWorks in Carefree is having a pen show today. I was so excited about the fact that one can find a pen show even in AZ, I planned a family trip without hesitation.

The show turned out to be much bigger than I've expected. In addition to the usual suspects (Visconti, Lamy, Bexley, etc), the Penchetta line of pens (hand-turned by Anthony, the shop owner) really caught my eye. Some of the designs and materials are very interesting and good looking. Alas, I'm in my saving mode now and have to resist the temptation of buying new pens. In the end I came home with only a bottle of ink, Noodler's Zhivago, which turned out to be great (reviewed here).

After a short stop at the shop, we took the kids to the Deer Valley Rock Art Center to see the petroglyphs left by the Indians. Luckily, it happened to be their annual Rock Art Expo and there are a lot more than the regular exhibit to see. Everyone was pretty happy about this wonderful Saturday.

The ones that got away

The True Writer from Levenger has proven to be dangerously addictive. The build quality is solid, the QC is good, many of available colors are attractive, and most importantly, they often can be found at a great bargain through Levenger's ebay outlet. While I would be hesitate to buy one at the full list price, the sale price really makes them a deal that I can't refuse. The sale price can easily go around $20, sometimes even lower. The record for me is a demonstrator for $10.95; considering that it comes with a converter and a bottle of ink, the pen is basically free.

To put this into perspective, I compare them to one of my recent acquisitions: a Namiki Falcon. While the Falcon is a wonderful pen that I absolutely love, for the price I can have 5+ colorful TWs, each loaded with a different ink. As much as I love the sensation of writing with the Falcon's soft and springy nib, TW wins hands down in the value department. Another big plus is that I feel comfortable about leaving a bunch of TWs in office so I always have access to some fountain pens at work. This is something that I'll never do with any of higher priced pens.

So even after owning more than 10 TWs, I still crave for more. Specifically, I am itching to get a Sea Glass (the color that got me interested in True Writer in the first place) and a Carnaval (gave mine to my father-in-law and have been missing it terribly). Therefore, I almost jumped when I got an email from Levenger's ebay outlet about another sale, with a Sea Glass, a Carnaval, and a Golden Tortoise (intended for CP) listed at <$20 each. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of waiting for kids to go to bed before ordering. By the time I sat down in front of the computer again, all three of them were gone (darn it, don't you people have a life?).

Well, to look at things in a more positive way, I did take the chance to get my hands on a couple more pens, including a TW Amethyst (the matching ink is a lovely medium purple), a TW Blue Illuminator (I no longer interested in metal pens and have gotten this one for my father-in-law; that said, the brushed metal finish looks/feels really good), a TW Obsidian (the stub nib is nothing to get excited about but it works reasonable well), and a Decathlon.

Now the Decathlon is really an interesting pen. While it is not really that different from a TW, the faceted body certainly looks much nicer and the clip design is much more elegant. Notably the facets of the cap/body lined up perfectly when the pen is capped. Given all the advancements made in the pen industry over the past few decades this really shouldn't be a big deal, but one would be surprised about how many higher priced pens are having problems with this simple issue (hey Bexley are you listening?). Although the $138 list price is more like a joke for this pen, I am more than happy to fork out $19.95 for a refurbished one.

As I ponder which inks to use in these newly arrived pens, I can't help but to wonder: when will I get a TW Sea Glass and a TW Carnaval?

The long and the short of my FP addiction

Originally posted at FPN as my self-intro.

The one pen that started it all
Sometime back in elementary school, possibly when I was around 10 to 12, my brother brought home a really cool looking pen (a Platinum Standard) and explained to me how this strange looking thing works. I was immediately taken by it and decided that I must have one. After saving up my allowance for quite some time, I finally got a shiny blue one of my own. The sensation of gliding the nib across papers got me hooked for good. This pen accompanied me all the way to college. The tip has been completely worn out by then so I was forced to replace it with another pen (a Cross Townsend this time). I still have the Platinum with me and it will remain as one of my most cherished collections.

Early stage of addiction
With the help of the Cross Townsend (along with a Rotring 600 that joined later), I made it out of the college 4 years later. To celebrate the event, I used my first paycheck to buy a Pelikan M800, the pen that has been my daily user for the last 10+ years. Soon after the Pelikan, I was bitten by the vintage bug and started to collect pens. Wahl-Eversharp Doric and and Parker Vacumatic are my favorites.

Passing the point of no return
With the arrival of our first baby, my fountain pen collection frenzy came to a screeching stop. While I still use FPs daily, I no longer have the time and energy to think about getting more. In a sense, I was almost cured.

Unfortunately, my father passed away in Dec 2007. After the funeral, I watched a lovely Japanese film "Closed Note" on the flight back home. Curious about the pens featured in the movie (possibly a Nakaya, I have never seen Urushi pens before that), I did some googling and found FPN (which I shouldn't have done, darn it).

Wondering through the FPN re-ignited my passion for FPs. With all the great info (and many evil enablers), my FP/ink collection went through an explosive growth in 2008 (I know for sure that I am not alone on this). It didn't help that my wife has been more than understanding about my addiction. She said things to me like: "Honey, you really need to have that Bexley Americana to celebrate you PhD degree.", "Your birthday is coming up, what kind of pens do you want?", or "Hey there's a pen show coming up, do you want to go?".

Where I stand now
After going through all these, I finally have a better idea about what I like (or at least I think I know). Now I prefer non-expensive full-size modern pens (say under $200-300), ideally light and colorful. That said, a nice Urushi pen from Nakaya/Danitrio remains as my dream pen. Maybe this can be my next milestone pen when I finally land a permanent academic job.

My biggest regret
Just very recently, I remembered that my late grandpa had a FP, possibly a Parker 51. I lived with my grandparents for the first 3 years of my life and was extremely attached to them. Sadly, them both passed away very early (when I was in high school). The pen, along with all other of their stuff, was cleared out of the house long ago and nowhere to be found. I soooooo wanted to have that pen as something that I can keep in their memory (I do have a jade pendant from my grandma that I wear on a necklace all the time). Alas, such is life.

Nonetheless, one must learn from history and look at the bright side of life. I am proud to say that, my three kids, along with all my future grandkids, will have no trouble getting my pens should they want to do so. Now, isn't that a great excuse for me to get some more pens? ;)

A good trade

I have been wanting to get a pen for my dear father-in-law (who is a fellow fountain pen addict) a pen for quite sometime now but never quite sure about what to get. After all, fountain pens are quite personal (particularly for FP addicts). Surprisingly, my dilemma was easily solved this week when he saw my newly expanded Levenger True Writer collection. When I saw him showing interests in those pens, I urged him to pick whatever that caught his fancy. In the end, he picked Kyoto (I was not surprised) and Carnival (I am very surprised about this, just as my wife said when she saw me getting this pen).

I am more than happy to give the pens to my father-in-law. What I didn't expect was that he insisted on buying the pens by himself. Given that he is going back to Taiwan in a few day, the package are not likely to make it. After much persuasion, he agreed to take the pens on the condition that he will order replacements for me.

Now here is how the things got out of the hand. You put two FP addicts together in front of a computer and have them both urge the other to click that evil "Add to Cart" button, and the online pen shops are likely to see sales going through the roof. In the end, he (or we?) bought 5 new pens in one setting. What's really great for me is that my dear father-in-law insisted that I keep all 5 pens (and put them to use!) until his next visit or our next trip back to Taiwan, whichever comes first.

What can I say? I am a lucky son-in-law.

True Writer mania

Four new Levenger True Writers arrived today: Carnaval, Fiery Amber, Kyoto, and Starry Night. All are stunningly beautiful.

Off to a good start

The two pens that I ordered in the end of last year both arrived today. Not sure if I should count them as my 2008 pens or 2009 pens. Anyway, I am thrilled to have a good start on the pen front.

The first one, a Namiki/Pilot Falcon, is simply amazing to write with. I don't feel comfortable flexing the soft nib, but the springy feeling really makes it a wonderful writer.

The second one, a Levenger True Writer Fireball, is a pen/ink combo. I was a bit surprised to see that the color is such a bright orange-red (I was expecting a fiery red). Looks like this can work as a good highlighting ink.

While playing with these new pens are a lot of fun, updating the wish list is even better. Some of the pens that caught my fancy at the moment are:

• Aurora 88 (vintage)


• Edison Pearl


• Laban Mento (no sure which color yet)


• Lamy 27


• Lamy ABC


• Lamy Safari (one can always use a couple more of these)


• Levenger True Writer Kyoto/Fiery Amber/Sea Glass/Starry Night/Water Lilies/Carnaval


• Libelle Autumn Leaf


• Parker 45


• Parker 51


• Parker 75


• Pilot Custom 823


• Pilot Myu 90

One more good reason to buy pens

Reading a thread on FPN about pens that stay in the family makes me really wish that I had a pen from my dad or my grandparents. While I did get a nice watch that belonged to dad, it is too precious for me to wear. If I could have some pens from my dad/grandparents, I can ink them up and put them on my desk. That way I can feel warm inside whenever I sit down to write and never have to worry about losing or damaging an irreplaceable treasure.

Well, at least I am doing what I can to make sure that my kids won't have similar regret. Hey, I do have 3 kids you know. :)

Fountain pens gone wild

Basically the title said it all about what happened to my fountain pen/ink collection this year.

It all started with a lovely Japanese movie that I watched on a trans-pacific flight back from Taiwan, Closed Note. I love the story and the pens that featured in the movie. Watching this movie re-ignited my craze about fountain pens.

Pretty soon I discovered the FPN. And with that, all hell breaks lose. New pens and ink keep coming in from all sources (including a "mile-stone" pen to celebrate my PhD, a Bexley Americana in Rio Grande Red). I even get a chance to attend my first pen show (in Atlanta).

My newest acquisition at the year's end, a Levenger True Writer Demonstrator (with a bottle of matching "Slightly Wild" Fireball ink), aptly concludes this wonderful year. Really look forward to a "bountiful" 2009. :)

Lamy ABC comes to the US

Ever since I learned about the existence of Lamy ABC from Richard Binder's site, I have been wanting one (or two, it comes in 2 great colors) pretty badly. I can't really explain why I'd be so obsessed with a pen designed for children, may be I have never grown up or something.

Unfortunately this pen was not available in the US, and the trouble and cost involved in getting one is just too much so this pen has remained on my wish list for quite some time now. So, I am really happy to know that now
Fountain Pen Hospital started to carry this cute little pen.

With all that great news, I can only hope my play-money account will turn black soon...

Don't mess with my pens

Thanks to a generous donation from my boss, now there is a guardian dragon watching over my pens in the office.

Some beautiful pearls

Just saw the Edison Pen's newest creation, the Pearl. It is a beautiful pen and I am very impressed by the double ink window design.

Pen Review: Retro 51 Scriptmaster in Citron

A pen review I wrote on FPN (http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=76715)

Very happy with the newest addition to my collection and thought that I would share it here. This is my first review and I'm following the standard template made by our moderator The Noble Salvage (thanks again for the great job), hope you will find it easy to follow.

1. First impression
I am always attracted to pens with rich and brilliant colors. Initially I was considering a Retro 51 Double 8, but after hearing this particular model has problems with the nib assembly and the threads from several members here I decided not to buy it. However, I also found out that the Scriptmaster II seems to be a trouble free model and people who own it are very happy with it. After seeing FPH has the Citron color on sale, I decided to go ahead and buy one. I haven't got a chance to take some photos so I'll just use FPH's photo for now:



The pen arrived in a standard Retro 51 tubular-shaped box, which looks pretty good. If you are interested in seeing what the box looks like, it is pictured in another Scriptmaster review here. The pen comes with a standard converter, 3 cartridge, and a small info booklet.

2. Appearance & Finish
The pen is made of cellulose acetate, one of my favorite materials. The colors are rich and brilliant (which is why I decided to buy it in the first place). Not surprisingly it looks much better than any of the pictures that I have seen. The barrel/cap is rather thick (maybe twice as thick as the Bexley Americana), which adds to the depth of the colors so that's really great. The Citron is a lighter color and has some transparency to it so you can see the black nib assembly through the section. This is my only complaint, it would be nice if they can use white or other lighter color for the nib assembly for a pen like this; but then again, I am asking too much probably. The finish and build quality appears to be very good.

3. Design/ Size/Weight
This is a full size pen (comparable to the Pelikan M800). I always use my pens unposted and this one feels comfortable to be used that way. As I mentioned earlier the barrel is rather thick, which makes it a medium weight pen. I don't have a scale, but it is heavier than my Bexley Americana and lighter than my Pelikan M800.

4. Nib Design & Performance
Okay, the key point: the one I got has a M nib and it writes well right out of the box. The nib is firm and smooth. I inked the pen with Pelikan Green and the flow is pretty good (I rate the wetness at 6/10). It doesn't skip at all and starts right up after sitting overnight. The stainless steel nib has some gold plating on the edge, overall the dual-tone nib makes a very attractive combination with the color of the pen. The feed appears to be made of ebonite. One good thing about the nib design is that the whole nib assembly is self-contained and can be screw out for cleaning. So if you want, you can take the whole pen apart into (1) cap, (2) barrel, (3) section (a hollow piece of cellulose acetate), and (4) the nib assembly. Will be great if I can find some nib units in different width in the future.

5. The Filling System
Not much to say here, it is a standard C/C filler. I don't have strong feelings about this. It is nice that they have included a converter in the box, but then again, that is expected in this price range I think.

6. Cost/Value
The list price is $75 and I got this on sale from FPH for $49 plus shipping. I think the list price is fair and it is definitely a good value given the sale price. I would rate this as a better value than Pelikan M200 (which I have several), even at the list price of $75. I always have good experience with FPH and would recommend them without reservation (standard disclaimer here).

7. Overall Opinion/Conclusion
Overall I am very happy with it. Even though everyone seems to be happy with their Scriptmaster, the stories that I heard about the Double 8 still give me some not-so-good feelings about Retro 51 in general. If this pen holds up well in the future, I'd happy to buy more Retro 51 pens (may another Scriptmaster in a different color?).