A Tale of Two Heralds

Top to Bottom : Edison Production Herald, Edison Custom Herald

 Keeping with our new-found tradition of reviewing every new Edison production line pen that Goldspot carries, it is only expected that a write-up about the Herald would be done in the same fashion. Besides being a few months late from its initial release in January - the Herald isn't exactly new, is it? The Herald, with its long, torpedo / cigar-like shape that tapers at both ends - has been a staple of Edison's custom Signature line for years.

Back before we carried Edison on the website for retail, I contacted Brian and had a custom Herald made in a blue & turquoise acrylic. It was a pen that was made to commemorate the birth of my first-born. I was looking for something special, unique and that was a high quality writing instrument - certainly three qualities that made an Edison the easy choice. At the time, the Herald was the model he offered that posted the best, and that was the quality that led me to choose that particular design.

After writing with my custom Herald for two years now, it was easy to see why we were so eager to jump on board with a Edison / Goldspot retail partnership. With every pen that is made, you can expect top notch quality of writing, beautiful craftsmanship of the materials and unparalleled service (if ever needed).

Now, Brian has decided to move the Herald from the Signature line to the Production line, meaning that there will no longer be any custom Herald pens made like mine. The positive of the change is that the entry price for a steel nib fountain pen goes from $250 to $150. There are also a few design tweaks that, IMHO, has improved upon an already solid pen design. *[May 8th Correction : According to Brian, the custom Herald is still available as the original model, but with the higher price tag and you would not be able to choose the colors / styles in the production line. The custom version still has the original front grip section as well.]

When comparing the two by eye, the first obvious difference is the size of the pen. The production Herald is 1/4" shorter when closed, 1/8" shorter with the cap off and 3/8" shorter with the cap posted on the back of the pen (click writing sample below to see full measurements). The $7,000 question is : Do they write the same? Comparing apples to apples, the steel nib's writing performance on the new model is still top notch with a nice flow that tends to the wet side. Check out the writing sample below for a direct comparison between both nibs.

Top Half - Edison Custom Steel Nib , Bottom Half - Edison Production Steel Nib

While writing with the new Herald, the second difference is very noticeable in a most delightful way - the cap posts much more securely and doesn't make the pen as long. Brian had tapered the back-end of the barrel to a higher degree to make the cap post better.

The fingertips also notice a pronounced flare at the front section of the grip area. It offers extra stability while writing, keeping the digits comfortably in place during long writing sessions.

Another slight, but noticeable improvement is the threading of the cap. It takes about a half or 3/4 turn less to remove / replace the cap than it does with the older model.  It shows that Brian is constantly improving his own designs to make them more user friendly. Leave it to the Edison Pen Co to find ways to make an awesome pen design even better (and more affordable)!

Anyone else out there own both an Edison custom (Signature) pen and a Production model? Please comment below to share your experiences and feel free to gush about your pen(s).