Looking over all the new pens that have been launched by the greatest pen-makers like Pelikan, Pilot, Conklin and more, we've noticed a great deal of blue this year. Without further adieu, let's check out all the awesome blue pens that are currently available :
Pilot Vanishing Point Matte Blue Fountain Pen (View)
2016's latest line extension of the ever-popular Pilot Vanishing Point ("Capless" if you're outside of the US) retractable fountain pen. This royal blue is finished with a satin feel and stealth black trims. A black plated 18kt gold nib is installed to complement the furniture and clip.
Conklin All American Lapis Blue (View)
We were so stunned by the vibrant, marbled blue of the Conklin All American that we had to do a video overview on this pen to capture its gorgeous color.
Pelikan M205 Blue Transparent (View)
A re-issue of the same style that had been a hit success back in 2011 with a slightly updated finial top. Not much changes with these Pelikans, and that's a good thing! If you're a fan of high-performing demonstrators and the color blue, this one is a must have for your collection.
Pelikan M805 Vibrant Blue (View)
This special edition for Pelikan does not disappoint. The barrel and cap are made from a translucent, marbled blue acrylic that is a marvel to behold and feel in hand. Check out our video review, which has been lovingly called "pen porn," here.
OMAS Arte Italiana Vintage 556F (View)
While this isn't a new pen, we recently got our hands on the very last of this classically designed OMAS pen because we fell in love with the simplicity and the richness of the resin color. The navy blue is paired with either gold trim or platinum-plated trim. The demure and subtle quality of this combination is not to be overlooked.
To match these wonderfully blue pens, we'd recommend the following inks and notebooks :
Mont Blanc Leo Tolstoy Sky Blue Ink (View)
A limited edition ink, this Leo Tolstoy is one of our best sellers in Mont Blanc fountain pen inks.
Rhodiarama Webnotebooks (View)
The high quality paper in the Rhodia webnotebooks can handle most fountain pen inks and nibs. The sturdy hard cover and elastic band ensure your writings and sketches stay protected in your daily travels. The Rhodiarama collection has a color cover to match every personality, with several shades of blue to match your blue pens & inks.
Few pen manufacturers have the legacy of the Conklin Pen Co, established in 1898 with a prolific spokesman like Mark Twain. The renown American author sang praises for the Conklin crescent filling fountain pen, as it was rare back then that a fountain pen would actually hold it's own ink. The current-day Conklin Pen Co, based in Canoga Park, California, created a replica of this same design that was released back at the turn of the 20th Century and dubbed it, The Mark Twain Crescent Filler.
What's the Big Deal About the Crescent?
The main bullet point of this pen model is its Crescent Filling system, which features - you guessed it - a gold-plated crescent that protrudes from the side of the pen barrel. The crescent is attached to a pressure bar that is inside of the barrel. If pressed down, this pressure bar presses down on a pliable sac inside the pen and expels air (and ink, if present). Releasing the crescent will allow the elasticity of the sac to expand, sucking in ink through the nib's feed. A c-shaped locking ring is rotated around the barrel to allow for the mechanism to be used, and the prevent it from accidentally being used when writing or carrying the pen.
The filling mechanism is very old school, as most pens manufactured prior to the advent of the cartridge / converter used rubber sacs or bladders to store ink within a fountain pen. Not many pens these days are manufactured with a filling system that uses a sac. Thinking off the top of my head, the now-defunct Conway Stewart brand did offer lever fillers and Delta had made button fillers that used sacs, but none recently. Since replacing a broken converter would mean a simple purchase of a new piece, the concept of having to send a pen back for warranty service for a replacement sac seems like an outdated notion. Also, giving the buyer an option to use disposable ink cartridges also seems to be more of a modern concern. The Crescent hearkens back to the glory days of fountain pens, where the inkwell was your ONLY option.
Presentation - an Improvement Over the Conklin Coffin Box
Sticking with the dark blue and gold brand imprint & trim, the Conklin box may look very similar to its predecessors, but has changed from the rectangular box, lined with white, ruffled satin to a cream-felted interior that feels less like a coffin and more like a luxury pen box. Each pen comes with a lifetime warranty card that sets your mind at ease about the whole "I may need to send this away for an expensive sac repair in the future," anxiety. Also included is a card that explains the Crescent fill system, with step-by-step directions on how to fill the pen written on back. It's very informative and elegant-looking, so I would definitely keep all of the accoutrements that come with the pen, especially if you would ever consider selling it in the future.
Conklin Mark Twain Crescent (Left) with a Lamy AL-Star Copper Orange (Right)
The Pen
Despite being made of mostly resin, picking up the Conklin Mark Twain Crescent felt weighed in-hand at 27 grams. The thick cap band, large metal clip and the crescent pressure bar in the barrel gave the pen its decent weight. Typical to the Conklin's tradition of over-branding their merchandise, the clip, cap band, crescent and nib all have the Conklin name engraved or stamped.
The rocker-style clip is affixed to the cap by a metal piece located toward the top half of the clip piece. Pressing at the very top of the clip will open up the bottom to clip on to a shirt pocket or pen loop.
The cap band is nicely engraved with Mark Twain's signature that is rendered in black filler, along with the Conklin name.
The crescent is stamped "Conklin" on one side and "Crescent-Filler / Trade Mark" on the other. The c-shaped locking ring is made of the same resin the rest of the pen body and cap are made from. The opening of the "c" is meant to be lined up underneath the crescent arc to prepare for filling or cleaning. When filling or cleaning of the pen has been completed, I would recommend turning the c-shaped locking ring as far as you could away from the crescent to ensure there would be no accidental discharge of ink.
A neat feature about the Crescent itself, which Mark Twain enjoyed very much, was the fact that the crescent arch acted as a roll-stopper, even when the pen's cap was off. Usually, you could rely on the clip of a pen to prevent the pen from rolling off of a table. However, even with the cap removed, the Crescent filler isn't going anywhere.
The Writing Experience
The Conklin Crescent is available in a steel nib, sized Fine, Medium or 1.1mm Stub Nib. For this review, I had used the 1.1mm Stub, so we can talk about another important change for modern pen manufacturing.
A buffet of nib size choices are seldom seen these days with most pen manufacturing. Most offer a standard fine or medium and call it a day. The Great Recession may have had something to do with it, as most companies wanted to run leaner on inventory and stick only with the best-selling nib choices.
The modern Conklin Pen Company also applied survival of the fittest to their nib selection, but found that the discontinued broad had lost out against the 1.1mm stub nib.
Why?
Thank the resurgence of fountain pen writing in general over the last 5 years and its proliferation online. Today's fountain penmen / penwomen LOVE line variation. Go search on instagram for #flexnibfriday and #stubnibsunday to see perfect examples of pen lovers showing off their specialty nibs.
Conklin's 1.1mm stub gives excellent line variation, with a thick vertical stroke and a thin horizontal. I felt like it ran a bit on the dry side and certainly wasn't the smoothest steel nib, not by any stretch of the imagination. Now, that I've gotten more into tuning my pens, my mind immediately went to the thought that this pen could be absolutely perfect if I worked in opening up the flow a bit more and smoothing out the nib. However, for purposes of this review, my assumption is that the average reader does not have the experience or confidence to tackle such an adjustment, so I wouldn't make any recommendations to "void the warranty," so to speak.
The Conklin Crescent Stub nib favors a slower, controlled pace of writing. The ink (Noodler's Golden Brown), could not keep up during faster writing samples and scribbles. Printing and adding serifs to the letters' ascenders and descenders looks great with the line variation that is achieved with the stub nib.
Apart from the nib, the pen felt more controllable and less taxing on the hand when using it uncapped (5.57" closed, 6.5" cap posted). You can certainly post the cap on the backend securely, but the added weight to the backend felt a bit cumbersome. Also, the c-shaped locking ring around the barrel protrudes out from the rest of the pen body. For my hand, it rests exactly on the side of my index finger knuckle, which isn't that comfortable of a fit.
Despite having an internal filling system, it felt like the Mark Twain Crescent did not hold a tremendous amount of ink like most other bottle-fill only pens would usually be able to carry. I gave it somewhat a pass, because I was using a stub nib that laid down more ink that a standard fine or medium point would. Word of advice on filling : be sure to do at least another 2-3 squeezes when the nib is submerged in ink to obtain the maximum amount of ink in your pen.
A Few Choice Words
Summary :
Writing Quality : Stainless steel nib writes well enough, but doesn't "Wow." Most tinkerers would probably be able to find a way to make it sing. (grade B-)
Aesthetic Quality : Strong vintage appeal with many design cues that pay homage to Conklin's heritage. Gold trims and Mark Twain's signature are particularly striking. (grade A-)
Utility : I'm split on this issue, as the crescent is a filling system built into the pen, but presents an issue for fitting in pen loops or cases. The c-shaped locking ring also gets in the way a bit when writing for some people's hands. (grade B)
Price : Normally an MSRP of $180, Goldspot is offering the Halloween, Mocha & Spearmint models at closeout for a special rate. Check the website here for the most current offerings. (grade A)
Final Grade : A-
Overall the revival was a success. I was teetering between a B+ and A-, but what set me more on the A- side was the closeout price value on the three finishes I mentioned. There are a few other versions of the Crescent Filler, including a black chased pattern with rose gold finish and a demonstrator model as well, which sell for significantly more than this line, but provide nearly the same design. The uniqueness of the crescent filling system, colorful style and the additional hand writing flair of the stub nib makes this pen an exotic add to your fountain pen collection.
Hope that everyone is alright after that last hit of winter wonderland the other day in the northeast. It seems that the snow just doesn't know when to stop this year. A quick update this Saturday morning:
The 2011 Academy Awards weren't the only nominations going out this week. Delta and Conklin have received a total of five nominations for the Seventeenth Annual Readers’ Choice Awards sponsored by Pen World magazine. The Delta Amerigo Vespucci was nominated for the "most fitting tribute to a historical figure or celebrity." Part of the Indigenous People's series of limited edition pens, the Delta Mapuche was nominated for "best pen inspired by a cultural or literary theme." The Dolcevita Oro and the Conklin Deco Crest were both nominated for the "Best Brand Icon" award. Lastly, the Delta Italiana is up for "Most incredible Value under $200." Best of luck to Delta, Conklin and the rest of the nominees.
Voting for Tom in the E-mail Template Design Contest is almost to a close (ends Jan 31st). He's nervously pacing back and forth, competing with another design for first place. Please do your best to share the link to vote on his template this weekend by posting this link to your facebook page, twitter followers or blog : http://www.verticalresponse.com/email-template-challenge/t1/
He greatly appreciates all the support that the fine writing community, goldspot fans and members on fountain pen network have given him. "This was too long of a contest," Tom says, "and I've been soliciting for votes like a politician stumping from virtual city to city. But, it's almost over now, and I need to go all out with a final push that will ensure a first place victory." When asked if he would consider entering a contest judged in this fashion again, he simply shook his head and walked away.
Many folks have called and e-mailed asking about the new ACME Beatles limited edition pens that are slated for 2011. Very few updates are available in the writing community, even as we near the eventual release date. We have had to update our original post on the Beatles pens to reflect the current pricing structure for the new proposed editions.
The good news for your wallet is that not all the Beatles editions will be coming out at once. Out of the over two dozen different designs, only 4 or 5 will be available for sale within the next few months, with the rest of them being released over the next 2 to 3 years. Goldspot has committed to being part of the first shipment of Beatles pens and will have several pens in-stock for collectors who are interested. We cannot take pre-orders just yet since we do not have the final pricing, but please drop us a line through Facebook, Twitter, call us or leave a comment on this post so we can notify you when we will be taking the first orders.
The "New" Conklin Endura is part of the re-release campaign by Yafa Pen Co., distributors of Monteverde and Delta pens. Last year, they bought the Conklin brand, which was often wrought with quality control issues. As part of their "refresh" of the brand, Yafa produced the Endura, along with the popular Mark Twain Crescent and Herringbone collections. For the most part, the overall "look" is almost true to the Conklin pens made prior to 2009. However, there are some key differences that the consumer should definitely not overlook.
One noticeable change is the direction of the Conklin logo stamped on the clip. On new Conklin pens, the logo is read from left to right when a right-handed person holds the pen in their hand. Besides the clip, the Yafa-bred Conklin pens have a higher-degree of quality in the details.
The Endura arrives in the Conklin blue gift box, which is fairly large and features a white, satin-like interior where the pen rests. As with most Conklins, the Endura has a fairly generous stature. This is certainly not for the delicate hand. The barrel and cap are made from solid, marble resin. The faceted, 12-sided barrel is polished to a high gloss to match the shining trims. The resins themselves are semi-translucent in areas and the color choice for the Patriot Red has that vintage appeal, while being patriotic.
The twist-action Endura ballpoint pen uses a Parker Style refill, which is one of the most common types of ballpoint refills (you can even find a refill at a CVS drugstore usually). Also, thanks to Monteverde, you can swap the standard blue or black ballpoint refill for a capless gel or a variety of ballpoint colors.
I wrote with the refill that originally comes with the pen, which was a fine point refill in black. While things like flow and smoothness of the tip can be interchangeable by exchanging the refill, what I will comment on are things like the weight, balance and overall writing comfort of the pen. That being said, the grand profile is not meant for everyone. The faceted sides of the resin barrel can be a bit rough unless you clutch the pen closely to the cone tip. Overall, the pen is a big weighty, but well-balanced and comfortable to write with if you are a fan of pens with a larger diameter.
Summary:
Writing Quality : Would be comfortable for writers who prefer a thicker pen with more heft. The faceted sides can be bothersome. (grade B)
Aesthetic Quality : Resin design is unique, colorful and interesting while giving that vintage look. Gift box offers pleasant presentation. (grade A-)
Utility : A Conklin is not going to easily fit in your pocket, purse or organizer pen loop. The twist-action ballpoint is smooth and the Parker-style refill offers the convenience of compatibility. (grade B+)
Price : The Endura Ballpoint is available in Smokey Grey, Patriot Red and Emerald Green. Goldspot Pens offers a 20% discount for a final price of $67.95. A bit on the expensive side for a resin twist-action ballpoint, but we are talking about a super-sized Conklin. (grade B-)
Final Grade : B
While offering some unique resin finishes and a revamped Conklin design, the Endura's large size and faceted barrel lowers the writing quality for most.
Finally, the floods have subsided in New Jersey and we've been treated with beautiful weather the last few days. Spring is coming and new releases are debuting every week on our store. Recently, we added the new Conklin Mark Twain Crescent Pens and Herringbone Pens. A quick note about the new Conklin : it is now being manufactured by the same company that brings us Monteverde. This means higher quality and new styles on the horizon. We've also added the Pelikan P58 Style, which is a sleeker version of the Pelikano. The new Lamy Studio Platinum is a nice addition to the line and the fountain pen uses a 14ct gold nib.
Office Supply Geek channeled his inner Tim Allen this week, literally "hacking" a gel refill to fit his Waterman Expert.
Half story about how he obtains his first Mont Blanc and a bit of a history lesson made the post on fountain pens over at Kaufmann Mercantile very intriguing.
I thought Lady Dandelion's British Triptych made for a very expensive, but elegant photoshoot.
