Faggionato Pétrarque King Size Celluloid Fountain Pen Review @couronneducomte

Thank you kindly to La Couronne du Comte for sending this pen for a review.

ABOUT

Body material: Celluloid
Trim: Gold-plated clip
Cap: Screw on
Posts: Yes, friction
Filling system: Standard international cartridge/converter
Nib: Gold-plated steel
Length (capped): 144.16 mm/5.67"
Length (uncapped): 132.51 mm/5.21"
Length (posted): 171.71 mm/6.75"
Length (section): 25.55 mm/1.00"
Diameter (barrel): 12.54 - 13.80 mm/0.49" - 0.59"
Diameter (section): 11.84 - 12.45 mm/0.46" - 0.49"
Weight (all): 23 g
Weight (cap): 7 g
Weight (body): 16 g
Price: € 190,00
Where to buy: La Couronne du Comte

 

Discount Code: GOURMET10

PACKAGING & PRESENTATION

I really like the simple, low waste presentation of this pen. The box is a simple, Faggionato-branded cardboard box with a black felt bed inside. Nothing more to it, and it truly does not need anything else. I am glad it's so minimal.

APPEARANCE

I have a thing for fun colors and materials so the Pétrarque in Blue Celluloid really caught my eye. This is a large, cylindrical pen with slightly rounded-off blunt ends. There are no markings on the finial or the body of the pen. The clip is attached through a very clean cut out in the cap. It bows towards the cap and angles up at the end. The top of the clip is engraved with the Faggionato symbol. I love the clip and I think it really suits the pen's colors and design. It's also quite different from the same old clip style found on a lot of other pens.

The section is a bit chunky and wide, ending in a ridge before the nib. The cap, barrel, and section are all made of this rather unique celluloid color. It does have a seam where the celluloid pour connects (like that found on the Platinum #3776 Celluloid fountain pens) but I found it pretty hard to see and feel. That means it is not turned from a rod of celluloid, but whether that really matters to you is up to you, of course. The material is a semi-clear yellow-brown with vivid blue splotches, like paint splotches.

Although some may find the cylindrical shape a little plain, I think it works well with the material and clip design here.

NIB & PERFORMANCE

The nib on this pen is a #6 gold-plated steel in fine/medium. It has a single slit, a round breather hold, and is engraved with a small circle in a square. So simple and classy.

The nib is quite pleasant. It's a medium to wet writer with pretty fast drying times. It yields slightly while writing, which makes it feel more like a gold nib to me. With a little pressure, you can squeeze out a little bit of line variation and you can increase your ink flow just a bit if you want some more saturation. The nib does well during long and fast writing sessions. A solid and pleasant writing experience!

Less fun and my only complaint really - the supplied converter was in place in the section but was cracked. I had to dig through quite a few converters to find one that would actually fit on the section. It looks like it could be eyedroppered but I have not tried and I'm not sure that would be interesting enough. I could have contacted La Couronne du Comte to ask about another converter but I have so many I figured I would just dig around my stash. I'm not sure what the issue was and why it was so difficult to find a converter that fit, but sometimes even a standard international gives trouble like this.

IN HAND 

The clip is springy, pleasant, and easy to use. The shape makes it so easy to slide on and off pockets, papers, and pouches. The section, as I mentioned, is a little on the wide side but I like it. The cap threads are really smooth and it feels nice to the touch.

Unposted, the pen is large - definitely bordering on oversize for my hand. It is fairly light and balanced near the center. The cap can be posted by friction but it is way too long to use comfortably. I enjoy using it unposted and I think it would work best that way for most users.

I love the feeling of this pen. It almost feels like the material is soft to the touch because it's so smooth. It warms up and that's one of the things I love about celluloid.

 

PROS & CONS

OVERALL

Thumbs up. € 190,00 -  minus VAT if you're out of the EU, and with a discount? Not bad. It's still a little on the pricy side for a steel nib, cartridge/converter set up, but the celluloid is unusual and I think it's overall really well put together and made. It performs very well, the packaging is low waste, and it's comfortable to use. Totally worth a look!

The color that truly has my heart is the Carnaval.


I received this item free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion.

Wordless Wednesday

Ink Shot Review: KWZI Old Gold @AppelboomLaren

Thanks to KWZI for sending this ink sample for a review!

ABOUT

Color: Gold

Bottle: 60 ml

Price: €8.22

Where to buy: Appelboom

Discount code for 10% off: friend

PROS 

• Bottle is easy to fill from.
• Interesting, attractive shade. 
• Bottle is tinted to save your ink from UV exposure. It also comes in a box, making it easy to stack.
• Pretty easy to clean.
• Well-behaved.
• Easy to store on your shelf in the box.

CONS

• Each bottle is wrapped in plastic wrap. I realize this is likely to prevent leaking but it feels wasteful to me.
• If you use this in a very wet application, it can take a long time to dry and remain a little smudgy. 
• KWZI inks have a particular smell - some describe it as vanilla. Myself, I do not like it at all. I suffer the smell for the joy of their colors. Fortunately, the smell does not linger on the page, but I feel I must warn you in the event that you find smelly inks off-putting. 

OVERALL

This one is an interesting color. I like it - not so bright a yellow that it is illegible, but not quite a full brown either. A neat shade that I think looks particularly beautiful in wide calligraphy nibs!

I received this item/these items free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion.

Sunday Reads: August 26. 2018

Stuff I Looked At Elsewhere & Read

• Homemade creamy vanilla ice cream - Salt and Baker.
• The Japanese Mini Truck Garden Contest is a Whole New Genre in Landscaping - Colossal.
• Ephemeral Winter Weather on the Faroe Islands - Colossal.
• Cinnamon buns - The Vanilla Bean Blog. Cinnamon buns are one of my favorite things to eat... even if they're terrifying. Or are morning buns better?
• Turn toxic emotions into positive action - NYT.
• Injecting Ink Into Water and Filming With a High Speed Camera - Twisted Sifter.
• Who else loves Anne of Green Gables? Thank you, Book Riot.
• Italian wildflowers blooming - Reuters.
• Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream Cake. - How Sweet Eats.
• King of the Sky: A Lyrical Illustrated Fable of Belonging and the Meaning of Home - from Brain Pickings.
• Vampire Cats - Sad and Useless.
• Brain Pickings - Tiny, Perfect Things: A Lyrical Illustrated Invitation to Presence.

Stuff I Apparently Did This Week

• Ink Shot Review: KWZI Turquoise 
• Wordless Wednesday
• Vlog #1 Moving to Alberta, Dark Chocolate & Adjusting
• Opus 88 Koloro Demonstrator Fountain Pen Review
• Opus 88 Picnic Fountain Pen & Colorverse x Opus 88 Girls Just Wanna Ink
• Leonardo Pens Momento Zero Resin & Celluloid Fountain Pens

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If you're doing any browsing and shopping, please do check out my sponsors in the sidebar, because they help make all this possible. Some of these links are affiliate links, which provides me with a small commission but does not add any extra cost to your purchase. Some links are just referral links, but there is no obligation to purchase through any of these links. Your purchases through my links help support this blog and allows me to fulfill review requests. Either way, I appreciate your readership and your support so much, so thank you!

Discount codes here!

Leonardo Momento Zero Pens - Blue Positano Resin & Blue Abyss Celluloid

Thank you to Leonardo Pens for sending these beautiful fountain pens for me to check out!

Momento Zero Resin (Blue Positano) | Momento Zero Blue Abyss Limited Edition

Use discount code FLORENCE!

This is not a paid post. No affiliate links, no commission. Just a sweetened deal for you.

Opus 88 Picnic Fountain Pen & Colorverse x Opus 88 Girls Just Wanna Ink from @PenChalet

MAILBOX GOODIES! Check out the giveaway ON NOW - it's on my Instagram!!

Opus 88 Picnic

Colorverse x Opus 88

Opus 88 Koloro Demonstrator Fountain Pen Review @GoldspotPens

Thanks to Goldspot Pens for sending this pen over for a review! I had my eye on it for awhile because I really like clear pens but it has really impressed me!

ABOUT

Body material: Acrylic resin
Trim: Metal
Cap: Screw on
Posts: No
Nib material: Steel
Filling system: Eyedropper + shut off valve
Ink capacity: 2 ml
Length (capped): 147.30 mm/5.80"
Length (uncapped): 136.6 mm/5.38"
Length (posted): N/A
Length (section): 22.46 mm/0.88"
Diameter (barrel): 14.16 - 14.97 mm/0.56" - 0.59"
Diameter (section): 11.05 - 12.86 mm/0.44" - 0.51"
Weight (all): 30 g
Weight (cap): 10 g
Weight (body): 20 g
Price: $120.00 USD
Where to buy: Goldspot Pens

  

PACKAGING

The Opus 88 Koloro Demonstrator is presented in a black box with a brown protective sleeve. The sleeve has the Opus 88 logo and 'Fine Writing Instruments' printed on it in gold. The black box is marked with 'Opus 88 Fine Writing Instruments' and 'Since 1977' in white. The box is a little annoying because the lid opens but does not stay open on its own. The pen and a glass eyedropper are nestled in a snug foam bed and there is a small booklet included. The extent of packaging actually surprises me considering the price of the pen.

APPEARANCE

The Opus 88 Koloro Demonstrator is a large, round pen with flat ends. It is all clear acrylic, well polished for that yummy clear look we love demonstrators/clear pens for and it has a small amount of really cool matte black trim. Both ends of the pen have clear polished blocks of resin and it looks so neat - this is one of my favorite features on clear pens! The matte black clip is attached by a thin metal ring around the top of the cap. It is simple with a round ball at the end.

'Opus 88' is printed on the pen near the end of the cap but there are no other markings otherwise. The end of the barrel is a turning knob to operate the shut-off valve. The section is round and smooth, tapering slightly towards the nib before a small flared ridge. The ink chamber is visible through the section.

I like the design and look of this pen a lot. I love clear pens and I love how this pen showcases the clear acrylic. Super cool! I also love how the ink looks moving around in the barrel.

NIB & PERFORMANCE

The pen comes with a #6 steel nib. It has a single slit, a round breather hole, and is engraved with some flourishes (JoWo-style) and the nib size (B). It is laser-engraved with 'Opus 88' which looks cute and tidy.

This nib is a joy to write with. It is a smooth, wet steel nib that glides across the page when writing. On most papers, I did not experience any skips or hard starts but I did find it sensitive on smooth papers. It was also sensitive to hand oils on paper so that was probably the bigger issue. For the most part, it was well-behaved and totally worth the small amount of skippy behavior. That was easily tuned out with some quick loops on micro mesh. It's just such an enjoyable nib overall that I was pleased to have it.

The filling system is cool - it holds a lot of ink, it's easy to fill, operate, maintain, and clean. The shut-off valve is ideal for eyedropper pens because it helps to prevent ink burping if you are carrying the pen around, for example. It is such a simple system that I think all eyedropper fillers should have.

IN HAND

The clip is snug but can be lifted with one hand. I like how snug it holds the pen. The round ball makes it easy to lift the clip on and slide it off pockets, pages, and pouches. The section is smooth and comfortable to hold and write with, even for longer writing sessions. It does not feel slippery.

Unposted, the pen is large - definitely a full size - and it is comfortable and balanced. It does not post but I think it should suit many users unposted. The cap does not post but I really don't think it is necessary.

Top to bottom: Pineider Avatar, Opus 88 Koloro Demonstrator, Opus 88 Koloro Ebonite, Lamy Safari.

PROS & CONS

OVERALL 

I love it. I have the smaller ebonite Koloro as well, which is great, but I am a bigger fan of this Demonstrator. It has a simple yet very useful filling system, it holds quite a bit of ink, it looks cool, it is a large and comfortable pen, and the #6 nib is a very pleasant writer. I think the price is decent at $120. Highly recommended.



I received this item free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion.

Vlog #1 Moving to Alberta, Dark Chocolate & Adjusting

WHOA! What the heck is this? Well, I am answering a few questions I keep getting on Instagram/email/etc with regards to where I am, why I'm here, and what I'm currently doing. Sort of. Small details. Here are a few things I mentioned:

Pens for sale
Hot Chocolate tea
Scriptus pen show

Wordless Wednesday