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.