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Budget Pen Review: Franklin-Covey Freemont


twigletzone

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My first ever review - practising on a cheaper pen maybe? Be gentle with me :)



First Impressions


The Freemont arrived in a simple grey cardboard presentation box. It was a little smaller than I expected - the design echoes the immense chunky flat-topped pens of the past, but the Freemont is actually relatively petite. Inside the sleeve protecting the box was a leaflet giving a "full perpetual warranty" and instructions on how to change refills in all of the Freemont pen types (fountain, ballpoint etc). No choice of nib width is available.


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Appearance and Design - 8/10


My goodness, but this is a handsome little pen. I have the red lacquered version, which over a metal barrel gives a jaw-dropping intense crimson. The photos don't do it justice at all. I got this for £13.50 including shipping from The Pen Shop, and it was the price combined with the appearance that made it an instant buy for me. I'm a sucker for anything richly-coloured and shiny, and in person the Freemont doesn't disappoint one bit. Glossy chrome furnishings contrast nicely with the lacquer. The design is a modern look inspired by flat-top vintage pens; it features a curiously shaped chrome cap end and a pocket clip with Franklin Covey branding. The nib has some simple but elegant-looking engraving and a breather hole; 'iridium point' is engraved on it but no width is given. (It writes like a European F).


I've scored the pen well simply for being so attractive, but knocked a couple of points off for the designers' attention to looks over practicality. The balance of this pen is not particularly great and the cap design makes posting a problem.


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Construction and Quality 8/10


This is a pen that feels solid and well-constructed. The finish is flawless and all of the problems I can see with it are design issues rather than construction faults. The cap closure is click-on rather than screw-on but it's sufficiently solidly made that it took me a couple of tries to get the cap off to start with - I don't feel the pen is likely to dry out. The clip is rather stiff.


Looking at other threads on FP there are folk who've found that the Freemont writes very wet or in some cases not at all - I find that it writes a little dry and could use a slightly wetter ink. I'm guessing that the low price point affects the build quality of the sections and makes them variable, so another point knocked off for being a cheapie pen here.


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Weight and Dimensions


L-R in above photo: Sheaffer No Nonsense, the Freemont, Parker Jotter.


This is a 6/10 for me, but that's due to my personal preferences and the Freemont might well be a lovely pen for someone else. As mentioned it's more petite than the design might make you think, but it's still wide enough to feel reasonable in your hand. I much prefer chunky pens and wouldn't use this for long periods, but it isn't an instant reject like the Waterman Hemisphere.


Measurements:


13.1cm capped

11cm uncapped

14.5cm posted (but see below as far as using the pen posted).

16mm barrel diameter

8.5mm section (measured at midpoint).


Weight is concentrated heavily in the solid metal doohickey that tops off the cap, to the point where when capped the pen will stand on its head quite happily. Unposted the pen is very light in the hand and causes me no fatigue.


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Nib and Performance 7/10


Flush this pen. Flush it like you are Hurricane Catrina. It appears to be factory finished with powder of some sort to stop the barrel thread sticking, and refused point blank to start with the included cartridge. Lots of plain water and a mystery green cartridge later, the Freemont writes a very pleasant fine line which feels a little dry; as a commenter in another thread observed the nib could benefit from a little smoothing, but out of the box I find it toothy rather than truly rough. (It actually outperformed the Cross Bailey I tested in this respect, which surprised me). I would like to try it with a different ink since I'm aware my Mystery Green runs a little dry, but see also the Construction and Quality section on this point.


My biggest personal beef with this pen is that it's functionally impossible to use it with the cap posted - obviously not an issue if you don't post, but since I very much prefer to it's something that stands out for me. The pen is incredibly end-heavy when posted, and the cap has to be posted with a considerable degree of brute force to avoid it starting to rattle, then wobble, then eventually fling itself dramatically onto your writing room floor. A perfect match to the dramatic red colourway, maybe, and it's hard to be too precious about damaging a pen at this price point, but on a hard floor the Freemont's suicidal cap might well do itself a mischief.


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Filling System


International standard cartridges (and, presumably, converters). I haven't scored this as it's such a subjective matter, but in terms of grab'n'go practicality cartridges are a great option and I feel they're a good fit for this stylish but affordable pen.


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Cost and Value 9/10


Franklin Covey isn't a well-known brand in the UK, and I acquired the Freemont for £13.50 including postage, which may reflect its relative obscurity over here. (Online only from The Pen Shop, December 2015). The UK price point is affordable for almost anyone and the Freemont is certainly a good quality pen for the money - possibly even for a little more. The slightly rough nib and posting problems mean it doesn't outperform its price band overall.


A matching ballpoint is also available which Pen Shop (no affiliation) are currently selling both separately and as a set.



Conclusion - 9/10 for its price band


Style, quality and good looks on the very, very cheap. As long as you don't have personal differences with its character the Freemont is a lovely little bit of glamour and fun. It would make a wonderful gift for a student - I'd have killed to own a thing like this at high school. It would also make an eyecatching but not too good to leave the house with everyday writer. It's not for anyone who doesn't like writing unposted, it's not for those with giant hands and it's not for committed chunky pen addicts, but if you're willing to forgive the Freemont its foibles it makes a very attractive accessory which is fun to use. I will be keeping this pen at least for a while - at present it's the only fine nib I own, and I also love to be able to show off a little without worrying that I'm toting the family jewels around. Whether it stays long term depends on whether it makes the grade when compared to other F nibs.



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I have one of these! Mine is black, and my first writing fountain pen (I had some specifically "calligraphy" pens that I loved years ago). My first impression was that it was a piece of junk and a waste of money. The ink would not flow from day one! It set on my desk for months, and I decided to try again. It still wouldn't work, I pulled the old cartridge out (the one it came with) and flushed the nib- it seems to be working GREAT now!

 

I can attest, in my ignorance having tortured the poor thing in an attempt to get it to write (pressing hard enough to flex the nib even) that it shows absolutely no sign of such mistreatment. The nib spring right back into place when I stopped trying to kill it and it writes beautifully!

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  • 10 months later...

thank you very much for sharing the incredible review about this pen. It showed up in a store here in Brazil and I´ve never heard about it. Your review was more than enough to decide to buy one - my first choice of colour was exactly the same of you. again, thanks.

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Excellent for a first review, and hardly less than excellent for an experienced reviewer.

 

Franklin Covey is a sub-brand of Cross, a company that is capable of manufacturing a very serviceable pen at a wide range of price levels. The part about not posting very well is bad news for a user accustomed to posting pens, less bad for others.

 

Caps that are top-heavy, or appallingly top-heavy, are very far from rare. This is something to know about and make one's peace with. Or be warned against, and go elsewhere.

 

Again, not to distract myself from the point, a review well worth reading. I hope to read more of them. The reviewer's loved ones may differ, as pens begin to overflow their natural bounds.

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This model in black was my first store bought fountain pen as well. I too needed to flush it really well, and tune the nib as mine was scratchy.

 

However, for the money and its availability at my local Staples store, you can't really fault it. It is a little slimmer than what I like, but it is a reliable writer that takes SIC or converter so it is a good for an everyday, no cares pen.

 

Thanks for taking the time to review.

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