Three Franklin Christoph's

[Uncial]

Hopefully this won't get too confusing and I will try and keep all three pen reviews separated, but inevitably there will be some cross over. In all of the pictures included here, the Stabilis is at the top, then the Intrinsic and then the Iterum.

 

 

I don't think I need to go into the history of Franklin Christoph as I'm sure that has already been covered elsewhere, suffice to say they began the foray into fountain pen in 2001 and are based in Georgia. Here is a link to their website: http://www.franklin-christoph.com I will be taking a look at three pens today; the Stabilis 66, the 02 Intrinsic and the 03 Iterum. We'll begin with the Stabilis 66.

 

The Stabilis 66 was my first fountain pen from FC. It's a slightly curious beast and its design won the award for best design from PenWorld back in 2015. Like all FC pens, this one is available in a number of different finishes, but I own the clear demonstrator model. It is possible to get a gold nib, but all of these pens reviewed here have steel nibs; the Stabilis pictures has a fine cursive italic specially ground by Mike Masuyama. The nibs are screw in units and are interchangeable between models (I'm not sure if they are interchangeable between all models, but the website will give you that info). The nib is smooth, crisp, wet and a real pleasure to write with. It provides just enough variance to keep it interesting without having to make your writing any bigger to accommodate the stub/italic quality of the nib. I love these nibs and they are among my favourite nibs to use. The array of nibs is somewhat mind boggling, but FC provide a good indicator of what to expect on their website with writing samples of each one. They are emblazoned with the 'F' in old English script.

 

The pen can be used as an eyedropper or with cartridges or a converter. All of these pens in this review are being used as eyedroppers. This was one of the things that appealed to me when I got the 66 Stabilis; the ability to see the ink sloshing around in there. With different types of ink colour it can be quite dramatic. It holds an awful lot of ink, so you need to be sure that you like the colour enough to enjoy writing with it for an extended period. When I first got this pen I filled it right up with Iro's Fuyu-gaki. It leaked and leaked and leaked no matter what I did. FC were incredibly patient and explained a step by step process to eyedropper the pen properly (details are now on their website - follow them to the letter!) but alas, it turned out that the ink seemed to be the issue. I've since filled it with four other different inks and had no problem whatsoever; no leaks and no burping (and I have hot hands).

 

The style and finish of the pen are very appealing to me. It is shaped in the style of a desk pen with a small cap (which posts securely) and a rounded body tapering to a point with a flattened side to keep it from rolling off your desk. On this flattened side is the engraved FC details in a font that looks like it came out of an 80's early computer. I like their style and aesthetic; it is stripped back, plain, somewhat modernist. I love the length ( 6.25 inches capped, 6 inches uncapped and 7 inches posted) and it is a light pen coming in at 22g filled. The interior of the cap and barrel are 'frosted' in the sense that they are rough rather than clear. I thought this might cause issues with staining and problems with cleaning but so far that hasn't been an issue at all. It takes about two turns to cap the pen and the threads are placed right at the very end of the grip. The grip s concave and very comfortable.

 

I really like this pen; it's very unusual and quite unique. It's well made and a pleasure to write with.

 

 

The 02 Intrinsic was my second FC purchase in a green emerald acrylic. The unusual shape of the pen appealed to me and the amazing acrylic that reminds me of a stick of candy. This is the only FC to have a clip (you can get them with or without a clip). The clip is a silver coloured metal with four diamonds engraved down its length. It is quite a tight bar clip with a curious bend down to the cap and a central pinch. I have to say I don;t like the clip and I feel it looks a bit cheap. I really like the material and it's depth of colour and while it has some transparency, the interior is frosted so you won't see any ink sloshing around in there. It can be a little bit of a fingerprint magnet which might be a source of irritation for some. The shape of the Intrinsic allows for a deep posting of the large cap. The barrel of the pen has a centrally angled dip that straightens out to the end. This means it will hold a little less ink than other pens, but it will still hold a lot of ink. It weighs 20g filled. The cap is large, coming in at 2.75 inches and when posted it comes half way down the length of the barrel. For some, depending on where you hold the pen to write, this may be a problem as the web between your thumb and finger may continuously dislodge the cap up the pen. It won't fall off, but it could be annoying. Personally, this has not happened to me, but I know of others that have had this issue with it.

 

The pen has flat top ends with a slight bevel and is 5.75 inches capped, just over 5 inches uncapped and 5.75 inches posted. It takes three turns to uncap and the threads are also placed at the very end of the comfortable concave grip. When the pen is posted it takes on a slightly odd looking bulbous appearance but it's not back heavy when writing. The FC logo and pen name are in the same font as mentioned before but is in a ring around the base of the cap rather than on the pen body. I also eyedropper this pen and use a steel Masuyama fine cursive italic. I found this nib a little bit drier, but it wasn't difficult to make it wetter. The styling of this pen presents a particular problem for the finish. The point at which the barrel sweeps down at the centre to a narrower end has visible machine tooling marks. They aren't that noticeable until you look at the pen up close, but they are there and look like little scratch rings running up the middle of the barrel of the pen. While I really like this pen, due to this and the clip, it wouldn't be my favourite.

 

 

Last, but by no measn least, is the 03 Iterum, a name apparently meaning 'again' taking reference from older pens. This is a basic flat ended rod shape with no clip. It is in emerald and ice (the ice bit being a white insertion (it has a strange transparency to it much like the Ghost material) to the top of the cap with the FC 'F' logo engraved on it). This pen is also eyedroppered and has a steel fine nib which is wet and smooth, and as to be expected with steel nibs, very firm. I like the style of this and it's size - it's quite a large pen coming in at 5.5 inches capped, 5 inches uncapped and 7 inches posted. It weighs 20g filled and the cap takes two turns to unscrew and is 2.5 inches long. The pen has the usual concave, comfortable grip that is slightly longer than the others and has the threads also at the very end. It posts securely and when posted is surprisingly well balanced for its length. If you have large hands this pen is a great size. The FC logo and name of the pen is engraved in their distinctive font in a ring around the base of the cap. Now this pen really is like candy cane, a straight line from top to bottom except for the little detail of the white to the end of the cap. The material has a slight transparency, but is also frosted in the interior, but you can see the white coming through of the insert at the end of the cap. I adore this pen; it is perfect for me. There is no bevelling to the flat top ends. This is simplicity of design taken tot he max. I really like the emerald green colour. The pen has a larger step down to the grip than the others - which worried me as I can be a little sensitive to steps - but I haven't found it to be an irritation or particularly noticeable when writing. I don't think I can say anything negative about it.

 

There is only one negative I can come up with for FC pens and it doesn't concern the pens themselves, but rather their business model. The stock seems to run out fast - real fast. No doubt this is due to their popularity. If it is a type of material finish that is part of the standard range then you can always rest assured that eventually it will come back into rotation and you pick your chosen pen model up in the finish you want. The website now tells you what finishes are available for each pen. However, sometimes you might be waiting a very long time for the finish you want...a very long time. This issue also arises for them in relation to their limited runs of special finishes such as Coke Bottle, Italian Ice and Ghost and some slightly funky looking acrylics. I tried for a year to get a Coke Bottle finish. I went on the lists, I got the email notifications, but boy oh boy do those lists fill up fast. On one occasion I got the email notification for the new open list and went straight to the website within four hours of getting it and I was already too late. I don't know if that is because the material is so limited that very few pens are actually made or that FC has so many fans that anything unusual and different just gets snatched up immediately. Either way, I'm not sure this approach helps them. I almost gave up entirely and had decided not to bother buying an FC pen and I suspect others might have had the same experience and frustration. I am, of course, very glad I persisted and bought pens from them, even if I never did get that Coke Bottle Stabilis!

 

Overall, I think FC pens are real nice addition to the market. They are reasonably priced, super fast when it comes to shipping, very nicely packaged with a leather zipper pouch (was black but now a kind of maroon - much nicer - colour) and some carts and converter and their customer service is excellent. I found them to be really fast in their response, courteous at all times and very helpful. The array of different nibs options is excellent and the chance to get a specially ground nib for very little extra money is great. Some may find their finishes and colours to be a little restrained and others may find the style of the pens in terms of the aesthetic to be a little plain for their taste, but I really enjoy and have enjoyed these pens so much that they have never been uninked since purchased. I would highly recommend them.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Uncial

[Drone]

Franklin-Christoph is to missing clips, like TWSBI is to pens that don't post well

 

Great reviews, thanks, David

[Aditkamath26]

I have a couple of Franklin-Christophs on my radar. The model-66 stabilis and the p66 are first in line.

Great thoroughly done review.