Anyone Have Knox Pens (Plato, Aristotle, Galileo)?

[Miles R.]

I've bought some Nemosine and Bülow (=Jinhao) pens from xfountainpens.com and some Knox nibs, but have not yet tried any of the Knox pens. There are three models of these: the Plato, the Aristotle, and the Galileo. Unfortunately, the site offers no specifics on their weight and dimensions, though an on-line assistant whom I asked about the Galileo told me that it is about 5 3/8 inches capped and 6 inches posted and weighs about 1 1/8 ounce (or 30 grams). He also told me, in reply to my question, that the other Knox pens are of similar dimensions and weight. (I believe he was measuring and weighing the pen on the spot, and I did not feel right asking him to measure and weigh all three models for me.) The only reference to any of these pens that I have seen on this site have been rather unspecific, so I started this thread just to ask whether anyone owns one or more of these models and can give specific information on their dimensions and weight and any impressions of their balance and feel. If the figures that the assistant gave me are correct then the Galileo seems to be on the small and light side as metal-barreled pens go (at least, I assume that it has a metal barrel)--very different from the Nemosine Fission, for instance, which weighs 48 grams and is a bit unwieldy when posted.

[Miles R.]

Hmm. It looks, so far, as though the answer to my question is "No."

[wastelanded]

Watching this as well, I've had my eye on the Aristotle!

[Miles R.]

Watching this as well, I've had my eye on the Aristotle!

Well, if I have to buy one to find out what it's like, I'll post some report on it here.

[Harlequin]

Are there pics of these three pens on xfountainepens? Or do you have any that you could post here?

[wastelanded]

They are all posted on the site. I think I will pull the plug on an Aristotle. I've been wanting an OB Knox nib for a while, and the whole pen is only $6 more than the nib alone.

[Motomo]

I received two of the Aristotle pens for Christmas and I also have a Nemosine Fission so I will give you a comparison as best I can.

 

Size wise the Aristotle pen is about the same size as a Hero 616 Jumbo but of course heavier since it has a metal barrel. It is about 5 1/2 inches capped...and about 6 3/8 inches posted. Girth wise it is comparable again to the Hero 616 Jumbo or my Pelikan 150. I don't have a way to weigh the pen but I would say it is quite a bit lighter than the Fission.

 

As for my experience so far writing with the pen...it is very pleasant to write with but with the cap posted it is a bit top heavy but nothing near the unbalanced feel of the fission with the cap posted. The knox nib is very smooth right out of the box and did not need any tweaks. The knox nib is smaller than the bulow nib of the fission in size. There is a small step down from the barrel to the section but it is not severe and the pen is very comfortable in the hand. The section feels better in the hand than the fission as it is not polished metal and I cannot tell if the section is metal or plastic. The cap does post but it does not post very securely. The cap snaps securely when the pen is not in use and the clip has a bit of flex but has held on to my shirt with no issues.

 

Overall I am quite pleased with the pen....pleased enough to order another one with a OB nib. I like the fission but it is a bit heavier than my preference and I am not fond of slippery sections and the Aristotle fits my hand better.

 

Hope this helps and if you need any more info let me know

[Miles R.]

I think I will pull the plug on an Aristotle.

I think that the phrase that you were groping for is "to pull the trigger," if you mean that you intend to buy one. To pull the plug on a project means almost the opposite, namely to put an end to it.

I received two of the Aristotle pens for Christmas and I also have a Nemosine Fission so I will give you a comparison as best I can.

 

Size wise the Aristotle pen is about the same size as a Hero 616 Jumbo but of course heavier since it has a metal barrel. It is about 5 1/2 inches capped...and about 6 3/8 inches posted. Girth wise it is comparable again to the Hero 616 Jumbo or my Pelikan 150. I don't have a way to weigh the pen but I would say it is quite a bit lighter than the Fission.

 

As for my experience so far writing with the pen...it is very pleasant to write with but with the cap posted it is a bit top heavy but nothing near the unbalanced feel of the fission with the cap posted. The knox nib is very smooth right out of the box and did not need any tweaks. The knox nib is smaller than the bulow nib of the fission in size. There is a small step down from the barrel to the section but it is not severe and the pen is very comfortable in the hand. The section feels better in the hand than the fission as it is not polished metal and I cannot tell if the section is metal or plastic. The cap does post but it does not post very securely. The cap snaps securely when the pen is not in use and the clip has a bit of flex but has held on to my shirt with no issues.

 

Overall I am quite pleased with the pen....pleased enough to order another one with a OB nib. I like the fission but it is a bit heavier than my preference and I am not fond of slippery sections and the Aristotle fits my hand better.

 

Hope this helps and if you need any more info let me know

Many thanks for the information on the Aristotle. (I own a Nemosine Fission, so I can appreciate the comparison.) I had a suspicion, in view of the photos, that the pen would feel top-heavy in the hand with the cap posted, and your observations confirm that it does so. (I have found that almost any pen that measures over 6 inches posted is ill-balanced in that way.) Since I don't like writing without the cap posted, especially if the pen is light, I am going to pass on this model.

Edited December 28, 2012 by Miles R.

[mhguda]

Hi,

I only just saw this. I have a Knox Plato from xFountainpens, and I love it. It's a nice pen, 12.4 cm long uncapped, 13.2 cm capped. I use it unposted only. The barrel has a diameter of 1.2cm, section at its narrowest is 0.8cm. I don't know the weight, but for a metal pen I find it on the light side. I like it very much. It was one of those impulse buys that I have not regretted for a second. Good luck with your choice!

[Harlequin]

For those of you that said you havd a Fission, do you al by any chance have a Nemosine Singularity as well? If so, which of those two would you recommend?

Edited December 28, 2012 by Harlequin

[Miles R.]

For those of you that said you havd a Fission, do you al by any chance have a Nemosine Singularity as well? If so, which of those two would you recommend?

I own one of each. The nibs are identical, but, of course, everything else is different, as the Singularity has an all-plastic body and the Fission one of metal.

 

Fission: At 48 grams, this is strictly for those who like heavy pens. But it is not a good pen for those who like to write with the cap posted, as I do. For one thing, posting the cap requires screwing it into place on the tail, which I find an unwelcome bother (it takes almost two full twists to remove the cap from the barrel, and about two and a half to screw it on to the tail). But more important, with the cap in place on the tail, the pen is rather unwieldy. Writing with it is fatiguing not, as I have heard some say, because the pen is heavy, but because it is poorly balanced. So, in sum, I don't recommend this pen for those who like to write with the cap posted. For those who write with the cap unposted, it's fine if you like a heavy pen (30 grams without the cap).

 

Singularity: Being made of plastic, this is, of course, a lightweight pen (weight 17 grams), but pretty well balanced as such pens go. The cap unscrews from the barrel with one and a half twists and fits securely on to the tail by friction. One of its attractions is that one can, by simply adding silicone grease to the threads of the grip section, dispense with the convertor and use the barrel as the ink reservoir. This is especially attractive in the demonstrator (the one that I own).

Edited December 28, 2012 by Miles R.

[Harlequin]

Now I have to go weigh the pens I've been using (since I JUST came to using FPs not quite 3 weeks ago) and see what the various weights are. Incidentally, b/c they take the same nibs, are they interchangeable, or is there something else (maybe with the feed or section, whatever) that prevents them from being swapped between each other?

Edited December 28, 2012 by Harlequin

[Miles R.]

Now I have to go weigh the pens I've been using (since I JUST came to using FPs not quite 3 weeks ago) and see what the various weights are. Incidentally, b/c they take the same nibs, are they interchangeable, or is there something else (maybe with the feed or section, whatever) that prevents them from being swapped between each other?

You can easily switch them. That's why xfountainpens sells the nibs separately. You can also put Knox nibs in their place, but I find the result aesthetically distasteful because of the gold (or goldish) plating on them as against the uniform chrome finish on the exposed metal of the Nemonsine pens.

 

Edited to add: I got a little electronic scale through a vendor on Amazon.com for a few dollars. Very handy for weighing pens, though I gather from the reviews and from the items listed under "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" that most purchasers of this scale use it to weigh marijuana.

Edited December 29, 2012 by Miles R.

[79spitfire]

I have the Knox Aristotle with the 2OB nib, the nib I ordered was a bit larger than I had anticipated, lots of character, however. It also had a habit of being a hard starter. It's sitting here somewhere. I kinda went in the 'to be reckoned with later' pile, and forgotten until I stumbled on this thread. It writes better un-posted, being a bit rear heavy when posted. When it works the nib is reallllly smooth!

[Motomo]

I have ordered a Galileo will add to my comments above when it arrives

[chadden42]

I have the Singularity, the Fission, and an Aristotle. I like all three of them very much. Of the Nemosine pens I would get the Singularity; the Fission is very heavy. It has a threaded posting ability but is way too heavy posted.

[Uncle Red]

I have the Knox Aristotle with the 2OB nib, the nib I ordered was a bit larger than I had anticipated, lots of character, however. It also had a habit of being a hard starter. It's sitting here somewhere. I kinda went in the 'to be reckoned with later' pile, and forgotten until I stumbled on this thread. It writes better un-posted, being a bit rear heavy when posted. When it works the nib is reallllly smooth!

I have a Knox O2B nib on my Konrad and the sweet spot is small. If I hit it correctly it writes like a dream but if I'm off it's a hard starter.

[Harlequin]

I have my eye on a Singularity, but I'm still curious about the Fission. If anyone wants to get rid of theirs, let me know! LOL

[Motomo]

I received my Galileo Pen in the mail today from xfountain pens...to this point I have did tested it and here are my first impressions.

 

I order the pen in an Oblique Broad....from the dip test it writes a nice with line and is very smooth. Size wise the pen is approximately the same length as the Aristotle pen but the Galileo is a bit thinner. Also the finish on the pen is a muted blue (does come in other colors) that seems to be a bit less slippery that the finish on the Aristotle.

 

Balance wise the pen feels much better when posted than the Aristotle....still a smidgen top heavy but not uncomfortably so. It uses the same size small Knox nib as the Aristotle. I do like the clip much better on the Galileo in that the bottom of the clip is turned out so it is easier to slip into a shirt pocket.

 

Both of these are good pens and good value for the $$....

[Motomo]

Its been over a month now so I thought I would give a follow up on both the Aristotle and the Galileo pen from xfountainpens. Both of these pens I have taken to work on a regular basis. I work for Goodwill managing a retail store and one of the things that I value in any work pen is staying attached to my shirt as I sort through donations and write when I want it to write.

 

I have three of the Aristotle Pens. It is a medium heavy pen metal pen with a snap cap. Have had no issues with the cap coming off but it does not post well at all if you like to write with your pen posted. It is also top heavy with the cap posted so most of the writing that I do is unposted. The Knox nib was smooth out of the box on all three with no skipping or flow issues to report. Even with the wider size nib I have had very little starting issues with a variety of different inks. The clip is springy and no issues with it coming unclipped from my shirt. Other than the posting issue I am very pleased with this pen and it is used quite often.

 

The Galileo. I have one of these in the muted blue color with a oblique double broad nib. The Galileo is a lighter weight pen then the Aristotle I would call a medium weight metal pen. It is a bit slimmer than the Aristotle. Again I have experienced no issues with the Knox nib at all with skipping or starting again with trying a variety of inks. Writing with this pen posted is pleasant, it is a little top heavy but just a bit, and the cap post securely. It is also a snap cap pen and I have had no issues with it coming uncapped and it attaches well to your shirt.

 

Honestly I am very pleased with both of these pens. I prefer to write with the cap posted so I lean abit to the Galileo for that reason but like the girth of the Aristotle more than the slimness of the Galileo. I would purchase more of either one and have found them both an excellent value for the money.