Ferocase Pen Chest

January 23, 2015

I posted this eBay find in Market Watch, and did a very brief writeup (with a promise of a follow-up review).

Here it is.

It's a reasonably attractive case, similar to various cigar humidors or jewelry boxes on the market. At a glance, it looks great and shows off a dozen of your pens. It's MDF construction with wood veneer and painted trim. The "glass" is unfortunately plastic / plexiglass.

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/roomdog/Pens/Pen%20Case/PenBox001_zpsce517766.jpg

The inside is lined with a material that is almost identical to the lining of a Montblanc box. Ferocase is based out of Hamburg as well, so who knows... It's very soft, and very nice.

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/roomdog/Pens/Pen%20Case/PenBox005_zps6b6dad29.jpg

The slots are plenty big, and even large pens such as a Montblanc 149 or Nakaya Neo Standard are no challenge for this chest.

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/roomdog/Pens/Pen%20Case/PenBox008_zpscd6b448f.jpg

Here's a few assorted pens that should be easier for folks to reference for size comparisons. Left to right: MB 149, Nakaya Neo Standard, Pelikan M400, Lamy 2k, Lamy Safari, Noodler's Konrad, Kaweco Sport.

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/roomdog/Pens/Pen%20Case/PenBox009_zpse9456b61.jpg

That was the "good". Now for the not so good...

The fit and finish is mediocre once you start scrutinizing the case. I already mentioned the plexiglass top, but it gets worse. You can see that the painted trim was done a little sloppily, to include a couple of smudges on the wood. If you look close, you can see that they used two pieces of veneer on the top, making a visible seam.

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/roomdog/Pens/Pen%20Case/PenBox004_zps0378caa0.jpg

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/roomdog/Pens/Pen%20Case/PenBox003_zps0fe2f83e.jpg

They must have got tired installing the dividers, and worked their way from top to bottom. In the lowest drawer, you can see that the angle in the rightmost slots are oblique and not parallel to the sides of the drawer.

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/roomdog/Pens/Pen%20Case/PenBox006_zps2bd01766.jpg

Overall, I'm pleased with this case. General quality is on par with something you might find at Michael's / Hobby Lobby. It's attractive and fulfills its purpose, and it looks fine sitting on a shelf or credenza. For 79 euros (auction price), it's a good deal. For 179 euros (buy it now price), I'd think about a different model without the paint for 199; but probably choose a different solution alltogether.

Hope that helped, and here's some gratuitous "glamor shots"... lol

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/roomdog/Pens/Pen%20Case/PenBox011_zps0d45562a.jpg

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa163/roomdog/Pens/Pen%20Case/PenBox010_zps1bfd07df.jpg

Edited January 23, 2015 by dneal

January 23, 2015

Thanks for the very helpful review. If you were going to go for a more expensive option what other storage units would you suggest?

January 23, 2015

Not necessarily a more expensive option, but just a different one in the same price range.

This one from Amazon holds 36 pens (instead of 45 like the one above), and I would buy it before I would pay full price for the Ferocase. I'd maybe be looking at cases from Laban or Lanier instead of the slightly bigger Ferocase.

The bigger cases are more of a challenge. You get a lot of storage for 299 euros, and there's a significant difference in price from other companies.

Although I'm pretty tough in the review above, it's not a piece of junk and I'm happy with the purchase.

January 23, 2015

I'd really like to find one of these Kaweco Cube chests. Maybe I'll drive down to Heidelberg and see if the factory has one to sell...

January 28, 2015

That's not bad for 79 euro I don't think. I love the way it's designed, the other cases don't really appeal to me that much. I will be considering this when picking one up. Thanks for the review.